The Iron Lady (2011)

An elderly Margaret Thatcher talks to the imagined presence of her recently deceased husband as she struggles to come to terms with his death while scenes from her past life, from girlhood to British prime minister, intervene.

Director:

Phyllida Lloyd

Writer:

Abi Morgan (screenplay)

Stars:

Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Richard E. Grant

Won 2 Oscars. Another 23 wins & 47 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Meryl Streep	...	Margaret Thatcher
Jim Broadbent	...	Denis Thatcher
Susan Brown	...	June - Housekeeper
Alice da Cunha	...	Cleaner
Phoebe Waller-Bridge	...	Susie - Margaret's Secretary
Iain Glen	...	Alfred Roberts
Alexandra Roach	...	Young Margaret Thatcher
Victoria Bewick	...	Muriel Roberts
Emma Dewhurst	...	Beatrice Roberts
Olivia Colman	...	Carol Thatcher
Harry Lloyd	...	Young Denis Thatcher
Sylvestra Le Touzel	...	Hostess 1949
Michael Culkin	...	Host 1949
Stephanie Jacob	...	Female Guest 1949
Robert Portal	...	Grey Suited Guest - 1949

Storyline

Elderly and a virtual prisoner in her own home due to her concerned staff and daughter Carol, Margaret Thatcher, Britain's first woman prime minister, looks back on her life as she clears out her late husband Denis's clothes for the Oxfam shop. Denis is seen as being her rock as she first enters parliament and then runs for the leadership of the Conservative Party, culminating in her eventual premiership. Now his ghost joins her to comment on her successes and failures, sometimes to her annoyance, generally to her comfort until ultimately, as the clothes are sent to the charity shop, Denis departs from Margaret's life forever.

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Plot Keywords:

politics | 10 downing street london | old woman | old age | conservative party | 

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Taglines:

Never compromise

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violent images and brief nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

It was reported that Margaret Thatcher never saw the film in her lifetime. She died from a stroke in 2013, aged 88, two years after the film was released.

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Goofs

"Norma", the opera that Margaret and Denis watch in the theater and whose aria "Casta Diva" is widely used in the movie score, was composed by Vincenzo Bellini, not Francesco Bellini as the framed booklet says.

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Quotes

Denis Thatcher: You'll be fine on your own, love. You always have been.

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Connections

Referenced in Bloodworks: Game of Thrones: Part 1 (2016)

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Soundtracks

I Whistle a Happy Tune
(Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II)
Published by Williamson Music, an Imagem Company
Recording taken from the original motion picture "The King and I (1956)"
Licensed courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

User Reviews

The Humanization Of Margaret Thatcher by Meryl Streep

Biopics are always a problem. That's why the long form, HBO style is infinitely more suitable and altogether more satisfying. Okay, now, once that aside, let me talk about Meryl Streep. A miracle! She does the impossible, not only manages to inhabit Thatcher, she also reveals her under a slightly different light. The human light. No matter how much at odds I've been with her politics, I saw that human side through Meryl Streep's eyes and realized that I had forgotten to remember, Thatcher was a human being, a woman breaking ground. She loved her husband but put her career first, as most men in her position do. Her drive is a mystery as much a mystery as Meryl Streep's art. After seeing the film, me, a life long anti-Thatcher, I have to say that it's a fair portrait of the woman. The ones who never heard of Margaret Thatcher, and there are, two of them were sitting next to me in theater, I think they thought "The Iron Lady" was the female version of "Iron Man" but even them surrendered to the character trough the glories of this other giant of our generation, Meryl Streep.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France] Official site [UK]

Country:

UK France

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 January 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Iron Lady

Filming Locations:

Wimbledon Film and Television Studios, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$220,409, 1 January 2012

Gross USA:

$30,017,992

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$115,890,699

Company Credits

Production Co:

DJ Films, Pathé, Film4

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1