The Iron Lady trailer: a look at the 2011 Best Actress Oscar race

True to form, The Guardian has had the honour to launch one of the most anticipated teaser trailers of the year, that of The Iron Lady, featuring Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher.

Ever since the first stills from the film were released I had been looking forward to the first images but, I must confess, I am painfully disappointed with the few seconds of actual Streep performance you get to see in the trailer. It is too early to judge the merits of the film (and the performance), but the teaser sadly confirms my doubts about the choice of director for this project. Phyllida Lloyd is, after all, the filmmaker that brought us that profitable stupidity called Mamma Mia, a film only Streep's radiant presence lent some kind of distinction to. It was clear from the outset that Streep's turn as Thatcher was going to be, above all, a matter of transformation. Judging from the images, the result couldn't be better, with Streep scarily embodying Thatcher as we all remember her, but the turn itself looks somehow phoney and excessively theatrical.

Until proven otherwise, however, Streep is still the official frontrunner for next year's Best Actress Oscar. There has been a rumour spreading in the blogosphere during the last few days, according to which Streep's biggest threat for the Oscar trophy might come from old-time rival Glenn Close who, in Albert Nobbs, plays a woman passing as a man in order to survive as a butler in 19th century Dublin. Alluring as this theory might be as a revival of the Close vs. Streep duels from the 80s, I still don't swallow it, not least because it comes from Pete Hammond, a critic I'm not particularly fond of.

The Cannes Film Festival was a good indication that there is a bunch of younger actresses that might have a bigger say, come Oscar time. Kirsten Dunst received the acting award at Cannes, but having seen Melancholia last weekend, I don't think she stands a chance to be considered for an Oscar nomination. She gives a deep, convincing performance but, Nazi controversies apart, the film is too self-important in general, and plainly preposterous at times to gain the necessary Oscar attention. Two other Cannes films might prove better vehicles for their female performers: We Need to Talk About Kevin, which offers Tilda Swinton, always a solid contender, one of the juiciest roles of the year, and Martha Marcy May Marlene, which has earned good reviews for Elizabeth Olsen.

And then, of course, there is Rooney Mara, as actress nobody seems (curiously) to be talking about. Admittedly, the trailer for the American remake of The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo is all about Daniel Craig, but I honestly can't think of a better character than Lisbeth Salander for a young actress like Mara who, moreover, already proved to be an excellent actress in her two mere scenes in The Social Network. I really think she might be the one that pulls it off if the film is any good. And David Fincher directs...

In the meantime, here's the tariler for The Iron Lady.

Comments

[Linda]

Great post. Im afraid youre right abot this> Doesnt look good at all.