Calendar Girls
by Nigel Cole
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Helen Mirren, John Alderton, Julie Walters, Linda Bassett, Penelope WiltonDirector: Nigel Cole
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
Cinematographer: Ashley Rowe
Editor: Michael Parker
Producer: Nick Barton
Producer: Steve Clark-Hall
Producer: Suzanne Mackie
Writer: Juliette Towhidi
Writer: Tim Firth
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 108 minutes
Published: 2004-05-01
DVD Release Date: 2004-05-04
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Product features:
- Condition: New
- Format: DVD
- Anamorphic; Color; Dolby; DVD; Widescreen; NTSC
Movie Reviews of Calendar Girls
Movie Review: A Contemplative, Warm and Caring Comedy...
Summary: 5 Stars
In the western society, ageism is becoming more prominent as people fear growing old and miracle nip and tuck solutions are steadily growing. TV shows and commercials spew out an abundance of messages of staying fit and healthy, which is often related to youth. In times such as these it is essential that people are enlightened that maturing is a normal and healthy aspect of life. The film Calendar Girls does a brilliant job getting this message across to the audience as women in their 50s and older undress in front of a photographer for the good cause of fighting leukemia.
The story takes place in a small town in Northern Yorkshire where the Women's Institute (WI) holds regular meetings that often consist of some slumber-inducing lecture. Two of the WI members are best friends, Chris (Helen Mirren) and Annie (Julie Walter), who attend the meeting just to get away from home. Not that the women don't like their home life--they just do so in order to get away and gossip. However, when Annie's husband, John (John Alderton), discovers that he has leukemia, which also leads to his unfortunate death, it changes everything at the WI.
John's departure changes the perspective on life for Annie, and also for Chris who comes up with the idea of making a unique calendar in honor of John. The calendar is to have the theme of a sunflower, which was John's favorite flower as he described it as a satellite dish that sought sunshine. The satellite is an analogy for life and what was important to John. This is what the women want to capture through the calendar as they decide that they will undress in the honor of John.
Nudity is often something that is considered dirty, naughty, and often is the reason for a film to get a stricter rating by the MPAA here in the United States. However, in many European nations nudity is often consider normal and cultured, as it does not affect the rating in a harsh manner as long as the nudity is projected in a natural manner. For example, a natural manner would be such as a taking a shower without sexual meaning. Calendar Girls has some similarities with Full Monty (1997) and one of these similarities would be the decent manner of depicting nudity. Here, the nudity is natural as the women struggle with their own awkward feelings about it, but the photographer is the one who feels the most awkward.
Calendar Girls is a warm and caring comedy by the director Nigel Cole who is not foreign to depicting mature women as his heroines. In Saving Grace (2000) Cole depicted a middle-aged woman finding a financial solution through growing Marijuana in her house. This time Cole brings a film based on a true story where 11 women made a calendar in order to raise money for a hospital. The cast also provides a solid performance, which is to be expected from skilled actors such as Helen Mirren and Julie Walkers among others. Despite some similarities with other films Cole succeeds in directing a unique story with several subplots that holds the audience's interest while being amusing and contemplative.
Summary of Calendar Girls
CALENDAR GIRLS - DVD Movie