The Iron Lady: A review

 

This film was lambasted by Conservative politicians when it first came out on the basis it was too intrusive in its depiction of dementia-stricken Margaret Thatcher. However, I disagree. I think it is about time that society portrays Thatcher as to who she really was: a human being who faced adversity as well as celebration. Too many of critics of Thatcher dehumanise her and too many followers of hers idolised her to titanic heights. The Iron Lady, starring Meryl Streep (who won an Oscar for this performance and deservedly so), focuses on Thatcher in 2011 as she struggles with her dementia battle, as she believes that her husband Denis (played excellently by Jim Broadbent) is still alive. The film then goes onto showcase her achievements as Educational Secretary and Prime Minister, including how she dealt with the Brighton bomb in October 1984. It also focused on her fall from power brought about by Lord Heseltine (who, to this day, remains one of my favourite correspondents) and Geoffrey Howe. There is much sympathy evoked from the audience to a frail Thatcher who struggles to say farewell to her supportive husband. The Iron Lady remains one of the best films from 2011 in my opinion and anyone who is interested in the Thatcher period should certainly watch it.