Cast: Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Michael Gambon, Rupert Penry-Jones, Lewis Crutch, Mathew Plato
Director: Gillian Armstrong
Producers: Sarah Curtis, Douglas Rae
Screenplay: Jeremy Brock, based on the novel by Sebastian Faulks
Cinematography: Dion Beebe
Music: Stephen Warbeck
U.S. Distributor: Warner Brothers
World War II has often functioned as a backdrop for stories of terrorism, adventure, and espionage. The latest effort from Australian director Gillian Armstrong (Little Women, Oscar and Lucinda), based on the novel by Sebastian Faulks, ventures into this territory. Charlotte Gray explores the odyssey of a female courier working in occupied France, and how the experience verifies her statement that "war makes us into people we didn't know we were." However, as well-crafted as Charlotte Gray is, it's lacking in suspense. The film frequently places its lead character in jeopardy; however, Armstrong is unable to generate tension from these situations. From a purely technical perspective, Charlotte Gray is expertly made - the cinematography and music are evocative, and lead actress Cate Blanchett has no problem holding our attention. But, while Armstrong gets the notes right, she fails to play them with inspiration.
France has fallen to Nazi Germany and Charlotte's boyfriend, Peter Gregory (Rupert Penry-Jones) has been shot down while flying a mission over the occupied country. In a desperate attempt to locate Peter, Charlotte, a Scotswoman who can speak fluent French, enlists to become an undercover courier. After going through "spy school", she is dropped into the French countryside, where she hooks up with the resistance cell of Julien Lavarde (Billy Crudup), a communist who is fighting to free France from Germany's grip. Her cover as the housemaid of Julien's father (Michael Gambon), places her in the unexpected role of the protector of two young Jewish boys whose parents have been taken to concentration camps. And, while acting as an intermediary between a British operative and Julien, she pursues her personal goal of learning Peter's fate.
Our willingness to suspend disbelief depends largely on how accepting we are of Charlotte's reasons for becoming a secret agent - she's desperate to find her lover. But there's a problem here. The romance between Charlotte and Peter is a whirlwind affair that is given a perfunctory screen time of less than ten minutes. Ultimately, the movie might have worked better if more time had been devoted to putting some flesh on this relationship, rather than giving us the carcass.
In many cases, the supporting characters are more interesting than the principals. The ubiquitous Cate Blanchett does a superb job portraying Charlotte Gray, but the material she has to work with is uncertain at times, mainly due the variability of Charlotte's personality. Being a spy, she must adopt an alternative persona while undercover, and, to a degree, this works against our ability to develop an emotional bond with the character. By the end of the film, we know Dominique, her French alter-ego; Charlotte is a stranger. As Julien, Billy Crudup offers a low-key portrayal that conveys the character's complexity. And, in a supporting role, Michael Gambon is, as always, a scene-stealer.
The movie rarely moves through the dark corridors into which it could descend. Spy movies are often grim, gloomy affairs with twisty plots. Although Charlotte Gray occasionally strays into the shadows, the tone remains neutral. There are some disturbing moments, including one in which several resistance fighters are slaughtered, another in which a collaborator is coldly executed, and another in which Charlotte realizes that she may have been used as a dupe. On the whole, however, Charlotte Gray plays more like a drama than an espionage thriller.
Charlotte Gray's primary failing is that the plot seems so familiar. The characters are going through motions that we have seen many other, similar characters do in other, similar movies. This film's only real claim to uniqueness is that this particular secret agent happens to be female. Nevertheless, that distinction isn't as interesting as it might have been twenty or thirty years ago. Strong-willed, independent women placed in difficult situations are fairly commonplace in movies these days (Blanchett has played a number of these herself). While it's true that we see Charlotte develop into a much different character than the one we meet at the beginning, the transformation seems pre-ordained. The movie never attempts to surprise or confound us. Both character and plot development are linear. So, while Charlotte Gray is too well-made to be considered sub-par, it is not stimulating enough to be regarded as much better than mediocre.
© 2002 James Berardinelli