The Iron Lady
Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher
Jim Broadbent as Denis Thatcher
Olivia Colman as Carol
Alexandra Roach as Young Margaret Thatcher
Harry Lloyd as Young Denis Thatcher
Anthony Head as Geoffrey Howe
Richard E. Grant as Michael Heseltine
Roger Allam as Gordon Reece
Teresa Mahoney as Downing Street Staff
Nicholas Farrell as Conservative advisor
Nick Dunning as James Prior
Julian Wadham as Francis Pym
Reginald Green as Ronald Reagan
Susan Brown as June
Michael Maloney
Michael Pennington as Michael Foot
Stephen Boxer as Keith Joseph
Hugh Ross as Christopher Soames
David Westhead as Reg Prentice
James Smith as Lord Carrington
Paul Bentley as Douglas Head
Jasper Jacob as Nicholas Edwardes
Directed by Phyllida Lloyd
In this dramatization of the life of Margaret Thatcher, such is the position in which the former Prime Minister of Great Britain finds herself. Retired from shaping economic reform and commanding armies and navies, the woman who was once dubbed “The Iron Lady” by some frustrated Russian politicians, is now a little soft in the head. No longer in charge of running a nation, she struggles to independently manage her life. Shifting between the past and the present, the once steely stateswoman (played by Meryl Streep) tries to sort out the meaning of her contribution to society.
If you are expecting parliamentary debates and/or depictions of the varied reactions to this controversial leader, The Iron Lady may be a bit of a surprise. Because these things are not the focus of the film, the production summarizes these aspects of her life using actual newsreel footage. Thanks to this inclusion, viewers will witness (or re-witness) many graphic scenes captured during her tenure. While some re-enactments are mixed in, most of what is shown is real, and therefore more disturbing. Expect to see battles between the police and angry strikers/rioters, IRA bombings that result in fires, property damage, injuries and loss of life, as well as bloodied and dead soldiers shown during the Falkland Islands conflict. There is also a brief shot of some topless females celebrating the end of the war.
Instead of following a chronology of these events, the script delves into the reminiscing of a wandering mind that finally has time to ask about spent or misspent opportunities, the proper or improper placement of priorities and whether or not achievements should be celebrated or regretted. Her husband Dennis (Jim Broadbent) and twin children (one played by Olivia Colman) are featured largely in her thoughts.
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