The Iron Lady Film Review

• Released: 2011
• Director: Phyllida Lloyd
• Producer: Damian Jones
• Running time: 1 hr 45 mins
• Genre: Drama, Biography
• Budget: $13,000,000

The Film

This biographical film tells the story of the late Margaret Thatcher, who was Prime Minister of Great Britain for 11 years. It covers her life from her early days when her parents owned a Grocers shop in Grantham. It also covers her political rise from the early days to her role as Prime Minister, and the course she took in a very male dominated world to the doors of 10 Downing Street.

The film begins with a now elderly Mrs Thatcher at home. Her husband, Denis, has recently passed away and her daughter, Carol, is with her. Throughout the film we see Mrs Thatcher talking to Denis as if he is still there. Although the film is set in the present, it will flash back to her time in her political and personal life. Basically, Margaret Thatcher is reflecting on her life as she sorts out her late husbands belongings.

It is interesting to see her in your younger days. Back in those days, it was a very male dominated environment, but this didn't seem to put her off one little bit. She was certainly a very head strong and outspoken woman, and didn't let this put her off one little bit. When she told Dennis and Carol that she was going to run for leader of the Conservative party, they both stood there with their mouths wide open. They could not believe what they were heading. But the Iron Lady, as she was affectionately known, did just that. She admitted herself she didn't think she would ever make it to number 10. She was, however, the first woman to ever make it to Prime Minister.

The film covers major points in her political career such as The Brixton Riots in 1981, The Falklands War and The Miner's Strike in 1984/5. But aside from her political career, you also get to see more personal moments when she is at home with her family. I thought it was really nice to watch how she met Denis and when he asked her to marry him over tea. She did remind him that she was not going to be the sort of wife that stays at home dong the cooking at washing up. She did, indeed, rule the roost. What is interesting is you also get to see little snippets of real life news reel clips from when she was leader of the Conservative Party and the riots that were happening at the time. Her term in office was certainly rocky at times, but as was typical of the woman, she was head strong and obstinate. She didn't beat around the bush when it came to making decisions. This made her a lot of enemies, but also gained her a lot of fans.

What I like about this film is that it humanizes her. We all know Margaret Thatcher as a strong woman that led the Conservative Party for 11 years. But throughout the film we see little titbits of her private life. From growing up as Margaret Roberts in Grantham, and when she first entered politics. As I say, politics were very different in those days, so she had to fight to get to where she did. Whether you agree or disagree with her politics and what she did during her term as Prime Minister, she was certainly a very strong and independent woman and didn't take any crap from no one.

Margaret Thatcher was indeed a controversial person and even some of her own party didn't agree with certain matters. Saying that though, she has gone down in history for not only being the first female Prime Minister, but also for shaking things up in the Conservative party and in the country.

There's also little bits in the film that sees her for the human being she was. For instance, very early on in her political career, she was advised to not wear a hat, change her hair style and change she way she talks in public. So she took elocution lessons. It's these scenes I found heart-warming and made me think twice about her as a human being. Yes, she was a highly intelligent, independent and formidable woman that stood at Prime Minister for 3 terms, but there's another side to her too. She was also a wife and mother, and you get to see a bit of this in the film. Personally, I really enjoyed this film and it opened my eyes into seeing another side of this woman.