Film Review: The Iron Lady
Iain Dale says that despite his fears, and despite its imperfections, The Iron Lady is a must see movie.
7 Jan 2012, 23:02
Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher
I am probably one of the worst possible people to review this film objectively. I know some of the main characters personally, and Margaret Thatcher is my political inspiration. But I am going to give it a go anyhow.
When I first heard about this film, the initial publicity suggested it would be a complete hatchet job. I had visions of me become so irate I'd walk out of the cinema. The idea that a film which highlighted Lady Thatcher's state of mind was not something I thought could ever be done tastefully. And how on earth could Meryl Streep ever play her?
I came out of the cinema in Tunbridge Wells half an hour ago. It was full. A sign outside said that all showings of this film had sold out today. Wow. In fifteen years of going to that cinema I have never been in a full cinema. I was tonight. And half the audience was under the age of thirty. Wow.
To be honest, part of me was really looking forward to seeing this film, but part of me was dreading it. I half expected to be in tears for most of it, and half expected it to make me angry. In fact neither happened. I felt curiously unengaged emotionally. At no time did my eyes moisten, and let me tell you, I will cry at an episide of Emmerdale. I'm not saying that many of the scenes failed to move me, but it was the performance of Jim Broadbent, playing Denis Thatcher, which rather ruined many of the moments. Broadbent didn't play Denis Thatcher, actually. He played his Private Eye caricature. Don't get me wrong, Broadbent is a brilliant actor - one of Britain's best, but his performance meant that a potentially Oscar winning film doesn't actually deserve to get nominated. Some of the scenes involving him were just unimaginable. In one he storms out of the room, when Margaret tells him she is standing for Leader of the Party, shouting: "All you ever care about is your ambition". It simply. Did. Not. Happen. Indeed, it was he who urged her on. I could go on.
The Iron Lady is not a Biopic. Yes, it contains important episodes from her life, but it leaves out so, so much. That is maybe inevitable, but some of her greatest moments were left out. Nothing about the Cold War. Very little about the miners' strike. Nothing about her battles with European leaders. Again, I could go on.
And so to the dementia. If one good thing can come from this film it will be to widen the understanding of dementia and alzheimers. It was dealt with sympathetically, and although it dominated the film far too much, I can see why the director used it in the way she did - as a path back to episodes from Lady Thatcher's life. Yes, you can question the appropriateness of doing it this way, but it never made me squirm me in my seat. And I thought it would.
Everyone has praised Meryl Streep's performance, and rightly so. It was stupendous. And yes, it could be Oscar winning. She got her voice, she got her dress, she got her movement. The only slight error was that she didn't quite get her gait. Margaret Thatcher walked quickly, in very small steps. Matthew Parris once described her walking like a pigeon. There were moments when you actually thought you were watching Margaret Thatcher herself.
The Falklands section was the strongest, without a doubt. Her "Iron Lady" image really shone through. It didn't happen in Tunbridge Wells, but when she says "Sink It", I gather some audiences have cheered. Her interaction with Al Haig was vintage Thatcher.
There were lots of little inaccuracies which jarred with a political geek like me. Both Francis Pym and John Nott appeared in 1990 scenes. Nott left Parliament in 1983 and Pym left Parliament in 1987. Margaret Thatcher did not wear a hat while making speeches in the House of Commons as Education Secretary. Margaret Thatcher did not run after Airey Neave's car when it was bombed. She wasn't there. Again, I could go on. Some of the scenes were exaggerated. The 1990 Cabinet meeting in which Thatcher was rude to Geoffrey Howe did indeed happen. But in this scene she comes across as a demented lunatic. I know enough people who were at that meeting to know it didn't happen like that. Perhaps the dramatic licence was needed to make a point. This was, after all a movie, not a documentary.
But this is to carp. Overall, I enjoyed it immensely. Any neutral in the audience will have left the cinema thinking better of Margaret Thatcher than when they entered it, It was a very sympathetic portrait of her, and her aims in life. It enhances an understanding of her motivations and actions, so as a devoted Thatcher supporter, I suppose I couldn't have asked for more.
