Meryl Streep Becomes Margaret Thatcher: The Iron Lady

[Thebumwhowalks]

Thinking about that trailer afterwards, it reminded me of something that my mum told me once, about when Thatcher first got into power.
The trailer gives the impression that they are going to focus on the fact that she was Britain's first female PM, showing how she is standing up for herself when those guys are trying to mould her public image, alongside the last shot of her standing on a stage to massive applause.
I remember my mum telling me that at the time she spoke to a lot of people who said they were going to vote for her primarily because she was a woman, and I can imagine a lot of folk doing that, dimly thinking that would automatically mean a leader with more empathy for the people or something, without actually taking a look at her as a person or at her proposed policies.

So, to me the trailer gives that same kind of vibe, the filmakers are going to focus on the woman rising to power in the boy's room, without looking so much at the policies, or at least, not focusing so much on the negative ones, just like those types of voters.
For example, when it comes to the Falklands war, they could focus on the famous image of her riding through the place on a tank, rather than the famous confrontation on tv with the housewife over the alleged war crime, and illegal sinking of the Belgrano.
I guess they can't avoid the poll tax, since that was the policy that ultimately brought her down, or, y'know, they might do something like end on a high note, and then just say that she remained in power for so long after that.
Who knows, but I'm guessing with that last shot in the trailer of her looking like a loved public figure, they are going to focus on the aspect of the fact she was a woman who rose to power in what was traditionally an old boy's network of power.

Oh, and the fact she was a grocer's daughter, the press always loved that line to make it look like she was one of the regular people, and would understand the struggles of the working class, and then she goes and introduces the poll tax, lol.

edit: which , for the uninitiated, meant that working families were taxed based on how many poeple lived in a household, rather than the size of the house. So, a working class family of 4 living in a 3 apartment with a limited income would be paying more tax than two upper class well off people living in a massive mansion.

 

[Bruce Malone]

So how exactly is Thatcher viewed in the UK? like a jfk, a nixon, a reagan? Does she have a lot of supporters? or people who are nostalgic for her?

 

[Thebumwhowalks]

So how exactly is Thatcher viewed in the UK? like a jfk, a nixon, a reagan? Does she have a lot of supporters? or people who are nostalgic for her?

I guess out of those three leaders you cited, she is looked back upon most like Reagan, the folk who liked her venerate her legacy, and the ones who hated her due to her policies still hate her.
edit: I mean, that's basically how it is for any politician who made some people better off, and others worse, there's no great consensus on their legacy.

For the movie, they will most likely go for the cult of personality thing, and the fact she was a woman rising to power in the old boy's network.

 

[chamber-music]

So how exactly is Thatcher viewed in the UK? like a jfk, a nixon, a reagan? Does she have a lot of supporters? or people who are nostalgic for her?

I would say mixed she was a polarizing figure probably the most controversial Prime Minister of the 20th century, even the Queen had her issues with Thatcher.

I don't thing anyone is nostalgic for Thatcher even her most hardcore supporters.

Her supporters mostly people in southern England like her and saw her as a Prime Minister nessasary at the time.

People who didn't like her which basically the rest of the UK hate stronger than any other prime minister in the 20th century. She managed to alienate the Welsh, the Scottish, the Northern Irish and Nothern English.

In 1984 The IRA even blew up the a Brighton hotel trying to assassinate her.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brighton_hotel_bombing

 

[Thebumwhowalks]

I would say mixed she was a polarizing figure probably the most controversial Prime Minister of the 20th century, even the Queen had her issues with Thatcher.

I don't thing anyone is nostalgic for Thatcher even her most hardcore supporters.

Nah, you still get folk who think that 'Maggie would sort it out' and all that crap, I even recall folk supporting her and being nostalgic about her time as PM on a message board I used to frequent.
She made a lot of people very rich with her 'there is no society' rule of thumb, encouraging people to only look out for themselves.
A lot of people made a lot of money out of the property market under her rule.

edit: and on the Brighton bombing, I recall seeing that on tv the morning it happened, her right hand man Norman Tebitt being carried out from the hotel in his pyjamas covered in plaster, lol.

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

So how exactly is Thatcher viewed in the UK?

She's like a Hitler with bigger balls.

 

[chamber-music]

Nah, you still get folk who think that 'Maggie would sort it out' and all that crap, I even recall folk supporting her and being nostalgic about her time as PM on a message board I used to frequent.
She made a lot of people very rich with her 'there is no society' rule of thumb, encouraging people to only look out for themselves.
A lot of people made a lot of money out of the property market under her rule.

I think those people are in the minority though. Even hardcore Tories have distanced themselves from Thatchers way of doing things in the modern era(when want to win elections anyway).

 

[Tron Bonne]

Thinking about that trailer afterwards, it reminded me of something that my mum told me once, about when Thatcher first got into power.
The trailer gives the impression that they are going to focus on the fact that she was Britain's first female PM, showing how she is standing up for herself when those guys are trying to mould her public image, alongside the last shot of her standing on a stage to massive applause.
I remember my mum telling me that at the time she spoke to a lot of people who said they were going to vote for her primarily because she was a woman, and I can imagine a lot of folk doing that, dimly thinking that would automatically mean a leader with more empathy for the people or something, without actually taking a look at her as a person or at her proposed policies.

