Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley is a historical and biographical drama (based on a true story) which premiered on British television (BBC) in 2008.
The topic is the beginning of Margaret Thatcher’s political career (1949-1959).
Here is some basic
information about this drama:
** Director: Niall MacCormick
** Writer: Tony Saint
** Released on DVD in 2008
** Run time: 84 minutes
The cast includes the following:
** Andrea
Riseborough as Margaret Thatcher (born Roberts) (1925-2013) - British Prime Minister 1979-1990
** Rory Kinnear as
Denis Thatcher (1915-2003) – a businessman – Margaret’s husband 1951-2003
** Philip Jackson as Alfred Roberts (1892-1970) – a grocer - Margaret’s father
** Samuel West as Edward “Ted” Heath (1916-2005) – a conservative politician
** Geoffrey Palmer as Sir John Crowder (1891-1961) – a conservative politician
Since this drama is based on a true story, the basic facts are part of the public record. They are not a secret. Therefore, I feel free to mention some of them here in this review.
While this drama is based on a true story, it is not a documentary film. It is a dramatized version of events. Some details may have been added, altered or excluded for dramatic reasons or for practical purposes.
Not everything happened exactly as shown in the drama. But the basic story-line is true.
The subtitle of the drama - How Maggie Might Have Done It - is a reminder that this is a dramatized version of events.
Certain facts (names, dates, and places) are known. But between these facts there are several gaps which the writer (Tony Saint) has filled with words and actions which seemed realistic to him.
Margaret is born in 1925. In 1949, when she begins her political career, she is not yet married. Her family name is Roberts. Like her father, she is a member of the Conservative Party.
Her political career begins in Dartford where she is selected to be the Conservative candidate. Why does the party select a candidate who is young, inexperienced and in addition a woman to run in this district?
Because Dartford is a Labour district. The party knows she is going to lose. They just need someone to run against the Labour candidate in order to show the flag. No important Conservative politician wants to run in Dartford.
As expected, Margaret does not win, but she does manage to win more votes for her party than they had before. The Labour victory is not as big as expected. Clearly, Margaret made a big and positive impression on the voters in Dartford.
After this experience, Margaret keeps looking for a district where she has a real chance to win. But it is not easy to find one. Every district is already “owned” by a candidate who has been there for a while. It is always a man, often a man who fought in World War II. How can she compete with that?
Margaret is up against the old boys’ network. They do not want to let her in. This is not fair! What can she do?
The struggle to find a district where she has a real chance to win is long and hard. It takes her ten years.
In 1958, she is accepted as a candidate for Finchley district and in the election of 1959 she wins a seat in Parliament.
This drama is the story of those ten years. Hence the title: The Long Walk to Finchley.
This movie is not only about Margaret and politics. Other topics are covered as well.
We see her as she meets and later marries Denis Thatcher, a successful businessman who is also a member of the Conservative Party.
We see her as she has her twins (one boy and one girl). And we see her while she is studying to become a lawyer (a barrister).
What do reviewers say about it?
On IMDb, it has a rating of 71 per cent, which corresponds to a rating of 3.6 stars on Amazon. If you ask me, this rating is too low.
On Amazon UK, there are at the moment 22 ratings of this product. The average rating is 4.7 stars which corresponds to a rating of 94 percent. If you ask me, this rating is too high.
Why?
What is wrong?
Let me explain:
The script is well-written and the actors play their roles well. The story is captivating, dramatic, and sometimes emotional. In addition, it is based on a true story. But the drama is not perfect. It has a flaw.
It is too friendly towards its subject.
How?
Choosing Andrea Riseborough to play the main part is a friendly gesture. Because Andrea is more attractive and more charming that the real Margaret was.
I am sorry to say this, but it is true. Look at the photos of Margaret as a teenager and a young woman posted below, and you will see that I am right.
There is more. When the movie was completed, but not yet shown on television, some important people at the BBC took one more look at it. They decided that some scenes had to be edited, and some details had to be changed.
Every change presented the main character in a slightly more positive light. It seems these people were afraid the movie was too negative, so they demanded some changes here and there.
Whether we like Margaret Thatcher or not is not the issue here. Of course not. What matters is the quality of the movie: does this movie offer a fair and realistic portrait of Margaret during the first ten years of her political career?
I think the basic answer is yes, but as you can see, it has a flaw which cannot be ignored. I have to remove one star because of this flaw. Therefore, I think this drama deserves a rating of four stars (80 percent).
REFERENCES
Margaret is a historical drama about Margaret Thatcher’s last days as Prime Minister. The story is set in 1990, but there are several flashbacks to earlier times. This drama was shown on British television (BBC) in 2009.
The Iron Lady is a historical drama featuring the American actress Meryl Streep in the leading role. This drama premiered in 2011.
Margaret Thatcher: The Iron Lady is a documentary film about the life and times of Margaret Thatcher which premiered in 2012.
*****
Margaret Thatcher
(1925-2013)
British Prime Minister 1979-1990
This photo is from 1995
Age 70
*****
Margaret Thatcher as a teenager
This photo is from 1938
Age 13
*****
Margaret Thatcher as a young woman
This photo is from 1959
Age 34
*****
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