The Iron Lady

"Never Compromise."

2011 1h 45m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 1,933

HistoryDrama

Synopsis

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A look at the life of Margaret Thatcher, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, with a focus on the price she paid for power.

“Never Compromise.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Meryl Streep
Margaret Thatcher
Jim Broadbent
Denis Thatcher
Olivia Colman
Carol Thatcher
Roger Allam
Gordon Reece
Susan Brown
June
Nick Dunning
Jim Prior
Nicholas Farrell
Airey Neave
Iain Glen
Alfred Roberts

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Writers: Abi Morgan
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, France, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 8.9× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 15 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: United Kingdom, France, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Phyllida Lloyd, shot by Elliot Davis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Thomas Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Justine Wright shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Meryl Streep and Jim Broadbent and Olivia Colman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Never Compromise.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Phyllida Lloyd directs. Elliot Davis behind the camera. Thomas Newman scores. Justine Wright cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom, France, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 8.9× over at the box office.
2Released 15 years ago.
3International production across 3 countries: United Kingdom, France, United States of America.
4Directed by Phyllida Lloyd, shot by Elliot Davis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Thomas Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Justine Wright shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Meryl Streep and Jim Broadbent and Olivia Colman carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Never Compromise.".
9IMDB entry: tt1007029 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 17 themes, including "capitalism", "prime minister", "based on true story", "argentina".

The technical file

Cinematography: Elliot Davis
Original score: Thomas Newman
Editing: Justine Wright
Production design: Simon Elliott
Costume design: Consolata Boyle
Makeup / hair: Chris Lyons
Sound: Craig Irving
Runtime: 105 min · 1h 45m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $13,000,000
Box office: $115,890,792
Return: 891% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Iron Lady (2011)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Academy Award for Best Actress

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Phyllida Lloyd

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-07-23
★ 6/10
Told by way of a retrospective, Meryl Streep is the elderly Baroness Thatcher who is struggling to get over the death of her husband Sir Denis (Jim Broadbent) and dealing with the onset of dementia that is distressing her daughter Carol (Olivia Colman) and is causing her to forget yesterday but vividly recall the moments from her past that led to her domination of British politics for ten years. Streep does well mimicking the style and voice of the politician, but the back and forth style of the film's timelines robs it of much of it's potency. It is hard to be critical of the woman or her style when she is largely portrayed via the image of the shell that she had become towards the end of her life. You cannot help but feel a degree of pity for her and I suspect everyone watching - and her too - would not have wanted that. The condensed nature of the narrative does little justice to her career - it's controversial highs and lows; position on the global stage, even her downfall is rushed - and the depiction of her life here leaves us with little of substance with which to judge this most polarising of women. It is worth a watch to witness a consummate professional at work, but as a review of Margaret Thatcher or her political career it falls disappointingly short.

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