The Iron Lady

The Iron Lady starring Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher is a major contender for the 1012 Oscars!

Director: Phyllida Lloyd

Stars: Meryl Streep and Jim Broadbent

Rated: PG-13



In The Iron Lady, we meet the first and still the only female prime minister in Britain’s history in something like present time, long after her glory days. (Thatcher is now 86.) In flashback, we are introduced to her as a young student, and later as an accomplished middle-aged politician. Originally Lloyd thought she would need three different actresses for the role. Enter Streep, who convinced Lloyd she could believably be Margaret from age 49, at which point she took the lead of England’s Conservative Party, well into her 80s. (Welsh newcomer Alexandra Roach portrays Thatcher in her youth). Thanks to some very adept make-up, applied by J. Roy Helland, and Streep’s gift of inhabiting real-life characters, the actress channels Thatcher through those years — in voice, expression, gesture and stature.

We all know Thatcher held her own with male political leaders Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. We know she had a reputation for being almost anti-feminine, ruthless with her nearly all-male cabinet and, at times, dangerously decisive. Ingeniously, Lloyd presents Thatcher completely against type. Because the film centers on Thatcher late in life, after she has lost her husband and soul mate, Denis (played tenderly by English actor Jim Broadbent), it exposes her vulnerability. We can relate to this Thatcher, a devoted partner in a loving, romantic marriage — a woman who can’t let go of her husband, even in death.

By Bill Newcott

If you want to watch a subtitled version, link to: http://youtu.be/83oOgNJmMSY
You can also listen to Meryl Streep  talking about her role in the film in an interview by the BBC:  http://youtu.be/Tkhz6te9xfc

Tasks:
1. Watch the videos and verify how astonishing Meryl Streep´s performance is.
2. Read the movie review and find synonyms for the following terms taken from it:

Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
Newcomer	Adept Ruthless Anti-femenine	Channel(-s) Portray(-s) Expose(-s)	Believably Tenderly

3. And if you are a cinemagoer, learn English through movies.
Watch, listen and read at the same time, and study the vocabulary and script. And when you are ready, take a quiz.
For a start, you can choose among the following titles:

TITANIC  http://youtu.be/KD6r4wsAjd8

CASTLE ROCK  http://youtu.be/oKK0hpCzwKg

DREAM WORKS  http://youtu.be/FqLpOEf7gF4

GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING  http://youtu.be/4D8pnm3cSzM

I hope you enjoy  watching these trailers, an enjoyable way to learning English!