MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS [2005 / 2006] [DVD] [UK Release]
The Show Must Go On, But The Clothes Must Come Off!
London, 1937. Mrs. Laura Henderson [Dame Judi Dench], a woman of wealth and connections, has just buried her beloved husband. And now she's bored. Friends suggest she finds a hobby and to their amazement she buys the Windmill Theatre.
Newly appointed manager, Vivian Van Damm [Bob Hoskins], is shocked by the outrageous, provocative, and eccentric Mrs. Laura Henderson. When business begins to fail she comes up with a new idea to get the crowds back – put naked girls on stage!
But as the bombing of London begins, the Government threatens to close the theatre. Mrs. Laura Henderson's fighting spirit is revealed – and so is the secret that drew her to buy the Windmill theatre in the first place.
Featuring an all-star British cast including Academy Award® nominees Dame Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins, Kelly Reilly and introducing Will Young.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 2005 Hollywood Film Awards: Win: Stephen Frears. 2005 Satellite Awards: Nomination: Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical for Dame Judi Dench. 2005 British Independent Film Awards: Nomination: Best British Independent Film. Nomination: Best Actor for Bob Hoskins. Nomination: Best Actress for Dame Judi Dench. Nomination: Best Supporting Actor/Actress for Kelly Reilly. Nomination: Most Promising Newcomer for Thelma Barlow. Nomination: Best Director for Stephen Frears. Nomination: Best Screenplay for Martin Sherman. Nomination: Best Technical Achievement for Sandy Powell (For the wardrobe). 2005 British Society for Cinematography: Nomination: Best Cinematography Award for Andrew Dunn. 2005 Los Angeles Film Critics Associations Awards: Nomination: LAFCA Award: Best Actress for Dame Judi Dench. 2005 USA National Board of Reviews: Win: NBR Award: Best Acting by an Ensemble for Dame Judi Dench, Bob Hoskins, Will Young, Christopher Guest, Kelly Reilly, Thelma Barlow, Anna Brewster, Rosalind Halstead, Sarah Solemani and Natalia Tena. 2005 USA St. Louis Film Critics Association: Win: SLFCA Award: Best Actress for Dame Judi Dench. Nomination: SLFCA Award: Best Film. Nomination: SLFCA Award: Best Supporting Actor for Bob Hoskins. 2005 New York Film Critics Circle Awards: Nomination: NYFCCA Award: Best Actress for Dame Judi Dench [5th Place]. 2006 Academy Awards®: Nomination: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for Dame Judi Dench. Nomination: Best Achievement in Costume Design for Sandy Powell. 2006 BAFTA Film Awards: Nomination: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for Dame Judi Dench. Nomination: Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music for George Fenton. Nomination: Best Costume Design for Sandy Powell. 2006 London Critics Circle Film Awards: Nomination: ALFS Award for British Film of the Year. Nomination: ALFS Award: British Actress of the Year for Dame Judi Dench. Nomination: ALFS Award: British Newcomer of the Year for Kelly Reilly. Nomination: ALFS Award: British Director of the Year for Stephen Frears. 2006 Critics Choice Awards: Nomination: Best Actress for Dame Judi Dench. Nomination: Best Comedy Movie. 2006 Golden Globes: Nomination: Best Motion Picture in a Comedy or Musical. Nomination: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture in a Comedy or Musical for Dame Judi Dench. Nomination: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for Bob Hoskins. 2006 Bangkok International Film Festival: Nomination: Golden Kinnaree Award: Best Film for Stephen Frears. 2006 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Nomination: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for Dame Judi Dench. 2006 David di Donatello Awards: Nomination: Best European Film (Miglior Film dell'Unione Europea) for Stephen Frears. 2006 UK Empire Awards: Win: Best Newcomer for Kelly Reilly. 2006 Sannio FilmFest: Win: Golden Capital Award: Best Costume Design for Sandy Powell. 2006 Online Film & Television Association: Nomination: OFTA Film Award: Best Actress for Dame Judi Dench. Nomination: OFTA Film Award: Best Costume Design for Sandy Powell. 2006 Il Festival Nazionale del Doppiaggio Voci nell’Ombra: Win: Film Award: Best Female Voice: Marzia Ubaldi (For the dubbing of Dame Judi Dench).
