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Grannies gone wild!
The latest of England's "Grannies Gone Wild" films (the naked Calendar Girls, the pot grower of Saving Grace, etc.), Mrs. Henderson Presents stars Dame Judi Dench as Laura Henderson, a widow who brought nudity to London's West End in the late 1930s. "Inspired by true events," Stephen Frears' thinly-plotted dramedy is almost like one of the musical revues Mrs. Henderson Presents at the Windmill Theatre after buying it on a whim. Swathed in mink and chauffeured in a Rolls, she complains immediately after her husband's funeral, "I am bored with widowhood....It was most inconsiderate of Robert to die. In India there was always someone to look down on." Her sprightly friend Lady Conway (Thelma Barlow) counsels that she'll now have time for hobbies, charities and lovers. When embroidery proves too boring and charities too conservative and no available men present themselves she buys a shuttered theatre and hires Vivian Van Damm (Bob Hoskins, seeming out of place with an upper-class accent) to manage it. Though he denies it, she spots him as a closet Jew: "Show business is filled with Jewish people. One must make do." They clash from the start. She accedes to his demand, "All artistic decisions are mine," but most of them become matters for negotiation. Van Damm names their show "Revuedeville" and decides that, unlike the usual two-a-day pattern, their shows will run continuously, with five or six a day. It's an instant success until other theatres copy them and their attendance dwindles. That's when Mrs. Henderson, for reasons that will become clear later, suggests, "Why don't we get rid of the clothes? Let's have naked girls...like they do in Paris." That will require a license from the guardian of England's morality, the Lord Chamberlain (Christopher Guest)—or as he's known to Mrs. H., "Little Tommy." He balks but eventually agrees topless tableaux might have artistic merit. Breasts are one thing—well, two—but then there's what Tommy calls "pudenda" and Mrs. Henderson calls "'pussy,' not everyone speaks Latin, you know." Anyway, that can be concealed by strategic lighting and carefully placed hands and props. The breast auditions don't go well, with Van Damm saying things like, "We must have British nipples"; so he and his assistant Bertie (Will Young) go on the road in search of fresh talent. The women they find, including Kelly Reilly as Maureen, the lone blonde, accept the job because it's the Depression and they need the money, but they balk when it comes time to deliver the Full Monica. This is resolved by having the male crew, including Van Damm, drop trou so Mrs. H. can walk in and deliver a punchline. Comes the war (Mrs. H. lost her only son in World War I) and a new set of problems arises. In the screenplay by playwright Martin Sherman (Bent) each situation must be dealt with in turn, but the stage is still set for a climactic speech in which Mrs. Henderson addresses war and prudery, cementing Dench's bid for an Oscar. The actress certainly earns a nomination, making a welcome return to the spotlight after a series of five-minute cameos in other people's films. The role lets her be tough, tender and funny but not drunk, disabled, promiscuous or the other things that actually win awards. The very slight story is (often literally) fleshed out with musical numbers that are probably accurate but seem dated even for the period. The script alternates between being authentically retro (a "fallen woman" has to die) and viewing the past through a contemporary filter (Mrs. Henderson is sympathetic toward young lovers even though "we got along perfectly well without (love), thank you very much"). Mrs. Henderson Presents is a sweet smorgasbord of nostalgia, not a great film but a serviceable showcase for Dame Judi and—oh, is there someone else in it? Steve Warren is a local actor and film reviewer. His reviews can also be seen weekly in the Sunday Paper. |
Mrs. Henderson Presents
Directed by: Stephen Frears 
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