Lady in the Van, The (2015) [Blu-ray]
Biography | Comedy | Drama
Tagline: A mostly true story
Based on the true story of Miss Shepherd (played by the magnificent Maggie Smith), a woman of uncertain origins "temporarily" parks her can in Alan Bennett's (Alex Jennings) London driveway and proceeds to live there for 15 years. What begins as a
grudging favor becomes a relationship that will change both their lives. Acclaimed director Nicholas Hytner reunited with iconic writer Alan Bennett to create this rare and touching portrait.
Storyline: The Lady in the Van tells the true story of Alan Bennett's strained friendship with Miss Mary Shepherd, an eccentric homeless woman whom Bennett befriended in the 1970s before allowing her temporarily to park her
Bedford van in the driveway of his Camden home. She stayed there for 15 years. As the story develops Bennett learns that Miss Shepherd is really Margaret Fairchild (died 1989), a former gifted pupil of the pianist Alfred Cortot. She had played Chopin in a
promenade concert, tried to become a nun, was committed to an institution by her brother, escaped, had an accident when her van was hit by a motorcyclist for which she believed herself to blame, and thereafter lived in fear of arrest.
Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, April 14, 2016 A bit of embellishment never hurt anybody, and a dose of reality is sometimes the best medicine. The Lady in the Van comes based on "a mostly true story" that
centers on a woman's bizarre twilight years that see her live out of a jalopy of a van in a posh London neighborhood and the love/hate relationship she develops with a resident. The film embraces the title character's eccentricities while finding purpose
in defining them. It speaks to a number of basic, approachable themes about the value of life, judgment and perception of others, and self-worth. More broadly, its about neighborly values and goodwill to others, qualities that trump an eyesore van and the
stench that comes from it. How much of the movie is fact and how much of it is fiction is up for the viewer to decide and discover, but the end cinematic result is an amiable, if not a bit aimless, film that blends cheery and sometimes awkward humor with
a tenderness befitting life's simplest treasures, even when they come wrapped in the most repulsive of packages.
Mary Shepherd (Maggie Smith) doesn't fit in. She wears the latest fashions scoured from the trash heap. She hasn't bathed in who knows how long. She lives out a van, and her idea of "home improvement" is to slather yellow paint all over it, and the wrong
sort of paint for the job at that. She's a mystery to all who know her, at least a mystery beyond the obvious eye- and nose-sore that her presence brings to an otherwise pleasant and upscale London neighborhood. She's found a "friend" in a writer named
Alan Bennett (Alex Jennings) who finds some inspiration in her comings and goings that always begin and end in his driveway, where he's allowed her to park that beater van. But she's more than just a smelly irritation, as it turns out. Behind the tattered
clothes and smelly veneer is a a rather accomplished woman whose life has taken her down an unexpected, unpredictable, uncommon, and in many ways unwelcoming path.
The Lady in the Van is unquestionably Maggie Smith's movie. The veteran actress absorbs her character's qualities and oozes her personality and eccentricities with a lived-in authenticity that extends well beyond the frayed and frazzled wear and
tear of a difficult life and the smell that supposedly lingers about her. There's a depth of character evident in every scene, each moment an opportunity to embellish but at the same time explore, to present the character as a flawed but real individual
whose outward repulsiveness is countered by a gradually unfolding tale of who she is, where she's been, and what's driven her to a life well outside of societal norms. The movie is, essentially, the tale of her versus the world, the "world" represented by
the audience and embodied on screen by the neighborhood in which she lives and the man who finds it in his heart to keep her around and serve as the eyes, ears, and conscience (and thankfully not nose) of the audience. Their relationship explores beyond
common courtesies and the finer qualities inherent to the human condition. Of course, she serves a purpose in his life as well, but their symbiotic relationship develops beyond the mutually beneficial as their stories emerge and, in some ways, converge.
Alex Jennings can't match Smith's full-on embodiment of her character, but he's a strong contrast and carries what is arguably the heavier burden with approachable grace and understanding of the movie's larger purpose.
The Lady in the Van takes no time to find a charm and appeal -- Smith ensures that much -- but it does take a while to settle into a dramatic narrative, to not explore but to simply reveal the purpose behind the agreeable oddities that abound.
Director Nicholas Hytner compiles the movie with an underscored simplicity that's as slow to reveal as it is to get its bearings. But it's not lethargic. It's crisp and captivating, if at times only for Smith's performance, though it's always leading to
something more substantial than the bits that build it upwards. One might find fault in the movie's failure to offer a more elaborate commentary on life -- it's ultimately a very simple but noble tale of human bonding and understanding -- but it's in the
way the film explores the themes with a clear-cut understanding of them, from Smith in particular but also in Hytner's direction, that makes it more than an appealing extended skit and instead something special in the larger context of human existence.
It's never cheap or corny, favoring a humorous overlay to be sure but finding a strength in sincerity embodied by Smith's inspired and inhabited performance.
The Lady in the Van is a sweet and tender film that contrasts the inner and outer individual. There's more to someone than the clothes they wear or the place they call home. It's hardly a revelatory theme, but it's handled remarkably well with a
commendable outward simplicity and a depth befitting the outstanding performances and technical assemblage that make it possible. The movie is sincere in story and approachable in construction, a fine film that speaks directly to the heart. Sony's Blu-ray
release of The Lady in the Van features standout video and rock-solid audio. Extras are average in quantity and quality. Highly recommended.
[CSW] -3.1- This reviewer said it better than I could: Love Maggie Smith! She's always great. And she doesn't disappoint in this quirky, and apparently true, tale about a writer who allows an elderly lady park her van/home in his driveway and
their odd friendship that develops over 15 years. This movie, like the lead Smith, isn't without its charm. It was interesting watching the relationship between the two grow and see her effect on not only him but the whole neighborhood. Like I said I did
enjoy this little movie but there were times where I felt that it went flat. It seemed like the author went for accuracy instead of interesting storytelling at times. There were moments that felt too matter of fact rather than moving the story or
characters in any way. In the end, though enjoyable, it felt unbalanced at times. Maggie Smith is a joy throughout though.
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[V4.5-A4.0] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box
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