Director
Directed by 羅傑・米歇爾
本片中四位女神，除了瓊安普洛萊特是1929年出生之外，茱蒂丹契、瑪姬史密斯、艾琳阿特金斯都是1934年出生。由西洋占星學來觀察，可以發現1934年出生的三位，本命星盤的木星都落於天蠍（生肖屬狗）。木星的運行周期和東方生肖一樣，約12年走完一輪，《女神們的下午茶》於2018年上映，當年正好又是狗年、木星回歸到天蠍，三位女神年滿84歲，同時迎來木星回歸。瓊安普洛萊特呢？她可沒有被晾在一邊，太陽天蠍座的她，2018整年的木星都觸發了她太陽的光芒。占星學中，木星和「放大、幸運」有關，這部充滿笑聲的紀錄片在此年上映，彷彿早寫好在星星的符碼中。 （圖為茱蒂丹契之出生星盤） https://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Dench,_Judi
20:06 瑪姬史密斯在片中提及和勞倫斯共演《奧賽羅》的回憶，說自己其實很害怕勞倫斯。本片之外，在多年前的訪問中，她也曾提及在舞台上，勞倫斯用力賞了她一巴掌、讓她眼冒金星的這件事，並形容勞倫斯「平常非常和善、有耐心，但卻會突然對小事發脾氣」。勞倫斯的喜怒無常，顯然讓她心有餘悸。（1964 年《奧賽羅》舞台劇取得成功後，隔年改拍為電影，讓瑪姬史密斯、勞倫斯分別獲得奧斯卡最佳女配角、最佳男主角提名） https://youtu.be/6DDdaIc2jZ0
Maggie Smith Talks About Laurence Olivier19:41 年輕一輩的影迷，或許對勞倫斯奧立佛（Laurence Olivier）並不熟悉。在《女神們的下午茶》中，勞倫斯以瓊安普洛萊特亡夫的身份出場，但在與瓊安結縭之前，他曾和費雯麗有過一段 20 年的婚姻，兩人堪稱當年好萊塢銀幕情侶。和本片出場的四位女神一樣，勞倫斯不止活躍於大銀幕，更深耕於劇場，他是英國國家劇院（National Theatre）的創始人之一，是英國劇場界的重量級人物。本片中的四位女神，都曾演出多齣國家劇院作品。
原文片名中包含 "Dame” 一詞，片中四位女演員，都因傑出的演藝成績被冊封為「女爵」（Dame）。在英國皇室的榮譽制度中，「女爵」頭銜相當於男性的「爵士」（Sir）。女性授爵的歷史源自於14世紀，目前最年輕就受封女爵的，是英國船員 Ellen MacArthur（獲頒勳章時僅28歲），最年長的是曾演出《亂世佳人》的英國演員奧莉薇亞·德·哈維蘭 (Olivia de Havilland)（獲頒勳章時將滿101歲）。
受片名《女神們的下午茶》影響，原以為在片中可見到三位女神一起享用三層英式下午茶，觀察一下她們吃司康時，是先抹果醬還是 Clotted Cream？可惜片中除了偶爾出現水杯之外，並沒有任何吃喝的畫面。本片於英國發行的原文片名為 ”Nothing Like a Dame”，中譯片名的典故來自美國發行片名 ”Tea With the Dames”。”Tea”一詞除了茶之外，在英文厘語中也代表「八卦」(Spill the tea：講八卦)──想了想，確實滿符合片中四位女神一來一往、互糗後大笑的輕鬆對談。
To document an extraordinary soul through the lens is to constantly wrestle with the dilemma of completeness. How can one capture the vastness of a life within the limited time of a film? It challenges the filmmaker’s depth of understanding and precision of perspective. Rather than striving for an all-encompassing portrait, it may be more powerful to focus on select moments—those glimmers that illuminate the subject’s essence. The camera becomes not only a tool to pierce through the surface, but also a means for sincere conversation with the person in front of it.
Love can bear the sweetest fruits, or plunge life into the deepest abyss. How do you face the questions that love brings? Will you choose to move forward hand in hand with your partner— or walk away, once and for all?
Female power is finally on the rise! Nearly half of the world’s population is female, yet the attention and resources women receive remain disproportionately low. What are women thinking? Are they truly happy living in today’s society? Do they have access to the resources they need to fulfill their potential? Are women born gentle and obedient—or are they shaped that way? What does it take for a woman to become a woman? What kind of “femininity” has been predefined by families and social norms? These documentary films explore the many facets of womanhood—the struggles, the expectations, and the remarkable stories of women who defy conventions and fight to become their truest selves. Is female empowerment truly here? We’ve come a long way, but there’s still much more to do.
A modern-day tragic woman who endures humiliation, sells herself, and even kills for love—branded with infamy and endless tears, yet still relentlessly pursues true affection. A free-spirited café waitress who casts wild and whimsical spells to rewrite her daily life. Four legendary actresses come together on camera for the first time, sharing laughter and stories from over half a century of friendship. A mysterious wandering nanny revealed to be the most iconic street photographer of our time. A drifter who gave up everything, carrying only a humble tent, living a lawless, homeless life at the edge of the world. These women all have one thing in common—they defy expectations and live life on their own terms.
To me, both films and documentaries are gateways into the lives of others — ways to experience different realities without ever leaving home. In days when staying indoors becomes the norm, this form of vicarious satisfaction grows even stronger. Here are five films that helped me break free from the everyday: "Suzaku" captures the emotional currents of a forest-bound family with a gentle, meditative tone — a tribute to dreams that can only exist like bubbles, fleeting and beautiful. "Lack of Evidence" reconstructs the haunting testimony of a Nigerian boy who fled after his father, a shaman, tried to sacrifice him — a visceral, animated outcry against violence masked as tradition. "78/52" invites film obsessives to deconstruct one of cinema’s most iconic murder scenes, dissecting every frame of Psycho’s unforgettable moment. "Tea with the Dames" gathers four legendary British actresses for an afternoon steeped in gossip, memories, and unfiltered wit — an impromptu masterclass in presence and poise. "Green Line" presents a stark meditation on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the lens of nature — showing how, despite man-made borders and walls, landscapes continue to breathe and move freely.
"One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman." There is no such thing as a woman who is born confident and radiant — we all stumble, search, and grow into the body image and way of life that feel most like home, learning slowly how not to dislike ourselves so much. Documentary films quietly and honestly reflect women in their most unadorned states — ordinary, oppressed, loathed, awkward, or uninhibited — and all of these are part of who they are.
For many, love begins with a talent, and leads to another kind of brilliance—only to end in disaster. The finest artists are singular—they cannot be replicated. Perhaps the best kind of love is found in quiet admiration: a photograph, a frontline report, a song, a book, or a stage play.