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Review

Mrs. Henderson Presents

Director

Stephen Frears

Year

2005

Rating

Reviewed by

José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris

Review date

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

I first heard about this movie when it dazzled audiences at the Toronto Film Festival. People didn’t know much about it beforehand, but the reaction was overwhelming. Wait a second… a comedy starring Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins? I instantly saw it as a bold movie, and I was hooked.

Laura Henderson (Judi Dench), a rich English aristocrat, finds herself bored to death after her husband passes away. She then has the crazy idea of buying a decaying theater to stage non-stop musicals. She hires theater manager Vivian Van Damm (Bob Hoskins) to run it, and just like that the Windmill Theater is revived. But success doesn’t come easy and Mrs. Henderson has an even crazier idea which she instantly puts in practice: to have nude girls on-stage.

Mrs. Henderson Presents is based on a true story and brought to the screen with exquisite zing by director Stephen Frears. He wisely centers the attention on Mrs. Henderson and to a certain extent on Mr. Van Damm. He is not interested in giving his movie epic proportions or making it about the theater world in London. Instead, he focuses on this fascinating lady and the misadventures she has to go through to make of her life whatever she desires. There are small subplots regarding the theater’s troupe, but only one girl, Maureen (Kelly Reilly) is given some exposition. By keeping a small scope the movie becomes more intimate, and thus more effective.

Multiple genres can be found in this wonderful movie. The prevalent one is comedy, but as the movie progresses it becomes more of a drama. There’s also a musical quality to it as some of the elaborate numbers are presented in full glory. And it is quite informative as well, for we learn how a theater worked in those times and everything that went on behind-the-scenes.

The movie is sustained by the witty rapport that goes on between Mrs. Henderson and Mr. Van Damm. The movie soars every time they exchange dialogue or are in a scene together. They are both sharp, intelligent individuals and their relationship turns into something more interesting than a simple love/hate one. She is a woman who is way ahead of her time, while he belongs to the old school. To see their friendship evolve is one of the many pleasures the movie has to offer.

A little more substance is provided during the last third of the movie as the war hits and the theater struggles. It is then that Mrs. Henderson’s real feelings towards what she does are revealed, and they provide a poignant and deeply touching aftertaste. She has a scene in which she has to speak to a crowd that proves a standout.

Judi Dench can do this kind of role in her sleep, but she does it so well that it’s delightful to watch her onscreen having so much fun and being so lively. She is excellent and elevates the movie to a whole new level. The same could be said of Bob Hoskins, who delivers a performance on par with his best. And when put together the sparks fly, fantastic. Kelly Reilly holds her own against these two masters, as does Will Young and the rest of the cast.

Irresistible!

“Why, Mr. Van Damm, you are Jewish!”

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Other reviews of Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005): Groucho

Review

Mrs. Henderson Presents

Director

Stephen Frears

Year

2005

Rating

Reviewed by

Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho

Review date

Monday, February 20, 2006

With time, I only grow more convinced that walking into a movie knowing nothing about it helps a lot. In fact, publicity can spoil a screenwriter’s fine development of story and character if the audience already knows a lot about them which turns the first act into an obligatory introduction to something already known. Mrs. Henderson Presents is a good example of how good it was for me to know nothing about a movie before watching it, as it kept surprising me till the very end.

What am I saying? Should you not read reviews beforehand? Yeah. So, the same way Howard Beale in Network (1976) compelled his audience to turn off their TV sets while watching him, I compel you to close this browser or head somewhere else on the web. Hopefully, like Howard, this’ll bring my writings more attention.

The story is quite pretty, though disguised in picaresque fashion. It stars Judi Dench as Mrs. Laura Henderson, a recent window who regrets her husband’s bad timing for death and has no idea what to do with her time and money. Like a good Englishwoman, she hides her feelings: she’s in fact heartbroken, a feeling beautifully realized once she’s all alone on a boat in the middle of a lake. Mrs. Henderson’s riotous friend Lady Conway (Thelma Barlow) suggests that she spend all the money she wants and/or find love in the process. Mrs. Henderson is quite insecure about the last part, but she plans a useful scheme: she’ll buy an old West End showplace called the Windmill, fix the place, and look for a general manager who’ll run both show and business in the place.

The chosen man is Vivian Van Damm (Bob Hoskins), a tough but kind man with good enough perceptions of art and business. Mrs. Henderson is almost immediately infatuated with him, but he knows better and keeps his distance. Their relationship is constantly that of a young girl and a mature man, but while she has fun he minds his own matters. Still their bond is undeniable.

The show they set up is a revue, one that “never stops”. It’s called “Revudeville”, and it opens with a bang, but soon audiences grow uninterested. Mrs. Henderson doesn’t hesitate in offering a solution: present their beautiful girls naked throughout the show. The proposal, near-insulting to the morbid ear, is actually one of art and entertainment. The girls hesitate but go for it, and Van Damm stays on board. Only Lord Chamberlain (Christopher Guest), the man in charge with giving approval, has a condition: that the girls stand still while nude. This opens a window for an even more artistic presentation, which pleases Mrs. Henderson, a woman who believes (and is damn right) that the female body is a work of art.

The show is a hit, and then comes World War II. Young soldiers spend more time than they should at the Windmill, and the place becomes a legend. But war is never a good thing, and it brings some misfortune to the Windmill and everyone who works there. Van Damm resents Mrs. Henderson’s indifference, and a breach opens between them. But life often brings unexpected surprises to people’s lives. Neither Van Damm nor anyone else around Mrs. Henderson suspects the dimensions of her strength, her pain, and her motivations to found the Windmill. The film beautifully turns a comedy musical of sorts into a satisfying drama that invites deep reflection.

Judi Dench is a vastly talented woman who can deliver roles of women of bravura with amazing ease. Mrs. Henderson is not quite that. She’s a fragile woman, one that seems to escape reality by laughing at life, constantly wisecracking about everything around her. Dench is incredibly attractive in her childish phase and truly moving in her dramatic one; Bob Hoskins is game as Van Damm, a fine comedic part that also contains more layers than meet the eye (hardly had I seen this great actor so thankfully cast); Guest brings good comedic moments. The girls are all gorgeous, but the story pays little attention to their back-stories. Only Maureen sticks to the viewer’s mind, also thanks to Kelly Reilly’s deliberately detached execution.

Kudos to screenwriter Martin Sherman and director Stephen Frears for a fine, fun film, based on fact. George Fenton’s music and Andrew Dunn’s cinematography also deserve applause.

“Why, Mr. Van Damm, you are Jewish!”

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Other reviews of Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005): Morris