The Iron Lady (film)

The Iron Lady is a 2011 British biographical film based on the life of Margaret Thatcher 19252013, the longestserving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of the 20th century. The film was directed by Phyllida Lloyd. Thatcher is portrayed primarily by Meryl Streep, and, in her formative and early political years, by Alexandra Roach. Thatchers husband, Denis Thatcher, is portrayed by Jim Broadbent, and by Harry Lloyd as the younger Denis. Thatchers longestserving cabinet member and eventual deputy, Geoffrey Howe, is portrayed by Anthony Head.

The film begins in September 2008 opening against the backdrop of news of the Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing with an elderly Lady Thatcher buying milk unrecognized by other customers and walking back from the shop alone. Over the course of three days, we see her struggle with dementia and with the lack of power that comes with old age, while looking back on defining moments of her personal and professional life, on which she reminisces with her nowdead husband, Denis Thatcher, whose death she is unable to fully accept. She is shown as having difficulty distinguishing between the past and present. A theme throughout the film is the personal price that Thatcher has paid for power. Denis is portrayed as somewhat ambivalent about his wifes rise to power, her son Mark lives in South Africa and is shown as having little contact with his mother, and Thatchers relationship with her daughter Carol is at times strained.In flashbacks we are shown Thatchers youth, working in the family grocery store in Grantham, listening to the political speeches of her father, whom she idolised it is also hinted that she had a poor relationship with her mother, a housewife and announcing that she has won a place at the University of Oxford. She remembers her struggle, as a young lowermiddle class woman, to break into a snobbish maledominated Tory party and find a seat in the House of Commons, along with businessman Denis Thatchers marriage proposal to her. Her struggles to fit in as a Lady Member of the House, and as Education Secretary in Edward Heaths cabinet are also shown, as are her friendship with Airey Neave later assassinated by the Irish National Liberation Army, her decision to stand for Leader of the Conservative Party and eventual victory, and her voice coaching and image change. ........

Source: Wikipedia