Ladies in Black, based on the novel by Madeleine St. John - Nine out of 10

Ladies in Black, based on the novel by Madeleine St. John

Nine out of 10

Angourie Rice is the driving force, the charming, candid, refreshing, with probable ‘reality distortion field ‘capabilities actress that stars in the leading role in this amusing, interesting comedy drama that takes place in Sydney, in 1959, centered around a large department store – was it Goode?

Lisa is actually called Leslie, but she does not like the sound of a name that she thinks is more appropriate for a man and thus she changes it, mystifying her rather conservative, if amiable father, who is not inclined to allow his daughter a progressive evolution, indeed, it looks like he would not allow much of anything in the early stages, although that could change.

Even if she is only sixteen, the heroine takes a position in the department store, as temporary help, where she meets with Fay and Patty first and later on with Magda aka Julia Ormond, a Lady in black who has emigrated from Slovenia – and is thus called a ‘reffo’ by the other employees, who are aggravated by her airs, the fact that she mentions some past experience with tailoring in Paris and does seem more sophisticated than the native Australians…

Magda does appear arrogant in some conversations where the education of the Australians, their lack of depth and the shallow culture are exposed, she mentions to her friend, Rudi, who is looking for a girlfriend or lover, that all the merit worthy natives are in Britain.

The public learns a few things about Fay, who has been trying to find a suitable companion, but she is disappointed always by the men that are presented to her, with their obsession with ‘just one thing’ – albeit her friend, Patty, married to Frank, protests and states that not all are so bent on that thing, because her spouse is keeping away from her.

In fact, she visits a doctor that has to look and see why she does not have children and observes that there is nothing wrong with the woman, asks her to bring the husband for a checkup, but she affirms that he would never do that…when the physician is interested in their intimacy, it becomes clear that they do not have coitus often and the conclusion is that this where the problem is.

This relationship seems destined to end, for the man simply disappears one day, after there is a climax, a zenith and hope for the future, when Patty brings home some sexy lingerie, tries it in front of the mirror and Frank comes in and therefore they have an intercourse like at no other time and after such a lengthy interval to boot…

Meanwhile, Lisa would like to become a poet…or maybe an actress, perhaps a novelist or all three and her gifts and skills would be soon evident, when she would have a chance to be tested, although she has to catch her father at the right moment, to make him sign admission papers, which he is rather against, while he is watching television and a very tight horse race and when he is pressed, he signs without knowing what for exactly.

Magda takes Lisa to her department, of Model Gowns, where the exhibits are quite expensive – a dress that the main character loves is 150 guineas, much more than she could afford, albeit the kind Slovenian would arrange it so that she may have it for as little as 30 – and the two women become very good friends.

Lisa meets Stefan aka the excellent Vincent Perez (seen in so many excellent French movies, such as Cyrano de Bergerac, Le Bossu), the educated, modern, polite Hungarian husband, who cooks and arranges the setting for a party – Magda is proud that ‘she has arranged that he arranged’ the table, wine and everything else.

Fay meets with Rudi at this shindig, at the idea of the inventive Lisa, and it is in Tinder parlance ‘a match’, albeit there are major differences between the two would be lovers…

When Lisa talks about her plans with Fay and Patty, she mentions her dreams for a future career as an actress and when the others mention vaudevilles, she says that she actually intends to be a stage artist, in serious productions:

-          “You know, Shakespeare, Ibsen, Moliere…

-          Molly who?” asks Fay

In other words, Fay has a very limited horizon and it is a great chance for her to have an idea of what great literature is when she reads Anna Karenina and she is indeed awed, but would confess to the educated, erudite, cosmopolite, sophisticated Rudi that she has not read major books, but he is sure that he can teach her about art and high culture.

Ladies in Black is not a spectacular motion picture, but the young and extremely talented Angourie Rice nevertheless pushes it forward.