Mrs. Henderson Presents

In 1932, the Windmill Theatre began non-stop variety with their production, “Revuedeville,” inspired allegedly by their Paris namesake, the Moulin Rouge. It’s a historical fact that the Windmill displayed a sign, with pride, that read, “WE NEVER CLOSED,” referring to the fact that they remained open through the London bombings during World War II with the exception of a government-enforced closing from September 4 to 16, 1939.

This film, inspired by these events, tells the story of the owner, Laura Henderson (Judi Dench) and her stubborn theatre manager, Vivian Van Damm (Bob Hoskins). After her husband’s death, Henderson, seemingly eccentric (though not quite), is wary of becoming idle. Her friend, Maggie (Doraly Rosen), encourages her to live it up. On a shopping trip, Henderson spots a delapidated, closed theatre. Before she’s had a chance to contemplate it, Laura leaps right into purchasing the property.

Unfortunately, she knows next to nothing about managing a theatre. Instead, she hires Vivian Van Damm (Bob Hoskins) to handle the day to day operations of the Windmill. The classical conflict exists between the opinionated Henderson and her cantankerous stage manager, and we expect them to reach the end of the film on decidely friendly terms, but it’s interesting to see how it unfolds. Van Damm has the innovative concept of running a nonstop revue, with five or six shows daily.

Mrs. Henderson invites friends to a cocktail party to announce the opening, pitching it as a philanthropic endeavor, “Revuedeville is an attempt to create employment.” A couple of demented pharaohs and a few other bizarre auditions later, Van Damm has himself an assistant but he doesn’t yet have the gimmick that will keep Revuedeville alive—especially once their initial success is copied by all the other theaters in town. Mrs. Henderson in her travels has been to Paris, and intuits, “Paris is full of naked girls wearing bananas and driving the audience bananas in return.”

There’s one obstacle, though. Van Damm notes that Cromer, the Lord Chamberlain (Christopher Guest), would not approve of the show. Though, Mrs. Henderson, resourceful socialite that she is, happens to be close friends with him. Cromer’s concerned about the rule of law, but he also knows the influence that a public figure like Mrs. Henderson wields. And so, her persuasiveness draws a suggestion from the Lord Chamberlain: If the girls were to remain still, like a tableaux, the nude performances would remain within the law. But he’s still unsure about “the foliage… beneath the…” The exchange that follows, rather embarrassing for Cromer, is too funny to spoil.

Van Damm and his assistant scour the country, in search of the perfect pair of “British nipples.” They eventually find Maureen (the statuesque Kelly Reilly) to lead the show. With that, the show can go on, and to rousing interest it does.

There’s some hilarious diversions throughout, including one involving a mouse that escapes onstage to startle the girls into motion. Knowing that the Lord Chamberlain is keeping a watchful eye on the women, to ensure there’s no funny business, I’m rather suspicious of that mouse’s intentions. These whimsical digressions are much welcomed by me, as those most likely to see this film will at least have already some familiarity with the history of the Windmill. So, the most interesting parts revolve around the characters and, for the most part, jovial atmosphere of the goings on about the theatre—which, being underground, happens to not only entertain but is “the safest place in town” at that particular time.

With these events having taken place during World War II, there is of course some tragedy involved. Mrs. Henderson’s deep attachment to serving the young military men stationed in London at the time of the German bombing raids is fueled by the loss of her own son, Alex, in World War I. She visits his grave in France and, back home, watches the raids from the rooftops. One imagines, perhaps, she is waiting for death in the hope that she may be reunited with her beloved son.

Eventually, the Windmill is forced to close by the city. This prompts Mrs. Henderson and Van Damm to go to the people. Henderson pleads, “If we are to ask our sons to surrender their lives, we should not ask them to surrender joy.” Some will interpret this as a timely political message. Indeed Henderson’s speech echoes the words of Benjamin Franklin, who said, “They that would sacrifice essential liberty for a little temporary security deserve neither liberty nor security,” and indeed that message is as relevant today as it was over 200 years ago.

However, there are many levels on which to take in “Mrs. Henderson Presents.” For me, the necessity of preserving freedom of expression is self-evident, so I enjoyed this film for the chemistry between Hoskins and Dench, the comical juxtapositions of artistic and beautiful nudity with inherently corny stage musicals, and the general sense of community in the people of London who come together under one roof, in a cramped, underground theatre, to take their mind off the impending doom that awaits them at street level.

It’s not a weighty film nor is it intended to be. If the point of the original Moulin Rouge was to give bohemians a distraction from the rise of a drab, industrial age, then the Windmill resurrected and fulfilled this function of entertainment as a means to temporarily relieve us of our fears. When Britons show great pride in the fact that the real Windmill stayed open throughout most of the raids, they’re not merely remembering an escapism, they’re thumbing their nose at the very notion that life and joy should be disrupted by the threat of even the greatest mortal danger the 20th century had ever seen. To what greater cause can soldiers commit their lives?

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Mrs. Henderson Presents • Dolby® Digital surround sound in select theatres • MPAA Rating: R for nudity and brief language. • Distributed by The Weinstein Company