1987 - 84 CHARING CROSS ROAD - dull quality entertainment

This is the supposedly true story of Jewish writer Helene Hanff played by Anne Bancroft a devote of English fiction particularly that stuff that John Donne, Alexander Pope and lots of obscure classical English authors jotted down in the 18th century.  Hanff begins a correspondence with a rare book shop in London, England called Marks & Co, run by Frank Doel played by Antony Hopkins,  The movie basically consists of letters written between Hanff and Doel which are read mostly in voice over as they correspond about English literature and other stuff.

The acting is at a very high quality Anne Bancroft was an excellent actor who really made her mark when she moved to Broadway.  Anthony Hopkins has had a long career in the English theater and Hollywood movies.  He's the guy you hire to class up your films such as Silence Of The Lambs, or the Thor movies and what naught.

 

The film was produced by Mel Brooks,  Bancroft's husband and was clearly a labor of love to give her a showy role as the rather flamboyant writer.  Oh Judi Dench is in it as well playing Hopkin's wife, this was before Dench became the great thespian in such pictures as Cats and The Chronicles of Riddick.

 

There's nothing wrong with the film, it's just very boring.  It probably would have played better as a one hour television special or something.

Written by Hugh Whitemore, the running time is 100 long minutes.