Iron Lady movie humanizes Thatcher
Source: Agencies |
February 6, 2012, Monday
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LONG reviled in Argentina for leading Britain to war over the Falkland Islands, Margaret Thatcher's portrayal as a vulnerable, elderly woman suffering from dementia in new film "The Iron Lady" has won her newfound sympathy with Argentine moviegoers.
The Oscar-nominated film shows Thatcher, the 86-year-old former British prime minister, as a confused and lonely old woman remembering flashbacks of her divisive political career, and its release comes as diplomatic tensions over the Falklands are flaring anew.
"The image of the old woman makes me sad, it's an image of the tremendous solitude that comes with power," Alicia Fischer, a retired chemical industry worker said after seeing the film featuring Meryl Streep when it opened in Buenos Aires at the weekend.
Fischer said she will always see Britain as the enemy, but her perception of Thatcher changed after the film.
"You have to put yourself in her shoes, Fischer said. "She did what she had to do for her country ... "
Gabriela Michetti, an Argentine opposition lawmaker, said the film humanizes Thatcher.
"It shows the contrast between her weakness and her firmness bordering on cruelty," Michetti said.
The audience at a packed Buenos Aires movie theater on Friday sat quietly transfixed by the film. The only murmurs came when Thatcher, in her trademark suit and power hairdo, orders the sinking of the battleship General Belgrano that killed 323 Argentine sailors in what was a turning point in the war.
To Ernesto Alonso, who was sent to fight in Las Malvinas, as the Falklands are known in Spanish, as a young conscript, the film is a must-see. "She was the harshest symbol of the policies of the empire," Alonso said of Thatcher. "It's important to see the war through a movie and see what kind of legacy this kind of character leaves behind."
Tensions between Britain and Argentina have been stirred again in recent months by oil exploration in the Falklands. Britain's decision to send one of its most sophisticated warships to the islands has also reopened old wounds, though a new armed conflict seems unthinkable.
In a war of words, President Cristina Fernandez has described Britain as a "crass colonial power in decline" while Cameron has accused Argentina of colonialism and vowed to protect the islands.
As "The Iron Lady" opened in Argentine cinemas last Thursday, ahead of the 30th anniversary of the war, in which around 650 Argentine and 255 British troops were killed.
The Oscar-nominated film shows Thatcher, the 86-year-old former British prime minister, as a confused and lonely old woman remembering flashbacks of her divisive political career, and its release comes as diplomatic tensions over the Falklands are flaring anew.
"The image of the old woman makes me sad, it's an image of the tremendous solitude that comes with power," Alicia Fischer, a retired chemical industry worker said after seeing the film featuring Meryl Streep when it opened in Buenos Aires at the weekend.
Fischer said she will always see Britain as the enemy, but her perception of Thatcher changed after the film.
"You have to put yourself in her shoes, Fischer said. "She did what she had to do for her country ... "
Gabriela Michetti, an Argentine opposition lawmaker, said the film humanizes Thatcher.
"It shows the contrast between her weakness and her firmness bordering on cruelty," Michetti said.
The audience at a packed Buenos Aires movie theater on Friday sat quietly transfixed by the film. The only murmurs came when Thatcher, in her trademark suit and power hairdo, orders the sinking of the battleship General Belgrano that killed 323 Argentine sailors in what was a turning point in the war.
To Ernesto Alonso, who was sent to fight in Las Malvinas, as the Falklands are known in Spanish, as a young conscript, the film is a must-see. "She was the harshest symbol of the policies of the empire," Alonso said of Thatcher. "It's important to see the war through a movie and see what kind of legacy this kind of character leaves behind."
Tensions between Britain and Argentina have been stirred again in recent months by oil exploration in the Falklands. Britain's decision to send one of its most sophisticated warships to the islands has also reopened old wounds, though a new armed conflict seems unthinkable.
In a war of words, President Cristina Fernandez has described Britain as a "crass colonial power in decline" while Cameron has accused Argentina of colonialism and vowed to protect the islands.
As "The Iron Lady" opened in Argentine cinemas last Thursday, ahead of the 30th anniversary of the war, in which around 650 Argentine and 255 British troops were killed.
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