Post by kesterj on Feb 11, 2012 11:15:51 GMT 1
Hi folks,
I saw this film in the past week at a special showing.
I can thoroughly recommend it. Not because it's a glowing hagiography, nor because it slams the lady - like all good films, it has something for all sides.
You could be a true blue Tory from Surbiton, or a retired miner from East Durham and still rate it.
It is certainly less hagiographic than "Gandhi" - the film I would most liken it to.
But like Gandhi (about which I have several serious criticisms - though being a bit of an Indo-phile, I have watched 6-7 times) it will make people think - those of us who lived at the time, and the many under 40s for whom Margaret Thatcher is but a name from their childhoods.
I think it will also help non-Brits (step forward Croats with Brit spouses) understand a bit better the 1970s-80s in the UK.
I have my questions about the film - an early scene shows Margaret as a 14 year old in a WWII bombing raid. I assume this must have occured - interesting that the Luftwaffe bombed Grantham (probably meant to be Derby, I suspect, and they got lost. Was there anything strategic in Grantham?)
It portrays the Tory Party when Maggie started out as incredibly stuffy - impossible to believe they were really like that, but maybe it's true picture, at least in many constituencies.
Unless I had nooded off, it ignores the moment Maggie became (in) famous - the Maggie Thatcher, Milk Snatcher episode - bit of a surprise that.
And in the Falklands conflict, it rather omits the role of the RAF, most particulalry the two Vulcan bombing raids on Port Stanley airfield - a serious feat of aviation military skill and record for long distance bombing which involved dozens of in-flight refuelling operations. There was not even a 10 second clip of a Harrier doing a vertical take off.
Still, everyone will have their particular gripe - not enough about this or too much about that. Whatever, the film employs a fascinating means of holding the thread of her life together.
The audience (mixed-nationalities) was just totally silent and sat in their seats for perhaps 40 seconds when the credtis started to role - which has to be a good sign that it made a serious impressoni.
Great film for teachers to use on history/geography - or even English language instruction if you happen to have a class of would-be politicians (Might need to show it in a good few parts though.)
There..........that's my recommendation for the month
kesterj
I saw this film in the past week at a special showing.
I can thoroughly recommend it. Not because it's a glowing hagiography, nor because it slams the lady - like all good films, it has something for all sides.
You could be a true blue Tory from Surbiton, or a retired miner from East Durham and still rate it.
It is certainly less hagiographic than "Gandhi" - the film I would most liken it to.
But like Gandhi (about which I have several serious criticisms - though being a bit of an Indo-phile, I have watched 6-7 times) it will make people think - those of us who lived at the time, and the many under 40s for whom Margaret Thatcher is but a name from their childhoods.
I think it will also help non-Brits (step forward Croats with Brit spouses) understand a bit better the 1970s-80s in the UK.
I have my questions about the film - an early scene shows Margaret as a 14 year old in a WWII bombing raid. I assume this must have occured - interesting that the Luftwaffe bombed Grantham (probably meant to be Derby, I suspect, and they got lost. Was there anything strategic in Grantham?)
It portrays the Tory Party when Maggie started out as incredibly stuffy - impossible to believe they were really like that, but maybe it's true picture, at least in many constituencies.
Unless I had nooded off, it ignores the moment Maggie became (in) famous - the Maggie Thatcher, Milk Snatcher episode - bit of a surprise that.
And in the Falklands conflict, it rather omits the role of the RAF, most particulalry the two Vulcan bombing raids on Port Stanley airfield - a serious feat of aviation military skill and record for long distance bombing which involved dozens of in-flight refuelling operations. There was not even a 10 second clip of a Harrier doing a vertical take off.
Still, everyone will have their particular gripe - not enough about this or too much about that. Whatever, the film employs a fascinating means of holding the thread of her life together.
The audience (mixed-nationalities) was just totally silent and sat in their seats for perhaps 40 seconds when the credtis started to role - which has to be a good sign that it made a serious impressoni.
Great film for teachers to use on history/geography - or even English language instruction if you happen to have a class of would-be politicians (Might need to show it in a good few parts though.)
There..........that's my recommendation for the month
kesterj