Review of The Iron Lady (2011) by Joanna B — 01 Mar 2016
The United Kingdom's first and only female prime minister; Margaret Thatcher shattered the barriers of gender and class in a male-dominated world during her 11 year term of office.
Painting a surprisingly intimate portrait of one of the 20th century's most famous, influential and complex women is Oscar winning dramatic heavyweight Meryl Streep . Depicting Britain's 'Iron Lady' in extraordinary detail from mannerisms to speech, this Streep's masterpiece of mimicry.
Humanised, sentimental and vulnerable, The Iron Lady is a compelling biopic built on not only the subject's actions as head of state, but as a woman trying to survive her married life lived in the public eye.
Through a procession of flashbacks and old newsreel footage , Abi Morgan's precisely constructed screenplay takes Thatcher from an unsure 20 year old post-war grocer's daughter entering politics all the way through to a lonely old lady plagued by the memories of her career and death of her late husband .
Neither idolised nor demonised, this film attempts to strike a balance for both admirers and critics of Thatcher; however I am sure the line will not be so divided for Streep. Could another Oscar nod be on the way?
Published: The Queanbeyan Age.
Date of Publication: 19/12/2011.
This review of The Iron Lady (2011) was written by Joanna B on 01 Mar 2016.
The Iron Lady has generally received mixed reviews.
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