April 17th, 2006
Totally went under my radar last year, I had read the reviews and it seemed to have gathered some acclaim, but never got to know any more of it apart from–”it’s that war film with Judi Dench isn’t it?”
It deserved more publicity than it received, especially as it’s “the show must go on” theme could have been marketed quite effectively to the British public. Or at least I would have thought so as the film’s plot was based upon the real events of a small West End theatre putting on titillating “vaudevilles” showing, erm, breasts in the blitz–I was going to rhyme blitz with a different term but it didn’t seem appropriate.
Indeed appropriateness seems to be a nice topic to discuss given the film’s content. The film was rated at a 12A in England, meaning under-12s can go as long as they are with a responsible adult. The film did show brief full-frontal nudity of both sexes but I do think the BBFC got it spot on. Interestingly Americans have to be 17 or older to see it by themselves and Singaporeans have to be 18 or older, while in certain provinces of Canada it’s considered generally suitable for all. Funny as it shows that even though we live in a modern world, there still exists varying degrees of a taboo associated with even non-sexual nudity.
Will Young was superbly cast as Bertie, the leading man of the shows, his voice perfectly suited to the 1930s/40s style ditties. Judi Dench was nominated for an Oscar for her part as the brassy Mrs Henderson, but really she was just acting to her usual high-standards. Though also no doubt helped by the acerbic script that contained some delightfully Wilde-esque gems.
Lord Cromer:
Then I’d prefer you refer to it as ‘the Midlands’.
Mrs Henderson:
Oh, dear you men do get into such a state about ‘the Midlands’, don’t you? Well you needn’t worry. Our lighting will be so subtle; the disputed area will be barely visible… And anyway, we’ll have a barber. [Lord Cromer chokes on his wine]
The relationship between Mrs Henderson and theatre-manager Vivian Van Damm (Bob Hoskins) made for a very weak sub-plot, but the film’s main focus on the controversial shows remained captivating throughout. Captivating? You were just watching the breasts! No–really it was more than just that; it was more than just shows, it was about the attitudes of the people performing them, why people watched, and the fact they just kept going despite the blitz.