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mark occomore · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 9955 Location: UK

A movie about former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the run-up to the 1982 Falklands War is being planned.

Pathe and BBC Films are developing a script for a drama-documentary about the tense political period before the conflict between the UK and Argentina.

It is being produced by Damian Jones, who was behind the recent film version of Alan Bennett's The History Boys.

Last month, another high-profile biopic, of Queen Elizabeth II, won Dame Helen Mirren an Oscar for best actress.

"The proposed film will be a revealing and intimate portrait of Margaret Thatcher as she battles to save her career in the 17 days immediately preceding the war," Pathe said in a statement.

"The 17-day period is relevant because it was the duration of the British fleet's voyage to the Falklands.

"During that period, Thatcher had to confront her private fears, face down the men who doubted her and forge the image that even today casts a shadow across the political landscape."

Iain Dale, author of a Baroness Thatcher tribute book, described the era as "a crucial period" during her 11 years in Downing Street.

"It was the closest she came to nearly being toppled, certainly in her first term," he said.

"It was a very emotional time for Margaret Thatcher, so I think there'll be plenty of dramatic effect that the film-makers can use," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

The war "confirmed her image as the Iron Lady and almost guaranteed that she won the next election", he added.

"It was actually a vital time in the whole history of the Thatcher government because it almost made her, to quote her own words, unassailable."

Any actress playing the lead role would need to master the way the former prime minister sounded, according to Steve Nallon, who impersonated her on TV satire Spitting Image.

"What they've got to distinguish is the voice that Mrs Thatcher has for Parliament and the voice that she would have had in private," he said.

"That would be the difficulty - finding that private Mrs Thatcher that, frankly, the cameras never saw."

BBC Online

Behind Geddon's Wall · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 9:22 am Post subject:

Don't forget that her mob engineered the conflict by more or less abandoning South Georgia, and removing the south atlantic patrol. Peter Carrington was the only one to come out of this fiasco with his reputation intact.
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Geddon

You simply mustn't blame yourself -- the days were perfect
And so were exactly what I was born to spoil
For I am the Rider to the World's End
Bound across the cinder causeway
From the furnace to the quarry
Through the fields of oil

Cherskiy · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 12:31 pm Post subject:

Yep, the ice patrol ship Endurance was going to be scrapped or sold, whilst Invincible was going to be sold to the Australian Navy. The former meant that the Marine force stationed on South Georgia would be untenable, since it relied upon the Red Plum for everything, whilst the Marine Naval Party on East Falkland would also be in doubt, or would rely on chartered civilian vessels for resupply and transport. The carrier's withdrawal would have meant that HMG's response would have been limited - Hermes alone would not have been enough to defend the Fleet (and IIRC, she was either earmarked for razor-blades or sale to the Indians or something similar - if so, we wouldn't have had the SHARs to mount a challenge). Chances are we'd have also sold or mothballed a few more frigates and destroyers later that year too, or some of the STUFT vessels would have been sold onto foreign owners and therefore out of reach of the MoD.

Galtieri and the rest of his junta should have waited a year or so and they could have taken the islands knowing we couldn't put up much of a response. Of course, he had domestic problems at home and it was always Latin American tradition to have a small war to take to take the people's minds off increasing inflation and 'disappearing' citizens....
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Behind Geddon's Wall · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 1:21 pm Post subject:

Thanks, Cherskiy. The full details had eluded me. Suffice it to say that too many good men paid for her government's attempt to win the Uk elections by Military means.

I was appalled at being instructed to rejoice by the harridan. The MOD tried to come out of it smelling of roses, but ended up smelling like the stuff you put round the rose to help them grow.

Bhoyed up by this fiasco she then tore the heart out of manufacturing industry, and is the sole reason why we import so much coal, when we are sitting on enough to keep the lights on for many years.

RANT OVER.
_________________
Geddon

You simply mustn't blame yourself -- the days were perfect
And so were exactly what I was born to spoil
For I am the Rider to the World's End
Bound across the cinder causeway
From the furnace to the quarry
Through the fields of oil

Ella Sailyour · Joined: 11 Dec 2006 Posts: 579 Location: Marbella, Spain

I don't understand why you bother to quote the above, Mark. Ie: So what?

Ella
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gfloyd · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 9:15 pm Post subject: