Dvd/150: NOTHING LIKE A DAME (Roger Michell, 2018)

Every so often, four acting greats - Dames Eileen Atkins, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright and Maggie Smith - meet at Plowright's Sussex home to catch up and reminisce; this time director Roger Michell was on hand to film them.

With their friendships crossing generations. they have much shared experience: first nights, critics, playing Shakespeare, acting with husbands, getting older...

Of course Laurence Olivier pops up in conversation several times: when talking about acting partners, Plowright says "Mine was the most difficult" to which Maggie dryly responds "Well, we all found him tricky".

I suspect the real gold was left out - there is a flash of it when they discuss their wariness in playing Shakespeare's Cleopatra: Atkins says she has found all actors playing Antony dislike it as they realize the best role is Cleopatra "Alan Bates told me he hated it" to which Maggie says "That's because he wanted to play Cleopatra!"

Shelf or charity shop?  Shelf!