Last weekend my wife and I went to see The Iron Lady. I had read an interview with the producer, Damien Jones, where he answered a question about the objectivity of the movie saying that it was praised by both liberals and conservatives. While I didn’t believe that liberals would be capable of an objective appraisal of Lady Thatcher, I had hopes that he was right.
Watching the movie, my instincts had been correct.
I really don’t know the details of the events that were depicted, so I am at a disadvantage in commenting about that. But I have a sense of the greatness of the woman, and so I was disgusted by the portrayal of her as a figure to be pitied. The movie takes place in the present, with her depicted as an aging, almost helpless, proud, and delusional woman. Yes, it does portray her victories and concedes her dramatic impact upon the British government. But even in the flashbacks, she is depicted as somewhat insulated from reality, extremely stubborn, with a mean streak. Even so, I could tolerate that treatment of her. The great insult of the movie is its focus on her as a decrepit old lady. The producer called the idea to do the movie revolving around her in her old age, remembering her life, was “brilliant.” I suppose it was. What a clever way to demean a truly great woman, to be able to admit her victories and her courage without actually giving her respect.
Meryl Streep is also brilliant in her acting, and single-handedly raises the movie from maybe about a star and a half to two and a half stars.
I would love to see a movie made by people who appreciated her. She is, after all, one of the greatest women in modern history, and deserving of admiration.
