La Dama De Hierro

My birthday outing today was to see Meryl Streep in the Iron Lady, screened in English in Gerona with Spanish subtitles.

Love her or loath her Margaret Thatcher was a towering figure in the politics of the late 20th Century, and any film of her life is bound to polarise opinion depending upon where you choose to stand on the political spectrum.

Lets separate the acting and the story. I found Meryl Streep superb, Jim Broadbent compellingly brilliant, Carol Thatcher very believable and Anthony Head suitably confused as Howe.

The story will be picked over, debated, dissected and torn to shreds, again depending on where your political values lay at the time. To me it was a quick run through of events half remembered and tinged with the benefit of hindsight. The scenes that produced a tear came towards the end where the figure of long dead Denis is banished from the retiral flat and a sad, lost figure wants him to leave her, but not just now.

Is it true to life? I am not qualified to say, is it worth seeing? Definitel. Is it disrespectful to an iconic figure? In my view no, though it is a little uncomfortable at times, but no more than seeing any well known personality revealed in dotage.

I have had a lovely birthday, great lunch, good film and my main present a Banjo!! Picking times ahead.