Word: vanning
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...High Fidelity”), the film opens in late l930s London, with a recently widowed and very bored Mrs. Laura Henderson. Advised by her friend that widows are allowed hobbies or better yet, younger lovers, Henderson purchases a run-down theater and hires an experienced stage manager, Mr. Vivien Van Damm (Bob Hoskins of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit...
...major flaw in the film is the deflated dynamic of the relationship between Van Damm and Henderson, which should provide the backbone of the movie. The sparring between the two over control of the theater never really sparks, for Hoskins, solidly playing the straight man role, is no match for Dench. Delivering her lines with her usual acerbic and perfectly timed delivery, Dench demonstrates why she is the premier actress of the AARP...
...romantic setup of the two also feels false; Hendersons’ crush is conveyed by Dench gazing wistfully away from the camera and turning unreasonably angry when she discovers that Van Damm is married. Why would a woman as independent as Henderson immediately fall for Van Damm...
Most boringly didactic are Van Damm’s speeches, comparing the show-must-go on mentality to wartime resilience, presumably the ultimate message of the film. Yet because the film’s treatment of wartime England is so shallow, this message comes off as clichéd. The movie should have remained a parody of British prudishness; as a sentimental tribute to the human spirit, the film is fatal...
...area. Across the street, cobbler-designer and Hamburg native Inga Thomas, tel: (49-40) 4319 0471, is quietly making a name for herself with bespoke heels and ballerina shoes fashioned from colorful organic hides. Also new (in fact, the paint is barely dry at her tiny atelier) is Evangeline Van Niekerk, the proprietor of Krefeld, tel: (49-40) 3483 0859. Van Niekerk's first collection comprises stenciled knit shirts and knee-length corduroy skirts...