Film Classics: “Ladies in Lavender”
Join us for a very special Film Classics screening this Tuesday afternoon — and what a film we have chosen to mark the occasion.
Ladies in Lavender* (2004) is one of those rare British gems that stays with you long after the credits roll. Directed by Charles Dance and based on a beloved 1908 short story by William J. Locke, it is a quietly beautiful film that celebrates friendship, longing, and the unexpected ways life can surprise us — even in our quietest years.
The Story
Set in a small Cornish fishing village in 1936, the film follows two elderly sisters, Ursula and Janet Widdington, played by the incomparable Dame Judi Dench and Dame Maggie Smith. Their peaceful, unhurried life by the sea is gently upended one morning when a violent storm washes a young man — Andrea, a gifted Polish violinist played by Daniel Brühl — onto the beach below their cottage.
The sisters take him in, nurse him back to health, and find their quiet world transformed. Ursula is stirred by long-buried feelings she thought had passed her by forever. Janet watches over both of them with a mixture of warmth and gentle concern. And as Andrea’s remarkable musical talent becomes clear, the outside world begins to take notice — bringing change none of them could have anticipated.
It is a film about kindness, about the tenderness of late life, and about the bittersweet beauty of caring deeply for someone who must eventually move on.
Why You Will Love It
- Two of Britain’s most beloved actresses at the very top of their craft
- Stunning Cornwall coastal scenery — lush, windswept and utterly gorgeous
- A deeply moving soundtrack featuring the violin, played to perfection
- Gentle humour, warmth, and a story that lingers in the heart
This is cinema at its most graceful — the kind of film that reminds us why we love gathering together to watch a good story told well.
When & Where
📅 Tuesday 2 June 2026
🕐 1:30 pm
📍 (your venue details here)
All Horsham U3A members and friends are warmly welcome. Come along, settle in, and let Cornwall cast its spell on you for an afternoon.