FILM FACT No.2: The film's closing credits explains that, on her death in 1944, Mrs. Laura Henderson bequeathed the theatre to Mr. Vivian Van Damm. The film received mostly positive reviews. In June 2014, it was first revealed by producer John Reid that a musical adaption of the film was in the works, with a workshop taking place the same year. On the 16th October, 2014, the musical was officially confirmed and it was announced that the show would receive its world premiere in summer 2015, with a view to a West End transfer.
Cast: Dame Judi Dench, Bob Hoskins, Will Young, Christopher Guest, Kelly Reilly, Thelma Barlow, Anna Brewster, Rosalind Halstead, Sarah Solemani, Natalia Tena, Sir Thomas Allen, Richard Syms, Ralph Nossek, Camille O'Sullivan, Doraly Rosen, Matthew Hart, Tony De La Fou, Dorian Ford, Lloyd Hutchinson, Toby Jones, Christopher Logan, Michael Culkin, Samuel Barnett, Dinah O'Brien, Maria Rohsean O'Brien, Rebecca O'Brien, Richard Dormer, Shona McWilliams, Waris Hussein, Antony Carrick, Ann Queensberry, Anne Lambton, Sandy McDade, Andrzej Borkowski, Joseph Long, Billy Seymour, Matt Blair, Patrick Kennedy, Patti Love, Elise Audeyev, Vanessa Barmby, Sophie Brown, Vicki Davids, Charlene Ford, Frances Garvey, Victoria Hay, Rachael Lawrence, Kate Power, Melody Squire, Ciaran Connolly, Joseph McMurray, Polly (Gilpin the Dog), Stuart Antony (uncredited), Anoushka Arden (uncredited), Karen Aspinall (uncredited), Rusty Goffe (uncredited), Ian Hanmore (uncredited), Adolf Hitler (archive footage) (uncredited), David Malcolm (uncredited), Michael Mansbridge (uncredited), Alex Mincoff (uncredited), Shane Nolan (uncredited), Leonard Silver (uncredited), Tina Simmons (uncredited), John Warman (uncredited) and Amber Worrall (uncredited)
Director: Stephen Frears
Producers: Bob Hoskins, Cameron McCracken, David Aukin, David M. Thompson, David Rose, François Ivernel, Kathy Rose, Kevan Van Thompson, Laurence Borg, Norma Heyman, Tracey Scoffield and Tracey Seaward
Screenplay: David Rose (idea), Kathy Rose (idea), Martin Sherman (screenplay) and Sheila van Damm (book)
Composer: George Fenton
Costume Design: Sandy Powell
Make-up and Hair Design: Jenny Shircore
Cinematography: Andrew Dunn, B.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080i (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Subtitles: English
Running Time: 98 minutes
Region: PAL
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Pathé Pictures / BBC FILMS / Future Films / Micro-Fusion / The Weinstein Company / UK Film Council
Andrew’s DVD Review: ‘MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS’ [2005] was inspired by true events . . . England 1937 and the opening scene of this classic comedy film with wonderful music; because Mrs. Laura Henderson [Dame Judi Dench] is attending the funeral of her late departed husband Robert Henderson in 1937. Mrs. Laura Henderson exits to her car and has her chauffer to take her to a quiet lake where she rows a boat out into the silent waters. There Mrs. Laura Henderson lets out several loud cries and weeps. The film ‘MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS’ is completely delightful, based on true events at the Windmill Theatre in the 1930’s and 1940’s.
