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Mrs. Henderson Presents
Directed by: Stephen Frears
Starring: Judi Dench
Genre:
Drama
Run Time: 103
min.
Release Date:
December 2005
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
This film came very close
to receiving a positive review, but I just couldn't pull up enough good
qualities about it to render such a personal verdict. And there
are good qualities to it.
First and foremost is that it was directed by the estimable Stephen
Frears (THE QUEEN). Having fallen in love with HIGH FIDELITY and DANGEROUS
LIAISONS -- both directed by Frears -- I'd hoped to find a similar
quality here. No dice. Although filmed relatively well, the storyline
was choppy and veered away from the main character (Judi Dench,
CASINO ROYALE) far too often. The focus of the film felt as though it were
drifting through a fog. Personally I would've enjoyed seeing the WW II
veterans' viewpoint on the new nudeness of this raucous stage. The
emotional impact surely would've been greater as we see how many "boys"
return to Mrs. Henderson's theater and how many …don't.
The second positive for the movie is that it has Judi Dench in the prime
role and Bob Hoskins (Mr. Van Damm) as her prime supporting actor. The
two fed off each other extremely well and it showed how two people, who
were probably in love with each other, denied their feelings for one
another in a time of greater righteousness. But, even though they played
well off each other, their respective rolls were lost amongst the "out
of focus" film. Many times I felt the attention was on them when it
should've been somewhere else, and vice-versa.
At 103 minutes long, the movie was short-changed. This was a pivotal
moment in world history as well as in London's theater history.
Compressing it so drastically really made the whole film shallow and
limited. Combining theatrical nudity and the horrors of wartime
should've been explored much more in-depth.
It's really a shame. I loved the history of the times and the story
surrounding The Windmill Theater (Mrs. Henderson's purchase), but this
flick didn't give me enough of either.
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Image from Mrs. Henderson
Presents
DVD cost: $23.99
Purchase:
BestPrices.com
Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy:
In 1931, Laura Henderson
bought the disused Windmill Theater and hired architect Howard Jones to
remodel it as a tiny, one-tier theater.
Movie Quote: "I
take war far more seriously than you could imagine."
Other Actors/Actresses
from Mrs. Henderson Presents
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