The Iron Lady (12A) *****

The Iron Lady (12A) *****

Dir: Phyllida Lloyd

Starring: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Anthony Head

Summary: The Iron Lady follows the rise of Margaret Thatcher, from her humble beginnings as a grocers’ daughter, through her controversial 11 year reign as Prime Minister of Great Britain, and aspects of her life after her leaving office.

Verdict: Having been born in 1989, towards the end of Margaret Thatcher’s time as Prime Minister, a lot of the history behind the film is just that: history. From the rest of the audience present in the theatre, they will surely have remembered the Thatcher years and be able to reflect on her controversial time in power.

However, as someone who doesn’t know a huge amount about that time, I found it to be an interesting insight into the Conservative leaders’ life.

One of the main things that struck me was the irony of the title. The Iron Lady nickname that she earned herself is shown through her politics and her attitude towards work. This is highlighted by her views to her family during her time in office, with one scene as she is finally elected as MP and has to go to London, driving away from her children as they chase the car without any sign of upset in her face.

However, the powerful scenes of her as an old lady dealing with the grief and loneliness after the death of her husband are so sentimental and touching. Juxtaposing the films title they serve to humanise her in a way that, due to what I have been told about her time in office, I did not expect.

Meryl Streep and Alexandra Roach, who play Maggie at the various stages in her life, do so fantastically well, and their performances are sure to do well come award season. Their characters are complimented by Jim Broadbent’s portrayal of Denis Thatcher.

Probably the only fault I can pick with The Iron Lady is the pace of the film. At first, it feels like the film drags incredibly slowly. Then, about halfway in the ‘action’ kicks in and it seems like the producers suddenly thought after a tedious set-up: ‘Oh heck, we still need to get the bulk of her career into a limited time frame’.

This said, the film loses nothing in the loss and make up of speed and follows the 20^th century historical biopic style that The Kings Speech kicked off last year. I foresee The Iron Lady going on to win when the awards are announced. A definite must see.