The new film The Iron Lady looks to capture the image of a woman capable of deploying sexual allure politically
Ever since French president François Mitterrand suggested that Margaret Thatcher had "the eyes of Caligula, the mouth of Marilyn Monroe", we've had to get used to the unbelievable truth that Margaret Thatcher was made of more than iron.
The publicity still of Meryl Streep released to promote her forthcoming performance in the film The Iron Lady continues that counterintuitive narrative. Not Thatcher, Milk Snatcher. But Thatcher, Seducer. The image ideally realises what Tory makeover people wanted Thatcher to be – not just the hard-as-nails Conservative who destroyed a nation's industrial base, but a woman capable of deploying sexual allure politically.
Streep, I feel sure, will be able to modulate that psychic transition subtly if her career as an actor and the photo of her as Thatcher are anything to go by.
Ever since French president François Mitterrand suggested that Margaret Thatcher had "the eyes of Caligula, the mouth of Marilyn Monroe", we've had to get used to the unbelievable truth that Margaret Thatcher was made of more than iron.
The publicity still of Meryl Streep released to promote her forthcoming performance in the film The Iron Lady continues that counterintuitive narrative. Not Thatcher, Milk Snatcher. But Thatcher, Seducer. The image ideally realises what Tory makeover people wanted Thatcher to be – not just the hard-as-nails Conservative who destroyed a nation's industrial base, but a woman capable of deploying sexual allure politically.
Streep, I feel sure, will be able to modulate that psychic transition subtly if her career as an actor and the photo of her as Thatcher are anything to go by.
- 2/9/2011
- by Stuart Jeffries
- The Guardian - Film News
Oscar-nominated British actor with a vast range who could move between comedy and tragedy with ease
The actor Pete Postlethwaite had a face that elicited many similes, among them "a stone archway" and "a bag of spanners". These unflattering descriptions, plus his tongue-twisting surname, would suggest an actor with a career limited to minor supporting roles. But Postlethwaite, who has died of cancer aged 64, played a vast range of characters, often leading roles, on stage, television and film.
He was at ease in switching the masks of tragedy and comedy. The working-class martinet father he played in Terence Davies's film Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988), which Postlethwaite credited as his big break, can be seen as paradigmatic of his career. Postlethwaite powerfully conveyed the father's double-sided nature: at one moment he is tenderly kissing his children goodnight, the next he is ripping the tablecloth off in a rage.
Postlethwaite was...
The actor Pete Postlethwaite had a face that elicited many similes, among them "a stone archway" and "a bag of spanners". These unflattering descriptions, plus his tongue-twisting surname, would suggest an actor with a career limited to minor supporting roles. But Postlethwaite, who has died of cancer aged 64, played a vast range of characters, often leading roles, on stage, television and film.
He was at ease in switching the masks of tragedy and comedy. The working-class martinet father he played in Terence Davies's film Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988), which Postlethwaite credited as his big break, can be seen as paradigmatic of his career. Postlethwaite powerfully conveyed the father's double-sided nature: at one moment he is tenderly kissing his children goodnight, the next he is ripping the tablecloth off in a rage.
Postlethwaite was...
- 1/4/2011
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Disused train stations, warehouses and other industrial sites are the venues for a raft of site-specific exhibitions and theatre, dance and film projects
A fresh summer tradition is claiming its place alongside strawberries at Wimbledon, odd hats at Ascot and Rolf Harris at music festivals: it is the temporary, blink-and-you-miss-it innovation of "pop-up" culture. Already a big trend in retail and catering, this year the established names in the arts have embraced the idea of using short-lived venues for exhibitions, dance, theatre and film.
First devised as a way of urging customers to take advantage of a one-off chance to buy something or eat something, the fad has joined forces with an increasing creative interest in "site-specific" theatre and dance projects. Garages, car parks, warehouses and disused transport terminals are all being given an unexpected afterlife this summer as hundreds of pop-up shows bloom across the nation.
Last week saw...
