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The Lady in the Van: An Unconventional Look at Homelessness

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On Tuesday night, KCET Cinema Series members had the chance to see "The Lady in the Van" at ArcLight Sherman Oaks just days before it opens for a limited run in Los Angeles. A "mostly true" story, the movie is based on a play of the same title by Alan Bennett ("The Madness of King George") and explores his unusual friendship with a woman who lived in her van, parked in his driveway, for about 15 years. Alex Jennings plays Bennett and Maggie Smith plays the writer's unconventional neighbor, Miss Shepherd.

"I saw it at the Toronto Film Festival and I was kind of blown away by it," says Cinema Series host and Deadline columnist Pete Hammond. "It's funny. It's sad. It's real and the movie is' mostly true,' as they say in the beginning. It's just an unusual story and a little bit of a gem of the film."

When Hammond was at Toronto Film Festival, he heard director Nicholas Hytner talk about the film, how he knew about Miss Shepherd at the time. Bennett didn't write the play until after his neighbor's death. It was produced as a play in 1999, wherein Smith originated the role of Miss Shepherd. "It's sort of a story that has an ongoing life," says Hammond, "and I think the film version is beautifully done by then and I think it will do well."

Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

While its central character is a woman who lives out of her vehicle, "The Lady in the Van" is not an issue-based film regarding homelessness. "I think it's saying, home is where you park your car," says Hammond. "I never looked at her as homeless. I thought that was her home...It's about an individual, but it shows that you got to take matters into your own hands sometimes. If society throws you a curve, or you throw yourself a curve, there's something that can be done. That's what she did."

Hammond himself says that he's impressed with the meatiness of Smith's role in the film. "It's unusual for actresses of any age over 50 to get full-blooded leading roles this good. I thought this was perfectly tuned to her," he says.

The winter installment of KCET Cinema Series has featured a number of compelling roles for actresses, from Saoirse Ronan's Eilis in "Brooklyn" to Cate Blanchett's Carol Aird and Rooney Mara's Therese Belivet in "Carol."

"This is an unusual year, in the actress race in particular. Usually, they are hard-pressed to find five to fill out the category and here, we have at least ten really good ones, good leading roles and for women of different ages," says Hammond.

He continues, "This is a return-of-the-veteran year, really, when you see not just Maggie Smith in "Lady in the Van"-- and I think she'll turn up with a Golden Globe nomination next week in the comedy category-- but she'll probably be competing against Lily Tomlin, who is 75, in "Grandma" and Blythe Danner, who is 72, in "I'll See You in My Dreams," and Charlotte Rampling, who is almost 70, in "45 Years, "which we're showing next week at the Cinema Series."

Sponsored by the E. Hofert Dailey Trust and the James and Paula Coburn Foundation, KCET Cinema Series screens films with critical buzz prior to their release dates. The winter session of the Cinema Series, which began in October and will run through mid-

December, is particularly popular as it precedes the industry's award season. Host Hammond selects films that he has seen and feels the audience will enjoy. Most screenings are accompanied by a Q/A and this season's guests have included Will Smith and Albert Brooks for "Concussion" as well as Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel for "Youth." Tuesday's screening of "The Lady in the Van" did not feature a Q/A.

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