After some months pass, Mrs. Laura Henderson speaks to her friend Lady Margot Conway [Thelma Barlow], a wealthy widow like herself and counsels Mrs Laura Henderson to take up a hobby, join a charity or spend her money and enjoy herself without feeling guilty. Mrs. Laura Henderson is an eccentric aristocratic lady who finds herself lacking any kind of direction in her life after her husband’s death. None of this appeal’s to Mrs. Laura Henderson. But because Mrs. Laura Henderson is bored, asks her chauffer to drive her around London, and one point has to stop in 18 Great Windmill Street, London W1D 7LA and her heart leaps when she sees that a very rundown Windmill Theatre is up for sale.
So Mrs. Laura Henderson takes this to heart and goes ahead and purchase the Windmill Theatre, engaging the managerial services of Mr. Vivian Van Damm played by the wonderful actor Bob Hoskins, who is not terribly impressed by Mrs. Laura Henderson’s “eccentric lady” act and the interplay between their strong, occasionally clashing characters never fails to amuse me.
At first, the Windmill Theatre achieves great success by performing vaudeville-revue style shows back-to-back all day long, which had not been tried in England before. They called it “Revuedeville,” and unfortunately all the other theatres in the West End quickly copied their formula, and the Windmill Theatre fell in popularity. In a bid to be one-upping on the other theatres, Mrs Laura Henderson proposes they “lose the clothes.” The clothes are (of course) a big part of the draw for me in this movie. I love all the vintage active wear on display in rehearsals and offstage.
But it’s the lack of clothes that eventually sets the shows at the Windmill Theatre apart from the other revues in the West End. Of course, nude shows were common on the Continent at the time, but it simply wasn’t “done” in England and wanted to include nudity to their staging to emulate the Folies Bergère and the Moulin Rouge in Paris, because theatrical works require a licence from the Lord Chancellor, and nipples and dangly bits are a no-no. But that isn't about to stop Mrs. Laura Henderson, who proceeds to browbeat/bribe her old friend Lord Cromer [Christopher Guest], the man who has the authority to allow such shenanigans and into giving her permission to display naked girls on stage, provided they don't move, that is. I chuckled every time I see the scene where Mrs. Laura Henderson persuades the very stuffy old Lord Cromer to allow her to feature live nudes at the Windmill Theatre. Mrs. Laura Henderson butters him up with a gourmet picnic lunch in the park, but he’s still squeamish about “the ladies foliage,” and the somewhat sordid topic of the pudendum, or the midlands. It’s most satisfying to watch his Lordship squirm very uncomfortable. Sounds like a plot for a Carry On film? Maybe, but it's done so beautifully and so very, very tastefully that you can't help but applaud wildly as Mrs. Laura Henderson gallantly lays down the foundation for today's lap dancing clubs.
Mrs. Laura Henderson assures his Lordship they’ll use subtle lighting and furthermore, a barber. The Lord Chancellor agrees, provided the girls stay still, like nudes in art and was famed for its pioneering “Tableau vivant,” French for "living picture" is a static scene containing one or more models of motionless female nudity, which helped the Windmill Theatre for being famous for having “never closed” during the Blitz. It’s not only naked girls, the song and dance scenes set my toes tapping, and I love the 1930’s set designs based on photos of the actual sets at the Windmill Theatre. Then suddenly, the Blitz comes to London and the girls spend their days working for the war effort and performing at night to keep up morale as their audience morphs from students and civilians to soldiers. Many of the performers and workers at the Windmill Theatre moved into the theatre during the Blitz; because it was below street level and somewhat safe during the bombing. In fact, the Windmill Theatre was very proud of the fact they never closed during the Blitz when all the other theatres closed down.
Their success was nudity. Taking inspiration from the Moulin Rouge in Paris and using her sway with the government, Mrs. Laura Henderson presented what everyone wanted – topless women. As World War II commenced, the Windmill Theatre became one of the few happy refuges for British soldiers in the World War II battle.
