Review of The Iron Lady (2011) by Outsidein — 23 Jan 2012

The Madwoman of No.10 A character portrait more than a biopic, The Iron Lady dramatises Margaret Thatcher's middle aged madness through the perspective of her demented madness of old age. Many have asked if this film should have been made while she is alive - but the key source of insight is Carol Thatcher's account of her mother's dementia - so if her daughter can comment in public, so may the film makers.

Meryl Streep's portrayal is uncanny, and especially effective in old age - the Thatcher we don't know. She and Dennis, the wonderful Jim Broadbent, are the only fleshed out characters in the piece. The rest are props to tell the story.

And what a story it is - a story of grandiose self importance that always carried more than a shred of madness. The women involved - Streep, Lloyd (director) and Morgan (writer) create a classic 'women's picture' - one woman's struggle - to live up to the ideals instilled on young Margaret Roberts by her doting dad.

Of course, everyone pales into insignificance for young Margaret by comparison (except the supportive Dennis). All men are bastards. In this world, there are no other women, except maids. Thatcher can say and do what she pleases, because she is so much smarter and better than anyone else.

There is no collaboration with this psychotic woman, there is only her inevitable descent into madness as the Poll Tax is proposed, the final straw in her destruction of consensus Britain. Like Reagan, she is co-creator of the 2007 financial collapse - due to greed, the de-regulation of the financial markets, and the self -righteousness of the frankly bonkers economics of it all.

So don't despair that the history is not quite accurate, or it doesn't really 'do justice' to her 'reign'. That's not the point. While the film tries hard to get the audience on 'her side' by implying her greatness and difference in almost every scene, all it does is demonstrate that Thatcher was always a madwoman on a mission - and now, we can say 'Mission Accomplished.

' Right up there with The Black Swan - last year's portrait of a madwoman - Streep will walk down the red carpet with her Oscar in a few months.