Plot
Laura Henderson buys an old London theater and opens it up as the Windmill, a performance hall which goes down in history for, among other things, its all-nude revues.

Release Year: 2005

Rating: 7.0/10 (9,904 voted)

Critic's Score: 71/100

Director: Stephen Frears

Stars: Judi Dench, Bob Hoskins, Christopher Guest

Storyline
Recently widowed well-to-do Laura Henderson is at a bit of a loose end in inter-war London. On a whim she buys the derelict Windmill theatre in the West End and persuades impresario Vivian Van Damm to run it, despite the fact the two don't seem to get on at all. Although their idea of a non-stop revue is at first a success, other theatres copy it and disaster looms. Laura suggests they put nudes in the show, but Van Damm points out that the Lord Chamberlain, who licenses live shows in Britain, is likely to have something to say about this. Luckily Mrs Henderson is friends with him.

Writers: Martin Sherman, David Rose

Cast:
Judi Dench - Mrs. Laura Henderson
Bob Hoskins - Vivian Van Damm
Will Young - Bertie
Christopher Guest - Lord Cromer
Kelly Reilly - Maureen
Thelma Barlow - Lady Conway
Anna Brewster - Doris
Rosalind Halstead - Frances
Sarah Solemani - Vera
Natalia Tena - Peggy
Thomas Allen - Eric Woodburn (as Sir Thomas Allen)
Richard Syms - Ambrose
Ralph Nossek - Leslie Pearkes
Camille O'Sullivan - Jane
Doraly Rosen - Maggie

Taglines: Nudity - Variety - High Society

Release Date: 25 November 2005

Filming Locations: Chester Terrace, Regent's Park, London, England, UK

Box Office Details

Budget: $20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend: £752,394 (UK) (27 November 2005) (354 Screens)

Gross: $11,034,436 (USA) (28 May 2006)

Runtime: 103 min

Trivia:
The person in the bear costume who danced on stage actually was Judi Dench.

Goofs:
Factual errors: Vivian van Damm is portrayed as being in his mid-60s during the bombings. In reality he was only in his late 40s.

Quotes:
Laura Henderson: France is just full of naked women covered in bananas and, I dare say, making everyone else go bananas as well.

The Best little movie you'll never hear of!

Rating: 10/10

Long time viewer of IMDb.com but first time poster. I just HAD to post after that negative listing I saw because I couldn't disagree more! I found the movie hilarious and touching. The history of the Windmill Theatre is extraordinary! I come from a theater background and currently work in production for television and film... and I just loved this movie. From the script, to the costuming, the acting, music and imagery... beautiful. My only complaint would be to the Weinsteins - where is the PR??? Dench and Hoskins are amazing! Oscar contenders for sure! I know it won't be released wide until January and I do hope it picks up speed because there's no good reason NOT to see this movie - there's humor, nudity, history, a little romance, a little violence... it has something for everyone!

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