Sunday, BBC1, 10:30pm
The Lady in the Van (2015) is a charming, offbeat tale based on the true story of playwright Alan Bennett and his peculiar, if not reluctantly welcomed, lodger: Miss Mary Shepherd. Directed by Nicholas Hytner, the film features Dame Maggie Smith reprising her role from the stage play and radio adaptation as the irascible Miss Shepherd, a woman who lived in a dilapidated van on Bennett’s driveway for 15 years. The story delicately balances wit and poignancy as it explores themes of kindness, boundaries, and the oddly symbiotic relationship between the reclusive writer (played by Alex Jennings) and the eccentric vagrant.
The soundtrack, composed by George Fenton, is a whimsical yet touching score that perfectly mirrors the film’s bittersweet tone. Fenton, a long-time collaborator with Hytner and a master of enhancing understated drama, mixes classical pieces with original compositions, creating a musical landscape that oscillates between playful and melancholic. The piano-led motifs elegantly capture the essence of Miss Shepherd’s complex character, her enigmatic past, and the deep undercurrents of loss and regret that the film subtly reveals. The use of classical pieces, particularly Chopin’s "Prelude in E minor," highlights the disconnect between Miss Shepherd’s current disheveled state and her former aspirations as a pianist—an inspired choice that deepens the character’s backstory without a single word of dialogue.
For soundtrack collectors, this score is a gem. Fenton’s music is both reflective and unobtrusive, echoing the restrained English humour that permeates the film. The soundtrack was released by Sony Classical, featuring a well-rounded mix of Fenton’s score and the classical interludes. It’s a testament to Fenton’s skill that his compositions hold their own amidst Chopin and Schubert. Much like the film, the soundtrack is a quiet celebration of the beauty found in life’s imperfections—accompanied, of course, by the occasional burst of unbridled piano virtuosity, much like Miss Shepherd herself.
- Paul Allen