The Iron Lady is a 2012 biopic about British politician Margaret Thatcher, also known as the Iron Lady. Played by a Meryl Streep as bluff as she is convincing, the film retraces her political career, her battles, her betrayals and her mistakes…
Meryl Streep stars as Margareth Thatcher in “The Iron Lady”.
Over 80 and suffering from Alzheimer’s, Margaret Thatcher tries to remember her life, her childhood, her love of politics, and her career as Prime Minister (the first woman in UK history).
As if haunted by her past, she then looks back on her political rise, supported by her husband throughout her career. She reviews his fight against the economic crisis of the time, against the Northern Irish question with the attacks of the IRA…etc.
The Iron Lady is a particularly controversial portrait of Margaret Thatcher. Her portrayal as an old lady with dementia has scandalized many of today’s British politicians, starting with Prime Minister David Cameron.
The film moves back and forth between past and present. Margareth Thatcher looks back on her past life with nostalgia and anguish, accompanied by the specter of her husband, who died 9 years earlier.
The film is based on the highlights of his political career: from his first political stances to his position as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The facts then unfold very quickly. She is presented as a stubborn, uncompromising woman, ready to fight in an all too masculine government. Many of his decisions are contested, such as his attitude to the economic crisis and the closure of mining operations, which have drawn the wrath of the population. Margareth Thatcher’s firm stance on Northern Ireland led to numerous attacks by the IRA, and she didn’t hesitate to go to war with the Falkland Islands.
The film shows the politician’s popularity on the ups and downs: sometimes loved, sometimes rejected, she eventually resigned at the end of her second term, tested by the betrayals of her party and the prevailing discontent.
An excellent film, which draws mixed conclusions on the career of this extraordinary Iron Lady, who nonetheless managed to pull her country out of the crisis.
The only disappointment is that certain subjects, such as the conflict with Northern Ireland, are barely touched on in a few images. Thus, the Hunger Strike by Republican prisoners (of which Bobby Sands was a member in 1980) is not particularly dealt with by the film.
In any case, the challenge for Meryl Streep was considerable: she plays a disarmingly credible Margaret Thatcher. We appreciate his impeccable acting, which enables him to carry the film from start to finish. A very good film, then, even if some subjects were not explored in depth…
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