The Iron Lady

This film belongs, undoubtedly, to Meryl Streep. Her portrayal of one of the most important and opinion-dividing politicians of the twentieth century is both accomplished and multi-faceted. Shame, then, that the rest of The Iron Lady doesn't live up to her Oscar-worthy performance.

The Iron Lady documents the elderly Margaret Thatcher looking back on her life through the haze of apparent senile dementia, accompanied by Denis, her 'there-but-not-there' husband. Director Phyllida Lloyd (who gave us Mamma Mia – the film that everyone loved) has chosen to tell Thatcher's story through the use of flashbacks to key events in the Prime Minister's early life and political career. And it is here that the problems started. The use of flashbacks didn't sit well with the overall context of the film; fair enough linking the present with past memories, but this was done in a slightly clunky way – the 'present day' scenes felt detached and removed from the flashbacks which made up most of the film. Perhaps this was the point. Perhaps Lloyd wanted to explore how, in old age, Thatcher is a shadow of her former self and is far removed from her past. The power has gone, to be replaced by a reality in which buying a pint of milk is a major achievement. But even these scenes (which were, at times, quite touching) failed to explore the issues of old age which Lloyd clearly wished to address.

The Iron Lady was always going to be a balancing act between two lives: the personal life of Thatcher and her political life. To have successfully weighed up the focus on these two aspects would have been like trying to balance Lehman Brothers' books back in 2008: practically impossible. And, I'm afraid, Lloyd and script writer Abi Morgan just haven't pulled it off. In my opinion, the film should have taken a stronger line, either on Thatcher's personal circumstances or on the controversial events which surrounded her premiership. Although it is necessary to have some political content to place Thatcher's personal struggles in context, the script didn't delve deeply enough into either, leaving an underwhelming and misguided narrative. The infamous sinking of the Belgrano is treated with as much depth as religious issues are in a school Nativity play and the whole sequence merely 'happens' – it is as if the film makers have realised it must be included but they'd rather not give more than forty seconds of screen time to it, thank you very much. Instead, these events are used to try and explain Thatcher's feelings and emotions as she sits in her London flat, looking through old photos and films from her past. But, I'm sorry, it just didn't gel.

It's not all bad though. Meryl Streep's portrayal of Margaret Thatcher is a joy to watch. Her mastery of the Prime Minister's gestures, mannerisms and voice is second-to-none and the make-up department really have done a fantastic job – as they should have done with credits going to a prosthetics designer, contact lens optician, prosthetic make-up artist, special effects teeth, prosthetics coordinator and silicon technician. Blimey, sounds like the crew for an episode of Dr Who. Make-up and hair aside, Streep shone through, in a film which has certainly created its fair share of controversy. Many have called the portrayal of Thatcher's dementia insensitive and wholly inappropriate given that she is still alive. I feel that this argument is irrelevant – looking at old age through the prism of dementia is a dramatic device which enabled Lloyd to feature Denis (Jim Broadbent) as a reassuring and yet disquieting presence. Streep hit back at David Cameron's comment that the film was, perhaps, a little premature, saying “what about him saying on the radio that people should wait until she is dead? How must that make her feel...if Mrs Thatcher had something wrong with her lungs and I wheezed, no one would have raised a hue and cry. It is because it is mental frailty that she is afflicted with – that is what terrifies us most in society”.

And so, as a biopic, The Iron Lady ultimately fails. As a piece to showcase Streep's amazing performance, it works. Its failure to adopt a clear and defined angle leaves the film feeling disjointed and its themes are superficially addressed. Is it a good film? No. Should you see it? Yes. 

Clapperboard Rating: * *