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Reviews
Death Is a Woman (1966)
So bad it really isn't good
A very clunky policier set on an unnamed island in Europe. The best sequence is probably the pedestrian chase, with The Prisoner-esque music and atmosphere. The underwater sequences are mainly good because they don't involve much acting. Really quite flimsy. I appreciate kitsch but I would recommend giving this film a miss.
Beautiful Stranger (1954)
Not much good noiresque
This movie seems to be hampered by preserving Ginger Rogers' good girl image. This leads to a lot of highly unlikely scenarios, none of which ring true.
The Iron Lady (2011)
Doesn't quite ring true
This film is more moving at the start than at the end. The end seems a little false, I think because the film lacks the courage to be a tragedy. A woman of great powers of eloquence and intellectual acuity suffering from Alzheimer's disease is hard to put a cheerful spin on, which this film attempts. The use of sound and music is very, very effective, especially in conveying the sense of confusion and alienation at the start.
Unlike the lady herself, this film is not strong on domestic policy. Though the poll tax appears as a key part of Thatcher's downfall, its political intent, to undermine big-spending Labour local councils, is never spelled out. The privatisation of council housing was an enormously important step and ideological shift, which doesn't get a look in here.
The big questions about Thatcher's life don't really seem to be engaged with. Was her mental decline caused by the way she was removed from office, which she saw as betrayal? Was it betrayal, or did she bring it on herself by hubris? The film touches on this last question but only very lightly.
This film is largely very broad, staying out of the nitty-gritty of politics too much. Overall, it is a strong film, with a very effective structure and terribly moving in parts but the scenes from Thatcher's actual Prime Ministership are the weakest in it.