The flesh of young women and occasionally men has been gracing the silver screen for decades now. But nudity has rarely been more rampant than in Stephen Frears’ World War II-era musical comedy “Mrs. Henderson Presents.” An irreverent, entertaining film, “Mrs. Henderson” chronicles the true story of how the first live nude shows hit the London stage. This glitzy piece of fluff unfolds through a series of dizzying musical numbers, sweeping visuals and plenty of boob shots.
Tea & Striptease: Kelly Reilly plays one of the topless showgirls that light up the London stage of Mrs. Henderson’s (Judi Dench) theater.
Judi Dench stars as Mrs. Henderson, a recent widow who spends her inherited fortune on a renovated London theater, the Windmill. She enlists the help of a hard-nosed theater manager Vivian Van Dame (Bob Hoskins). But when ticket sales disappoint, Henderson decides to take a cue from the French theater houses and feature all-nude musical revues. Surprisingly, a stiff-upper-lipped Lord Cromer (Christopher Guest) permits the Windmill to showcase topless girls, but only as long as the ladies remain perfectly still, in a respectable Venus de Milo-like pose. Although the show is a hit with posh British audiences, the Windmill doesn’t truly take off until the country is swept up by WWII. The theater becomes a hotspot for many boys in uniform and the company maintains a show-must-go-on attitude as bombs barrage London.
But the drama is minimal. “Mrs. Henderson” is not a story about the hardships of war or about pushing sexual boundaries within England’s stodgy upper class. The major conflict arises when Henderson and Van Dame clash over how the theater should be operated, but their low-stakes skirmishes are only amusing for the two venerable actors trading quips in the fine British tradition.
Despite the limp Henderson-Van Dame feud, the film never drags. Although it is not nearly as engrossing as last year’s “Being Julia” — a exquisitely crafted film also about the London theater scene in 1930s — “Henderson” does manage to keep apace with some witty backstage moments between the showgirls.
A period film with both leads pushing 70, “Mrs. Henderson Presents” is not a movie targeted for the MTV demographic. Indeed, it could be mistaken for an episode of PBS’s “Masterpiece Theatre,” with the exception that it shows more salacious nudity than raunchy sex comedies like “Wedding Crashers” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” combined.
Frears (“Dangerous Liaisons,” “The Grifters,”) has proven to be a versatile director with a gift for exploring sexuality. His best work was arguably 2004’s “Dirty Pretty Things” — a small yet haunting film about the plight of illegal immigrants living in London. Unlike “Things,” “Mrs. Henderson” is not dark or edgy or memorable. Instead, the lavish musical, full of eye candy, will charm audiences, not move them.
