Mrs. Henderson Presents
Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins dramatize the story of
the burlesque show in wartime London that never closed
Stephen Frear's latest film, "Mrs. Henderson
Presents" presents a period piece that starts of eccentric and winds up
deliciously maudlin (in the best possible sense of the word). Recent widow Laura
Henderson (Judi Dench) finds herself constrained by the typical roles afforded
society widows and decided to buy and renovate a run-down theatre. She hired
Vivian Van Damm (Bob Hoskins) to manage the theatre for her. His first
innovation is to have continuous performances. It's a sensation, but everyone
copies them. So Mrs. Henderson decides its time to find a way to pull of a nude
revue.
Because this is London, and not Paris ("which is full of naked girls!" Laura notes), and the only way they can pull off any onstage nudity is to stage the naked women in living tableaux. That is, they cannot move, otherwise, it's "not art."
Having secured permission from the right government bureaucrat, after plying him with fine foods and wine in the shadow of Buckingham Palace, she is able to get to work. Van Damm and his gay sidekick scout the countryside for "fine English roses." Their main attraction, Maureen (Kelly Reilly) is found when they almost run her off the road and rescue her from drowning in a river.
Mrs. Henderson delights in joy rides (she has a pilot in an ancient plane take her to France on the spur of the moment) and flighty behavior, but there are some methods to her madness. Her insistence on keeping the show running, despite the Nazi's blitzkrieg attacks against the British capital, is intertwined with her decades' old grief at losing her only son in World War I.
"Mrs. Henderson Presents" is based on a real story and while surely some liberties must have been taken along the way, the story is enjoyable and a bit of a tearjerker as well. The film has a wonderful climax as the governement tries to close the theatre down, and Mrs. Henderson has her say out in the street. When the air raid siren wails, she reminds all present that her theatre, the Windmill, also doubles a bit as a bomb shelter--it's mostly underground.
Because this is London, and not Paris ("which is full of naked girls!" Laura notes), and the only way they can pull off any onstage nudity is to stage the naked women in living tableaux. That is, they cannot move, otherwise, it's "not art."
Having secured permission from the right government bureaucrat, after plying him with fine foods and wine in the shadow of Buckingham Palace, she is able to get to work. Van Damm and his gay sidekick scout the countryside for "fine English roses." Their main attraction, Maureen (Kelly Reilly) is found when they almost run her off the road and rescue her from drowning in a river.
Mrs. Henderson delights in joy rides (she has a pilot in an ancient plane take her to France on the spur of the moment) and flighty behavior, but there are some methods to her madness. Her insistence on keeping the show running, despite the Nazi's blitzkrieg attacks against the British capital, is intertwined with her decades' old grief at losing her only son in World War I.
"Mrs. Henderson Presents" is based on a real story and while surely some liberties must have been taken along the way, the story is enjoyable and a bit of a tearjerker as well. The film has a wonderful climax as the governement tries to close the theatre down, and Mrs. Henderson has her say out in the street. When the air raid siren wails, she reminds all present that her theatre, the Windmill, also doubles a bit as a bomb shelter--it's mostly underground.
Posted: Thu - January 5, 2006 at 01:54 AM
Quick Links
Calendar
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
Categories
Archives
XML/RSS Feed
Statistics
Total entries in this blog:
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Jun 20, 2009 07:03 PM
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Jun 20, 2009 07:03 PM