I’d heard of Elizabeth Taylor’s 1971 book Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont due to its place on the Observer’s list of the 100 Greatest Novels of All Time (it came in at #77). I never quite got around to reading the book, but I was highly interested in the story, so didn’t hesitate to borrow the DVD when I saw that one of my friends had a copy. Here’s what I thought of the 2005 film directed by Dan Ireland.
The amazing Joan Plowright stars as Mrs. Palfrey, an elderly woman who realizes she no longer has a place in the lives of her daughter or grandson. As a result, she decides to take up residence at the Claremont, a retirement hotel in London where she can rent a room by the month and take her meals with the assortment of odd characters who are also living there.
It’s clear that Mrs. Palfrey made a miscalculation when choosing to stay at the Claremont. She picked the hotel from a magazine ad that enticed her because of the lovely pictures and the promise of fine cuisine. So when she arrives to discover a rather shabby, run-down place with small rooms and the same food day after day, she’s a bit disappointed. But Mrs. Palfrey seems determined to make the most of it and show her family that she can still be independent.
She does get lonely, however, so she reaches out to her grandson Desmond, who works at the National Archives. She calls and invites him to dinner, but he never calls back and never shows, which prompts other guests to start referring to him as Mrs. Palfrey’s “mythical grandson.”
Then something fortuitous happens to Mrs. Palfrey. While she’s out on an errand, she stumbles, falls, and injures her knee. This occurs right outside the basement apartment of a struggling young writer named Ludovic “Ludo” Meyer (played by Rupert Friend). Ludo helps Mrs. Palfrey into his apartment, cleans up her slight injury, then invites her to stay for tea. Despite the vast difference in age, Mrs. Palfrey and Ludo somehow find things to talk about and manage to pass the time somewhat pleasantly. Before departing, Mrs. Palfrey invites Ludo to the Claremont for dinner in order to repay his kindness.
Due to a misunderstanding that Mrs. Palfrey doesn’t bother to correct, the other pensioners assume that the young man coming to dinner is her grandson. Ludo sees no reason why he shouldn’t pretend to be Desmond, so the two go through the evening acting like grandmother and grandson. Ludo is a big hit at the hotel, and Mrs. Palfrey suddenly gains a great deal of respect and admiration from the other residents.
The rest of the film deals with this unlikely friendship and the impact that Mrs. Palfrey and Ludo have on each other’s lives. Both get something from the other, and both are better off for having met the other.
I thought this was an understated, beautifully done film. Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont has been criticized as being overly sentimental and unrealistic, but I didn’t see it that way. You have to remember that Taylor wrote her novel in 1971 and set it in the 1950s, so it was a different time back then. Yes, the film treats the events as though they’re occurring now, but I had no problem overlooking that fact. Moreover, Ludo, as a writer, is bound to be more sensitive and caring than the average person, so again, I didn’t have any trouble buying the friendship.
Both Plowright and Friend were excellent in their respective roles, and they made Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont a delight to watch and experience. This is a movie that won’t appeal to everyone, but if you’ve ever been lucky enough to have a special friendship like this, then you will immediately understand and love the film. I give it 4 stars out of 5.
