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Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont | 
| Director: Dan Ireland
Actor: Joan Plowright; Rupert Friend; Zoe Tapper; Anna Massey; Robert Lang (ii); Marcia Warren; Georgina Hale; Millicent Martin; Michael Culkin; Anna Carteret; Lorcan O'toole; Timothy Bateson; Clare Higgins; Emma Pike; Carl Proctor; Sophie Linfield; Olivia Caffrey
Studio: Westlake
List Price: $19.98
Buy New: $4.29
You Save: $15.69 (79%)
New (47) Used (29) Collectible (1) from $3.95
Rating:  56 reviews
Sales Rank: 1770
Format: Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Ntsc, Widescreen
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 108 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: WLV3438
UPC: 798622343826
EAN: 0798622343826
ASIN: B000GYI3PY
Theatrical Release Date: 2005
Release Date: December 12, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: International orders shipped First Class AIR Mail, we ship APO-AFO same day service , Thank You for ordering+```````
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Product Description
Oscar-nominated actress Joan Plowright is the titular Mrs. Palfrey in this heartwarming comedy. When an elderly Scottish widow moves to London she finds the big city less welcoming than she expected. Mrs. Palfrey is disheartened when her nephew doesn't return her calls. But when a young man (Rupert Friend) helps her after a fall she discovers that the metropolis may not be as lonely as it first appeared. Though Plowright has made a career out of playing strong supporting roles she easily makes the transition to leading lady in this film.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA/GENERATION GAP UPC: 798622343826 Manufacturer No: WLV3438
Amazon.com
The talented indie director Dan Ireland (The Whole Wide World, ) brings his deft, intimate touch to a lovely tale of family--and how to build one. Joan Plowright is Mrs. Palfrey, a genteel widow who moves to London to start her life anew, and to be less of a burden to her daughter. When she arrives at the dowdy Claremont Hotel, which is not quite the picture of loveliness it was in the brochure, Plowright delivers Mrs. P's quick assessment--"Oh, dear"--with a spot-on mix of fleeting disappointment and stiff-upper-lip-itude. As she settles in among the oddball residents of the hotel, her life appears to be heading into a slow, downward decline. But when she meets young aspiring writer Ludovic (the adorable British actor Rupert Friend), Mrs. P--and we--learns that real family ties can be chosen, not inherited. The storyline is familiar and simple, with echoes of Tuesdays with Morrie, but the intimacy portrayed by the two lead actors brings surprising layers and emotion to the film, which envelopes the viewer like a cozy shawl. Extras include an excellent commentary with Ireland and producer Zachary Matz, Plowright's acceptance speech for an AARP award for her role in the film, and photo galleries. --A.T. Hurley
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| Customer Reviews: Read 51 more reviews...
 A treasure! February 11, 2007
Richard B. Green
55 out of 56 found this review helpful
After the film came to an end (I'd rented it on DVD), a friend who had enjoyed it with us said, "Where did you hear about this movie?" And I wasn't quite sure where I'd first seen mention of the film until, in watching an extra on the DVD, Joan Plowright's acceptance speech as winner of a best actress award from AARP, I realized it had been in a recent AARP magazine I'd received. If we lived in a just world, then Joan Plowright's performance as Mrs. Palfrey would have received an Academy Award nomination last year. When one considers what passes for entertainment nowadays, this film can stand head and shoulders above so many. No sense giving you a rundown on the story itself; suffice it to say that, if you've any curiosity as to what ageing will be like, if you've any curiosity as to how those moving into their later senior years deal with the good and bad of growing older, this movie will enlighten you. And this chance possibility of paths crossing, lives changed, the opportunity to grow from a chance encounter and a friendship formed are all beautifully explored in this wonderful little film. Rupert Friend delightfully holds his own as he and Ms Plowright form what might seem like an unlikely but beautiful friendship. There is nary a false move in his performance nor hers. I'm buying a DVD copy of my own to share with my many senior friends who, I'm sure, have yet to enjoy this story.
