84 Charing Cross Road (1987)

'84 Charing Cross Road' is a slow and simple but enjoyable film that relies solely on a great script and strong acting. It is surprising how a film with such a basic plot can be just as, if not even more enjoyable that mega-budget films crammed with action and special effects.This film isn't for everyone, in fact it will probably only appeal to those who prefer their films on the subtle and slow side. Whilst not a film I would consider among my favourites, '84 Charing Cross Road' can be appreciated for its emphasis on script and character and its effective portrayal of friendship.With little plot or direction, this film is still an enjoyable and ideal way to pass the time. It will probably be favoured by older audiences who are more likely to see past the the lack of plot and action and appreciate the film for what it is.

True story of a transatlantic business correspondence about used books that developed into a close friendship.Roger Ebert somewhat humorously wrote, "Miss Fiske was the librarian at the Urbana Free Library when I was growing up. She never had to talk to me about the love of books because she simply exuded it and I absorbed it. She would have loved this movie. Sitting next to her, I suspect, I would have loved it, too. But Miss Fiske is gone now, and I found it pretty slow-going on my own." That Ebert was a funny guy. As he notes elsewhere in his review, this movie is built on a very thin premise. And that is its ultimate downfall. While the movie is fun to watch, it has so little going on: basically two people corresponding about books to order. It's nice for a book lover like myself, but it did begin to wear after a while.

I suppose liking or appreciating 84 Charing Cross Road comes down to what one goes to movies to see. This is the case with any movie, obviously, but for any number of kids disappointed by reaching into the trick-or-treat bag and coming up with a granola bar, there are some who like the granola. 84 Charing Cross Road is cinematic granola. It's no Indiana Jones or Casablanca, but that's not to say there's no sense of wonder or adventure. To some viewers, a film about the love of reading and relationship through written correspondence has that. It may not sound like it, but consider that you can't make a movie about people writing to each other and liking or disliking books unless it's about the situations they're in as they write each other, what causes them to do so, and how their passion for literature defines their lives.The characters in this film are indeed human beings, probably more like the people watching it than is the case with most other movies. How implausibly eventful does a person's life have to be without being interesting or emotionally fulfilling? However slight the story arguably is, Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins are nevertheless deeply connected to the people it's about. Emotion and impulse on a salt-of-the-earth human level are the very wheelhouse of Bancroft. Her ability to be emotionally free and available to various nuances of feeling is key to her talent.There is not one false moment in the whole movie. For the invariably impeccable Sir Anthony Hopkins, he gives his performance the texture of real life with the spontaneity and idiosyncrasy of every one of his transitions, every one of his reactions to every emotional event. And though her role is small, Dame Judi Dench is given the difficult task of being there for many of the emotional events in her husband Hopkins' life, and does it modestly, sparingly, realistically and completely in the daintiest handful of scenes.I can argue in favor of 84 Charing Cross Road on a logical level, but at the same time, I still can't say there's anything profound for me to grab onto when I watch it, which is what I tend to desire from pared down human stories. The story blossoms into a chronicle of a beautiful little relationship that leaves a lasting imprint on the lives involved, my experience was that what happens is just life. No situation seems challenging enough to be anything more than the natural progression of the contact between two uneventful people. But that can also be considered a credit to the film. It seems designed to be for someone in particular, not everyone. You can maybe argue that if it were for everybody, it would then be for nobody in particular. Because it speaks to the tastes of a select audience who would be moved by this tale, and because it's thoroughly effective on that level of integrity, it's destined to be a cherished little critic-proof installment in their personal home entertainment collections.

I find it interesting that so many people cannot grasp the notion that there are many kinds of friendships and many kinds of love affairs. So many people miss the point of the film. We've been taught to believe that lovers must consummate a relationship and become a couple. That our friends are only real if we know them in person. This movie is about how people we may never meet can enrich our lives. In the age of internet relationships, this story has a particularly significant voice. I chuckled when I read Roger Ebert's review of this movie. How he found it boring and wondered why Helene didn't just jump on a plane to London. Then what? Destroy his marriage? Uproot her career? Or worse, drag this genteel brit back to 1960s New York? The story is about how people can live comfortable, perhaps even mundane lives, and yet find sweet escape through books and letters. The relationship itself is nothing more than restrained words on paper, and yet it's as real as any relationship either of them have with people they see every day. It's real because they share the same passion for the written word. Yes, it is tragic that they never meet. You want them to, but realistically, you know they can't. In the end, we realize they were lovers the whole time, and their love transcended the physical obstacles that kept them apart.