Margaret Thatcher, once so proud,

Voicing her opinions loud,

Now can’t be seen in a crowd.

 

Her caretakers fear and dread

That she’s not right in the head,

Talking to her spouse, long dead.

 

She recalls how she began,

A grocer’s daughter with a plan,

Less respected than a man.

 

Denis helps her reminisce:

How they met and their first kiss,

His support and wedded bliss.

 

In ’59, she won a seat

And earned support, as well as heat,

For her refusal to retreat.

 

Two decades, she tried to stir

Conservatives, who heeded her

Till she ran for Prime Minister.

 

With some changes, Margaret Thatcher

Rose in her appeal and stature.

No competitors could catch her.

 

Her government did hit some ruts

And protests for her spending cuts,

Yet she would stand no ifs or buts.

 

When the Falklands were invaded,

She made choices many hated,

But she held her own, as stated.

 

Although she won and all seemed fine,

She railed at those who lacked her spine,

And her MPs made her resign.

 

Now she’s old, without a throne.

Denis died; this she has known.

She sends him off and is alone.

 

Though her laws were met with strife,

She improved things with her life,

As a leader, mother, wife.

___________________

 

The Iron Lady, a biopic about conservative British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, boasts one of Meryl Streep’s greatest performances. She wholly immerses herself in the role such that I see and hear Thatcher even while I know it’s Streep.

Beyond the actress alone, though, the film is almost two stories in one, the obvious one featuring Thatcher’s life story and a much more intimate one involving the elderly Margaret and her dementia-conjured husband Denis (played endearingly by Jim Broadbent). While the first shines a spotlight on the impact she had on history, I prefer the second, which is more emotional and bittersweet. When she sits contentedly talking to an empty chair about the price of milk or turns on all the kitchen appliances to drown out her delusions, I can’t help but think that this plotline could easily have made an excellent film with no connection to Thatcher at all. The scene with Denis’s departure is particularly touching.

As for the historical side, I commend the filmmakers for not only keeping the film clean (aside from a brief shot of nudity) but also staying surprisingly neutral in their portrayal of Thatcher. It does seem as if they focus too much on the negative effects of her policies (violent protests, IRA bombings), but at least her conservative ideology is allowed its say as well. Though there’s an uncomfortable scene of her acting unusually harsh, presumably from stress, the film focuses for the most part on her accomplishments, her empowering of women, her victory with the Falklands War, her concern for the mothers of fallen soldiers, and her sincere desire to help the British nation (whether people agreed with her methods or not).

While I don’t know how accurate the depiction of her later years is, the final scene bears a quiet and meaningful message of the inevitability of old age and things we never would have considered doing in youth, a theme that transcends an ordinary biopic. Streep certainly deserved her Best Actress Oscar, and whether or not one likes or agrees with Thatcher, it’s a powerful film that’s well worth watching.

Best line: (Denis, as Margaret is viewing old family movies of her children) “You can rewind it, but you can’t change it.”

VC’s best line: (Margaret Thatcher) “Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become your character. And watch your character, for it becomes your destiny. What we think, we become. My father always said that.”

 

Artistry: 10

Characters/Actors: 10

Entertainment: 6

Visual Effects: N/A (except for one explosion)

Originality: 9

Watchability: 6

 

TOTAL: 41 out of 60

 

Next: #202 – Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

© 2014 S. G. Liput

135 Followers and Counting

 

When Robert Sheffey was a lad,

He didn’t think himself that bad,

But a revival made him see

The sins he didn’t know he had.

 

He asks forgiveness offered free

And tells his household happily.

His aunt feels shamed at this report,

And he departs in enmity.

 

Both Sheffey and his horse cavort

Through mountain views of every sort.

He meets some folks who offer then

A teaching job with full support.

 

He takes it but is frightened when

He’s urged to preach in front of men.

It takes tough love to help him start,

But soon he’s worthy of “Amen!”

 

He prays a still be torn apart

And makes the old bootlegger smart.

He later learns his aunt is dead,

But she had had a change of heart.

