The Iron Lady Information

The Iron Lady is a 2011 British biographical film based on the life of Margaret Thatcher, the longest serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of the 20th century. The film was directed by Phyllida Lloyd. Thatcher is portrayed primarily by Meryl Streep, but also, in her formative and early political years, by Alexandra Roach. Thatcher's husband, Denis Thatcher, is portrayed by Jim Broadbent, and Thatcher's longest-serving cabinet member and eventual deputy, Geoffrey Howe, is portrayed by Anthony Head.

While the film was met with mixed reviews, Streep's performance was widely acclaimed, and considered to be one of the finest of her career. She received her 17th Academy Award nomination and ultimately the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Thatcher across four decades. She also earned her third Golden Globe Award for Best Actress " Motion Picture Drama (eighth overall), and her second BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

Plot

The film begins circa 2008 (opening against the backdrop of news of the Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing) with an elderly Lady Thatcher buying milk unrecognized by other customers and walking back from the shop alone. Over the course of three days we see her struggle with dementia and with the lack of power that comes with old age, while looking back on defining moments of her personal and professional life, on which she reminisces with her (now dead) husband, Denis Thatcher. She is shown as having difficulty distinguishing between the past and present. A theme throughout the film is the personal price that Thatcher has paid for power. Denis is portrayed as somewhat ambivalent about his wife's rise to power, her son Mark lives in South Africa and is shown as having little contact with his mother, and it is implied that Thatcher's relationship with her daughter Carol is at times strained.

In flashback we are shown Thatcher's youth, working in the family grocery store in Grantham, listening to the political speeches of her father, whom she idolised - it is also hinted that she had a poor relationship with her mother, a housewife - and announcing that she has won a place at the University of Oxford. She remembers her struggle, as a young lower-middle class woman, to break into a snobbish male-dominated Tory party and find a seat in the House of Commons, along with businessman Denis Thatcher's marriage proposal to her. Her struggles to fit in as a "Lady Member" of the House, and as Education Secretary in Edward Heath's cabinet are also shown, as are her friendship with Airey Neave (later assassinated by the Irish National Liberation Army), her decision to stand for Leader of the Conservative Party, and her voice coaching and image change.

Further flashbacks examine historical events during her time as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom including the rising unemployment related to her monetarist policies and the tight 1981 budget (over the misgivings of "wet" members of her Cabinet " Ian Gilmour, Francis Pym, Michael Heseltine and Jim Prior), the Brixton Riots of 1981, the miners' strike of 1984"5, and the bombing of the Grand Hotel during the 1984 Conservative Party Conference, when she and Denis were almost killed. We also see (slightly out of chronological sequence) her decision to retake the Falkland Islands following the islands' invasion by Argentina in 1982, the sinking of the ARA General Belgrano and Britain's subsequent victory in the Falklands War, her friendship with Ronald Reagan and emergence as a world figure, and the economic boom of the late 1980s.

By 1990 Thatcher is shown as an imperious but aging figure, ranting aggressively at her Cabinet, refusing to accept that the Community Charge (the "Poll Tax") is regarded as unjust, and fiercely opposed to European Integration. Her deputy Geoffrey Howe resigns after being humiliated by her in a Cabinet meeting, Michael Heseltine challenges her for the party leadership and her loss of support from her Cabinet colleagues leaves her little choice but to resign as Prime Minister, about which she is shown as still disheartened about twenty years later.

Eventually, Thatcher is shown packing up her late husband's belongings, and telling him it's time for him to go. Denis's ghost leaves her fully dressed but without his shoes - in spite of her cries that she is not yet ready to lose him, and she is left alone washing up a teacup.

Cast

• Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher
• Jim Broadbent as Denis Thatcher
• Alexandra Roach as young Margaret Thatcher
• Harry Lloyd as young Denis Thatcher
• Iain Glen as Alfred Roberts
• Olivia Colman as Carol Thatcher
• Anthony Head as Geoffrey Howe
• Nicholas Farrell as Airey Neave
• Richard E. Grant as Michael Heseltine
• Martin Wimbush as Mark Carlisle
• Paul Bentley as Douglas Hurd
• Robin Kermode as John Major
• John Sessions as Edward Heath
• Roger Allam as Gordon Reece
• Michael Pennington as Michael Foot
• Angus Wright as John Nott
• Julian Wadham as Francis Pym
• Nick Dunning as Jim Prior
• Ronald Reagan as himself (archive footage)
• Reginald Green as Ronald Reagan

Production

Filming began in the UK on 31 December 2010, and the film was released in late 2011.

In preparation for her role, Streep sat through a session at the House of Commons in January 2011 to observe British MPs in action. Extensive filming took place at the neogothic Manchester Town Hall, which is often used as a location double for films which feature the Houses of Parliament because of its architectural similarity.

Meryl Streep has said: "The prospect of exploring the swathe cut through history by this remarkable woman is a daunting and exciting challenge. I am trying to approach the role with as much zeal, fervour and attention to detail as the real Lady Thatcher possesses " I can only hope my stamina will begin to approach her own."

Release

Historical inaccuracies

It is suggested in the film that Thatcher had said goodbye to her friend Airey Neave only a few moments before his assassination, and had to be held back from the scene by security officers. In fact, she was not in Westminster at the time of his death and was informed of it while carrying out official duties elsewhere.

The film fails to show any other female MPs in parliament, thus exaggerating Thatcher's isolation and brilliance as a lone woman. In fact during Thatcher's time in parliament, total women MPs numbered between 19 and 41.

Box office

, The Iron Lady has grossed $30,004,924 in the United States and Canada, along with $84,938,707 in other territories, for a worldwide total of $114,943,631.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film currently holds a "rotten" rating of 52% based on 201 reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10. Metacritic gives the film a score of 54 based on 41 reviews by critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

The film's depiction of Thatcher has been criticized by her children, Mark and Carol Thatcher, who are reported to have said, prior to having seen the film, that "it sounds like some left-wing fantasy." Stuart Jeffries of the British newspaper The Guardian was cautiously optimistic about a non-British actor playing Thatcher, but expressed politically coloured concern that its "narrative trajectory" could overlook "rage about what Thatcher, economy destroyer and warmonger, was doing to Britain" in favour of an "exclusive focus on Thatcher as a woman triumphing against the odds." Karen Sue Smith of America Magazine, however, wrote that "by combining the Baroness's real roles of wife, mother and leader, the film's portrait of her does what many purported "lives of great men" fail to do"?namely, show the person in context, in the quotidian."

The Mail on Sunday reported in August 2011 that some viewers invited to a test screening of the unfinished film were concerned at the film's depiction of Margaret Thatcher's frail health in recent years. This view was also shared in the media subsequent to the film's release. The Daily Telegraph reported in January 2012 that "it is impossible not to be disturbed by her depiction of Lady Thatcher's decline into dementia" as part of an article that was headlined: "The Iron Lady reflects society's insensitive attitude towards people with dementia." Roger Ebert gave the film two stars out of four, praising Streep's performance but lamenting that "she's all dressed up with nowhere to go" in a film that cannot decide what it wants to say about Thatcher; "[f]ew people were neutral in their feelings about [Thatcher], except the makers of this picture".

Film review blog Movie Metropolis praised Streep's performance but criticized the lack of depth given to the rest of the story, which seemed to only focus on the glory days of Thatcher's reign.

Despite mixed reviews, Streep's performance in the title role garnered near universal acclaim. The Times Kevin Maher said: "Streep has found the woman within the caricature." David Gritten at The Telegraph commented; "Awards should be coming Streep's way; yet her brilliance rather overshadows the film itself." Xan Brooks of The Guardian said Streep's performance "is astonishing and all but flawless". Critic Baz Bamigboye of the Daily Mail wrote: "Only an actress of Streep's stature could possibly capture Thatcher's essence and bring it to the screen. It's a performance of towering proportions that sets a new benchmark for acting." Richard Corliss of Time named Meryl Streep's performance one of the Top 10 Movie Performances of 2011.

Becoming her most lauded performance since Sophie's Choice, Streep's portrayal ultimately garnered her the Academy Award for Best Actress (her 17th nomination and third award overall), as well as several other awards, including the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress " Motion Picture Drama. The film also won the Academy Award for Best Makeup.

Margaret Thatcher herself did not watch the film, nor did her children.

Soundtrack

1. Soldiers of the Queen
2. MT
3. Grocer's Daughter
4. Grand Hotel
5. Swing Parliament
6. Shall We Dance?
7. Denis
8. The Great in Great Britain
9. Airey Neave
10. Discord and Harmony
11. The Twins
12. Nation of Shopkeepers
13. Fiscal Responsibiility
14. Crisis of Confidence
15. Community Charge
16. Casta Diva
17. The Difficult Decisions
18. Exclusion Zone
19. Statecraft
20. Steady the Buffs
21. Prelude No. 1 in C Major, BWV 846 (J.S. Bach)

The trailer for the film features Madness' ska/pop song "Our House". The teaser trailer features Clint Mansell's theme tune for the sci-fi movie Moon.

Not included on the soundtrack album or listings although credited among the eight songs at the end of the film is "(I'm In Love With) Margaret Thatcher" by Burnley punk band Notsensibles, which was re-released as a single due to the publicity. The song appears seventy-five minutes into the film, as part of the Falklands War victory celebrations.

Awards and nominations

Awards and Nominations
Award	Category	Nominee	Result
84th Academy Awards	Best Actress	Meryl Streep
	Best Makeup	Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland
Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts	Best International Actress	Meryl Streep
BAFTA Awards	Best Leading Actress	Meryl Streep
	Best Original Screenplay	Abi Morgan
	Best Supporting Actor	Jim Broadbent
	Best Makeup and Hair	Marese Langan and Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland
Boston Society of Film Critics	Best Actress	Meryl Streep
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	Best Actress	Meryl Streep
	Best Make-up	Marese Langan
Central Ohio Film Critics Association	Best Actress	Meryl Streep
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards	Best Actress	Meryl Streep
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards	Best Actress	Meryl Streep
Denver Film Critics Society	Best Actress	Meryl Streep
Golden Globe Awards	Best Actress " Motion Picture Drama	Meryl Streep
Irish Film and Television Awards	Best International Actress	Meryl Streep
	Best Costume Design	Consolata Boyle
London Critics Circle Film Awards	Best Actress	Meryl Streep
	British Actress of the Year	Olivia Colman
National Society of Film Critics Awards	Best Actress	Meryl Streep
2011 New York Film Critics Circle Awards	Best Actress	Meryl Streep
New York Film Critics Online Awards 2011	Best Actress	Meryl Streep
Online Film Critics Society Awards	Best Actress	Meryl Streep
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards	Best Actress	Meryl Streep
Satellite Awards	Best Actress " Motion Picture	Meryl Streep
Screen Actors Guild Awards	Female Actor in a Leading Role	Meryl Streep
Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards	Best Actress	Meryl Streep
Toronto Film Critics Association Awards	Best Actress	Meryl Streep
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association	Best Actress	Meryl Streep

Home media

The DVD for The Iron Lady was released in the United States and the United Kingdom on the 10th April 2012. The special features in the DVD include Making The Iron Lady Bonus featurettes, Recreating the young Margaret Thatcher Battle in the House of Commons Costume design, Pearls and power suits Denis and The man behind the woman