Mrs Palfrey at The Claremont

"One Chance Meeting, Two Changed Lives"

2005 1h 48m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 47

DramaComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

All but abandoned by her family in a London retirement hotel, an elderly woman strikes up a curious friendship with a young writer.

“One Chance Meeting, Two Changed Lives”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Joan Plowright
Mrs. Palfrey
Rupert Friend
Ludovic Meyer
Zoë Tapper
Gwendolyn
Anna Massey
Mrs. Arbuthnot
Marcia Warren
Mrs. Post
Georgina Hale
Mrs. Burton
Robert Lang
Mr. Osborne
Millicent Martin
Mrs. De Salis

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Dan Ireland
Writers: Ruth Sacks
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 21 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Joan Plowright and Rupert Friend and Zoë Tapper carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "One Chance Meeting, Two Changed Lives".

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0421229 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 47 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Dan Ireland directs. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Released 21 years ago.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Joan Plowright and Rupert Friend and Zoë Tapper carry the top of the cast.
5Marketing tagline: "One Chance Meeting, Two Changed Lives".
6IMDB entry: tt0421229 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 47 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Runtime: 108 min · 1h 48m
Status: Released
Budget: $750,000
Box office: $1,720,953
Return: 229% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Mrs Palfrey at The Claremont (2005)

Also by

Dan Ireland

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-04-29
★ 7/10
This reminded me a little of "Mrs. Caldicot's Cabbage War" (2002) as it depicts the determination of an older person not to just let their toes curl up whilst waiting for God. The recently widowed eponymous lady (Dame Joan Plowright) arrives at the residential "Claremont" hotel and is introduced to quite an eclectic clientele who are all in a similar boat. She's is walking back from the post office when she takes a tumble outside the flat of the floppy haired young "Ludo" (Rupert Friend). He takes care of her, gives her a cup of tea and that's the start of the friendship that livens up both of their lives with some gentle mischief and a growing inter-dependency that reinvigorates her and helps him to get back to his writing. Robert Lang, Anna Massey and an on-form Marcia Warren provide extra richness as her fellow inmates, and the gentle humour and very less-is-more stye of delivery from Dame Joan works well with the engaging effort from her young Friend. Was she abandoned by her family or did she abandon them? It's quite a touchingly written character study and though maybe fifteen minutes too long, is still worth a watch to see some true professionals at work.