Nothing Like a Dame ☆☆☆☆☆
What a wonderful change for a Saturday night in front of the TV in the UK, Ladies in Lavender with Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, and great eye candy Daniel Brühl, but the main event is the 90 min documentary, directed by Roger Michell of Notting Hill fame.
It is about four friends and British acting royalty, Dame Maggie Smith, Dame Judi Dench, Dame Joan Plowright and Dame Eileen Atkins. These women changed the cultural Establishment in the British acting world in the same way that many of our playwrights did in the 1960’s.
The wife of Laurence Olivier, Joan Plowright, retired since 2014 due to her declining eyesight, was born 4 years before the other 3 who were born in 1934 and the documentary really focuses on them the most. They have been working continually to this very day in theatre, film, and television.
This really is a ‘fly on the wall’ observation as we eavesdrop the Dames sitting together and discussing their careers, husbands, regrets and wonderful anecdotes from the film, theatre, and their personal lives. Extremely funny, witty and at times poignant……. as Dame Joan remarks “I’m lonely sometimes” and Dame Maggie responds sadly as if no one was present “I know what you mean”
The revelation that one realizes is that Dame Judi is a ‘giggler’ she just breaks up into hysterics at all comical memories and remarks – a joy to watch and so infectious. A wonderful moment is when Dames Maggie and Judi are in an off-screen moment arranging themselves on a sofa for a conversation about to be filmed and Dame Judi is giggling at Dame Maggie fussing with a cushion and says “ we would never ever sit like this to chat…… not even in a production!” It is sheer bliss to watch.
N.B. IFC Films have already bought the theatrical distribution rights for the US and there simply has to be a DVD coming soon or there will be hell to pay from the global LGBT community if no one else!
Review: PETER HARRINGTONPeter Harrington, Contributing Editor, is the retired Senior Designer for a leading fashion house which will remain nameless. He’s an avid connoisseur for the finer things in life particularly in all branches of the Arts. Once a habitué of Tangier, he now resides at the wrong end of Kings Road in London with his husband Alessandro and their precious pug Samba.
Labels: 2018, BBC, culture, Four British Dames
