Meryl Streep took home her third Oscar for Best Actress at this year’s awards ceremony for her portrayal as former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in director Phyllida Lloyd’s biographical drama, The Iron Lady. Unfortunately, that’s about all the film has going for it.
The Iron Lady
Studio: Anchor Bay/The Weinstein Company
US BD Release Date: April 10, 2012
Original Theatrical Release Year: 2011
Rated: PG-13 (for some violent images and brief nudity)
Running Time: 105 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English)
Subtitles: English (SDH), Spanish
Movie: 3 out of 5
Margaret Thatcher is one of the most important political leaders in recent world history. Daughter of a grocery owner, she became Great Britain’s first female Prime Minister, and with US President Ronald Reagan, helped bring down the Berlin Wall and communism in the Soviet Block. For a person of this stature (and the participation of Meryl Streep), one would think it would make great material for a riveting biographical film. The Iron Lady is not that film.
The film opens in present day with Thatcher buying a carton of milk at the corner grocer, her fellow customers oblivious to her identity. We soon learn that Thatcher had escaped from her home, where she is kept under constant guard by her servants under the direction of her daughter, Carol (Olivia Colman). The former Prime Minister has been grieving the loss of her husband, Denis (Jim Broadbent), who appears to her in hallucinations. Director Phyllida Lloyd and screenwriter Abi Morgan use this convention to set up the many flashbacks of key moments in Thatcher’s life, including her rise to power within Parliament and the Falklands War.
What the film lacks is focus and bite. Many of the flashbacks are scattered and too brief for the audience to make sense of. There is a scene where Denis refers to himself as a successful businessman, but the film never directly reveals what he was successful at (it was oil). Too much time is spent on the wrap-around, leaving the audience with no real idea as to what the filmmakers’ opinions of Thatcher are. And that is odd, since Thatcher, during her reign, effectively divided the citizens of Great Britain.
What propels the film is Meryl Streep’s performance, which would bring her her seventeenth Oscar nomination and third win. With seventeen nominations, it is hard to say that any performance by one of our best actresses isn’t Oscar-worthy. Streep effectively loses herself in the role, providing an uncanny impersonation of the former leader. But a great performance alone cannot make The Iron Lady a great film.
Video: 4 out of 5
Anchor Bay’s 1080/24p transfer, in the intended 2.35:1 aspect ratio using the AVC codec, is exactly what one would expect for a recent theatrical release. The film is bathed in a light blue tint by Director of Photography Elliot Davis (Twilight). Detail is very good, and flesh tones are accurate and consistent. The only problems I found were the overlapping of filmed images with flashbacks of news footage originally shot on standard definition videotape (and cropped to fill the 2.35:1 image).
Audio: 3.5 out of 5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is what one would expect for a a dialogue-driven film. The dialogue is clear and understandable, directed out of the center channel, with the left, right, surrounds and LFE used mostly for music and atmospheric effects. Thomas Newman’s score benefits from the dynamic range of the lossless multi-channel soundtrack.
Special Features: 2.5 out of 5
Making The Iron Lady (480p, 12:20): The cast and crew the character relationships as well as the teamwork and chemistry amongst the cast.
Recreating The Young Margaret Thatcher (480p, 2:44): A look at Alexandra Roach, the actress who played the young Margaret Thatcher. Unfortunately, much of the material was re-purposed from Making The Iron Lady.
Denis: The Man Behind The Woman (480p, 2:33): The focus here is more on actor Jim Broadbent who played Denis Thatcher. Again, much of the footage is taken from the first featurette.
Battle In The House Of Commons (480p, 2:28): If you watched the first featurette, then there is absolutely no need to watch this, as it is lifted verbatim from Making The Iron Lady.
Costume Design: Pearls And Power Suits (480p, 2:43): Costume Designer Consolata Boyle discusses the use of costumes to help tell the story.
History Goes To The Cinema (480p, 18:04): A look at five recent historical dramas released by The Weinstein Company (My Week With Marilyn, W./E., Coriolanus, The Iron Lady, The Artist) including interviews with Drew Casper, Michelle Williams, Madonna, Nicholas Cull, Ralph Fiennes, Steve Hindle, John Campbell, Meryl Streep, Wade Major, James Cromwell, and Malcolm MacDowell.
DVD Copy: A DVD version, with all of the same special features as the Blu-ray, is included on a second disc.
Digital Copy: An i-Tunes compatible version is included on a third disc.
Overall: 3 out of 5
Highlighted by an Oscar-wining performance by Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady fails to deliver what could have been an interesting and thoughtful look at the controversial Prime Minister. The special features, although somewhat repetitive, are insightful, nonetheless. Worth at least a rental for Meryl Streep’s performance.
