Made for BBC’s TV august arts program ARENA earlier this year, this piece of sheer cinematic joy has had its name tweaked (for some inexplicable reason) and now courtesy of IFC Films is heading to selected movie US movie theaters this Fall. The new title is a tad misleading as these four of the world’s greatest actresses sip at far more than mere tea over the two days they met to reminisce, gossip and throw some delicious shade.
Collectively these iconic thespian British Dames are 342 years old …. with Joan Plowright clocking in as the oldest at a mere 88 years. These legendary women are acting royalty and all started out in the theater in the 1950’s and have been close friends for most of that time too. They meet up as often as they can, and for the very first time allowed cameras in to record their unscripted conversations.
Amidst all the genuine warmth that the four women share there is the odd hint of the rivalry that surfaced from time to time in their careers, most of it aimed at Judi Dench, who Maggie Smith suggested was often offered the plum roles first. Not completely true as Dame Maggie won her first Oscar in 1970 (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie) whereas Dame Judi didn’t even land her first starring role in a movie until 1997 (Mrs Brown ….the first on many Queens she has played).
Hearing them discuss their careers, interspersed with some wonderful archive footage, reminds you of the enormous depth and scope of the roles that they made their very own over the past 50 plus years picking up whole swathes of Awards for them all. But it’s the behind the scenes stories (i.e. gossip) that make the conversations that much more fascinating and completely compelling.
We think of them all in terms of their success which they all have made look so easily, but as Eileen Atkins pointed out that in this male-dominated profession they really had to fight and work hard for their roles after being told they were not pretty enough. Although Dame Eileen said being described as sexy when she was young, did make up for that quite a bit.
Eavesdropping on them like this, you realise that the reputations they earned off the stage are well earned too. Dame Judi has a potty mouth on her which comes out when she tells the recent story of a patronising hospital intern foolishly asked her if she had a carer! She responded by screaming at him to ‘F-CK OFF” and adding “I’ve just done 2 months at the Garrick Theater in The Winter’s Tale'”
Dame Maggie on the other hand, shows signs of her inner Dowager Countess when she picks on a hapless photographer who had been taking photos of them all constantly throughout the filming. Also when director Roger Michell (on what must be the easiest film he has ever made) dares to suggest that they all now talk about being old, Dame Maggie tells him where to go with two very short words.
They all have words to say about Dame Joan’s husband Lawrence Olivier the celebrated actor/director who ran The National Theater as his own fiefdom for years. Notoriously known as a tyrant who could make or break careers, the conversations about their own experiences with him were explicit but probably still toned down as not to cause offence to his widow.
The conversations over the two days range from the swinging sixties “I think we all started swinging much earlier than that‘; reviews “never read them‘; playing Cleopatra which they all baulked at playing; becoming a Dame which happened to them all at different times with Dame Eileen almost missing out entirely; and planning their own funeral which none of them wanted to discuss.
Even though Dame Joan is blind. and Dame Judi’s eyesight is pretty poor, and all of the women confessed to having hearing aids, none of them would consider retiring for a single moment. As long as they are still offered good roles they will work, which selfishly we all hope will be forever.
It is so hard not be swept up in the sheer delight that these remarkable women share with each other and so selflessly with the world too. Dame Joan reminds us that it could have all turned out differently if she had taken her mother’s words completely to heart when she told her she was going into acting: “You’re no oil painting, but you’ve got the spark and thank God you have my legs and not your father’s.”
Unmissable.
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Labels: 2018, British, documentary
