Mrs Henderson Presents

Judi Dench again, and this time nominated for the Actress in a Leading Role Oscar 2006 for Mrs Henderson Presents, is Laura Henderson, founder and manager of the famous Windmill Theatre that boasted We Never Closed throughout the 1930s and 1940s. Never closed, despite the Blitz and the Lord Chamberlains (the chief censors) attempts to limit shows of public indecency. With her impresario Vivian Van Damm (Bob Hoskins), she spiced up her non-stop revue with the spectacle of nudity (acceptable to standards of decency provided the girls in question didnt move). Stephen Frears luvvie-friendly movie did not please the Guardian: an insidiously ghastly piece of Blitz-kitsch nostalgia, reeking with chirpiness. Seems an Oscar is inevitable, though Dame Judi is up against amongst others Miss Knightley.