Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005)
While all people seem to remember about this movie is Bob Hoskins’s nude scene, there’s a lot more to Mrs. Henderson Presents than his de-robing. It was an amusing scene, though; to make the strippers onstage feel more comfortable, the men working the show (even the producer) were forced to take their clothes off as well.
Judi Dench stars as the title character, a widow who buys a shabby theater in post-WWI London. She decides to make it run and chooses Bob Hoskins as her business partner, though they constantly bicker and disagree. While it doesn’t seem scandalous now, back in the 1930s, it was against the law for entertainers to take their clothes off, so when Judi turns her dancers into nudes, it’s a big deal. The only way they can skirt around the law is for the women to stand perfectly still and pretend they’re “still life works of art”.
Most of the movie is silly and fluffy, but due to the time period, there’s a dark cloud hanging overhead. Europe may be at peace when the film starts, but the Second World War is on the horizon. Be forewarned: this movie quickly turns into a drama. I wasn’t really prepared for it, and I would have liked someone to have warned me.
More Judi Dench movies here!
Judi Dench stars as the title character, a widow who buys a shabby theater in post-WWI London. She decides to make it run and chooses Bob Hoskins as her business partner, though they constantly bicker and disagree. While it doesn’t seem scandalous now, back in the 1930s, it was against the law for entertainers to take their clothes off, so when Judi turns her dancers into nudes, it’s a big deal. The only way they can skirt around the law is for the women to stand perfectly still and pretend they’re “still life works of art”.
Most of the movie is silly and fluffy, but due to the time period, there’s a dark cloud hanging overhead. Europe may be at peace when the film starts, but the Second World War is on the horizon. Be forewarned: this movie quickly turns into a drama. I wasn’t really prepared for it, and I would have liked someone to have warned me.
More Judi Dench movies here!