 

Years pass, and, while he treks ahead,

Forever by the Spirit led,

He spreads the Gospel of the Lord,

His territory now widespread.

 

He always comes on room and board,

And by most folks he is adored,

Although official preachers deem

Him too peculiar to reward.

 

He likes camp meetings with the theme

Of drawing hundreds to redeem.

While Sheffey wants them to endure,

Some heads hold them in low esteem.

 

A girl from one preferred detour

Becomes his wife when they are sure.

Eliza helps his constant care

Of spreading God’s most perfect cure.

 

They have a son, although the pair

Love from afar, as they’re aware.

Yet they stay close, although his treks

Take Sheffey almost everywhere.

 

An injury serves to perplex

Since he can’t stick to his projects.

He cannot ride because of age

But stays engaged in most respects.

 

He still loves the revival stage,

And so its closure sparks his rage.

He works to bring it back for years,

At last succeeding to assuage.

 

The meet goes well when it premieres,

But soon he views his greatest fears.

A smoker sets the camp on fire,

And, in flames, it disappears.

 

As he’s distracted by the pyre,

Eliza, hoping he’ll retire,

Chases him but has a fall

And joins the Lord’s eternal choir.

 

Sheffey, having lost it all,

Is heartbroken and feels so small.

Eventually, he finds God’s peace

And settles down where friends can call.

 

A young man comes to seek release

For burning the camp on some caprice,

So Sheffey offers grace before

He sees the Heav’n he helped increase.

_________________

 

Most have probably never heard of Sheffey, and that’s quite understandable. It was a college film produced by the students and staff of Bob Jones University; thus, it is highly evangelical, particularly in the beginning. My early education was from fundamentalist Protestants, and I was shown this film as part of the lesson plan one day. While my denomination has changed, I still find the film a marvelous and underappreciated period piece. It made me cry the first time I saw it (around the age of 10), and, as you’ll see from the rest of my list, I’m very partial to films that have brought me to tears, even if they don’t anymore.

I will say that the second half is better than the first. The beginning has the usual Christian motif of a directionless sinner seeing the error of his ways and coming to the Lord. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with this, but it’s overused in Christian films, and Dwight Anderson, who plays the young Sheffey, isn’t really a skilled-enough actor to make it convincing. Much of the acting is rather unprofessional, sometimes obviously contrived, but the older Sheffey, played by Harold Kilpatrick, is the most believable character, and he’s the one that matters most. It also is a little irritating that some of the characters (the aunt, the elder that refuses Sheffey a preaching license) disapprove of Sheffey’s actions for no well-explained reason. Their vague complaints seem to make them unnecessarily at fault and Sheffey the obviously right saint.

All this aside, the film has some truly wonderful elements. The somewhat feigned acting, the hymn-inspired score, and the way it is shot might have made the film seem like some low-budget affair. Instead, though it was made in 1977, it just feels like an older film, perhaps from the ‘40s or ‘50s. As with such films of yesteryear, much effort obviously went into the costumes and period details, and the script is nicely woven together with characters coming and going or being mentioned having repented years later. These conversions may be predictable but are nonetheless touching, particularly the final one standing above Sheffey’s grave.

If you don’t like movies that preach at you (as I usually don’t), you may not like Sheffey, but I find it a very impressive film for such a small college effort. Though it embellishes Sheffey’s life a bit (he had six unmentioned kids with his first wife, and he did actually get a preaching license in real life), it presents a little-shown piece of history that shouldn’t be forgotten: the circuit riders of the 1800s. Between the gorgeous Appalachian scenery and the poignant character moments, Sheffey is well worth seeing, in my book.

Best line: (Robert Sheffey) “When I get to heaven, I’m going to ask the Lord why He made a woman’s head so hard.” (Eliza) “And He’ll tell you it’s to make up for your soft one.”

 

Artistry: 5

Characters/Actors: 5

Entertainment: 6

Visual Effects: 5

Originality: 7

Watchability: 5

Other (spiritual value, plus it made me cry): +4

 

TOTAL: 37 out of 60

 

Next: #243 – The Girl Who Leapt through Time (2006)

© 2014 S. G. Liput

100 Followers and Counting!

 

When William Wilberforce arose

To do whate’er he could,

He thought to do God’s work and chose

To change the world for good.

 

He’d always hated slavery,

But hid such views until

Friend William Pitt spurred him to be

The sponsor of a bill,

 

A bill to end the slaving trade

On which the rich relied

For sugar and plantation aid,

A bill which quickly died.

 

But he and his few devotees

Declared the horrid truth

Of humans forced to cross the seas

And work away their youth.

 

He showed to all the slaving ships,

The putrid stench of death;

The dreadful news was on his lips

With every living breath.

 

Unlikely allies reared their heads;

Petitions filled with names;

His lamp shone bright, as all light spreads,

But many feared these flames.

 

As France aroused the threat of war,

The cries of Wilberforce

Were called sedition more and more,

Which no one would endorse.

 

His friends withdrew, his health declined,

And laudanum slowed his brain.

He could not change the country’s mind,

Nor ease his brother’s pain.

 

The burns of slaves did haunt his dreams,

Their owners’ searing brands.

He heard their unassisted screams

And glimpsed their shackled hands.

 

At last, a colleague’s forward bid

To find William a wife

Succeeded, and she helped to rid

This torpor from his life.

 

He reconvened his group of friends

To reinstate their mission.

They passed a bill to help their ends

And sneak in abolition.

 

Then, after twenty years, at last,

Of staying on his course,

The bill to end the slave trade passed,

All thanks to Wilberforce.

_____________________

 

So many times when we read history, it is just words on a page. We learn in school that “William Wilberforce helped end the slave trade in 1807,” and we usually take that fact for granted, not realizing the toil and pain that went into making that dream a reality. Great men of the past met with difficulty and discouragement just like we do today, and Amazing Grace is a marvelous biopic that makes that immensely clear.

Ioan Gruffudd is excellent as William Wilberforce, reflecting both his dogged determination and his crestfallen despair, and Albert Finney is equally masterful as his aging minister John Newton, who was the captain of a slave ship before coming to Christ, renouncing his former life, and eventually writing the famous hymn ”Amazing Grace.” The film also features a number of British actors before they became really famous, including Benedict Cumberbatch in one of his first film roles as Wilberforce’s friend and Prime Minister William Pitt. Another recognizable face is Toby Jones as the Duke of Clarence, before his more visible roles in the Captain America and Hunger Games films. Also interesting is that Michael Gambon and Ciaran Hinds, who both played gentlemen on opposing sides of the slavery issue, ended up playing brothers in the Harry Potter series.

While the film is rather dry at times, it has an exceptional script that allows the characters to speak in 18^th century fashion without their conversations becoming too highbrow for modern audiences. I’m not sure how much of the dialogue was taken from real sources, but many of the parliamentary quips are actually quite clever.

There are some definite historical inaccuracies, the most glaring being the fact that “Amazing Grace” was not put to its now familiar tune at the time Wilberforce sings it in the film. Another mistake (or perhaps embellishment) is that Gambon’s character Charles Fox had died and was not present for the final passage of Wilberforce’s bill. Still, the film references a number of events that make history buffs feel smart, such as the high hopes for the French Revolution before things got bloody. I also love the fact that, although Amazing Grace was directed by atheist Michael Apted, it is not afraid to speak of Christianity in a positive light as the main driving force for abolition. It may not be ideal casual watching, but for those who can stay with Wilberforce through his highs and lows, the payoff at the end is quite satisfying and beautiful.

Best line: (Pitt) “You don’t think we could change things?” (Wilberforce) “I would change myself first.”

 

Artistry: 9

Characters/Actors: 9

Entertainment: 6

Visual Effects: N/A

Originality: 6

Watchability: 5

 

TOTAL: 35 out of 60

 

Next: #263 – Baby Boom

© 2014 S. G. Liput