So, to me the trailer gives that same kind of vibe, the filmakers are going to focus on the woman rising to power in the boy's room, without looking so much at the policies, or at least, not focusing so much on the negative ones, just like those types of voters.
For example, when it comes to the Falklands war, they could focus on the famous image of her riding through the place on a tank, rather than the famous confrontation on tv with the housewife over the alleged war crime, and illegal sinking of the Belgrano.
I guess they can't avoid the poll tax, since that was the policy that ultimately brought her down, or, y'know, they might do something like end on a high note, and then just say that she remained in power for so long after that.
Who knows, but I'm guessing with that last shot in the trailer of her looking like a loved public figure, they are going to focus on the aspect of the fact she was a woman who rose to power in what was traditionally an old boy's network of power.

Oh, and the fact she was a grocer's daughter, the press always loved that line to make it look like she was one of the regular people, and would understand the struggles of the working class, and then she goes and introduces the poll tax, lol.

edit: which , for the uninitiated, meant that working families were taxed based on how many poeple lived in a household, rather than the size of the house. So, a working class family of 4 living in a 3 apartment with a limited income would be paying more tax than two upper class well off people living in a massive mansion.

That's a...whole lot of assuming to do for such a short little trailer. I think it's inevitable that they will focus on the whole idea of a woman rising in a male dominated world, because she was a woman who rose in male dominated world. If you're not going to at least touch on that then you've wasted a pretty huge opportunity in adapting her story.

But, really, I don't think that necessarily means that's all we're going to see. I actually took the trailer in a different light, anyway. She seemed almost sinister, really. I think it's a little early to start dismissing the film as not addressing the more controversial aspects of Thatcher with so little being shown.

 

[Gold Samurai]

I'm waiting for the inevitable teamup movie between helen mirren's Queen Elizabeth and Meryl Streep's Margaret Thatcher.

With a special cameo from Samuel L Jackson.

 

[chamber-music]

Samuel L. Jackson as Sir Trevor McDonald!

 

[the amazing fro]

Meryl streep seems too nice to play the milk snatcher. That smile at the end looks like sweet old grandma, rather than evil old cow.

 

[Thebumwhowalks]

That's a...whole lot of assuming to do for such a short little trailer. I think it's inevitable that they will focus on the whole idea of a woman rising in a male dominated world, because she was a woman who rose in male dominated world. If you're not going to at least touch on that then you've wasted a pretty huge opportunity in adapting her story.

But, really, I don't think that necessarily means that's all we're going to see. I actually took the trailer in a different light, anyway. She seemed almost sinister, really. I think it's a little early to start dismissing the film as not addressing the more controversial aspects of Thatcher with so little being shown.

Aye, ach, I was not really assuming it would definitely be like that, just thinking it well could be, as in, a bit more than touching on that aspect as you say, more, it being the main focus of the movie.

The way it ended with her on that stage surrounded by the flashing lights and the adultation, and even the title of the movie, makes me think they will paint her as a hero for the most part.

edit: When choosing to use that particular nickname for the movie, it could not have escaped their notice that it sounds like a superhero's name, anyone who was going to do a 'warts and all' bio of Thatcher would probably hesitate to use that kind of title, as it *does* make her sound heroic, they would probably go for a neutral title like 'Thatcher'.
Or perhaps they are just trying to get bums in seats with a catchy title, but still.
When you take into consideration that her policies for the most part were decidely un-heroic, it is most probable that they will focus on the woman rising to power in the boy's world aspect, if indeed they go for the hero angle.

 

[Heisenberg]

She's like a Hitler with bigger balls.

pretty much.

Streep seems to have nailed the voice and mannerisms, this should be pretty interesting.

 

[Thebumwhowalks]

Streep seems to have nailed the voice and mannerisms, this should be pretty interesting.

You're from the Uk right? How many MT impressionists have you seen on tv over the years? I'm in my 30s, and i have seen many over the years, they all nail the voice and mannerisms perfectly, that is the easy part, because Thatch is so distinctive we can easily recognise her, but not so outlandish in any way, as to be difficult to copy superficially. What will mark out Streep's performance will be the ability to hook us into her emotional journey, the side of her we never saw in public.

 

[Heisenberg]

You're from the Uk right? How many MT impressionists have you seen on tv over the years? I'm in my 30s, and i have seen many over the years, they all nail the voice and mannerisms perfectly, that is the easy part, because Thatch is so distinctive we can easily recognise her, but not so outlandish in any way, as to be difficult to copy superficially. What will mark out Streep's performance will be the ability to hook us into her emotional journey, the side of her we never saw in public.

