And speaking of nudie musicals...

I read an interesting article in the New York Sunday Times ("A Pile of Rubble Topped by Nudes. Now That's a Musical!" by James Ulmer, January 23, 2005 about director Stephen Frears latest film Mrs. Henderson Presents.

It's a quirky story about a bored English society woman, (Laura Henderson, played by Dame Judi Dench), in the 1930s who opened the first theater showing nude musical revues -- London's answer to the Moulin Rouge -- and made it a hit, even during the Blitz. The film sounds like great fun, with Dame Judi and Bob Hoskins (playing theater manager Vivian Van Damm). Especially so when Hoskins joins in and bares his behind (and front!) with the rest of the girls. The article quotes Mr. Hoskins, "All these young gorgeous creatures and there was Old Wrinkly in the back".

What I found really interesting was how Frears prepared for the film. Said Frears in the article, "Alan Parker once told me you can wing a movie, but you can't wing a musical." The article goes on to say Frears and his team discovered a book and saw a documentary on the world of Arthur Freed. From the 1940s to the early 1970s Freed's ability to lure top actors, directors, choreographers, and composers to work cheek-by-jowl in his MGM production offices delivered such classic musicals as Singin' in the Rain, Meet Me In St. Louis, and Gigi.

That model gave Mr. Frears the key he for which he had been searching. "Freed had figured out that you must have all these creative people working together in the same room," the director said. "You can't do it right unless they're all present and thinking the same way. So I got everybody into the same place -- the writer, composer, musical director and choreographer -- and worked it all out. Thank God we read that book."

Okay, now I gotta go find that book! And see the film when it comes to the
Toronto Film Festival in September!