Nothing Like a Dame

May 2, 2018

1h 20m

★ 6.8

You're invited.

Overview

BBC Arena's documentary on the Dames of British Theatre and film featuring Maggie Smith, Eileen Atkins, Judi Dench and Joan Plowright on screen together for the first time as they reminisce over a long summer weekend in a house Joan once shared with Sir Laurence Olivier.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

BBC

Purple Moo Pictures

Field Day Productions

Kew Media Group

Transmission Pictures

Nothing Like a Dame Trailers

Cast

Self

Maggie Smith

Self

Judi Dench

Self

Eileen Atkins

Self

Joan Plowright

Self (archive footage)

Robert Altman

Self (archive footage)

Frank Finlay

Self (archive footage)

John Gielgud

Self (archive footage)

Julian Glover

Self (archive footage)

Sheridan Morley

Self (archive footage)

Laurence Olivier

Self (archive footage)

Kim Philby

Self (archive footage)

Vanessa Redgrave

The film tells the story of the intimate and unprecedented encounter between the photojournalists of the Magnum Agency and the world of cinema. The confrontation of two seemingly opposite worlds – fiction and reality. For 70 years their paths crossed: a family of photographers, amongst them the biggest names in photography, and a family of actors and filmmakers who helped write the history of cinema, from John Huston to Marilyn Monroe to Orson Welles, Kate Winslet and Sean Penn.

6.2

Germany in Autumn

Mar 3, 1978

Nine fictitious documentaries and films reflect the mood of late 1970s Germany, particularly the two-month period in 1977 when a businessman was kidnapped by the RAF (Red Army Faction). The kidnap had been made to orchestrate the release of the original leaders of the RAF, aka the Baader-Meinhof.

8.0

About Max

Nov 19, 2019

The intimate and passionate portrait of the late Max Croci in a documentary that recalls the human and cultural depth with the testimonies of friends and colleagues.

0.0

Blanche et Claire

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No overview available.

No Image Available

0.0

Frameworks

Jan 30, 2013

Bombarded by thousands of images every day, are we still able to truly see them, especially those of conflict and its aftermath? Helen Doyle takes us on a quest for the meaning of images and discovers a vast palette of contrasting images which shock and compel.

0.0

Kneidler

Feb 21, 2018

No overview available.

9.4

Nude

Oct 29, 2017

NUDE explores perceptions of nudity in art by chronicling the creative process of photographer David Bellemere as he's commissioned by NU Muses founder Steve Shaw to shoot a fine art calendar of nude photographs.

0.0

Sala de Roteiristas

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6.4

The Crazy Life

Sep 20, 2008

A documentary about the rival gangs Mara 18 and Mara Salvatrucha, originating in Los Angeles but terrorizing El Salvador. It explores their origins as possible founding myths of organized crime in a globalized world.

0.0

Chaplin et "Les temps modernes", La voie du silence

Apr 23, 2025

In 1936, the sound film had already been around for a decade. Nevertheless, Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) made another silent film, "Modern Times", which only used sound effects as a dramaturgical device. Speaking is reserved for the apparatus alone. The film became a monument in the history of cinema for this very reason.

0.0

Resistance, Why?

Oct 4, 1971

In 1970, Christian Ghazi and Noureddine Chatti met with a number of Arab political figures, especially Palestinians residing in Lebanon, resulting in this piece of armed (alternative or third) cinema that captures a crucial cross-section of the Palestinian resistance in Lebanon in 1970. The film features footage of Ghassan Kanafani, Sadiq Jalal El-Azm, Nabil Shaath and other personalities who share their vision of the Palestinian revolution, tracing its history back to the early 20th century. These testimonies describe the numerous strikes and popular protests that took place in Palestine under the Ottoman occupation, followed by the British colonization and the settlement of the Jewish state in 1948. They enumerate the objectives of the struggle, emphasising the necessity for a free and democratic Palestine, defended through armed or non-armed struggle by all its citizens, men and women of various affiliations.

10.0

Words From Home

Apr 8, 2025

WORDS FROM HOME is a poetic documentary that explores the kinds of affection and identity in the portuguese language spoken in Brazil. Through migrants' stories and their reflections, the movie reveals how expressions, accents and memories form emotional and cultural bonds, showing how speaking connects us, differentiates us and, above all, brings us closer together.

7.9

The Work of Director Anton Corbijn

Sep 13, 2005

Legendary photographer and director Anton Corbijn is responsible for many of the most indelible and important images of the past two and a half decades. His recently released book U2 & I is a photographic retrospective of his 25 year collaboration with U2. Later this year, Anton will direct his first feature film, Control, based on the life of the late Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis.

0.0

#monalisa

May 29, 2020

People looking at the Mona Lisa in the Louvre – or are they just looking at themselves?

6.7

One Night With Asterix & Obelix

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On the occasion of the release of the blockbuster "Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom", unpublished images of the preparation of the film and the manufacturing secrets, as well as the crazy story of Asterix and Obelix since its origins.

0.0

Hayashi Studio

Jul 15, 2019

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6.9

Reporters

Jun 10, 1981

The co-founder of the Gamma press agency, Raymond Depardon, created this documentary of press photographers in Paris and their subjects by following the photographers around for one month, in October, 1980. In-between long hours waiting for a celebrity to emerge from a restaurant or a hotel, boredom immediately switches to fast action as the cameras click and roll when the person appears. The reaction to the gaggle of photographers is as varied as the people they often literally chase all around town. While some of the celebrities, such as Jacques Chirac who was mayor of Paris at the time, are perceived as comical caricatures, others are shown simply going about ordinary pursuits - including Catherine Deneuve, Gene Kelly, and Jean-Luc Godard.