H.B. Movie Review: I Watched "The Iron Lady," So You Didn't Have To!

I’m guessing that based on the post’s title, you can deduce that I didn't enjoy watching “The Iron Lady” (2011). Starring Meryl Streep, the biopic spans from Margaret’s early days as grocer’s daughter to her last years grappling with dementia.

My main problem with the movie was that it didn't employ a linear narrative, and seems to hopscotch back and forth in time. Maybe, it feels disjointed because the story unfolds via a series of remembrances. Taking place around 2008, the audience finds Maggie in the grips of dementia. Though her husband Denis is dead, his ghost interacts with Maggie throughout. It’s these hallucinations, or sometimes a home movie, old photograph, or news story that sparks the flashbacks which depict the important episodes in her life. These memories are juxtaposed with Maggie trying to navigate her way through everyday life as she tries desperately to grasp reality.
Read more »

Read More

Margaret Thatcher, Part 2 (Show Notes)

The victorious end of the Falklands War designated the start of Great Britain’s stormy romance with Margaret Thatcher. Though it culminated with a surprising betrayal and angry tears, she governed longer than any 20th century Prime Minister. Undoubtedly, Maggie’s first years were troubled; but, during her second term she realized many of the concepts that became synonymous with her name.

Helped by Nigel Lawson, Chancellor of the Exchequer, she led the country out its slump. Though Britain’s bourgeois boomed, critics observed that her government persistently disregarded underprivileged citizens. Ultimately, those who’d gained from Maggie’s economic proposals would scorn her, too.
Besides stimulating economic growth, Maggie concentrated on bolstering her relationship with U.S. President Reagan. Together, with Mikhail Gorbachev, these super friends shut-down the Cold War. She courted global censure by refusing to sanction apartheid South Africa, professing it would harm Britain, neighboring African countries, and black South Africans. And, she went head-to-head with China, negotiating Hong Kong’s “special status” after the conclusion of British governance.

Read more »

Read More

Episode #6: Margaret Thatcher, Part 2

Reactions to her death included requesting, “Ding, Dong the Witch is Dead” be played in her memory. Ouch! But, conversely, she was ranked # 16 in the BBC’s survey of the 100 Greatest Britons. So, who’s right? Tune-in to discover why Margaret Thatcher’s legacy is so contentious.

Read More

Episode #5: Margaret Thatcher, Part 1

Her nicknames include “Attila the Hen,” the “Grocer’s Daughter,” and the “Iron Lady”- but who was the real Margaret Thatcher? Tune-in to discover more about the unexpected rise of Britain’s first woman Prime Minister.

Read More

Episode #5: Margaret Thatcher, Part 1 (Show Notes)

Ding-dong! The Witch is Dead! It’s testimony to Margaret Thatcher’s questionable legacy that after she died, some opponents started a campaign to get this famous tune from “The Wizard of Oz” to #1 on the charts in her memory. But who was the person behind the evil, handbag-wielding caricature?

Born in Grantham, England, Margaret was taught early that she’d only achieve success by working hard and staying true to your convictions. Earning a scholarship to the Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School, and later a place at Somerville College, Oxford Margaret’s education reaffirmed her desire to enter politics.
Read more »

Read More