Dames 4

From the BBC archives, before their talents were recognised by royal decree, the early work and career defining moments of Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Diana Rigg and Helen Mirren. David Tennant narrates the story of our dames of classic drama, from a golden age of British television drama.

A young man realizes that his fiancée is asking the Mystery Prince for advice on the conduct of his future household. The Mystery Prince is a radio presenter adored by his listeners. To get rid of this cumbersome character, the young man makes one of his comrades pass for the presenter, who has become the worst of cads.

Five bourgeoisie women. Five men - husbands or companions - who, in different fields, possess a certain power. Characters who live in embassy lounges, frequent palaces and large houses, travel in expensive cars and yachts, eager for pleasure, guided by ambition.

Chase makes tries to escape from a compromising situation with a dame he took to be his wife's sister.

Students at New York's Rovina Finishing School for Girls send their photographs to the makers of Claybury's Beauty Soap, in the hope of being chosen as "Miss Complexion of 1934." Martha Howson wins the contest, which includes a trip to Hollywood and a tour of the Warner Brothers lot with Lyle Talbot. When she gets to the studio, all she wants to do is meet Dick Powell, star of the new Warner Brothers film Dames (1934).

Hakim Gregory escapes from prison by killing a number of guards, and returns to his hide-out abroad, to lead again his gang of drug trafficking and contract murders. Layton of the Secret Service must discover, and arrest him. The difficult mission almost becomes impossible with the rivalry of Layton's partner, Petula, the jealousy of his bride, Marion, the possible treachery of a Spanish woman, Dolores Arrabal, and yet a mysterious and sexy informant, Rosario... Too many women for Layton.

Arlette, a young orphan girl, is taken in by four spinster cousins, the eldest of whom, Telcide, is very authoritarian. Arlette befriends Marie, and arranges her sentimental affairs, which were at an impasse.

Arlette and her brother are penniless orphans; as the man is to leave for Africa to work for a long time, the young girl is forced to live with her cousins, four spinsters, who place virtue over everything.

In 1872, in the cave of Cavillon in Monaco, archaeologist Émile Rivière (1835-1922) unearthed an apparently very old human skeleton, at least 24,000 years old, a discovery that changed the modern image of prehistoric men and women.

Esmeralda, a beautiful gypsy street dancer, arouses the desire of men, especially of Claude Frollo, the archdeacon of Notre Dame. The latter asks Quasimodo, the deaf and deformed bell-ringer of the cathedral, to kidnap the girl. Quasimodo, who has been adopted by Frollo and obeys his every word, captures the gypsy but she is saved thanks to Phoebus, a handsome captain, and his archers. Arrested by Phoebus, the hunchback is condemned to be flogged at the pillory. When Esmeralada, moved to pity by his lot, gives him water to drink, Quasimodo falls in love with her. Later, Phoebus is stabbed to death and Esmeralda is wrongly accused of the murder. Sentenced to hang, she is saved by Quasimodo who offers her asylum and... the love of his heart.

Simeon's family left the Dominican Republic and arrived in Belgium. Unlike his mother, whose degree and decades of experience as a midwife are not recognised in Belgium, Simeon is able to land a job in the care sector, starting with an internship at De Liberteyt residential care centre in Ghent. In her hybrid documentary, director Camille Ghekiere takes us beyond the walls of the home and records how Simeon gradually gains the trust of the residents. His awkward encounters evolve into warm, animated friendships. As with her short film Nieuwkomers, for which she won a VAF Wildcard, Ghekiere is no mere observer and lays pressing issues on the table, but with a keen eye for the balance between humour and pathos. Fully coming into her own style, she illustrates her characters' existential matters through dreamy, imaginative scenes.

A fictional documentary on Notre Dame de Paris, produced in 2019.