The Iron Lady

Plot synopsis:
A frail and elderly Margaret Thatcher is at breakfast with her husband Denis. The small change of married life comprises their sporadic conversation. We glimpse the house staff and perhaps assume Thatcher is still at the height of her powers if no longer actually in office but their attitude doesn't seem to correspond; they are not disrespectful, but neither are they deferential and we seem to be in some kind of superior retirement home. Thatcher peeps through the door but cannot make sense of what is happening outside and nor can we. From the window we see with her the comings and goings of security staff, presumably Thatcher's personal protection team. It is only in a reverse shot when a woman finally comes to the Thatchers' door and inquires if everything is alright that we see no-one is at the table where Denis was sitting only a split-second earlier.Thatcher shops for milk at a convenience store. She seems bewildered by the price, talking about it to no-one in particular, and neither staff nor fellow customers seem to recognise her; to them she seems to be just another irritating old woman. One is impatient to the point of rudeness at being held up by her fumbling for the change to pay for the pint that is her only purchase. The scene has an air of unreality as if a dream sequence.Back at the house, overheard snatches of conversation make it clear that the staff are dismayed that Thatcher had escaped their oversight to make this impromptu excursion into the real world outside unescorted and thereby confirm that it wasn't a flight of fancy on her part. Still a symbolic if clearly diminished figure, looking after her seems to be no more than a necessary nuisance to those around her.Thatcher as a girl in Grantham experiences a second world war air-raid. She takes a not-inconsiderable risk as exploding bombs shake the house to leave the relative safety of the cupboard under the stairs but only to prevent some produce from spoilage by putting it away rather than to protect it from the raid as such. Later we see her as the focus of unkind remarks by her classmates from their point of view on the other side of the road. She seems isolated from them socially.In a large hall, now a young woman Thatcher is flirted with by Denis as a young man. They discuss marriage and his support for her apparent political ambition is made clear by him. He soon proposes. We later see them at the theatre together, talking and joking. At a meeting, she is patronised and condescended to by the local Tory party grandees who clearly don't take her application to be the candidate for parliament very seriously but she is unabashed. As a grocer's daughter, she points out, she knows the cost of living and how to budget and will thus appeal to the housewives in the electorate. Compared unfavourably with another, military gentleman candidate she avers that she also faced danger during the war.In parliament as a young Tory minister she rounds on the opposition politicians who have failed to offer her the respect she feels she deserves by lecturing them on their failure to attend to the content of her words rather than the manner in which they were delivered but her raised voice is gratingly strident and high-pitched.We witness a cabinet meeting with prime minister Edward Heath. Thatcher is quietly competent in her contributions but clearly a junior member of the government, seated as she is at the very far end of the cabinet table and having to lean forward to be seen by Heath who seems at first hardly to recall who she is.In a private meeting, two unnamed advisers counsel Thatcher to consider standing for the leadership of the Tory party; she is incredulous. She is next seen in a voice-coaching session. Advised to deepen her delivery and inject authority, she calls 'Denis!' loudly, in a notably lower timbre, and he visibly jumps in his chair although on the far side of the large room. The advisers smile in satisfaction.It is winter 1979. We see news headlines and archive footage about strike action. Leicester Square in central London is piled high with rubbish bags and Thatcher witnesses people stopping in cars to throw theirs on the pile on the pavement in front of her as she walks by while those around express concern at the smell.Her daughter Carol visits the elderly Thatcher and they discuss starting to sort through Denis's clothes and shoes so they can be sent to a charity shop. The task seems overwhelming to Thatcher both physically in terms of volume of material but also emotionally. She tries to speak to son Mark but cannot reach him by telephone.Thatcher speaks with one of the advisors in the Palace of Westminster underground car park as he is already in his car leaving. He drives away towards the exit ramp and Thatcher turns to walk to her own car but almost immediately there is an explosion and we cut to the car in flames outside; newspaper headlines tell us it was Airey Neave, victim of a car bomb.Pinafored and standing at the kitchen stove Thatcher yet incongruously speaks of state matters and the need to attend to them. Denis complains of her absences from family life and testily shouting that she shouldn't worry about them (her family) storms off.After much industrial unrest the miners are now on strike. A beleaguered Thatcher is driven away in her limousine through protesters holding placards bearing anti-Tory slogans as some hammer on the car's roof