MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS — ** 1/2 — Judi Dench, Bob Hoskins, Christopher Guest; rated R (nudity, vulgarity, violence, profanity, brief sex, ethnic slurs); Redstone 8 Cinemas.

Dame Judi Dench is at her best, performancewise, when she's at her haughtiest and snootiest. She's most entertaining when she's rude and condescending.

"Mrs. Henderson Presents" does present opportunities for Dench to point her nose in the air. But then the film loses track of her character to an extent and begins concentrating on others that are less interesting.

This pre-World War II period comedy-drama really stumbles, though, when it takes a considerably more-serious turn. (By the way, for those who are wondering, the film opened in Park City today but will reach Salt Lake City Jan. 6.)

Dench stars as Laura Henderson, a real-life English widow who, on a lark, decided to buy a rundown London showhouse, the Windmill Theater, and restore it to its former glory.

In this version of the story, she hires an experienced stage manager, Vivian Van Damm (Bob Hoskins), to run it. He insists on making all the creative decisions and comes up with "Revuedeville," a series of nearly non-stop, song-and-dance shows that pack in audiences.

Other theaters begin copying the show and the Windmill's around-the-clock showtimes. So Laura suggests that some of the more shapely cast members perform without clothing.

She even convinces a high-ranking British official, Lord Cromer (Christopher Guest), to sanction the show. He does reluctantly, and with one stipulation: that the girls remain motionless, thus making them living "art."

Director Stephen Frears and screenwriter Martin Sherman never settle on a consistent tone, and they make some odd choices regarding character screen time (for example, we never really get to know the Windmill's real star played by British pop star Will Young).

Still, Dench's prickly performance makes the film watchable, especially when her character is feuding with Hoskins'. And it's always fun to see Guest ("A Mighty Wind," "Waiting for Guffman"), even when it's not in his own material.

"Mrs. Henderson Presents" is rated R for full female and male nudity, crude sex talk (including innuendo and slang), war violence (archival footage), scattered use of strong sexual profanity, brief sexual contact, and a few ethnic slurs. Running time: 103 minutes.

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E-mail: jeff@desnews.com