Never Compromise.|Dec. 26, 2011|France|105 Min.|PG-13
Genre: Drama;History
Description: The Iron Lady, a 2011 film, portrays the life of Margaret Thatcher, beginning with her present-day reflections and tracing her journey through a series of flashbacks. The story starts with a young Margaret Roberts working in her family’s grocery store in Grantham, inspired by her father’s political speeches, whom she admired deeply. Her relationship with her mother, a housewife, appears strained. Margaret earns a place at Oxford University, highlighting her challenges as a lower-middle-class woman striving to break into the male-dominated Conservative Party and secure a seat in the House of Commons. Her marriage proposal from businessman Denis Thatcher and her struggles as a female member of Parliament are also depicted, along with her tenure as Education Secretary under Edward Heath. The film explores her friendship with Airey Neave, her decision to run for Conservative Party Leader, and her eventual victory, including her voice coaching and image transformation.
The narrative further delves into key historical events during her time as Prime Minister after winning the 1979 general election. It covers the rise in unemployment due to her monetarist policies, the contentious 1981 budget, the 1981 Brixton riot, the 1984–1985 UK miners’ strike, and the bombing at the Grand Hotel during the 1984 Conservative Party Conference, which nearly claimed her and her husband’s lives. The film also highlights her decision to retake the Falkland Islands following Argentina’s 1982 invasion, the sinking of the ARA General Belgrano, Britain’s victory in the Falklands War, her friendship with U.S. President Ronald Reagan, and her emergence as a global leader. The economic boom of the late 1980s is contrasted with her later years, where she is portrayed as an aging yet formidable figure, defending the controversial Poll Tax despite widespread riots and opposing European integration.
Cast director: Phyllida Lloyd
Cast actor: Meryl Streep, Anthony Stewart Head, Harry Lloyd, Jim Broadbent, Susan Brown, Alice da Cunha, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Iain Glen, Alexandra Roach, Victoria Bewick
Original name: The Iron Lady