and windows, shouting angrily at her, faces contorted with rage and hatred.The elderly Thatcher watches a DVD of Carol and son Mark as children playing on the beach.After Argentina invades the Falkland Isles Thatcher has summoned the military top brass, determined to find whether it is possible to recover the islands. The consensus being that it is, if only barely, but is perhaps also inadvisable, Thatcher makes it clear that it must be done. Political speeches to parliament and scenes of preparation and the sailing of the task force follow. In a council of war she is given news of the Argentine ship the General Belgrano manoeuvring in the vicinity of the Task Force. Advised that it is a threat, she gives the order to sink it.The elderly Thatcher speaks to a doctor. She comments acidly on his modern phraseology, comparing it unfavourably with the plainer and more meaningful language of her prime. He asks her about symptoms of dementia, including hallucination. Having by now witnessed numerous scenes where she has plainly imagined the dead Denis, we note her vague discomfiture as she says no, but her mental faculties seem acute enough; Thatcher is apparently now aware that she is imagining him. We begin to doubt that she has either Alzheimer's or any other form of dementia.Cabinet members openly worry about their political careers because the government is so unpopular. Thatcher upbraids them for their lack of principle. Apparently on her way to a public appearance, Thatcher requires the aid of a seamstress to mend her clothing. She thanks Crawfie by name. We see her moments later as part of a cabinet group portrait, the cabinet members now smiling around her.The elderly Thatcher is hosting a dinner that includes former political colleagues. At the head of the table, she seems prime ministerial and asked to comment on Islamic extremism is forthright in her advocacy of resistance to it but seems for a moment to forget she is no longer premier as she speaks of what we must now do. There is a slightly embarrassed silence. Carol tells her plainly that she is no longer prime minister.We are at the Tory party conference in Brighton. It is very late, the early hours of the morning, and Thatcher continues to work in her hotel suite on important papers as Denis retires next door to bed. There is a sudden explosion apparently centred on the bedroom and the rooms of the suite disintegrate. Thatcher is distraught with concern, shouting for Denis who it seems must have died but he soon re-appears, unhurt and spirit unshaken, ruined shoes in hand (he had apparently been putting them outside the door to be cleaned and thus avoided the blast).The elderly Thatcher now always talks to Denis in the full knowledge that she is imagining him and he answers in kind, challenging her to make him disappear. She switches on all manner of domestic appliances, radio, television and hi fi to drown him out. When we return to where he was sat he has gone.Stalking the corridors of power Thatcher now seems isolated, glanced at menacingly by former trusted political friends and murmuring darkly about plots against her. The end of her political reign seems at hand.Suffering insomnia, Thatcher begins the herculean task of sorting through Denis's belongings. By morning it is done, to Carol's amazement when she arrives later.In the final scene of the film, Denis pads down the hallway barefoot, the last pair of shoes now in his hand, stopping at the far end to put them on and although Thatcher now begs him to stay, walks away telling her she will be all right.

Tags: historical, sentimental, flashback

Review:
The ones who never heard of Margaret Thatcher, and there are, two of them were sitting next to me in theater, I think they thought "The Iron Lady" was the female version of "Iron Man" but even them surrendered to the character trough the glories of this other giant of our generation, Meryl Streep..
She was called 'the iron lady' by the Soviet propaganda machine in an attempt to discredit her image, her strong positions and alliance with Reagan formed the core of the entire Western policy toward the Soviet union resulting in winning the Cold War, and yet, the authors of this movie choose to completely disregard this side of her story, as if this was some annoying mosquito, just spoiling the bizarre shadenfreude fun they are having with the senile, 80-year old lady.Thatcher herself is adamant during one of her fights with her husband that he always knew she puts her works first and yet, the film tries to focus on her private life issues, again, by means of sheer guesswork.
There are some truly powerful moments, however, when the young Margaret was listening to her father's speech, clearly, his words having authoritative, formative, inspirational influence on what she was about to become, or when she masterfully fights off the attacks of both her political opponents and spineless colleagues.Obviously, Meryl Streep is a very good actress, and she is spot on Thatcher's voice and mannerisms, but this is just good professionalism, nothing extraordinary, way too many actors are capable of doing that these days.
If there is nothing better this year on the movie front in her category, hell yes.The only reason this picture should be seen is as a weird example of how a biopic (of a person of Margaret Thatcher's caliber) should not be made,it's a half-baked distraction of what her real biography should look like ..
I watched the Iron Lady last night and quite frankly I am amazed at some of the reviews which state that the film is a disappointment despite an outstanding performance from Meryl Streep.
I am so disappointed in the film and in the widely talked up performance of Meryl Streep.This movie was politically shallow, and to think of all the material they had to work with.
This movie does not deserve my time to write a review on it but anyway, the reviews from actual colleagues of Margaret are already available online and I have copied the press release from the people that matters (and by the way, Meryl, at least you deserve the award this time around for not playing so much as yourself like you did in your other acting roles) 'It bears little resemblance to reality': Mrs Thatcher's former personal assistant lashes out at film for portrayal of Iron Lady" Cynthia Crawford, who worked for Lady Thatcher throughout her Downing Street tenure, said some scenes in the £10million film were 'totally unrelated to the truth'.She attacked the decision to release the film during the 86-year-old former prime minister's lifetime as 'beyond the boundaries'.
'If they had made the film about the 11-and-a-half years of her life as prime minister it could have been absolutely fantastic.' Miss Streep, 62, won a Golden Globe this week for her portrayal of Lady Thatcher and she has also been nominated for a Bafta and tipped for an Oscar.
In her acceptance speech at the awards ceremony in Los Angeles she thanked 'everybody in England that let me come and trample all over their history', but faced accusations of ungracious behaviour for failing to thank Lady Thatcher.Mrs Crawford said Miss Streep had captured the former prime minister's voice and her mannerisms, but said she 'hadn't quite got the walk'.
As much as I personally disliked the real Thatcher and her politics, and thereby have no reason to feel insulted by any treatment of her, this movie was an undignified, gratuitous, inhumane hack at a living woman, presently in a nursing home with dementia, who will almost certainly get to watch it.
The film is structured in flashbacks which I admit is rather old hat but is very well done.The supporting cast are great, particularly the ever reliable Jim Broadbent as Dennis Thatcher and Anthony Head as Geoffrey Howard (her loyal aide) but they are all so tiny compared to...OK, I said I wont mention Streep again...but you know...she is the greatest.
And of course, the Falklands War. It is these challenges which are succinctly portrayed in this fine bio-pic of the life and times of Lady Thatcher.Who better to play this towering inspiration to true-blue Toryism, a political figure to match, if not surpass, her only male counterpart worthy of comparison - Churchill - than that finest of character actresses, Meryl Streep.
She is absolutely believable throughout the movie and completely nails Thatcher's speech and mannerisms - a magnificent performance from an actress whose star shines brighter as her age matures.The focus on Denis Thatcher (whose pet name for her appeared to be simply "MT") as her constant companion, even in death, reveals her human side - a family woman rarely glimpsed or publicised whilst she held public office.Then of course there was the interaction with her Cabinet, a motley crew from across the political spectrum, none of whom seemed to really understand this conviction politician with a ready grasp of the every-day economics of life (the price of a carton of milk for example).Towards the end of her reign as PM, Thatcher is portrayed in the movie as an uncompromising and dictatorial figure, publicly humiliating the likes of her then Deputy PM, Sir Geoffrey Howe.That may or may not have been the case - but one can't help but wonder whether, if this is indeed a true depiction, her attitude was born of total exasperation with her lily-livered, vacillating and sometimes disloyal male colleagues.No matter what your political opinion surely this well made and finely acted movie reveals once and for all that the Iron Lady had more conviction, more guts - basically more balls - than the total sum of her remaining Cabinet..
Moving story, truly outstanding performance by Meryl Streep.One of the most mature and powerful movies I've ever seen.I think a lot of the negative reviews stem either from dislike of Margaret Thatcher the person, of from expecting this to be a documentary.This film isn't so much about Margaret Thatcher the British Prime Minister, it's not about glorifying her.
But, it is unusual to see a film materialize when the said political figure is controversial in nature and divides opinion across the board.Director Phyllida Lloyd proves why it is so unusual in her biopic of Margaret Thatcher entitled 'The Iron Lady' – the nickname attributed to Thatcher by the Soviet press after her scathing attack on the Communist model – which gently saunters between the important political moments in her life, whilst also trying to convey an appearance of regret, sadness and guilt by creating a humanized portrayal of a woman once dubbed "the most hated woman in British Politics."But instead of creating an engaging piece which examines the life of one of the most enigmatic Prime Ministers of the twentieth century, the audience instead is left with a dull, uninspired mess which simply evades some of the most important social, economic and political events of her life to instead attempt to create some semblance of regret and humanity from the inner depths of this aging former Head of State.Told through the flashbacks of an ailing former Head of State, Margaret (Meryl Streep) constantly engages in conversation with her deceased husband Denis (Jim Broadbent) and her daughter Carol (Olivia Colman), as she remembers past events – the good, the bad and the downright terrible – during her time as a young woman attempting to achieve some form of acceptance in the male-centric world of British politics, and finally as the first female head of a Western government.From the tender opening moments to the solemn conclusion of this biopic, Phyllida Lloyd sets out to portray Maggie as a human being through her declining on-screen health which also mirrors the current state of the former Prime Minister.
The audience is essentially treated to a simple-minded examination of her early political career which extends as far as saying that Margaret Thatcher went into politics because she had ambition, found trouble in the form of institutionalized sexism and eventually established herself due to her husband Denis's influence as a middle-class businessman.Other major events in Thatcher's career, including her challenge and rise to the leadership of the Conservative Party and the various controversial policies introduced during her reign as Prime Minister (privatisation, unemployment and the closure of twenty-five coal mines in 1985 among others) are simply portrayed as minor events.Very little of the one hour and forty-five minute running time concerns itself with these events, aside from the occasional use of archive footage depicting public anarchy in the United Kingdom during the testing times of economic hardship during the 1980's, the audience is left to understand little in the way of why Thatcher chose to commit to certain policies except for the fact that she was a stern and incredibly stubborn woman when it came to deciding what and where she would impose upon the British public.However, despite the major flaws in the form of Lloyd's film wishing to be somewhat of a cinematic memorial to Thatcher rather than a straight-edged biopic examining her tumultuous life, the saving grace comes in the form of Meryl Streep's wonderful performance as the famous leading lady.
While Olivia Colman provides the only true emotional response in the form of Maggie's daughter Carol Thatcher, but these performances cannot save Lloyd's film from its own severe narrative flaws.Since its inception, Phyllida Lloyd's Margaret Thatcher biopic has courted controversy among the family and various political circles of the former Prime Minister, and it is this controversy which has no doubt had a profound effect on the production of the film.
At last, the long-awaited film of the life of Margaret Thatcher arrived in theatres and, more importantly, the long-awaited performance of guaranteed-another-Oscar-nomination Meryl Streep.With a bit of a thud.Entering the theatre, I hoped this film would be an entertaining history lesson on the reign of the much loved/hated Thatcher, as I remember her being in power, but as I was a kid, I remember little about any details of her days ruling the UK.
In a very clichéd, seen-it-all-before fashion, Thatcher's life is rolled out in fragmented segments as an older Thatcher reminisces with the ghost of her late husband, played by Jim Broadbent.Yes, The Iron Lady is primarily portrayed as a woman who speaks with a hallucination of her husband, thus making her flashbacks seem less like fact and more like fanciful bit memories of a crazy person.
It was more like looking through a flashback of headlines that lead you to skim through the article rather than reading it.And such a delivery is a real disservice not just to an audience craving some real glimpse into the life of the first female leader of the Western world, but to both Thatcher and Meryl Streep themselves, whose riveting performance is lost in a film with no real direction, focus or substance.There is no doubt that the Golden-Globe-nominated Streep is a lock for her seventeenth Oscar nomination, as her transformation into the titular woman of iron is extraordinary.
They really try hard to make the film look like a top quality film production instead of some dull TV movie that Meryl Streep happens to star in.Overall "The Iron Lady" has it's positives: outstanding acting, fantastic directing, beautiful cinematography, but it also has some negatives: Poorly conceived ideas and writing that ultimately weigh the film right down.
Like The Thin Man this is a joint performance and Jim Broadbent should have gotten Oscar recognition himself as the supportive and self effacing Dennis Thatcher.In fact if The Iron Lady has a weakness it's in the lack of any other characters being developed.
Phyllida Lloyd's The Iron Lady, with Meryl Streep in the roll of political giant Margaret Thatcher, is an unfinished film.
Meryl Streep, just the name says enough, she is by far the best actress alive today or any day for that matter, just the mention of her name is enough for most people to go and see a movie with her in it, and surprise surprise she is absolutely mind blowing as Margaret Thatcher.
