rich widow's hobby or soldiers delight?
Added 10/29/2009
After her husband dies a widow searches for something to do
and finds a theater that she went to with her husband closed down,
being rich she buys it and hires a wise old fellow to manage it.
Starting with a musical review they are initially successful,
but others copy their style. she hits on the idea of female nudity
and gets the ok from the Lord Chamberlain
if they are like still paintings and not
strippers. This rule of government over theaters in London
goes back to the days of Shakespeare as we see in
Shakespeare in Love (Miramax Collector's Series).
Women at that time weren't allowed to play womens roles.
Some times one wonders after seeing the current crop of romantic comedies
if we have really made progress or maybe regressed?
Here the nude girls are a great hit and the Festival of Arts-Laguna Beach
is an imitation of this tableaux vivants style of presentation.
The result is a somewhat funny movie about real events during WWII in London.
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Despite some issues, still saucy fun
Added 6/22/2009
Worth a look for its enthusiastic look at a little known story in wartime England. Having said that, the movie feels very "writerly". For example, Mrs. Henderson's ultimate motivation for starting her adult show is a little too neat (though her speech at the end describing that motivation is undeniably moving). Also, the film has a couple of obvious "composite" characters, one in the government and one among the girls, the former simplifying the opposition of undoubtedly many government officials at the time and the latter representing all the ups and downs and tragedies that many of the girls likely experienced during that dangerous period when the bombs regularly fell on London. On these points, I'd rather have seen a better attempt at describing what actually went on instead of a simplification for story purposes. Finally, there's a halfhearted attempt at some kind of love relationship between Mrs. Henderson and Bob Hoskins' manager character (fueled by an irritating scene of jealousy when Mrs. Henderson finds out Hoskins' character is married), but then the whole thing is sort of dropped. Anyway, as said, the movie is worth a viewing just for the fact that it illuminates a little known piece of history, and many of the burlesque scenes aren't bad, either. The standard, widescreen DVD looks and sounds very good, and there are a handful of interesting extra features, though- sadly- no newsreel or historical footage of the actual show's heyday.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Good music but a bit too much of nudity
Added 6/21/2009
Though I expected this is a R-rated movie and other peoples' reviews made it sound like a interesting movie, I will still have to say some of the nude scene is a bit embarrasement to share with my girlfriend. The actor and actress are no doubt excellent in their performance. The effort the director put in is obvious to seperate this movie from the normal adult movie. Stressing the art part and convincing the young woman to post nude is not an easy job. The nude part for the male actors are brief enough to make the ponint, frankly, not much worth watching. The movie truly reflects a time of breaking through in the show business with a very sad reasons behind. It helps me to understand the English people better. I like the music very much. The only bad part is that I can not share the movie with my parents or relative without some worries about what they think about me. This is a great movie for someone who can view it from the realistsic point of human nature and appreciation a great cinema art.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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2.5 stars out of 4
Added 5/5/2009
The Bottom Line:
Dench and Hoskins are in fine form and the film itself is often quite entertaining, but Mrs. Henderson Presents never manages to find much of a plot and remains more of a cheeky little film than an especially good one.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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better this time around
Added 9/14/2008
I'm an unashamed lover of the movies I grew up with in the 1940s, but some remakes easily surpass earlier versions. This one does it in spades. The glossy Rita Hayworth vehicle of 1945 put it's focus on its glamorous star who was cast as one of the dancers at The Windmill. There was only a nod in the direction of the actual Mrs Henderson. No mention of nude showgirls (it's 40s Hollywood, afterall) This newer production trumps in every category. The performances, of course, but also the cinematography, the color, costumes, dialogue and the overall feeling of the period. I don't think you have to have a deep nostalgia for those years to appreciate and, quite possibly, feel a real affection for this movie.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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rich widow's hobby or soldiers delight?
Added 10/29/2009
After her husband dies a widow searches for something to do
and finds a theater that she went to with her husband closed down,
being rich she buys it and hires a wise old fellow to manage it.
Starting with a musical review they are initially successful,
but others copy their style. she hits on the idea of female nudity
and gets the ok from the Lord Chamberlain
if they are like still paintings and not
strippers. This rule of government over theaters in London
goes back to the days of Shakespeare as we see in
Shakespeare in Love (Miramax Collector's Series).
Women at that time weren't allowed to play womens roles.
Some times one wonders after seeing the current crop of romantic comedies
if we have really made progress or maybe regressed?
Here the nude girls are a great hit and the Festival of Arts-Laguna Beach
is an imitation of this tableaux vivants style of presentation.
The result is a somewhat funny movie about real events during WWII in London.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Despite some issues, still saucy fun
Added 6/22/2009
Worth a look for its enthusiastic look at a little known story in wartime England. Having said that, the movie feels very "writerly". For example, Mrs. Henderson's ultimate motivation for starting her adult show is a little too neat (though her speech at the end describing that motivation is undeniably moving). Also, the film has a couple of obvious "composite" characters, one in the government and one among the girls, the former simplifying the opposition of undoubtedly many government officials at the time and the latter representing all the ups and downs and tragedies that many of the girls likely experienced during that dangerous period when the bombs regularly fell on London. On these points, I'd rather have seen a better attempt at describing what actually went on instead of a simplification for story purposes. Finally, there's a halfhearted attempt at some kind of love relationship between Mrs. Henderson and Bob Hoskins' manager character (fueled by an irritating scene of jealousy when Mrs. Henderson finds out Hoskins' character is married), but then the whole thing is sort of dropped. Anyway, as said, the movie is worth a viewing just for the fact that it illuminates a little known piece of history, and many of the burlesque scenes aren't bad, either. The standard, widescreen DVD looks and sounds very good, and there are a handful of interesting extra features, though- sadly- no newsreel or historical footage of the actual show's heyday.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Good music but a bit too much of nudity
Added 6/21/2009
Though I expected this is a R-rated movie and other peoples' reviews made it sound like a interesting movie, I will still have to say some of the nude scene is a bit embarrasement to share with my girlfriend. The actor and actress are no doubt excellent in their performance. The effort the director put in is obvious to seperate this movie from the normal adult movie. Stressing the art part and convincing the young woman to post nude is not an easy job. The nude part for the male actors are brief enough to make the ponint, frankly, not much worth watching. The movie truly reflects a time of breaking through in the show business with a very sad reasons behind. It helps me to understand the English people better. I like the music very much. The only bad part is that I can not share the movie with my parents or relative without some worries about what they think about me. This is a great movie for someone who can view it from the realistsic point of human nature and appreciation a great cinema art.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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