Moviola > Films > 84 Charing Cross Road

84 Charing Cross Road (PG) 100 mins

The true story of a literary love affair between abrasive New York writer Helene Hanff (Anne Bancroft) and quiet, buttoned-up London bookseller Frank Doel (Anthony Hopkins).  Unable to find the books she wants at prices she can afford, Helene sees an advertisement in the Saturday Review of Literature for a secondhand bookshop in London.  She places an order with them, and this is the start of a relationship which continues, without the protagonists ever meeting, until Doel's death some twenty years later.  The film paints an evocative picture of England in the grip of post-war austerity: there are touching scenes of the bookshop staff excitedly opening one of Helene's food parcels, and of Frank and his young family (his shy wife Nora is beautifully played by Judi Dench) grimly enjoying a wet seaside picnic.  Anne Bancroft, who died in June of this year, won a BAFTA award for best actress. 

"Thankfully, the film has nothing to do with easy nostalgia; it's about real, credible people, and as such finally becomes very moving." Time Out

"84 Charing Cross Road vividly conveys the magical ways that friendship can open up new worlds of experience and meaning."  Spirituality and Health
 

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Last modified: 04-Mar-2010

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