Oh I agree that there's a lot to see yet, not just her ability to hook us emotionally, but also the tone of the film and where it stands on her as a political figure - how it portrays her in script and to the public. I'm 23 and have seen far too many impressions to count, and whilst the voice and mannerisms are easily recognizable, they're never naturalistic; I always see charicatures - people doing impressions of how Thatcher is percieved, rather than the woman herself. Streep's got a natural tone about her, as if you're not seeing the impression, but a character in and of itself.

 

[terry78]

Streep has a knack for playing females that aren't really viewed as female, if you get me. Her Julia Child was creepy in how accurate the mannerisms were.

 

[Sgt.Pepper]

Clint Mansell Composing 'The Iron Lady'

I didn't expect this, but I guess that explains the music from Mansell in the trailer. Anyway, this is an interesting choice and with this film getting Oscar buzz, hopefully Mansell will get recognition in a form of a nomination, come award season.

 

[Smegger56]

I'm disgusted they're even making a movie about that conservative b*tch. Makes me feel sick. And makes me want to punch meryl streep when i see her looking like the 'Iron Lady'.

Sorry. Needed to say that. Has anyone seen 'W' (the george bush flick)? If so, how did that portray him?

 

[Tron Bonne]

They didn't really portray him in a good light or anything, basically put the spin on his entire war effort was him trying to outshine and also impress his father. At the same time they didn't demonize him, either, they actually kind of portrayed him as unwise to the fact that he was being driven by a bunch of a bad people.

 

[Dark Raven]

Just saw the trailer. Meryl Streep looks more like a spoof version of Thatcher, and even her voice isn't quite there. She doesn't seem quite heavy enough either. They should've added some latex pieces to bulk her up in places (or she could've put on weight by eating). She doesn't need to be fat or anything, but she looks a little thin. Most of all though, she really does look like someone just doing a Thatcher skit in a comedy show. Even that little smile/giggle at the end of "that's the tone we want to strike" seems not quite in character.

I see that Jim Broadbent is Dennis Thatcher, Anthony Head is Geoffrey Howe, Richard E Grant is Michael Hesletine (he seems too campy for him) and Michael Pennington is Michael Foot (well at least it wasn't Kevin Pennington).

 

[Sgt.Pepper]

Source

 

[Dark Raven]

Aye, ach, I was not really assuming it would definitely be like that, just thinking it well could be, as in, a bit more than touching on that aspect as you say, more, it being the main focus of the movie.

The way it ended with her on that stage surrounded by the flashing lights and the adultation, and even the title of the movie, makes me think they will paint her as a hero for the most part.

edit: When choosing to use that particular nickname for the movie, it could not have escaped their notice that it sounds like a superhero's name, anyone who was going to do a 'warts and all' bio of Thatcher would probably hesitate to use that kind of title, as it *does* make her sound heroic, they would probably go for a neutral title like 'Thatcher'.
Or perhaps they are just trying to get bums in seats with a catchy title, but still.

When you take into consideration that her policies for the most part were decidely un-heroic, it is most probable that they will focus on the woman rising to power in the boy's world aspect, if indeed they go for the hero angle.

You're wrong here. First of all, she really was called the Iron Lady. It isn't just a title used by the producers as the title of the film. It was an unflattering and pejorative title which EVERYONE in the UK knows. It signified how she ruled with an iron fist, that it was as if Britain was behind an iron curtain, and symbolised her harsh and abrasive personality and her cold heart. It's like calling her a dragon lady. Believe me, no-one will think it is a heroic title who knows Thatcher or think it sounds like a super hero. Maybe you're unfamiliar with her, which is why you make the association with Iron Man, but I doubt anyone else in the UK will make that association as it has a far stronger significance. That title is very much the "warts" of a warts and all bio.

 

[Thebumwhowalks]

You're wrong here. First of all, she really was called the Iron Lady. It isn't just a title used by the producers as the title of the film. It was an unflattering and pejorative title which EVERYONE in the UK knows. It signified how she ruled with an iron fist, that it was as if Britain was behind an iron curtain, and symbolised her harsh and abrasive personality and her cold heart. It's like calling her a dragon lady. Believe me, no-one will think it is a heroic title who knows Thatcher or think it sounds like a super hero. Maybe you're unfamiliar with her, which is why you make the association with Iron Man, but I doubt anyone else in the UK will make that association as it has a far stronger significance. That title is very much the "warts" of a warts and all bio.

Eh, I don't think I'm wrong at all, Thatcher herself would have taken that title as a compliment.

You can read into it however you want, but taken in the context of a movie title, it does evoke the feel of a superhero type handle, it's a very bold, abrasive, heroic sounding title for the movie, it suggests a steely resolve in this context, ie a movie about her rise to power, rather than a cold heart or whatever you were coming up with there.

edit: you're going to reply to this once i log off and go to bed arn't you? haha

edit: Also...you're not taking into consideration the 'Lady' half of the title in your little thesis there, which is a compliment, suggesting manners, and positive personal consideration for yourself as well as others.

 

[Drz]

Anyone seen it yet? Film comes here next friday and i'm thinking of checking it out. Just wondered if any SHH people had any thoughts to share.