It is fascinating to watch how this part of the plot works itself out, especially in a wiz-bang speech, where Mrs. Laura Henderson eventually shares the genesis of her ideas, and it is a corker. In another excellent scene, Mr. Vivian Van Damm tells the women posing nude that they should not be ashamed of their bodies, because they were given to them by God as a gift.
Needless to say, the Windmill Theatre's tableaux girls are a gigantic hit as musical numbers are created around Mermaids, Red Indians, Annie Oakley and Britannia. The place is so popular that it is the only theatre that stays open throughout most of the Nazi attack on London.
Although there are several pleasing musical numbers, the real reason to see ‘MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS’ is the extraordinary performance of Dame Judi Dench, who does a marvellous job conveying the creativity, the energy, the snobbery, and the prejudices of this vigorous widow. The writer Madeleine L'Engel has observed: "The great thing about getting older is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been," which of course you get see Dame Judi Dench do it so well throughout the film.
But there’s a more serious edge to the film too, never ostentatiously so, but Dame Judi Dench never lets us forget that she is a woman ever in mourning for her son, killed in the First World War, as well as her husband, and so the vivaciousness that she now displays in seizing life by the horns, is underscored by this sense of melancholy. And the hints of stories of how others are affected by the war – Mr. Vivian Van Damm’s Jewish relatives in the Netherland, lead showgirl Maureen [Kelly Reilly] and her connection with a young soldier – add pathos to the whole shebang.
So much to enjoy here – lovely moments from Dame Judi Dench such as later delights in shocking the censor with her frank language and discussion of degrees of nakedness that are acceptable. Nice little cameos abound including Christopher Logan as Ken as a mischievous stagehand, Samuel Barnett’s fresh-faced soldier as Paul and Sandy McDade’s as the Civil Servant bureaucrat, and the overall the impact is a marvellously charming piece of work.
Director Stephen Frears directs this very clever comedy that of course was inspired by the true story of Mrs. Laura Henderson and her purchase of the Windmill Theatre in London. Again the film ‘MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS’ is based on actual events, and the film comes with real English charm and as usual the delightful Dame Judi Dench who of course plays the very eccentric Mrs. Laura Henderson has no sense of reality and her silly, outlandish statements provide many wonderful laughs.
The cast is eminently watchable, the writing is good, the sets are lavish and Dame Judi Dench is indisputably the star of ‘MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS,’ and I love her portrayal of this interesting and very eccentric woman. It’s a fantastic story of an older woman who refuses to surrender her joie de vivre. This movie may not be everyone’s cup of tea, and especially there’s lots of nudity, but it’s always treated with dignity as well as tongue-in-cheek humour, and never exploitative or salacious. I’m a big fan; and very few movies tend to make me laugh outright (especially upon repeat essential viewings). I would not call this a serious film, but it’s a very entertaining one. By the way, have you seen ‘MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS.’ If not, shame on you as you are of course missing out on something really special. I should warn you that the funniest scene in the film involves seeing a nude Bob Hoskins. My hat goes off to him.
Finally, ‘MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS’ is moving, funny, charming, intelligent, heart-warming and visually sumptuous, the naughty but nice and ‘MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS’ is good old fashioned British comedy drama at its best – every bit as entertaining and mischievous as a night at the Windmill Theatre.
MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS MUSIC TRACK LIST
I’LL STRING ALONG WITH YOU (Music by Harry Warren) (Lyrics by Al Dubin)
LETTING IN THE SUNSHINE (Written by Noel Gay)
INSPIRATION (P. Boyle / R. Bristow / C. Rose) (Music by George Fenton and Simon Chamberlain)
THE GRECIAN FRIEZE (P. Boyle / R. Bristow / C. Rose) (Music by George Fenton and Simon Chamberlain)
BLUE NIGHTFALL (Music by Burton Lane) (Lyrics by Frank Loesser)
SAILS OF THE WINDMILL (Lyrics by Hyslop / Rose) (Music by George Fenton and Simon Chamberlain)
GOODY GOODY (Music by Matty Malneck) (Lyrics by Johnny Mercer)
THE TEDDY BEARS’ PICNIC (Music by John W. Bratton) (Lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy)
MARSEILLE (Music and Lyrics by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle) (uncredited) [Arrangement by George Fenton]
BABY OF THE BLITZ (D. Barnes / R. Burrows) (Music by George Fenton and Simon Chamberlain)
ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE (Music by Jerome Kern) (Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II)
GIRL IN THE LITTLE GREEN HAT [Written by Jack Scholl, Bradford Browne and Max Rich)
String Quartet No.67, Hob. III-63 (Composed by Franz Joseph Haydn) [At the party of Lord Cromer]
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DVD Image Quality – Pathé Pictures, BBC FILMS, Future Films, Micro-Fusion. The Weinstein Company and UK Film Council presents us the film ‘MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS’ with a 1080i image and greatly enhanced with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio and it is one of the best DVD presentation ever, you would think it was a Blu-ray disc and really shows off the glamorous locations really well. Anthony Barry Richmond pulls out the stops and makes the Technicolor image standout with total perfection. The contrast is punchy, and while the strong colours all round, especially with the mid-range colours is most attractively rendered. There's not a dust spot to be seen and the image is rock solid and the detail is still crisper with this very high quality DVD released in 2006 and put this DVD on and see if your guests can tell the difference. So all in all, this definitely get a much deserved five star rating for a film released in 2006. What is also outstanding visually is the wonderful evocative and very clever eccentric animated film titles that really enhances the period of the film that is set in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Please Note: Playback PAL: This will not play on most Blu-ray and DVD players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about the region specifications.
DVD Audio Quality – Pathé Pictures, BBC FILMS, Future Films, Micro-Fusion. The Weinstein Company and UK Film Council brings us the film ‘MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS’ with a 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio experience. The audio is nicely rounded and also gives us a good dynamic range and is also very clear, and a well-modulated sound with no distortion or age-related surface noise, pops, or crackles and the dialogue from the actors is very clear and precise and especially you can hear all the actors speaking without any hindrances and definitely no distortion. Also outstanding is George Fenton’s robust and dramatic comedy film music score that really adds ambience to the film that really helps you to enjoy this audio experience of this excellent tongue-in-cheek comedy film even more. Also outstanding is the song and dance routines and especially when Hitler’s aircraft bombs are dropping on London and especially while the punters are in the Windmill Theatre watching the show, so well done all the companies involved in ‘MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS’ that really gives the soundtrack a five star performance.
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DVD Special Features and Extras: Sadly there was none provided, which is such a same as I am sure somewhere in the Pathé Pictures, BBC FILMS, Future Films, Micro-Fusion. The Weinstein Company and UK Film Council films vaults they must have had interviews with the cast and crew and especially some deleted scenes.
Finally, ‘MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS’ [2005] is a comedy with wonderful evocative music and with a wonderful performance by Dame Judi Dench as an upper-class London widow who finds a new lease on life by starting a theatre and it is a completely delicious delightful film, that was based on true events at the Windmill Theatre in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Mrs Laura Henderson is an eccentric aristocratic lady played by the wonderful Dame Judi Dench who finds her character lacking direction in life after the death of her husband. Mrs Laura Henderson takes this to heart and buys a theatre, engaging the managerial services of Mr. Vivian Van Damm who is not terribly impressed by her “eccentric attitude” and the interplay between their strong and occasionally clashing characters never fails to amuse me. Now if I could only just get myself off the couch, as it’s the perfect time to revisit my favourite movie, especially the cheerfully smutty flick. All in all, ‘MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS’ is a totally charming delicious comedy that will have you laughing out loud a lot or at time you will have tears running down your cheek with this emotional rollercoaster film and with the combination of wonderful and totally amazing Dame Judi Dench and the equally brilliant Bob Hoskins, together they create a wonderful emotional tour-de-force banter, which makes watching this amazing brilliant film such an amazing 98 minutes of movie magic! Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
