An American writer forms an enduring relationship with a London bookseller which is carried on over 20 years and across two continents.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: PG
Release Date: 23-SEP-2003
Media Type: DVD
Sharon F. (Shar) from AVON PARK, FL Reviewed on 9/26/2023...
Very clever storyline. I loved the interaction between the characters even though they are on different continents and without phone calls.
5 of 5 member(s) found this review helpful.
Gabriele C. from LAKE WALES, FL Reviewed on 10/15/2020...
i LOVE this movie ......its one of my favorites .... i used to sell OOP books online and had a small online shop ..... so i can relate to another bookseller and to someone wanting specific editions ... what comes out soo tenderly in this movie is the connection between a booklover and a booklover/seller ..... and how in suptle ways they connect and start caring for each other . having worked in london ... the british can be stuffy and reserved , esp in times past .... this comes out ...yet ..... you see time ""passing" and how people become more open , more busy ........ ,,,,,, in some respect , you could call this movie a portraila of the rise and falll of an old bookshop through the lense of a frienship ..... in a way its a sad story of missed opportunities ..... but is also is a testimoney to friendship its not a vary fast movie .... but ooohhh soooo satisfying ....
3 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Tamara M. from CHURCH HILL, TN Reviewed on 1/11/2010...
This movie is great for romantics and writers. I loved the interaction between two characters that have never met. Makes me miss the days of pen pals.
2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Movie Reviews
Friendship with Depth and Love
Brockeim | Where the wind blows. | 10/28/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"In these days of e-books, and bland books constructed from franchised ideas and formulas, we are presented "84 Charing Cross Road," a story about a relationship begun because of a mutual love of old great books.
Hopkins and Bancroft share a film highlighting both of their genuine personas.
Like Hopkins in "Shadowlands" and "The Remains of the Day," we see him in full glory, as a quiet man of grace and sophistication.
He owns the English bookstore, and Bancroft's character mails him a request for a book. Correspondence and a relationship begins. Contently and confidently married, Hopkins responds as an older brother might, and the two grow to cherish each other despite the distance.
As they care for each other, and slowly, their local friends and family become aware, we see how love transcends the sea. Neither character has an agenda, and this left me feeling a little less cynical about the world around me.
Like so many of today's e-mail- and chatroom-only friendships, they learn to appreciate each other, though knowing only the other as they choose to describe themselves.
This isn't a story about books or bookstores, despite the honest representation of their demeanor and personality. Any booklover knows the search for a book, and the texture of a bookseller's knowledge and connection with his books.
This is a movie about the depth, trust, and love of one unexpected relationship. Book lovers will enjoy the context, and good friends will smile knowingly.
--Brockeim"
A Small Gem
W. Carol | 02/07/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Based on the charming true-life book by Helene Hanff, 84 Charing Cross Road is an absolute heart-tugging gem of a movie, and I cannot believe I never came across this 1987 sleeper before this time. Anne Bancroft is magnificent as brash New Yorker Helene Hanff, a book lover extraordinaire who comes across a British emporium of rare books, and begins an extraordinary correspondence (via paper, this was BEFORE e-mail and how charming it is!) with Frank Doel, played fabulously by a young Anthony Hopkins.
Somehow, in their 20 years of correspondence about books, their growing and deep friendship never had its denoument: Neither one was ever able to visit the other. And yet they were extraordinarily close in their mutual love of books, as Hanff's prolific reading habits and exacting demands for unabridged material complimented Doel's understated British desire to help her all he could.
I found myself in tears more than once; there are so many subtleties to this movie, especially in the bravira performance by Bancroft. This may be her finest role, unheralded though it was.
Something wonderful for any book lover. Order it and enjoy!"
