Ladies in Black 2018

     This film is based on a novel with the same title by Madeleine St John.  The setting of this film is in Sydney in the summer of 1959.  Australia is becoming more awakened culturally, there is a breakdown of class structures and more liberation of women.  Lisa is a suburban schoolgirl and she wants to go to University of Sydney if she can get a scholarship.  Her mother wants Lisa to remain and young girl.  Lisa’s real name is Lesley but when she starts her new summer job at a department store, she tells everyone her name is Lisa.  She thinks Lesley is a name for a boy.  Lisa works side-by-side with a group of saleswomen and she sees there is a world beyond her sheltered existence.

     I liked everything about this movie, the time period, the clothing, hairstyles and the mannerisms of the people.  The music and cinematography are also good.  I can see both sides of Lisa’s dilemma.  She wants to grow and spread her wings but her mother wants her to remain at home and a little girl.  This is a piece about Sydney and Australia that doesn’t exist anymore!!  4 ½* (I really liked this movie)  

   

109 min, Comedy directed by Bruce Beresford with Julia Ormond, Angourie Rice, Rachael Taylor, Alison McGirr, Ryan Corr, Vincent Perez, Susie Porter, Shane Jacobson, Noni Hazlehurst, Nicholas Hammond, Luke Pegler, Celia Massingham, Genevieve Lemon, Danny Adcock, Deborah Kennedy.

Note:  Imdb 6.7 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 87% audience, Metacritic 65 out of 100 with 4 reviews (3 positive 1 mixed), Amazon 4.7* out of 5* with 235 reviews, Letterboxd average 3.2* out of 5*, The Sydney Morning Herald Jake Wilson 4*.
 

Special Note: Filmed in Sydney, Katoomba, Blue Mountains, Downing Centre, Loftus, Penrith, Granville, Neutral Bay, Bondi Beach, Mrs Macquaries Road, New South Wales, Australia.  Department store scenes were shot on the 7^th floor of the David Jones building.  This floor and not be used for may years and still looked just as it was in 1959.  Exterior shots of the store were taken at the Downing Centre courthouse complex in Sydney.  Prior to use as a courthouse, this building was home to Mark Foy’s Limited a major Sydney store from 1885 until 1980.  Whilst Goodes department store is a fictional business loosely based on the Australian department store chain David Jones Limited.  Mr. Ryder as the concierge of the department store was Freidrich Von Trapp in the Sound of Music 1965.  Angourie Rice in the role of Lisa was Betty in the Tom Holland Spider-Man movies.  Nicholas Hammond in the role of Mr. Ryder was Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the live action Spider-Man series in the 1970’s scenes.