I know many Conservatives are admirers of Margaret Thatcher are nervous about seeing this film. They think that by doing so they will somehow betray the woman they admire. They shouldn't think like that and they need have no fears. This is a film which is far from perfect, but it is not a film to be avoided.
At the end of the film, the entire audience stayed sitting and waited till the credits had finished before leaving. That doesn't happen very often. And it spoke volumes.
Go and see it and make up your own mind. I may have written some negative things in this review, but that's what film reviews tend to be, don't they? But let me tell you a secret. I really liked it, despite its imperfections.
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Iain Dale
Iain Dale is publisher of Total Politics, MD of Biteback Publishing & presenter of LBC's evening show.
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Comments (7)
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I also saw it tonight and I agree more or less entirely - it's very good. It was probably easier for me to watch it as, having been born in the mid eighties, some of the more peripheral figures weren't very familiar to me so I was't as aware of the inaccuracies. (Although, her running towards Airey Neave's bombed out car was such an obvious cinematic conceit, it did make me squirm.)
The one thing that annoyed me, though, was the way the other female MPs were written out of history. There were 19 women MPs in 1979, including 8 Conservative - watching this film, people could easily think there was only one. I realise the film was showing the extent to which she stood largely alone in a field of men, but it still seems wrong to completely ignore the presence of other women.
08/01/2012 00:07A very fair and accurate review. Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed it, despite the inaccuracies mentioned. Spot on.
08/01/2012 00:12I agree with most of the points in your review. I saw the film last night in Reading and was mesmerised by Meryl Streep's performance. I thought the screenplay missed out a lot of interesting content but this is almost inevitable in a 90 minute film. For the younger members of the audience it gave a brilliant insight into this important period of our history and is really incredibly relevant to the economic situation we find ourselves in today. As a drama based loosely on reality this was an important and hugely enjoyable film.
08/01/2012 06:25I agree with most of the points in your review. I saw the film last night in Reading and was mesmerised by Meryl Streep's performance. I thought the screenplay missed out a lot of interesting content but this is almost inevitable in a 90 minute film. For the younger members of the audience it gave a brilliant insight into this important period of our history and is really incredibly relevant to the economic situation we find ourselves in today. As a drama based loosely on reality this was an important and hugely enjoyable film.
08/01/2012 06:25I quite agree about Broadbent's performance sadly. He's a brilliant actor and possibly because of this I was expecting much better.
Though Streep's performance was spectacular.
I found myself being annoyed by exactly the same minor errors, but you have to expect this kind of thing.
On the whole I enjoyed the film, but I have to admit I was hoping for more. Maybe as someone heavily involved in politics who has studied the period in detail then it was not really aimed at me anyway though - I would have liked to have seen something that went into more detail, which would have fascinated me but probably would not have interested the more casual cinema goer. A film has to make money after all!
I read a review ages ago that suggested that a better film could have been to focus on one time in history and make a film around that, a bit like what they did with The Queen. Having seen The Iron Lady I agree with that, but there is no reason why this couldn't happen at some stage. Doesn't make this a bad film by any means.
08/01/2012 18:47Yes too much time was given to the improbable Dennis Thatcher character and historically important episodes were skimmed over but the film did capture the clarity of thinking, bravery and single minded determination that made Margaret Thatcher such a significant leader. I would have liked to have seen the inclusion of Arthur Scargill talking, which would have reminded us what she saved us from.
09/01/2012 09:28A good review, I too agree with your points. I saw the it last night in Bluewater and was disappointed at how much focus was put on the scenes of frailty and dementia, but overall still enjoyed the film. That being said, I didn't love it, like I did with the Kings Speech.
The film should have included many more moments of Margaret Thatcher's political career; there was hardly anything on her election victory and nothing on her re-elections. Also, where were characters like Nigel Lawson? Neil Kinnock? etc.
Broadbent definitely came across as a bit too jovial in his portrayal of Dennis Thatcher..and Airey Neave's car was certainly not red. But as you say, you have to look over the imperfections.
09/01/2012 17:22