Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Aubrey Hackett While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Kirpianuscus a film about friendship. in a special form. about books. about different manner to see the life. and about special refuges against every day pressure. it is not easy to define its source of seduction. the script, the acting, the chain of titles, the letters,her enthusiasm, his polite answers, the flavor of two different places and cultures and personalities. it is seductive, fascinating and touching. and useful for the birth of special emotions. romantic and smart and delicate and precise. best choice for admirers of a cinema of substance and redefine of life basic purpose. for the lovers of old books. and for the fans of great acting. Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins. and sure, in a small role, admirable Helen Mirren. the memory of this film remains long time. with real useful result.

GeoPierpont There were three things I deeply appreciated from this film: how one can love a book, the kindness of complete strangers, and how well the letters were crafted. I have a passion for reading and a dire need to write, hence the education I received in this film was priceless. Since I am of the mindset that very little impresses me, it was fascinating to be reminded of that great hope and excitement of entering new territory completely unawares.I understand her complaints of Chaucer and the Anglican bible translation, but found myself wanting to know how this uneducated woman had such a desire for acquiring these many treasures. That is an exceptional characteristic, NOT weird my dear....I thought of all the kind gestures I have made over the years, typically to friends, colleagues, wanting to impress, and not exactly for the noblest of reasons. How the pay it forward concept was manifest in just a few simple lives, but made such an impact on so many others.My writing skills, albeit a published technical author, is so very lacking in refinement and humorous expression. Yet another work and lessons in progress.I was extremely fond of the lead performances and the capture of just the right sights and sounds of a busy New York City apartment. Mel Brooks is the last person I would assume to produce this type of film. I thank him for taking that chance to bring it to an audience who has the patience and sentimentality to cherish every moment.

sddavis63 It was about an era long, long ago - when people used typewriters and wrote letters and couldn't order everything online. Helene (Ann Bancroft) lives in New York City and has a love for old English books, but has no way to get them. Frank (Anthony Hopkins) runs an antiquarian book shop in London, and receives a letter from Helene one day asking him for help in finding the old English books she's looking for. That simple request leads to a decades long correspondence between the two, which blossoms into a friendship (made obvious in the latter parts of the movie, when Frank's rather formal and official sounding letters start to be signed off with "Love, Frank.")The two never meet. They just correspond across the ocean. If that doesn't sound very exciting, well, it isn't. You don't watch this for the excitement. It's a very human movie. It's neither exciting nor in many ways particularly interesting, but it comes from the heart. The "pen pal" type relationship between Helene and Frank is very touching, and one hopes throughout that somehow and at some time either Frank will come to America or Helene will go to England and the two will meet. That they didn't could have come as a letdown, and yet it really wasn't. The movie ended on the right note, as Helene finally does travel to London to see the book shop at 84 Charing Cross Road, but only after she's learned that Frank died suddenly and unexpectedly.We see a little bit of English and American history scattered through this movie. The British election that returned Churchill to power and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (not to mention the rationing that went on in London many years after World War II.) America, by contrast, is a land of plenty, but the student riots that break out in the 60's are depicted. It was an effective way of interspersing a bit of history among Frank and Helene's relationship.The structure of the movie perhaps meant that Hopkins and Bancroft (both excellent actors) were somewhat underused. Mostly, they narrated; reading the letters they wrote to each other while we saw background "action." But this is an effective movie, and it does touch your heart a little bit as you learn of Frank's death, and as Helene finally visits the book store. (6/10)

Maddyclassicfilms 84 Charing Cross Road is directed by David Hugh Jones, is based on the book by Helene Hanff and stars Anne Bancroft, Anthony Hopkins, Judi Dench and Maurice Denham.This is a funny,romantic and touching film about friendship,love and books. This is a true story and is set just after the Second World War, it tells the story of Helene Hanff(Anne Bancroft)an independent feisty American who loves to read.Helene writes to a small book shop in London requesting some rare English classics.Shop owner Frank Doel(Anthony Hopkins)replies and soon they begin a regular correspondence which turns into a valued pen pal friendship and later into something more.There is fine support from Judi Dench as Frank's wife Nora and small appearances by Connie Booth,Ian McNiece and Maurice Denham as an elderly bookshop employee.Well acted and written this is a film to warm your heart.