Mrs Henderson Presents

Synopsis: In the 1930s, the Windmill Theatre was a run-down Soho venue restored beyond its former glory by eccentric widower, Laura Henderson (Judi Dench), and her manager, Vivian Van Damm (Bob Hoskins). Together they put naked girls onstage in a non-stop revue that not only made British history, but simultaneously brought joy and controversy to wartime England.

Inspired by true events, Mrs Henderson Presents is not the first film to tell the story of the Windmill Theatre and Vivian Van Damm. Some sixty years ago, for example, Rita Hayworth played the role of a Windmill Girl in Tonight and Every Night – a classic Hollywood production of 1945. What makes Stephen Frears film immediately different, of course, is that its protagonist is not the man behind the theatre, but rather, the formidable woman who, some might argue, was the ‘real lynchpin’ in the Windmill’s popular success. Laura Henderson was a 70 year old eccentric aristocrat with the motivation and the means to defy the censorship laws of the 1930s and show nudity on the British stage. In collaboration with her manager, Vivian Van Damm, she revitalized Soho theatre and helped to create a musical institution.

One thing I find interesting is that despite it being billed as a dramatic comedy (with music), I seldom laughed at all during Mrs Henderson Presents (nor, for that matter, did the rest of the audience). But even though the film is not a laugh-out-loud gag-bag of humour, it did achieve something most pleasing indeed – a sustained sense of light-heartedness; sustained, that is, until the end of the second act when pure delight invariably gave way to a more complex emotional experience. What the film ultimately has going for it is that it operates (in part) as a ‘strength of the human spirit’ movie that, on the surface, doesn’t take itself too seriously. But in stripping back the layers, we discover a work of cinema that is much more than fluff and frivolity. Through filmic methods both classical and contemporary, it strives toward – and all in all achieves – an engaging commentary on entertainment and war, class, social connections, and the attachment to secrets for self-preservation (both emotional and social). With this in mind, Mrs Henderson Presents is simultaneously a simple and complex movie.

The film delights in its titillating subject matter – the non-stop nude revue – yet presents this with a filmic ‘respectability and good-taste’ suggestive of the embarrassment the nude tableaux must have invoked during their heydays in an ultra-conservative Britain of the 1930s. In some respects, the film - in both content and style - is an example of wholesome daring. It reaches back into history to contrast joyful bravado with the impending shadow (and realization) of war. The production design, for example, carries an historical authenticity that provides the canvas against which director, Stephen Frears, successfully marries dark and light.

This is not something altogether new for this diverse filmmaker. In his latest film, Frears creates a sense of the theatre as a reflection of the characters’ desire to defy the realities of war. His mise-en-scène provides a rich and visually textured film that rises to the challenge of creating authenticity across these two worlds – the world of wartime London, and the fantasy world of the stage. And in directing actors who truly understand their craft, Frears creates a film which successfully captures the devil-may-care attitude that permeated the activities of the Windmill, the determined quest for optimism in the face of harsh events.

Dame Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins alone make for worthwhile viewing. Clearly relishing the dynamics of their roles, Dench and Hoskins deliver portrayals rich in social and intellectual tension – the combination of volatile elements that deliver a certain spunk and gusto in the characters’ relationship and, consequently, the translation of juicy parts for these fine actors. The roles of Windmill performers, Bertie and Maureen, played by Will Young and Kelly Reilly are worthy supports for those of Dench and Hoskins. Young (of British pop music fame) makes his screen debut with aplomb and gay abandon – an air of innocence for the character that aligns with the overall innocence / naivety conveyed of the era. And Kelly Reilly, well…her character is self-assured and sexy, seemingly untouchable. This gorgeous actress carries her role with a captivating visual presence that is smooth as the proverbial silk of her diaphanous bed-coat.

There is much to enjoy in Mrs Henderson Presents – from a tightly-scripted work that draws on extensive historical research and delivers around 14 musical pieces from the era, to a mood of cheeky defiance that gives a very British middle finger to war. This film is simultaneously whimsical and compelling. It lifts the spirit and warms the heart, without either demanding too much of its audience or pushing itself too far.

 

 

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