The Iron Lady
- Jayde Walker
- Jan 3, 2012
- 2 min read
The Iron Lady shows that behind every great woman is a great man, charting the relationship between controversial British PM Margaret Thatcher and husband Denis during her rise and fall.
What’s the deal?
Meryl Streep is an aged Margaret Thatcher, facing the onset of dementia in her grief over husband Denis' (Jim Broadbent) death several years earlier. Thatcher hallucinates that Denis is still alive, their conversations serving as an antecedent to flashbacks of Thatcher's rise to power, including her family relationships, her tough stance with the trade unions, the Argentinian invasion of the Falklands and her eventual fall from grace.
It’s good!
Thatcher was renowned as a cold, uncompromising control-freak, so the juxtaposition of Thatcher as a feeble old woman losing control of her faculties by screenwriter Abi Morgan is startling and incredibly moving. La Streep is once again in fine form with a subtle and powerful performance, fully immersing herself in an extremely realistic version of the Thatcher persona while injecting some much-needed warmth. The cast is exceptional all round - Jim Broadbent and Richard E. Grant are proven performers, so top marks must also go to Anthony Head (formerly Giles from Buffy) and Olivia Colman (The Office UK and Peep Show) for holding their own against Streep in absolute winning form.
What’s wrong with you?
The irony is millionaire Denis supported his young wife's earlier political ambitions and funded her studies to become a barrister; in short, he provided Thatcher with the kind of personal and financial support which (when combined with her personality) arguably allowed her to reach her fullest potential. It's also really not in keeping with the feminist ethos and certainly wouldn't have provided Thatcher with a realistic view of her constituent's lifestyles, despite her nationalistic pride in her middle-class working background.
Neo-Maxi Zoom Dweeb-ery
While I can only superficially judge Thatcher's politics, I can appreciate her more from a feminist perspective. In 1979, Thatcher became the first female prime minister in the UK, ultimately becoming the longest-serving prime minister to date. In a time when second-wave feminism was gathering momentum, Thatcher became the poster girl for feminine success. However, her own workaholic perfectionism created a idealised standard for working women which was largely impossible to live up to, fuelled by her refusal to invest in affordable child care or child benefits. This, combined her seeming disinterest in promoting women within her own party, provoked the ire of the very feminists who theoretically applauded her initial rise.
Truth?
An excellent portrayal of one of the Western world's most controversial figures set amidst a tumultuous historical backdrop.
Bender Fist Pumps
4.5/5
