We all know of Margaret Thatcher, the first female Prime Minister of the UK. Now Meryl Streep brings her to the silver screen in The Iron Lady, a biographical piece about the most polarizing figure in recent political history.
The framing device is that Margaret Thatcher, eight years after her husband Denis's death, is finally ready to begin clearing out his things and donating his clothes. As she tries to do this, she is constantly distracted by memories of her life and her own reluctance to accept once and for all that her husband is really gone.
(I have never been so aware of my surroundings as when I watched this movie with my grandparents in a theatre full of retired Florida seniors.)
People have called this film boring and I can understand why, although I disagree. There's not a plot per se-- the film progresses through character arc, as Mrs Thatcher comes to terms with a life without Denis. But there's not really a plot. As she goes through her belongings, the film takes us through her life via flashback, from the grocer's daughter studying for a place at Oxford, to the only female Member of Parliament, to her decision to run for party leader. Denis Thatcher is present for all of it, humanizing a divisive figure by showing the struggle to balance her life as a political powerhouse and a loving wife.
We see key moments of Prime Minister Thatcher as she rises to power. We see the 1984 hotel bombing, the Falklands War, and finally her demise as her no-compromise, authoritarian style exasperates her party to the breaking point. At the same time, we see Mrs. Thatcher now-- an old woman struggling to remember names, shocked at the price of milk these days, whose security men are reprimanded for letting her out of the house alone. She tries to espouse wisdom to a young fan looking to break into the public view, but gives a rather vague statement on the nature of celebrity these days and the woman walks away rather confused about meeting her idol.
The story of her rise to power and descent into senility is heartbreaking, especially as scenes of rousing political rallies are juxtaposed with scenes of someone who can't remember who it is she's supposed to be meeting this morning. The film doesn't really offer an opinion on the politics of Margaret Thatcher: we see her in great moments, we see her making questionable judgements. She handles her Cabinet deftly, but overreacts to perceived slights. No verdict is passed on the politics of the Conservative Party. But the film isn't about Margaret Thatcher the politician.
I would hesitate to call it a biopic of Margaret Thatcher: to me it seemed more the story of Margaret & Denis as a couple. We see the first meeting, the proposal, the children; we see him at her side whenever she appears in public; he is present for every key moment in her life. And every time Margaret-in-the-present tries to throw away his things and live without him, he is there as a constant presence reminding her of their favorite musical, their vacations, their arguments. She hallucinates him with her, commenting on her actions and reminiscing about their happier days. In the emotional climax of the film, Margaret packs a suitcase for her husband and sends him off, crying that she doesn't want to be alone as he steps into a bright light and is gone forever. Only then can she finally break out the garbage bags and organize his things.
Meryl Streep was magnificent. If anyone deserves an acting award it's her. Jim Broadbent as Denis was less obvious, but very engaging in his own way. He provides comic relief and an emotional center. The rest of the film almost fades away behind their partnership; I'm not sure that's unintentional. I enjoyed the movie immensely and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in such things; to anyone else, it might fall flat.
Denis Thatcher died in 2003 of pancreatic cancer at 88 years old. In her book The Downing Street Years, Margaret Thatcher wrote that "Being Prime Minister is a lonely job. In a sense, it ought to be: you cannot lead from the crowd. But with Denis there I was never alone. What a man. What a husband. What a friend." They were married for 51 years.
You've convinced me to see it - I had been holding off because the reviews were so mixed. In particular, I think politically-aware British reviewers have been put off by the lack of a political focus, and have been complaining on that basis. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteBravo! Keep 'em coming. You always notice important, interesting things that would sneak by most people. I like your point about how they chose to show Maggie-a strong career woman-more in the domestic sphere. I guess it kind of brings attention to the paradox of who she was--a conservative politician who, simply by being a woman, goes against conservative ideals.
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