Love: Meeting the Needs of the Aged and the Youthful December 25, 2006
Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States)
44 out of 47 found this review helpful
MRS. PALFREY AT THE CLAREMONT is an adaptation by Ruth Sacks of the book by British novelist Elizabeth Taylor (1912 - 1975) and directed with consummate skill by Dan Ireland. It is a showcase for the extraordinary talents of Dame Joan Plowright who owns the title role
Mrs. Palfrey (Plowright) is recently widowed and decides to move to a small hotel in London to spend her last years as a lady of independence. The Claremont is a crumbling old edifice that serves as a retirement home for a small but fascinating group of tenants: the fastidious but cranky Mrs. Arbuthnot (Anna Massey), a would-be suitor for Mrs. Palfrey's hand Mr. Osborne (Robert Lang), Mrs. Post (Marcia Warren), the nosy matchmaker Mrs. Burton (Georgina Hale), and a strange old couple, the De Salises (Millicent Martin and Michael Culkin). Once settled into her barely navigable room, Mrs. Palfrey meets her fellow 'inmates' at dinner, and announces that she has a grandson who will be calling on her at times. Yet despite multiple attempts her grandson Desmond (Lorcan O'Toole) doesn't respond and Mrs. Palfrey realizes she has entered a world of loneliness.
Out on an errand she falls and is befriended by a handsome young busker/writer Ludovic Meyer (Rupert Friend) who nurses her leg wound, makes her tea, and escorts her home. Ludo is a loner and lonely and when Mrs. Palfrey offers him dinner at the hotel he gladly accepts. But at the hotel the guests presume that Mrs. Palfrey's guest will be her grandson Desmond: Mrs. Palfrey hastily informs Ludo that she has erred and Ludo agrees to pose as her grandson. The guests at the hotel are charmed by Ludo, and Mrs. Palfrey and Ludo grow increasingly bonded - they share many likes and tastes and meld into a beautiful relationship that would be the envy of any grandmother and grandson. Mrs. Palfrey's loneliness is dissipated by Ludo and the effect is vice versa. How the two progress to the end of the film, finding new lives from old ones, forms the immensely touching finale to the film.
Though this film falls into the 'ensemble acting' category, so finely entwined are the performances of every actor in the cast, the film clearly belongs to Dame Joan Plowright whose performance once again proves that she is one of the durable treasures of cinema and stage. This is a film that will touch the hearts of even the most hardened viewers and this viewer cannot recommend it more highly. Grady Harp, December 06
one of this years best January 28, 2007
Stalwart Kreinblaster (Xanadu)
32 out of 33 found this review helpful
Joan Plowright gives one of her best performances in this deeply effecting little film.. I love all of the characters staying in the hotel..every detail is surprisingly well done.. This is no Harold and Maude tale as others have noted but rather a story of two people who seem to understand each other in a way that even their closest relations do not.. It is charming right to the end - even if somewhat predictable..
Joan Plowright has such a lovely presence and never has to force her acting at all - she is so natural and believable.. I am sure this movie will have a lasting power..
Age is but a state of mind! February 12, 2007
Joyce Schwarz (Marina Del Rey, CA USA)
28 out of 29 found this review helpful
One chance meeting, two changed lives. I suggest before you watch the DVD you listen to the narrative of the producer and director which is a value add on the DVD. It will give you great4er insight into this delightful film that seems timeless. An elegant wido Joan Plowright plays Mrs. Paltrey who moves into a residence hotel called the Claremont in London. Instead of it being a cosmopolitan boutique hotel, it turns out to be one of those forgettable places with the bath down the hall. A chance meeting with a dashing young writer Rubert Friend changes both of their lives. They were meant to meet. NO this is not a may/december love story but it is a romance of a certain kind. A nice valentine to any age who doesn't know that love comes in many places and ways in our lives. And it's important to embrace it and accept it and be grateful for what crosses our path. Family of choice is sometimes so much more meaningful than family of chance (the one you're born into). This was an indy film made for $1 million on location in London -- amazing quality and a charming script. Bravo.
 An Imaginary Home for a While June 15, 2007
jcarol99 (California)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I enjoyed spending time with Mrs. Palfrey, the widowed grandmother portrayed by Joan Plowright. I enjoyed the handsome Rupert Friend's perfect portrayal of the kind, young stranger who befriends his new neighbor. I enjoyed the lovely Claremont hotel. I enjoyed both the residents and employees of the hotel. I enjoyed the neighborhood, which appeared to be a natural setting. I enjoyed the story of a grandmother who lives alone, has difficulty connecting with her family, but finds reason and goodness in others. I was very comfortable in that story, in that setting, with those people. I could have stayed longer, but the story ended just as I got settled in. It ended quickly and quietly, before I was prepared for it to end. In most movies I can see the end coming. This one surprised me, maybe because I was so comfortable. I was very affected by the quietness of this film. Several very important events occurred, but all happened quietly. I miss them now.
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