MRS PALFREY AT
THE CLAREMONT

Year: 2005
USA: Cineville
Cast: Joan Plowright, Rupert Friend, Zoe Tapper, Anna Massey, Robert Lang, Marcia Warren, Georgina Hale, Millicent Martin, Emma Pike, Anna Carteret, Timothy Bateson, Michael Culkin, Lorcan O'Toole, Olivia Caffrey, Carl Procter, Sophie Linfield, Clare Higgins
Director: Dan Ireland
Country: UK
USA: 108 mins
USA Release Date: 25 November 2005 (Limited Release - New York)


Synopsis

Dan Ireland's latest film is the comedy drama, MRS PALFREY AT THE CLAREMONT, based on the best selling novel of the same name, by the late, celebrated English author, Elizabeth Taylor.

The story centers around an elegant elderly lady, Mrs Palfrey (Joan Plowright) who, after being recently widowed, moves from Scotland to London to be near to her 26 year old grandson, Desmond. When Desmond fails to return any of her phone calls, or visit her at The Claremont, the resident hotel she is staying, fate brings her together with a young writer, Ludovic Meyer (Rupert Friend), after she has an accident outside his basement flat.

Eventually, Ludo ends up helping Mrs. Palfrey by playing a charade - pretending to be her grandson, so that the other off-beat elderly residents of the hotel believe that she hasn't been lying, and that she really does have a grandson.

The two newly found friends discover they have a lot more in common with each other then they do with other people their own age and thus begins a deep-rooted friendship that is far reaching, and everlasting.

The film stars Dame Joan Plowright (ENCHANTED APRIL), aka Lady Laurence Olivier and introduces a stunning new actor in a leading role, Rupert Friend (THE LIBERTINE, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE). The film was photographed by Claudio Rocha, Ireland's long time cinematographer, with music by Stephen Barton.
The score was produced by Ireland's long time collaborator Harry Gregson-Williams (KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, DOMINO and SHREK). The screenplay was written by Ruth Sacks with additional dialogue by Martin Donovan and Dan Ireland.