The Iron Lady - WOW!

[fco-karatekid]

SO I watched what I THOUGHT was gonna be a chick flick (hey, it helps me meet one of my three basic needs - see: Bill Engvall) and was pleasantly surprised.

First, no matter your opinion of PM Margaret Thatcher, you will likely be equally offended. Detractors will no doubt hate the fact she was portrayed admirably during her administration; those who love her will be pist at how she was portrayed in later life.

Regardless, Streep's portrayal was amazing.

I was a teen in the 80's (and was VERY US-centric in my thinking), so this enlightened me on some of the challenges she faced at the time across the pond.

Regardless of the odd means the director chose to tell the story; I was impressed!

[LordMond63]

I have not seen the film but read several reviews of it when they first came out and many had opinions very similar to yours.

My opinion of Lady Thatcher is that she is one of the three greatest leaders of the second half of the Twentieth Century. Her task was made all the harder because Britain, as was the case in the rest of Europe, were ideologically well to the left of the United States and thus her actions went more against the prevailing wisdom than did Reagan's here in the United States.

I'm of the opinion that a hagiography does a serious disservice to its subject. Every leader of which I am familiar has or had flaws, usually more than one and some of which were major, so there's nothing wrong in illustrating them while, at the same time, giving credit where credit is due. It seems that was accomplished in "Iron Lady". When you manage to tick off both supporters and detractors, you must be doing something right.

[Maitland]

I'd do her.

[fco-karatekid]

...Every leader of which I am familiar has or had flaws, usually more than one and some of which were major, ...

Had an instructor in leadership school (military) once say extreme leaders will always be about half a bubble off from the rest of the world - it's inherent, because they think so differently from everyone else. You have to take the bad with the good.

[LordMond63]

Had an instructor in leadership school (military) once say extreme leaders will always be about half a bubble off from the rest of the world - it's inherent, because they think so differently from everyone else. You have to take the bad with the good.

Very insightful instructor.

And that "extreme" adjective can apply equally to "extreme(ly)" good and "extreme(ly)" bad. In some cases, "half a bubble" might be a bit generous.....