³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

Accomplished director James Kent came to the attention of Great Meadow when he made Elizabeth David: A Life In Recipes and the production company quickly realised he was the perfect choice to sit in the director's seat for Margaret. Here James talks about his vision for the film.

What attracted you to this project?

Here's a story about a single human being who still polarises like no other politician; whose dominance in post-war Britain changed all our lives for good and ill. She is both loathed across classes (and quite a number in the media) and yet loved by vast swathes of ordinary people whose lives have been given unprecedented opportunity in a nation saddled by hierarchy. As economic events are showing, Margaret Thatcher is the most influential politician this country has known since Churchill with an astonishing influence on today's New Labour.

Richard's script never relents on the thriller elements of this struggle to retain power and yet he has also put flesh on an image injected into our bloodstreams: bright royal blue at the despatch box; blonde hair; handbag; that voice. He has done what all drama should do: show, in an utterly believable way, the story we couldn't get near but we so badly needed to know if we were ever to understand the drive to absolute power.

How much research did you undertake before filming?

Lindsay and I (often with Richard) spent many hours discussing Margaret Thatcher. The first phase was about her politics and ambition, the second about the nuances of the film script and investigating the narratives. I believe the writer should be at the heart of that work because the lines are from his head and he is in effect passing on the baton to director and lead artist. I also watched too much Thatcher archive for my own good but as a former producer on Newsnight I just couldn't help myself!

What shaped your vision of the film?

I didn't want acute realism or the feel of a drama-documentary. I wanted something slightly theatrical (a Downing Street more epic than the real Downing Street and camera work that didn't evoke gritty hand held) in order to take the viewer away from the narrowness of the story and allow other elements such as humour, farce, absurdity and in a few instances magical realism to intrude.

My intention was to make a film not so much about a British Prime Minister but about power in general and how the traits that make a ruler rise to power so often bring them down. The film isn't politically sensitive if it is seen as a parable about an obsession (for Mrs Thatcher a political obsession) and how in the end that's a dangerous place to end up personally.

The action derives from the male-dominated political pack who scent blood (fast cutting and very short scenes) and the tragedy lies in those very intimate much slower scenes when Denis is trying to alert his wife to the chasm opening up.

What challenges did you face during filming?

Balancing all these elements. It's a long film and holding onto the rhythm and pacing was daunting. To film two hours of drama in 25 days meant that I had to know everything about the purpose of the scene in order to quickly brief the actors. Without Lindsay's enormous professionalism (I don't think she fluffed once!) and my cinematographer's experience we would never have made the schedule.

What did you think of the performances of the cast?

One thing struck me very much; there is something exciting about portraying living people who were enormously powerful. Each actor seemed to relish the prospect. There was no badinage with Lindsay and I think that dedication shows.

Lindsay is an extraordinary actress – we decided early on that the "Thatcher voice" would influence people unduly; a voice made for the public by her and her entourage. Identification with Mrs. Thatcher's emotional journey would only come through making it "Lindsay's" Margaret and I think she has done a fantastic job in unpeeling that complexity.