Beloved British cultural giants go head-to-head – well, bumper-to-bumper – in new comedy-drama The Lady In The Van. Maggie Smith and Alan Bennett are the two spearheads of Nicholas Hytner’s new film, which has a new introductory featurette to offer more background. Click below to see what the fuss is about.
Based on Bennett’s own stage play, **The Lady In The Van **finds Alex Jennings taking on the role of the playwright when his well-to-do Camden street is invaded by a scruffy van driven by an eccentric old lady called Miss Shepherd (Smith, reprising her role from the radio version). The well-spoken but filthy woman refuses to move on despite protests from the disapproving neighbours.
Bennett, sensing that there’s more to her story – though initially unwilling to engage – eventually befriends her and offers her the use of his driveway for a short while until she can get sort herself out and move on. Fifteen years later, she was still there...
Written by Bennett and directed by Hytner, his regular theatre collaborator and the man who brought his plays The History Boys and The Madness Of King George to the big screen, The Lady In The Van also features the likes of Frances de la Tour, James Corden, Roger Allam, Jim Broadbent and Dominic Cooper. It lands in our cinemas on November 13. Click here to watch the first trailer.