The Movie 'The Iron Lady' Analysis Assignment Paper (Movie Review Sample)

[Student Name]
[Lecturer’s Name]
[Course Details]
[Date]
The Movie ‘The Iron Lady’
Protracted debates have been witnessed globally on the suitability of female leadership, especially for service in momentous capacities. A nation such as the U.S., which is among the pioneers and champions of democracy, is yet to accept a female president. This is a clear indication that women have to work against a myriad of odds to clinch any meaningful positions on a national scale. The entertainment industry often transcends convention to depict various phenomena in life. The leadership of women has not been an exception to moviemakers’ frantic efforts to pitch themselves as having a keen eye for the activities that transpire all around us. The movie, ‘The Iron Lady’ is a typical example of the efforts made by this industry to mirror what goes on around the globe. This essay seeks to conduct an analysis of this movie with the objective of assessing its success in depicting the life of the first female prime minister of Britain, the late Margret Thatcher.
A synopsis of ‘The Iron Lady’
The movie ‘The Iron Lady’ is a British biopic based on the life of the longest-serving prime minister of the United Kingdom, Margret Thatcher, produced in the year 2011. Written by Abi Morgan and produced by Phyllida Lloyd who is one of the most esteemed film directors in the United Kingdom, it casts among others, America’s most celebrated actress Meryl Streep as the main character, that is, Margret Thatcher. The movie’s approximately one hour and forty minutes run-time is an attempt at portraying the odds 20th-century women had to grapple with in their endeavors to attain leadership positions. The Iron Lady specifically cuts a portrait of a woman who comes from nowhere to smash through gender and class-based barriers to claiming an esteemed spot in a male-dominated field.
Analysis of ‘The Iron Lady’
The Iron Lady is a biopic, which has been, and still is, a subject of heated deliberations as to whether they satisfy the criteria of standing independently as a genre. Many scholars, among them Professor Rick Altman, have extensively deliberated on this issue but it remains largely unresolved. A rudimentary concept of the term biopic is necessary before proceeding any further. The word biopic was coined from two words; ‘biography’ and ‘pictures.’ Biopics are thus movies aimed at aim at depicting and dramatizing the life of an important historical character either from the past or present era (Boxclever Films par. 1). They often dwell on the big events of a person’s life such as wartime, political or social conditions surrounding the person’s day-to-day life as they rise to fame and glory (Wilkins 5).
Putting ‘The Iron Lady’ in perspective, it meets these criteria quite effortlessly. This qualifies it as a biopic. Margret Thatcher, the protagonist in the movie, was not only the first female prime minister of the United Kingdom but also the longest serving in the 20th century. The movie does well in highlight the major developments of her life including her meteoric political rise, the Falklands war, the height of her tenure as prime minister and eventually her unceremonious exit from the ranks of power and authority. In this respect, the movie perfectly fits within the statutes that govern biopics.
The central theme in this movie seems to be the struggles a woman has to through as they try to ascend the social and economic ladder. Women have been in fighting terms with men, all the while trying to make an assertion that what men can do, they can do better. This has been witnessed in virtually all fields including political leadership. The tragedy, however, is that they have never been taken seriously such that those who succeed in clinching enviable positions on the social ladder have to incessantly ward off malicious passes made at them by the men around them. In the movie, the protagonist is portrayed as one who made it into male-dominated ranks and quite vocal and even radical with a no-nonsense political style and administrative approach. However, summarily considering her portrayal in the movie, it gives an impression of a world that is inclined against women and even her tenure in office seems to have just been a short stint in office. In her old age, she is still remorseful over how she was forced out of office against her will. The central theme in the movie is developed quite well.
The movie manages to create different atmospheres for different occasions for instance when the ever tough is at it with the men in her capacity, one cannot help but feel a taste of the uncompromising air she built around her. She was almost invincible in the face of the men, never yielding to any of their attempts to sell their ideas to her. In the comfort of her home, the movie portrays a beautiful family which enviable both as a young couple and even later in life. The story is largely told through flashbacks to different points in life by an old almost senile Margret Thatcher. This style also does well in building suspense, especially when the scenes change from one scene to another through different instances of flashback. One cannot help but ask fundamental questions on the sequence of events leading to a particular occurrence. The movie follows a conventional plot line in which the news on TV at the milk store and the reaction of the unrecognized Margret Thatcher forms the exposition. The rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution all come in either as different instances of flashback or a brief section of the present life of the protagonist. Thus, the theme and plot of the movie were innovatively woven as a series of flashbacks.
The protagonist faces different forms of conflict both within herself and with other characters. The internal conflicts are more clearly notable in her old age. However, her conflicts with other people are almost every day occurrences in her prime years as the head of government due to her radical and uncompromising nature. At the end of the story, the protagonist seems to change her perception of the issues that tormented her most of her retired life. The movie closes when she is at peace with ...