84 Charing Cross Road

Who says long-distance relationships don't work? A nice, old-fashioned profession of love for classical literature, Spurs and friendship. Perhaps only if the theater stage and radio would not have stood out of from the movie so much. It could have and should have relied even more on the amazing cast, which has the capacity to perform brilliantly using only their eyes. Instead, it relies on the often redundant reading aloud of the original/correspondence, which is of course the centerpiece of everything, but in the film it could have been approached in other ways than through long shots and voice-overs. The endless accidental demolition of the fourth wall doesn't help either. Nevertheless, the result is infinitely nice and, though seemingly reserved, it is more touching than you would expect. And that's not just because I share the same passion for books, Spurs and books about Spurs. (04/05/2020)

A middle-aged American writer corresponds across the Atlantic with an antique shop assistant in London, the whole film based on a rather original concept where we hear both actors reading the letters and at the same time their content is visualised by the scenes. In fact, the whole film is a constant reading of letters across three decades, and there is a minimum of dialogue where the two actors talk to each other. Unfortunately, in my opinion, it's a concept that only lasts about half an hour before it becomes repetitive and monotonous. The film does have a lively feel to it, thanks mainly to Anne Bancroft's enthusiastic acting, but otherwise I don't think the story is interesting enough to not be tiresome by the end. I've seen Anthony Hopkins act better in many other films, too. But I can say from my own experience that this movie is very much liked by women, my 60 year old sister loves it, my friend does too. So I guess it's my fault :o) (11/09/2024)

"Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths, enwrought with golden and silver light, The blue and the dim and the dark cloths of night and light and the half light, I would spread the cloths under your feet. But I, being poor, have only my dreams. I have spread my dreams under your feet. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams." - Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins took me on a wonderful trip into the magical world of books, and with their unforced acting, they perfectly convinced me that no distance is too far to prevent soul mates from enjoying harmony together. (80%) (17/01/2023)