Mrs. Henderson Presents (film)
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| Director(s) | Stephen Frears |
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| Distributor | Weinstein Company |
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| The blitz-bombing of London in World War II provides the serious backdrop for the uplifting entertainment of Mrs. Henderson Presents, a delightful British comedy anchored by the flawless performances of Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins. After losing a son in World War I, and becoming a widow in 1937, the wealthy and respectable Mrs. Henderson (Dench) decides that the best way to support soldiers going off to battle is to give them a wartime send-off they’ll never forget. Thus, she buys and renovates the Windmill Theater in London’s Soho district, hires Mr.… | |
Honors
Reviews
Amazon.com
The blitz-bombing of London in World War II provides the serious backdrop for the uplifting entertainment of Mrs. Henderson Presents, a delightful British comedy anchored by the flawless performances of Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins. After losing a son in World War I, and becoming a widow in 1937, the wealthy and respectable Mrs. Henderson (Dench) decides that the best way to support soldiers going off to battle is to give them a wartime send-off they’ll never forget. Thus, she buys and renovates the Windmill Theater in London’s Soho district, hires Mr. Vivian Van Damm (Hoskins) as the impresario of an all-day musical variety show called “Revudeville,” and secures permission from the censorious Lord Cromer (Christopher Guest) to include naked women in the stage show – on the condition that the ladies remain still onstage to qualify as “art,” like nude portraits in a gallery, with the “foliage” of their “midlands” discreetly obscured. “Revudeville” is an instant hit, British propriety remains tastefully intact, and as The Windmill’s fortunes rise, fall, and rise again, Mrs. Henderson Presents develops an emotional depth and good-natured nobility that’s perfectly matched to the comedy of tweaking British manners. Working from an eloquently witty, fact-based screenplay by Martin Sherman, director Stephen Frears (High Fidelity) brings out the best in a well-chosen cast, and Andrew Dunn’s cinematography (enhanced by judicious use of digital effects to show the London blitz in progress) casts a warm, inviting glow over this winning tale of show-biz tenacity in the best and worst of times. —Jeff Shannon
Barnes and Noble
The inspiring, almost-too-amazing-to-be-true story of a London music hall that remained open throughout World War II makes an apt starring vehicle for two of Britain’s most accomplished character actors, Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins. She plays Laura Henderson, a recently widowed woman of means who operates a ramshackle theater as a diversion; he plays Vivian Van Damm, a tough-but-tender veteran showman. Their unlikely collaboration results in the renamed Windmill Theater, which becomes a sensation in the months before Hitler plunges Europe into war. Later, even as the Nazis drop bombs on the city during the Blitz, Mrs. Henderson elects to keep the Windmill open as a morale booster for both civilians and young servicemen. By this time, though, the theater’s popularity is partly attributable to its nude revues. Hollywood paid tribute to the Windmill some 60 years ago in Tonight and Every Night, a highly fictionalized musical drama starring Rita Hayworth. Mrs. Henderson Presents, while not without its own deviations from the historical record, comes a lot closer to presenting the true picture. Director Stephen Frears (Dirty Pretty Things) quickly establishes the prickly nature of the relationship between owner and impresario: Notwithstanding her puckish delight in arousing controversy over the female nudity in the Windmill’s shows, Laura Henderson is very much a product of the upper classes, with all the imperiousness and prejudice her background implies. Van Damm, a self-made man whose success never entirely obscures his hardscrabble beginnings, often finds himself at odds with his boss, but he comes to respect and admire her. Dench and Hoskins, both able scene-stealers, work marvelously together. Kelly Reilly is also charming as the Windmill’s most popular showgirl, and Christopher Guest contributes a delightful turn as a stuffy bureaucrat. Expertly blending comedy and drama Mrs. Henderson Presents registers as first-rate entertainment. Ed Hulse
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