ARGENTINA: Amid an escalating row between Argentina and the UK over the Falklands Islands, 'The Iron Lady' movie starring Meryl Streep opens on screens across the country

Record ID: 220718

  • Title: ARGENTINA: Amid an escalating row between Argentina and the UK over the Falklands Islands, 'The Iron Lady' movie starring Meryl Streep opens on screens across the country
  • Date: 4th February 2012
  • Summary: BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (FEBRUARY 02, 2012) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MOVIE GOER WHO SAW "THE IRON LADY", NELIDA D'GOSTINO, SAYING: "The movie was very shocking because of her [referring to Meryl Streep playing former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher]. She truly is an iron lady in every form. I liked her [Meryl Streep]. It was great." JOURNALIST WITH MARTIN AGUIRRE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MOVIE GOER WHO SAW "THE IRON LADY", MARTIN AGUIRRE, SAYING: "They should leave it up to the people living in the Malvinas to decide. They are the ones who have lived there for years and years. It is a quiet city. They want to live like Brits, like they are, right?"
  • Embargoed: 19th February 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Argentina, Argentina
  • Country: Argentina
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA4S080C1TG37LXD52IFJ1TI2UB
  • Story Text: As tensions escalate between Britain and Argentina over the Falkland Islands, the Margaret Thatcher biopic, "The Iron Lady", opened in theatres across the South American nation Thursday (February 2).
    The film, for which Streep won a Golden Globe and is nominated for an Oscar, tells the story of Thatcher's rise to power against the odds and depicts her actions during the lead up and outbreak of the 10-week Falklands War over the South Atlantic islands Argentina also lays claim to - a delicate subject for many Argentines.
    "I thought it was intense, especially the war scenes and everything, but it didn't impact me the way a lot of other movies that tell this kind of story do. But yeah, it can make you feel bad, that's why it was intense, but good. It is a reflection," said Buenos Aires resident, Melisa Covina.
    London has controlled the islands, about 300 miles (480 km) off the southern Argentine coast, since 1833.
    In 1982, Britain sent a naval force and thousands of troops to reclaim the islands after Argentine forces occupied them. About 650 Argentine and 255 British troops died in the conflict which in part led to the end of Argentina's last military junta.
    Streep has won over critics and viewers alike for her stunning portrayal of Thatcher, something Nelida D'Gostino who went to see the film in Buenos Aires Thursday said she could not deny.
    "The movie was very shocking because of her [referring to Meryl Streep playing former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher]. She truly is an iron lady in every form. I liked her [Meryl Streep]. It was great," said movie goer, Nelida D'Gostino.
    With anti-British sentiment growing and a number of protests in the Argentine capital with the anniversary of the war approaching, it remains to be seen how the film will sit with Argentine viewers at large.
    Prime Minister David Cameron said this month Britain was committed to protecting the islands and said the islanders' wishes were paramount, something Buenos Aires resident Martin Aguirre said he agreed with after seeing the film.
    "They should leave it up to the people living in the Malvinas to decide. They are the ones who have lived there for years and years. It is a quiet city. They want to live like Brits, like they are, right?" Aguirre said.
    In the Oscar bid Streep will compete against Glenn Close in a gender-bending role in "Albert Nobbs," Viola Davis for "The Help," Rooney Mara in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn."
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