A fresh summer tradition is claiming its place alongside strawberries at Wimbledon, odd hats at Ascot and Rolf Harris at music festivals: it is the temporary, blink-and-you-miss-it innovation of "pop-up" culture. Already a big trend in retail and catering, this year the established names in the arts have embraced the idea of using short-lived venues for exhibitions, dance, theatre and film.
First devised as a way of urging customers to take advantage of a one-off chance to buy something or eat something, the fad has joined forces with an increasing creative interest in "site-specific" theatre and dance projects. Garages, car parks, warehouses and disused transport terminals are all being given an unexpected afterlife this summer as hundreds of pop-up shows bloom across the nation.
Last week saw...
- 6/26/2010
- by Vanessa Thorpe
- The Guardian - Film News
Stevie Wonder hits the UK, Toy Story goes 3D, and it's the last ever Big Brother – our critics pick the unmissable events of the season
Pop
Stevie Wonder
Anyone who can't face braving Glastonbury to see the Motown legend's Sunday-night set can head to London's Hyde Park for this headlining show. It's likely to be heavy on the hits, but a little too heavy on the audience participation, if complaints from disgruntled punters at Wonder's recent shows are anything to go by. And be warned: Jamiroquai seems to have been enticed out of retirement to provide support. Hyde Park, London W2, 26 June. Box office: 020-7009 3484.
T in the Park
This beloved Scottish festival is prized as much for its atmosphere as its lineup. And they're certainly wheeling out the big hitters this year: Eminem, Muse, Kasabian, Jay-z, Black Eyed Peas, Florence and the Machine, La Roux, Dizzee Rascal and Paolo Nutini,...
Pop
Stevie Wonder
Anyone who can't face braving Glastonbury to see the Motown legend's Sunday-night set can head to London's Hyde Park for this headlining show. It's likely to be heavy on the hits, but a little too heavy on the audience participation, if complaints from disgruntled punters at Wonder's recent shows are anything to go by. And be warned: Jamiroquai seems to have been enticed out of retirement to provide support. Hyde Park, London W2, 26 June. Box office: 020-7009 3484.
T in the Park
This beloved Scottish festival is prized as much for its atmosphere as its lineup. And they're certainly wheeling out the big hitters this year: Eminem, Muse, Kasabian, Jay-z, Black Eyed Peas, Florence and the Machine, La Roux, Dizzee Rascal and Paolo Nutini,...
- 5/24/2010
- The Guardian - Film News
Sheila Hancock is one of the UK’s best loved and most prolific actors. Her work spans theatre, radio, television and film and she is also a successful writer. Sheila is currently performing as Mother Superior in Sister Act to rave reviews.
Her other theatre credits include: The Birthday Party at the Lyric Hammersmith, the role of ‘Fraulein Schneider’ in Cabaret in the West End, for which she won an Olivier Award, and the Clarence Derwent award.
She played ‘Mum’ in the Liverpool Playhouse production of The Anniversary (a role played by Bette Davis, while Sheila played the daughter-in-law, in the original film version), which then transferred to the West End and appeared in The Arab Israeli Cookbook at the Gate Theatre, Under The Blue Sky at the Royal Court Theatre, Vassa at the Albery Theatre in the West End and In Extremis at the Royal National Theatre.
Earlier work...
Her other theatre credits include: The Birthday Party at the Lyric Hammersmith, the role of ‘Fraulein Schneider’ in Cabaret in the West End, for which she won an Olivier Award, and the Clarence Derwent award.
She played ‘Mum’ in the Liverpool Playhouse production of The Anniversary (a role played by Bette Davis, while Sheila played the daughter-in-law, in the original film version), which then transferred to the West End and appeared in The Arab Israeli Cookbook at the Gate Theatre, Under The Blue Sky at the Royal Court Theatre, Vassa at the Albery Theatre in the West End and In Extremis at the Royal National Theatre.
Earlier work...
- 3/18/2010
- by Lisa McGarry
- Unreality
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