Mrs. Henderson Presents...
All I can say is..a lovely film. But then when was the last time Judy Dench did a film that was not a work of art?
The film takes place in London between WW1 and WW2.
Mrs. Henderson is a very rich, very bored widow. On a whim she decides to purchase an old theatre. She renovates it with the dream of offering vaudeville entertainment for the first time in London. Then she hires Bob Hoskins to manage it for her. When her business falls apart because the other West End theatres copy her idea, she adds an "edge" to her productions. Nudity. Mrs Henderson's money has power with the local magistrate up to a point. He will license the nudity, but only if the women do not move....they must be posing, not unlike nude paintings in a museum. So Bob Hoskins' job is now to produce programmes featuring singing, dancing a la vaudeville, with tableau's featuring the nudes. He is very creative!
Meanwhile, WW2 breaks out. The theatre, which now has a mainly male clentelle, becomes a last point of joy for the boys going to the front. Because the theatre proper is well below street level, the theatre becomes a bomb shelter as all the actors move in for protection when Germany begins to bomb London.
This movie, as I said, is lovely..I highly recommend it. A wonderful view.
til next time
PennyPengo
The film takes place in London between WW1 and WW2.
Mrs. Henderson is a very rich, very bored widow. On a whim she decides to purchase an old theatre. She renovates it with the dream of offering vaudeville entertainment for the first time in London. Then she hires Bob Hoskins to manage it for her. When her business falls apart because the other West End theatres copy her idea, she adds an "edge" to her productions. Nudity. Mrs Henderson's money has power with the local magistrate up to a point. He will license the nudity, but only if the women do not move....they must be posing, not unlike nude paintings in a museum. So Bob Hoskins' job is now to produce programmes featuring singing, dancing a la vaudeville, with tableau's featuring the nudes. He is very creative!
Meanwhile, WW2 breaks out. The theatre, which now has a mainly male clentelle, becomes a last point of joy for the boys going to the front. Because the theatre proper is well below street level, the theatre becomes a bomb shelter as all the actors move in for protection when Germany begins to bomb London.
This movie, as I said, is lovely..I highly recommend it. A wonderful view.
til next time
PennyPengo
posted by iCare at
9:35 AM
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