Charlotte, a young Scottish girl in wartime London decides to join the SOE in search of her boyfriend, an English pilot missing in France. Here she becomes involved with the French Resistance through her contact Julien, carries out important sabotage work, and attempts to protect two Jewish boys from the Nazis.
As she remarks at the beginning, this is a tale of good versus evil. The deftly created atmosphere of the dark days of wartime France perfectly conveys the overwrought emotions and fear of the villagers and Charlotte. The beauty of the village contrasts with the darkness at its heart as neighbour fears neighbour and anti-Semitism rears its ugly head. The suspense begins when a French agent, discovered by the Nazis is taken into custody to suffer the dreadful consequences. Tension builds as Charlotte and the Resistance blow up a German train; the German tanks roll into the village; and the net tightens around the little boys that she, Julien and his father are hiding.
From the first scene in which the camera sweeps over gorgeous fields of lavender, the vivid and haunting cinematography of Dion Beebe makes the wartime background of provincial France convincing. Two scenes in particular, convey the tragedy of war – the sabotaged train bursting into huge flames against the blackness of the night sky, and the white parachutes carrying British agents who have been betrayed and face certain death.
Charlotte Gray also deserves praise as a love story. The heroine’s romance with Julien, the taciturn and solemn Frenchman, is deeply moving offering new hope as a contrast to the futility of war.
It is the superb acting that makes this film a must-see, however. Australian actress, Cate Blanchett plays Charlotte with passion and panache. Charlotte has to gain maturity fast in this village where she has little idea who she can trust. Cate Blanchett shows every emotion perfectly – Charlotte’s fear of the Germans especially when the agent is caught; her bravery as she cares for the boys in the fact of great danger and her deepening regard for Julien. We can see her becoming wiser as she copes with an alien land and people under constant risk of discovery by the
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