Mrs Henderson Presents (12A) (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Mrs Henderson Presents (12A)

IT has become a bit of a clich to describe actresses of a certain age as national treasures, but Dame Judi Dench is just that.

The evidence is there in a glittering career that has successfully embraced TV, stage and cinema.

But the real proof lies in Mrs Henderson Presents, an utterly charming movie that has that rare quality of being able to make audiences laugh and cry, but above all it is great fun.

The film is based on the true story of Laura Henderson (Dench), who in 1937, at the age of 69, found herself widowed. And rich.

Idleness is anathema to the ever so refined but slightly eccentric Mrs H and she is determined to find something to keep her occupied. And so she buys a theatre.

The Windmill in the heart of Soho is derelict and in urgent need of some TLC, and Mrs Henderson is determined to breathe new life into the crumbling old building.

Unfortunately, she hasn't a clue how to run a theatre and so hires experienced showbiz professional Vivian Van Damm (Hoskins) as the Windmill's manager.

The theatre pro and the impresario are like chalk and cheese. He knows his business and is single-minded in going about it. But she interferes at every opportunity, much to Van Damm's annoyance.

Despite their differences, there is a grudging mutual respect, but it is a decision taken by Mrs Henderson that transforms the Windmill's fortunes.

Van Damm has so far run the Windmill as a non-stop revue of singing, comedy, and dancing girls. It's success is limited, until Mrs Henderson has a brainwave observing the young dancers in action, she declares: "Let's get rid of the clothes!"

And so the nude revue arrives in London. It's a controversial decision, but also a popular one, particularly with war on the horizon as the Windmill's naked tableaux prove to be a great morale booster.

So yes, Mrs Henderson Presents is about the birth of striptease in Soho. Yet there is a pleasing innocence about the way it is depicted in the film it is done in the best possible taste, and with a 12A certificate slapped on it, it can be enjoyed by families, even if there is a brief glimpse of Hoskins in all his full frontal glory ("Mr Van Damm, you are a Jew!" is one of the delightful one-liners Dench is presented with).

Dench is the heart and soul of the film the role fits her like a glove, and while Mrs Henderson was clearly a larger than life character, Dench never grandstands and never hogs the limelight. Indeed, this really is a double act with Hoskins, who here is more understated than we are used to seeing, but his scenes with his leading lady are sheer delight, bitter-sweet, caustic but affectionate.

The supporting cast is interesting too. There is Will Young yes the Will Young as the Windmill's principal singer, and he plays his small but significant role very well. When asked by Mrs H if he enjoys looking at the young women, he replies with a smile: "I have other inclinations", a cheeky reference to Young's own sexuality, which he declared to mild sensation following his Pop Idol triumph.

Look out too for Thelma Barlow (Coro's Mavis Riley) playing Mrs Henderson's snooty best friend, and American actor Christopher Guest (best known as guitarist Nigel Tufnel in This Is Spinal Tap) as the straight-laced Lord Chamberlain.

The film is bathed in a rosy nostalgic glow - the period look and feel is beautifully captured; check out the wonderful computer-generated view of 1930s Picadilly and despite the ravages of wartime, it could be accused of being a little too warm and cosy. But such criticism is churlish for a film whose heart is in the right place.

And it's a credit to the film and director Stephen Frears that while Mrs Henderson Presents could have been a titillating experience, by its conclusion you forget that you have seen any naked flesh at all. 8/10 The Little Theatre Cinema in Bath is stepping back in time when it screens Mrs Henderson Presents tonight. Staff will be decked out in 1940s fashion and usherettes will take around trays of ice creams and sweet cigarettes. So to get in the spirit of the film, go along to the St Michael's Place cinema tonight for its 6.15pm or 8.45pm screenings.

By Stephen Webb

MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS

Starring: Judi Dench, Bob Hoskins, Will Young, Kelly Reilly

Director: Stephen Frears

Certificate 12A, 103 mins