An unspoken Love
Jenny | 11/23/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I thanked the man at Central Park who introduced "84 Charing Cross Road" to Anne Bancroft and Mel Brooks for help making it into a film. David Hugh Jones did a splendid directing. Marvellous adaptation of Helene Hanff's book which I cherish. Without this film I may never find such a terrific book. Great contribution to books-lovers and movie-goers.I love this film.It's one of my all time favourite! Very literary unique with exquisite performances from Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins.This bitter sweet true story is about lifelong letters correspondence between a struggling writer Helene Hanff(Bancroft) and a book dealer Frank Doel(Hopkins). It began when Helene, a New Yorker responded to an advertisement in the "Saturday Review of Literature". She wanted to mail order out of prints or cheaper edition old books from a London book shop which Frank worked as a book dealer. The book shop was located in 84 Charing Cross Road. At first everything were strictly business like. Helene was always interested and amazed by English Literature and cultures and Frank vice-versa,intrigue by this American. Eventually,they developed a special friendship,an unspoken love and care for each other without even seeing each other. They were like soul mates and that was extraordinary.The cultural and social differences between London and New York during that period were vividly illustrated. It's so touching to see Helene finally going to London.Her love for english literature was sincere and remarkable. This made the movie so unforgettable and great. Beacause all these actually did happened and those people really existed. Both Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins were astonishing in their roles. Also with great supporting casts like Judi Dench and Maurice Denham.This movie taught me about books,the magic of literature,friendship and many more.It also showed there are many different kind of perpetual love and care. I'll always re-watch it because I find it's a classic which touch my heart and soul."
A Woman of Mystery
Rebecca Johnson | Washington State | 01/10/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"There are many people who come into our lives as a result of books. That common love of books can spark many a friendship.
Imagine living in the middle of a society so unaware of the books you crave. Imagine no Amazon. No free shipping! No forums dedicated to your favorite authors.
Finding a friend who shares your love of the newest self-published novel is rare enough. Imagine finding a soul mate who understands your love for books written a century ago. Imagine finding someone who shared your love of inexpensive rare editions and could find them for you for under $5.
Helene Hanff (Anne Bancroft) shows all the signs of being a hopeless bibliophile. She is an eccentric script reader who makes just enough money to survive and yet dreams of owning copies of old books from an antiquarian bookstore. She is quite the character with a delicious sense of humor and always speaks her mind.
"I never can get interested in things that didn't happen to people who never lived." -Helene
When she is told that readers in New York are not reading British books by British writers, she can't believe that English literature is not read in New York! She finds an English bookseller's address and writes a letter asking for a few books to be sent to her in New York.
She first contacts Frank Doel (Anthony Hopkins) on October 5th, 1949. Through the years Frank is able to find books she is dying to read and Helene shows her appreciation by sending small packages to his office for all the employees and for his family. She ships food to them they never see or only can obtain through the black market.
Some of Helene's letters are so hilarious. I think I laughed almost once every time she was writing. It is such a brash contrast with Frank's very British formality.
Helene seems quite infatuated with all things British and even attempts a Yorkshire Pudding for her friends in New York. They are all most impressed.
What struck me most boldly about this rather serene movie was the beautiful way in which Frank and Helene touched one another's lives through simple sentiments and occasional packages. A gift, a word, a sentence of encouragement. The letters are read while scenes play out in each country.
Frank's wife is played by Judi Dench who looks most radiant. She also writes occasional letters to Helene.
While Helene and Frank write beautiful letters back and forth, Helene's true love really seems to be books. Frank is just one of the only souls alive who seems to understand her constant obsession with reading.
A beautiful expression of pure friendship.
~The Rebecca Review"
A charming story of friendship and the love of books
Eric McCalla | Denver, COLORADO | 04/16/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Helene Hanff's 84 CHARING CROSS ROAD is one of the few films I have watched many, many times and have never tired of its wonderful story, great acting and inspiring picture of a life-long friendship.Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins are a perfect match for this timeless story that spans the literal breadth of the Atlantic Ocean and some 20 years in time. The supporting cast including the always-engaging Judy Dench, round out a superbly-written screenplay.This film will make you laugh, and cry and sometimes both at the same time. It resonates so much with not only the joy of finding a great book, but also with the connections books bring to our daily lives, and those friendships that arise and/or continue over the lively discussions of a wonderful book you have shared with someone. A wonderful movie to share with a fellow book lover, or just a good friend!"