Mrs Henderson Presents

Last night we watched the movie, "Mrs Henderson Presents," which got three thumbs up from the Merry Men of Robin's Wood.

The movie tells the story of the founding of London's once notorious Windmill Theater by a woman in her seventies, Laura Henderson, (played by Judi Dench.)

Mrs Henderson had been in India with her husband where he died just before WWll. She came back to England from India with lots of money and nothing to do with it. Her friend, another widow, suggested charities and lovers but those diversions did not interest Mrs Henderson.

One day, she saw an abandoned theater on Great Windmill Street and decided to buy it. She hired Vivian Van Damm (played by Bob Hoskins) as her theater manager. Together they decided to present a variety programme in the style of American vaudeville - which she called "revuedeville." She wanted it to be a "non-stop revue" all day and evening.

The theater was a hit until it was widely copied and began to lose money. Then she had an inspiration: "Let's have naked girls - don't you think?"

Her decision to "have naked girls" saved the theater. Mrs Henderson introduced nudity to the British stage by telling the Lord Chamberlain (the censor) that nude women were "art" if they did not move (but stayed still like a tableau) and therefore fell under the same exemption that permitted nude "art" in the National Gallery.

Then WWll came and, during the Blitz, all the theaters in London were closed but Mrs. Henderson convinced the Lord Chamberlain not to close the Windmill because the theater was below street level and therefore as safe as a bomb-shelter - and because it was important for troop morale.

Towards the end of the movie she explains the real reason why she wanted a "nude revue." Her son had been killed in WWl at the age of 21. When he died she found a "French postcard" (a picture of a nude woman) among his possessions and speculated that he had never seen the beauty of a real naked woman and had died a virgin. She was determined to spare the WWll British troops the same sad fate.

When you see the enthusiastic reaction of the troops to the beautiful bare breasts (innocent and sweet not pornographic and lewd) on stage, you realize what she was talking about.

"We're never closed" was the battle cry of the Windmill. All during the Blitz, when all the other theaters were closed, the Windmill kept going. (The joke - even when I lived in London nearly 40 years ago - was that "the Windmill is never clothed.")

Here is the dialogue (paraphrased) between Mrs Henderson and the Lord Chamberlain when she tries to convince him to allow nudity:

Lord Chamberlain: Now what about - forgive me - the foliage?

Mrs Henderson: Foliage?

Lord Chamberlain: You know, beneath the...

Mrs Henderson: Beneath what?

Lord Chamberlain: Beneath the...my dear, I'm attempting to address the disagreeable and somewhat sordid topic of the "pudendum."

Mrs Henderson: What on earth is that?

Lord Chamberlain: Good heavens, woman! The female part.

Mrs Henderson: Oh, the pussy! Why didn't you say?

Lord Chamberlain: I had not expected you, of all people, to use such language.

Mrs Henderson: That word was rather popular in the mid-nineteenth century. Not everyone speaks Latin, you know.

Lord Chamberlain: 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.

This is a wonderful movie - almost as good as the old WWll movies that the Brits used to make.

Here is a picture from the Windmill Theater during WWll and below that is the modern version: