Baroness Thatcher

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Film Review 2 – The Iron Lady

By Richard Lennox on | From filmoria.co.uk

Margaret Roberts is a grocers daughter who is determined to put her mark on the world, Baroness Thatcher is an old woman slowly succumbing to the ravages of dementia. The Iron Lady is the story of how one became the other over a thirty year period of turmoil and political upheaval.

Historical biopics are often the most difficult of films to make, especially when you’re dealing with a character that has had such a significant impact on society. When it came to making a biopic of Baroness Margaret Thatcher director Phyllidia Lloyd seems to have stirred up more controversy then Oliver Hirschbiegel did with his depiction of Hitler in Downfall. There’s no denying that Margaret Thatcher provokes strong emotions in people, especially those of a certain age. So how does one tackle the problem of producing a biopic on such a well publicised figure? The answer, as far as The Iron Lady is concerned, is you don’t. The Iron Lady is not a biopic, at least not in the common sense of the word, the story here is one painted in the broadest of brush-strokes with whole chapters of the Thatcher story missing. The miners’ strike is reduced to a 30 second montage, nuclear disarmament and the cold war play no part in proceedings, and if you want a detailed exposition on why the Conservative government abolished free milk in schools you’ll be sorely disappointed. What you do get is the story of a woman who, whatever your personal opinion, rewrote the political rule-book. A woman who suffered prejudice, public hatred and back-bench rebellion to build a Britain the way she thought it should be. And a woman in her twilight years, alone; save for the memories of the one person who stood by her throughout.

The Iron Lady flits between two worlds, in one Thatcher is an old woman effectively kept prisoner in her own home. Life is empty of anything except memories of the man she loved and lost, the late Sir Denis (the ever reliable Jim Broadbent), and of a political life no longer relevant. It’s the memories of this political life that form the basis for the other world in the film. This world tells the story of Margaret Roberts, a young grocer’s daughter who entered politics in 1959 and never looked back. As we progress through Thatcher’s life we touch on various formative moments in her career. Her first victory, her appointment as education secretary and her eventual leadership of the party and the problems she faced. As mentioned there is a lot missing from the film, at least historically, the events that are covered though serve to paint Thatcher as a woman fighting every step of the way in a world of men, bending Britain to her own iron will. The Falklands are mentioned as is the poll tax, but each time it’s to illustrate the barriers Thatcher finds herself up against. The great British public are rarely seen other then as an anonymous crowd pressed against her car window. For all that it’s a fascinating portrayal of a fascinating woman, and one who had the courage of her convictions, whatever the result. It’s also difficult not to feel sympathy for Thatcher as she recalls her victories and defeats. This twilight Thatcher is finally defeated and forced to rely on others to care for her, an ignominious end for the iron lady. These two worlds are brought together by the figure of Denis, loving husband and staunch ally throughout her political life he’s reduced to a ghost of the man he was in her retirement, literally. This hallucinatory companion intrudes on her dotage causing her to retreat into her memories time and again. It’s a touching relationship which almost seems more so after his passing then whilst he was alive, and will draw a tear from many an eye with its tender moments.

Of course it would be impossible to talk about The Iron Lady without talking about Meryl Streep’s performance in the lead role. When portraying a real life figure on film it’s tempting to fall into one of two camps, the impersonation or the impression. One copies the mannerisms, the other mimics the voice, and neither fully convince. Streep does neither of these, instead she quite literally becomes Margaret Thatcher. She lives and breathes the role in what has to be the most flawless performance of the decade. There is never a point where you don’t believe this is actually the ex prime minister you’re watching on screen. Of course it’s not the first time Streep has played a real life figure, most recently in the wonderful Julie & Julia, and indeed there’s much of Julia Child in this performance, not least in the cultured enunciation. Streep was Oscar nominated for that performance, if she doesn’t win for this one then there’s no justice in the world. She isn’t the only fantastic character performance of course, Anthony Head is suitably dithering as Geoffrey Howe and Richard E Grant deserves a nomination for his Michael Heseltine hairstyle alone! However it’s Streeps uncanny performance that makes this film the one to watch this Oscar season.

Overall The Iron Lady is a fantastic portrayal of a key figure in British politics, if a little selective in it’s interpretation of events. Lloyd has crafted something that’s is as absorbing as it is frustrating and has certainly coaxed a career best performance from Streep, no easy feat when you look at her auspicious canon of work. For a performance of such perfection to come along so early in the year can only bode well for the rest of 2012.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars