I remember back in 2007, when plans for this film were first announced, being very excited at the prospect and thinking that Meryl Streep would be an ideal choice to play Margaret Thatcher, arguably Britain's most controversial prime minister. Then, in early 2011, upon the announcement that she indeed had been cast as The Iron Lady, my excitement heightened. But to be honest, upon finally seeing it a few days ago, I was nowhere near as exhilarated as I had been with other films, which explore a similar theme, such as 'The Queen' and 'The King's Speech'.
Meryl Streep is – as always – flawless at playing the lady herself. Hidden behind prosthetics and mastering the voice to perfection, she shines equally as the ruthlessly ambitious woman that Thatcher started off as, the formidable and tyrannical prime minster that she rose to and the senile octogenarian that she has now become. Equally good are Jim Broadbent and Olivia Coleman as her loving husband and daughter. Richard E. Grant also puts in a nice cameo as one of her potential successors.
The soundtrack from Thomas Newman is also pleasant on the ear, as always.
My major issues with 'The Iron Lady' are related to the direction and to a great extent the, what I believe to be deliberately non-controversial and lazily-written script: too much – a good third of the entire film - focuses on Lady Thatcher's declining physical and mental health. Because of this, nowhere near enough attention is given to her years as Prime Minister and the limited amount of time that does, only and very briefly covers the basics (which most people should already be aware of) – the miners' strike and its subsequent riots, the Falklands war, the 1980s recession and the Brighton bombings, before jumping nearly ten years towards her resignation, barley acknowledging the close friendship she had with Reagan and ignoring the controversial section 28. Maybe the film is aimed at international audiences, with less knowledge on British politics, I don't know. One wonders if had a director and writer, both with more experience in such films - Stephen Frears, Tom Hooper, Peter Morgan – had taken on the task, things could have been very different.
Needless to say, the film is worth seeing – whether you like Thatcher or loath her – only just for Meryl's fantastic performance. And regardless of my comments, it would be very surprising should this film not win, or at least be nominated, for Best Actress, Best makeup and Best Original Score; although with several other good films out there also, it could be a tough one. But, I think I can safely say - Best Director? Best Screenplay? Definitely not.
Meryl Streep is – as always – flawless at playing the lady herself. Hidden behind prosthetics and mastering the voice to perfection, she shines equally as the ruthlessly ambitious woman that Thatcher started off as, the formidable and tyrannical prime minster that she rose to and the senile octogenarian that she has now become. Equally good are Jim Broadbent and Olivia Coleman as her loving husband and daughter. Richard E. Grant also puts in a nice cameo as one of her potential successors.
The soundtrack from Thomas Newman is also pleasant on the ear, as always.
My major issues with 'The Iron Lady' are related to the direction and to a great extent the, what I believe to be deliberately non-controversial and lazily-written script: too much – a good third of the entire film - focuses on Lady Thatcher's declining physical and mental health. Because of this, nowhere near enough attention is given to her years as Prime Minister and the limited amount of time that does, only and very briefly covers the basics (which most people should already be aware of) – the miners' strike and its subsequent riots, the Falklands war, the 1980s recession and the Brighton bombings, before jumping nearly ten years towards her resignation, barley acknowledging the close friendship she had with Reagan and ignoring the controversial section 28. Maybe the film is aimed at international audiences, with less knowledge on British politics, I don't know. One wonders if had a director and writer, both with more experience in such films - Stephen Frears, Tom Hooper, Peter Morgan – had taken on the task, things could have been very different.
Needless to say, the film is worth seeing – whether you like Thatcher or loath her – only just for Meryl's fantastic performance. And regardless of my comments, it would be very surprising should this film not win, or at least be nominated, for Best Actress, Best makeup and Best Original Score; although with several other good films out there also, it could be a tough one. But, I think I can safely say - Best Director? Best Screenplay? Definitely not.
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