There are so many great scenes in this film, the scenes with the modern day, old woman Thatcher are terrific and each one is just better than the last, however the best scene in the movie is when Margaret and her team are discussing the infamous tax situation Thatcher thought up, it is the kind of scene that will be the one where people go, "thats what won her the Oscar", the words that come out of her mouth "COWARDICE, COWARDICE" are delivered so forcefully that the entire theater is in Streeps little palm.This is obviously going to be a front runner come awards season, and rightfully so, but as much as i think Meryl is deserving of a 3rd Oscar, i still would love to see Elizabeth Olsen or Michelle Williams take home the prize.
reference) was a brilliant choice but her fantastic performance can't hide the fact that the plot is hugely disappointing.Designed to be a 'surprising and intimate portrait of Margaret Thatcher' we see far too much doddery old lady (who could be any successful woman struggling with the descent into antiquity) and not enough of the power woman, which would've been infinitely more interesting.Personally, I think the writers missed a trick here.
Meryl Streep is obviously the big draw here, with a believable performance as both an unconventional political leader and an elderly woman, but there are plenty of others who do a great job, in particular Alexandra Roach as the younger, dizzy Thatcher (a role that seems to have been quite looked over by many).
Phyllida Lloyd, provides the story of Margaret Thatcher in the most cinematic and theatrical way supported by Meryl Streep's Oscar standard performance and this is a good enough reason for cine lovers irrelevant of political views and ideologies.The make up, costumes and achieve an utterly convincing transformation of Meryl Streep from a women in her early thirties to a frail figure in her eighties, which will most likely receive a nomination if not an award.A movie for the young to learn and for the older to rememberan absolute joy of the wide screen!
The Falklands war of 1982 does get some screen time, but mainly to make the point that she personally authorised the sinking of the Argentine cruiser "General Belgrano", with the loss of 500 lives.Margaret Thatcher still lives, an infirm old lady of 86, and is not likely to see the film, but it is interesting how such a self-righteous person as she was might see her life in retrospect.
Meryl Streep Queen of the Movies gives a brilliant and Oscar deserving performance as Margaret Thatcher.
I being a history buff and a political one at that combined with loving film especially any work from Meryl Streep had to see "The Iron Lady" and I must say it was such a joy.
On both counts I'm sure the woman she is would have been furious with the artistic licence taken.So, entertaining movie, enjoyable, even; Meryl Streep near her best, tasked with an impossible feat: but I do feel the need to come to the defence – as much as she'd hate that also – of Mrs Thatcher: this was not the Iron Lady, certainly not as she would have wish to be remembered, nor for the achievement she made of her life – first and only woman prime minister of Britain, likely to be so for the foreseeable future, and in times that were extraordinary, when she outshone every world leader of the time, even Reagan.
As it happens, not highly debatable: it seems she was not 'best pleased' with this portrayal:"Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher refused to view an early screening of Meryl Streep's portrayal of her in The Iron Lady after snubbing director Phyllida Lloyd's personal invitation.The Hollywood actress tackles the part of the UK's first female leader in the movie, but rumours emerged last year suggesting Thatcher's grown-up children Carol and Mark were "appalled" by the film's plot.And it seems Thatcher herself has no desire to see the film - she and her offspring rejected the chance to attend a screening of the project.Lloyd says, "They were the first people we invited to see the finished film.
Meril Streep is absolutely fabulous as Margaret Thatcher and well deserves the Oscar for best performance by an actress in a leading role.The story is presented in a humorous way, perhaps some find some of it a bit too silly, but I think they've managed to find that delicate balance between humour and respect for the subject.It is very interesting to learn how she had to fight her way through male dominated politics and was always acting for the best interest of Britain, even though her methods were questionable to say the least.All in all a movie that I can wholeheartedly recommend..
The most interesting aspects of her political life are reduced to mere snippets, flashed across the screen at breakneck speed, thus becoming a synopsis of her life rather than a detailed examination of it.Meryl Streep's performance as Thatcher is extraordinary and well deserving of it's Academy Award, yet the script by Abi Morgan offers us precious little in the way of insight.However pleasures still abound: Jim Broadbent's portrayal of Denis Thatcher is not only moving but affectionately humorous as well and, along with Carol Thatcher (Olivia Colman), the only person apart from the "Iron Lady" to have any sort of character development.