[T]he three Englishwomen who wrote, directed, and edited The Iron Lady appear remarkably uninterested in the affairs of state that captivated their main character. (…)
[I]t’s odd, however, to see a film devoted largely to a side of Mrs. Thatcher in which not even she seemed all that interested. Once in the 1990s, my wife enjoyed a woman-to-woman chat with the ex-PM on the sort of family topics that obsess the filmmakers. For example, the Baroness confided in her: “I was most fortunate to have had twins,” because giving birth to a boy and a girl simultaneously let her get on with her career more quickly (…)
In the scenes of her plucky 1950 run for Parliament at age 24, Thatcher is played by the young actress Alexandra Roach as buck-toothed and plain. This fails to convey the head-turning impact the fresh-faced Miss Roberts had on Englishmen at the time, as later attested by admirers such as Alec Guinness, David Lean, and Kingsley Amis. This photo captures some of her English Rose appeal, but it’s still hard for contemporary Americans to factor in how worn most other Englishwomen looked in 1950 after a decade of rationing.
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Er, Steve…
