Our Autumn in August takes us book shopping at 84, Charing Cross Road

For our finale in this Autumn in August film series, I welcome you to a book paradise lost that was once located at 84, Charing Cross Road.

This 1987 movie was based upon a play which was an adaptation of a memoir in letters by our leading lady Helene Hanff(Anne Bancroft), a writer and script reader in post WWII New York whose desire for affordable works of English Literature couldn’t be fulfilled by local booksellers.

Thanks to a magazine ad, she writes the first of many letters to Marks & Co, a London bookshop specializing in old and rare titles with a request for some of her most pressing literary needs. Fortunately, the shop manger Frank Doel(Anthony Hopkins) is most pleased to assist her and already appreciates her ready wit:

This exchange blossoms into a lovely long distance relationship that extends to other staff members at the shop, particularly when Helene starts sending care packages via Denmark due to the limited food rationing England was still going through after the war.

Of course, many such as Cecily Farr(Eleanor David) and Bill Humphries(Ian McNeice) write in private to Helene since Frank considers her  to be his“special corespondent “ but they insist that he’s not stuffy.

Those little asides are nice to see as Cecily is happy to be able to bake her children a cake with her share of the parcels and Bill’s stiff upper lip great aunt is thrilled to taste fresh meat after so long, despite it coming from America by way of Denmark!

Frank also personally thanks Helene for her generous gifts and finds ways to kindly return the favor through books , of course such as a small volume of love poetry that “doesn’t slobber”, small enough to fit into a pocket and take to the park for spring reading:

What keeps this movie going is showcasing of Helene and Frank in their separate lives , she with her quirky energy and outgoing manners whether she’s helping a good friend or looking for some pepper salami from the local deli, contrasted with his quiet yet heartfelt lifestyle with his second wife Nora(Judi Dench) and their girls whether on a rainy seaside holiday or watching the coronation of the new queen.

While Frank and Helene maintain a long distance friendship, a possible romance  between them is somewhat hinted at here but I suspect that even if they had met in real life , nothing of that sort would’ve happened. Although in another lifetime, perhaps…:

In a way, 84, Charing Cross Road was ahead of its time as folks exchanging stories about their lives and gifts to those they never met was not the norm. However, in this internet age, such bonds of friendship are made every day.

No matter what the time period, such real life tales of people reaching out to each other like this, based on mutual interests and just plain decency, are uplifting without being saccharine sweet.

This film was a labor of love for Bancroft, who had her beloved husband Mel Brooks produced it and she wound up winning a BAFTA(British version of an Oscar) for her performance.  Judi Dench received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role and has said that was one of her favorite parts onscreen.

 

Hopkins also gives his role a subtle charm as well, making you wish he and Helene had managed to meet up somehow(spoiler alert, they never did). The balance between them in certain scenes is edited just right with one last letter exchange almost feeling like a direct conversation.

If you love books and bookstores (especially British ones), this is the perfect movie for you and as a bonus, Helene Hanff not only shared her life story in this set of letters but a couple of other books as well (I highly recommend The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street and In Show Business). Plenty of good reading to be had here!

Well, thank you all for checking out this mini film festival and I’ll be back in blog business after Labor Day. Enjoy what remains of summer and let’s rejoice in the glories of autumn yet to come: