gradyharp

(2013-05-21 21:13:43)

The Steel Orchid

Despite the flaws in this dramatized biopic of Nobel Peace Prize winnerAung San Suu Kyi - far too long at 132 minutes, more emphasis on afamily drama than an important change in Burma to Myanmar, etc - thisfilm as written by Rebecca Frayn and directed by Luc Beeson (Taken,Transporter, La Femme Nikita, etc) deserves our attention in that ithelps explain the volatile situation that existed in Burma from 1947 tothe present. In brief it is the story of Aung San Suu Kyi as shebecomes the core of Burma's democracy movement, and her relationshipwith her husband, Oxford professor and writer Michael Aris.Opening in 1947 we meet Aung San Suu Kyi as a child bidding farewell toher father, General Aung San, a hero of the Burmese democraticmovement, who is then assassinated. Aung San Suu Kyi (Michelle Leoh)escapes to England, matures, marries an Oxford professor Michael (DavidThewlis) and has two sons (Jonathan Raggett and Jonathan Woodhouse).The film then jumps to 1988 when, due to the fact that her mother iscritically ill, Suu Kyi returns to Burma to care for her mother; oncethere she observes the student protests to the military regime headedby a dummy superstitious dictator, and as the heir to her father's famein the country as a leader of the people she decides to stay and followthe encouragement of the protesters to be their leader. That decisionplaces here in danger and eventual house arrest, and with the love ofher husband and children as support she stays the course and becomesthe leader of the democratic movement of the country now calledMyanmar. The commitment to her cause by her husband (who discovers inSuu Kyi's absence that he has prostate cancer and a limited life span)offers her strength and she gains world attention when she is awardedthe Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.THE LADY is more an epic love story about how an extraordinary coupleand family sacrifice their happiness at great human cost for a highercause than it is a full study of the persona of Aung San Suu Kyi Muchis missing, especially the period in Burma from 1947 to 1988, and thematuring of Suu Kyi into a hero. But the film does emphasize thepeaceful quest of the woman who is at the core of Burma's democracymovement and the indomitable love relationship and strength of marriageand family due to their undying support of her mission. Michelle Yeohand David Thewlis are excellent and the film has touches of beauty thatare memorable (as Suu Kyi listens on a portable radio to the NobelPrize speech read by her son the music that is so much a part of SuuKyi's life is her playing of the Pachelbel Canon accompanied by a smallorchestra over a distance of thousands of miles). It is a touchingtribute to a great lady of peace. Grady Hap

Amir RayatNazari

(2013-05-21 04:51:07)

in admiration of "courage and love"

It's an absolute success: Luc Besson has succeeded to bring you to theBurma through a deeply humanistic and political involved history. Thenthe two principal actors (Michelle Yeoh & David Thewlis) play very welltheir roles and let you feel their passion in the private life andtheir struggle for democracy and peace in the social life. There are some similarities with another masterpiece of Besson "Leon:The Professional": both are in admiration of "courage and love". AungSan Suu Kyi like Leon is an alone hero fighting against tyranny andorganized corrupted power. If the effort of Leon to protect the younginnocent Mathilda made you feel sympathy for this individual,undoubtedly you will admire this brave woman her comfort herself andher family to defend the whole nation from the dictatorship of themilitary regime.My wife and I really enjoyed the movie. The Parisian cinema was almostfull and at the end gave the impression that the spectators weresatisfied .One row ahead of us there was a senior couple, the old manasked: "darling did you like it for the second time?" The ladyanswered: "sure, could we come again to watch it for a third time?!"

Dharmendra Singh

(2013-05-19 08:46:56)

A by-the-numbers biography

Luc Besson ('Leon', 'Nikita') is the unlikely director to cinematiseAung San Suu Kyi's unlikelier story; one of courage, endurance andsacrifice. In the hands of a director more accustomed to making epics,there's a chance this film could have been more compelling. Besson getsthe blood and guts right (of course he would), but lacks thesensitivity which is this biography's essence.Michelle Yeoh, that graceful, handsome actor, whom audiences willrecognise from many a martial arts movie, assumes the daunting leadrole. David Thewlis stars as her husband, Dr Michael Aris, the manbehind the great woman.Suu leaves England (where she has lived since her famous politicalfather was assassinated) to visit her ailing mother in Burma. Whilstthere, Suu is moved by the indiscriminate violence being meted out by asuperstitious dummy of a dictator. She thought her stay would last twoweeks. She ended up staying there for fifteen years.Although married to an Oxford academic, and despite having mixed-racekids, Suu feels an immediate rekindling of emotion for her native landand her native people. A group of acolytes forms and asks – morepresumes – that Suu will lead Burma into democracy.I thought this essential part of the film was one of the weakest. It isperemptory and dubious. A scene showing Suu react to the challengeahead was necessary but missing. Again, the absence of such a scenemade it hard for me to connect with the character.This was supposed to be a story about one of the most inspirationalpeople in recent times. I understood that from the news reports; notthis film. I thought Thewlis was subpar. Either he's too reserved, oris he's playing an Englishman too well. Equally, I didn't believe inthe family unit: their acting towards each other felt staged.Ultimately, I didn't get a full sense of just how unimaginable thistrial was for Suu.

c-britanico

(2013-05-18 14:28:48)

A good film to start knowing about the situation in Burma

I personally like biopics & this one was very helpful in giving me aglimpse of what's happening in Burma. Much has been said about thefight for liberty in this country as well as about the fierceness ofSuu Kyi & watching this film made me more interested with how ourcounterparts in Burma are working towards their full liberation.Suu Kyi's situation reminds me of our very own, Cory Aquino, whoherself was an icon of democracy.The movie gave me an insight of Suu Kyi's struggles & sacrifices justlike Mrs. Aquino herself. One thing that the movie did is for viewersto appreciate the liberty we currently have & the closeness we willfeel to Suu Kyi.Great acting chops for Michelle Yeoh & David Thewlis. I wonder why theywere not even nominated for an Oscar. Magnificent cinematography too.A highly recommended film.

collipal-1

(2013-05-17 22:47:50)

A mediocre, but in general moderately interesting, biopic

As a producer and screenwriter, Luc Besson has been comfortablyestablished in the action cinema for many years. However, as adirector, we have been seeing him since 2005 working in such diversegenres as the romantic comedy (Angel-A), the fantasy (Les AventuresExtraordinaires d'AdГѓВЁle Blanc-Sec) and the digital animation (theArthur and the Minimoys saga)...with quite poor results. In his mostrecent film as a director, The Lady, Besson goes back to the historicalbiopic genre (which he had already explored in the excellent TheMessenger: The Story of Joan of Arc) in order to focus his attention onanother brave woman who contributed to the liberation of a Nation. Theresult is mediocre, but moderately interesting in general.The events portrayed in The Lady are fascinating, but they aren'teasily adapted to the classical dramatic structures of cinema, and thatmakes the film a bit fragmented and occasionally dull. At the same timethe films examines Aung San Suu Kyi as a reluctant political figure, wealso have glimpses to the democratic movement in Burma (also known asMyanmar); to the domestic policy of the Nobel Prize Committee; toMichael Aris' complicated family life, raising two teenage sons duringthe mother's (Suu Kyi) absence; and to the corrupt military leadersfrom Burma, deciding the life or death of political prisoners throughchance and superstition. Sure, all those divergent aspects arenecessary in order to comprehend Suu Kyi's democratic crusade; and Ialso appreciate the fact that screenwriter Rebecca Frayn didn'tsimplify the story in order to make the film more commercial; but Ialso feel that there should have been a better defined dramatic arc,which integrated those divergent elements into a faithful anddramatically solid whole.Another problem I found in The Lady is that its story doesn't end,because Suu Kyi's work in Burma hasn't finished either, and as aconsequence, the ending doesn't reach the dramatic climax I had beenwaiting for. In any case, we were handed that climax in littleincrements through the film. Nevertheless, despite being mediocre, TheLady managed to keep me moderately interested (with the exception of afew dull moments), and I think that that fact, along with the brilliantcinematography and the solid performances from Michelle Yeoh and DavidThewlis, are enough to make it worthy of a slight recommendation.

DICK STEEL

(2013-05-17 06:20:19)

A Nutshell Review: The Lady

Based on the story by Rebecca Frayn, who had spent three yearsinterviewing close confidantes of Aung San Suu Kyi, the narrativeprovides the points of view of both Suu Kyi herself, played by MichelleYeoh, and her husband Michael Aris (David Thewlis), who because of herpolitical awakening and development, caused plenty of emotionallypainful, physical separation and time spent apart through her standingup for and accepting her countrymen's push for democratic leadership,after years of military rule from generalissimos Ne Win to Tan Shwe(Agga Poechit). It also presents different perspectives both within andoutside of Burma as crises began to unfold with Suu Kyi a prisoner ofher own home and country, and Michael being outside of it trying hisbest to sound out her, and Burma's plight. Then there's the sacrificeof family for country, where a breakup of the family unit was somethinginevitable in order to continue being there for her countrymen and notabandoning them at times of need.In a story spanning decades that moves forward and back in time, Bessonhas a solid hand in knowing the highlights of the many years history totranslate for the big screen, going back to the 40s when Suu Kyi'sfather Aung San, a war and independence hero, got assassinated, rightdown to her emergence in politics as a force to be reckoned with, andher subsequent house arrest, right up to the recent 2007 rallies anddemonstrations by monks that eventually led to a deadly crackdown. TheLady presents Besson an opportunity to move away from his relativelyfamily friendly fare of late with the Arthur and the Invisibles series,and also to perform an about turn from the usual action flicks, forsomething a lot more serious in gravitas, and needless to say theimportance of getting the film right in most, if not all counts, asmuch as a filmmaker can with the resources at his disposal.As such, some may feel that the film is relatively lightweight in itscoverage of politics, although I must add that being confined to one'shome in the prominent years of one's political life doesn't make for asmooth translation on screen, as there's only so much that one can dowithin the fantastic recreation of Suu Kyi's lakeside home. Instead asofter, more heartfelt approach through a love story opened up Suu Kyias a character who's a lot more down to earth, than just a democracyicon. Besson's knack for handling strong female characters couldn't bemore pronounced here, with plenty of opportunities in scenes to showshe does not cower even with gun barrels pointed at her face, noraccept the constant nonsense dished out by the military might.Despite the lack of action, you can feel Luc Besson's release of gleein channeling that frustration to mocking the military top brass, fromtheir deliberate big moments and silly gestures bordering on thecomical, to their illogical superstitions, with characterization beingvery much in line with our esteemed ex Minister Mentor's comments inWikiLeaks. Almost all generalissimos and their underlings areridiculously decorated, and make extremely naive calls as if nobody cansee through their simple rouse. It's a story of grace versus guns,which in any other typical Besson movie it's no surprise if it comeswith preference for the latter, except for The Lady which trades in forthe softer power approach. Michelle Yeoh lost quite a lot of weight in order to physicallyresemble the lead role, and her time spent on researching Suu Kyi wastime well spent as she nailed her mimicry down to a pat. Even her linesspoken in Burmese were flawless. Not that I can understand thelanguage, but the large percentage of Burmese audience that I'vewatched this with were nodding and acknowledging her diction andfluency, as well as her performance of the real life heroine of theirlives. In short, they were in awe by her elegance and poise in makingSuu Kyi come alive on screen. David Thewlis also shone in his role asthe husband standing firmly behind her decision and to make sacrificesknowingly for the greater good, for the benefit of even more people ina country that needs his wife more than he needs her. Together theymade their struggle felt, and will seek to move even the most stoic ofhearts. And the actors who played the Burmese generals, you guys surelyhammed it up effortlessly.This superb film may be travelling the festival and commercialtheatrical circuits now, and will probably pick up a slew of filmawards along the way. But what's more important and I'm sure it'llachieve, is to bring the attention of the world towards Suu Kyi's, andBurma's continued plight that seemed to be with no end in sight. Youmay not be very familiar with what may have transpired over the decadesof strife in Burma, but The Lady brings you up to speed with asuccinctly packed historical lesson centered around one of the world'senduring icons of freedom and democracy. A definite recommendation forthis wonderful effort.

Jonathon Dabell

(2013-05-16 01:29:41)

Lengthy but absorbing biopic about Aung San Suu Kyi's struggle for a democratic Burma.

Luc Besson, best known La Femme Nikita and Leon, here directs anadmirably earnest biopic about Burmese political activist Aung San SuuKyi. The film is a real change of pace for both Besson and his leadinglady Michelle Yeoh, who swaps her usual high-kicking woman-of-actionpersona for something much subtler and more affecting. The Lady has itsflaws but nevertheless manages to be a worthy and often moving accountof a remarkable life.The story begins in 1947 when Suu Kyi is only two years old. Her fatherAung San is nominally in charge of Burma as the country's hard-foughtindependence from colonial rule draws near. However, he his cabinetministers are denied their moment of triumph when they are ruthlesslyassassinated, plunging the country into a long and downward spiral ofpolitical turmoil which leads ultimately to the establishment of atyrannical military regime. Fast forward to 1988, where adult Suu Kyi(Michelle Yeoh) lives in Oxford with her husband Michael Aris (DavidThewlis) and their two sons, Kim (Jonathan Raggett) and Alexander(Jonathan Woodhouse). Suu Kyi is summoned back to Burma when her mothersuffers a stroke. Initially she intends merely to stay for a week ortwo in order to nurse her mother through her time of need. However,during her visit Suu Kyi finds Burma to be a land of extraordinaryviolence, oppression and misery. She witnesses corrupt soldiersbrutally killing student protesters and sees desperate civiliansdemonstrating for their rights, using old photos of her father torepresent their cause. It isn't long before Suu Kyi is approached bythe people and asked to lead them in their fight for a democratic andpeaceful Burma.Yeoh is excellent in this film. Not only does she bear a remarkableresemblance to the real Aung San Suu Kyi, she also shows a surprisingemotional range in the film's more intimate scenes. The only weaknesswith Yeoh's performance is that her enunciation is a little woodenduring her English-language scenes. Thewlis also does well as her stiffupper-lipped British husband, an equally remarkable man who is forcedto bury his inner anguish because he recognises the importance of whathis wife is doing for her country. The Lady comes slightly undone intwo areas. One is that Besson has never been noted for his sincere andreverent style of film-making; he's on much firmer ground deliveringcool and stylized action. Here, he handles the scenes of streetviolence and military manoeuvring with typical verve, but a certainawkwardness hangs over some of the quieter moments. The other drawbackis the rather cartoonish portrayal of the characters in the Burmesemilitary regime. Although widely regarded as bad men in real-life, theway they are presented here makes them seem almost like Bond-stylesuper-villains. The only thing missing is a baddie's lair and ascowling white pussycat perched on the head honcho's lap. A bit morenuance and depth would not have gone amiss in this department. Overall,The Lady a solid and well-made biopic about a very inspirationalfigure. Flaws aside, it goes some way to ward making sense of asenseless political situation and tries hard to present its largesubject in a manageable bite. There's a good chance that the firstthing you will do after watching the film is go home and Google "AungSan Suu Kyi". If that's so, then the film has immediately achieved twoof its worthiest goals – to educate and inspire

VillageVoiceNY

(2013-05-15 15:20:27)

The Lady

Now is an excellent time to release a biopic of Aung San Suu Kyi, theinspiring Burmese democracy activist and Nobel laureate who was electedto parliament only last week—just not this one. Impersonally directedby cinéma du look pioneer Luc Besson, The Lady was written byfirst-timer Rebecca Frayn, whose script has all the elegance and nuanceof Google Translate. The film opens with a brief prologue set in 1947,when the two-year-old Suu Kyi hears stories about Burma's past gloryfrom her father, a national hero who helped bring about independencefrom British colonial rule only...Read the full review here:http://www.villagevoice.com/2012-04-11/film/the-lady-film-review/

phd_travel

(2013-05-14 19:01:10)

A story that must be told and Michelle Yeoh is terrific

With such a fascinating subject matter this movie would have been aninteresting watch no matter who directed it but I think Luc Besson dida good job showing he is more than just an action thriller director. Ofcourse there are some violent parts showing the brutality of theMilitary that are in your face and exciting as expected. He handled theprivate woman and her personal sacrifice and bravery in a tastefulmanner.Michelle Yeoh does a brilliant job. It's a really good fit for her. Sheis good in both the intimate moments dealing with her family and in herdignified public persona. She deserves an acting nomination for herwork. David Thewlis is well cast as a disheveled looking professortype.The subtitles are a major part of the movie with lots of dialog inBurmese. But it's still easy to follow the plot which doesn't jumparound too much and is well laid out. It deserves a place among thebetter political true life movies. While not as dramatic or gutwrenching as "Cry Freedom" or "the Killing Fields", it still delivers apowerful message. Those interested can also watch "Beyond Rangoon" withPatricia Arquette which is a more adventure style portrayal of theevents in Burma.Wish the movie could have shown more recent events including her recentrelease. Reminds us there is still a long way to go in Burma.Touching and a must watch.

Pazu Kong

(2013-05-14 06:59:14)

Spine-tingling joy to watch this movie!

Ang Sang Suu Kyi is one of my most favorite political figures (I'mprobably not alone on it), I hesitated whether I should go and see thismovie, fearing it may not match my impression of Daw Ang Sang gatheredfrom previous news footages and biography. It was amazing to see Michelle Yeoh as Ang Sang Suu Kyi, the act waselegantly presented, the way how Michelle put her hand on the waistwhile walking gracefully, reminded me so much of the Lady, everythingcomes natural, nothing pretentious, it's a joy to see such a great actwith simple body language, it even sent me a sort of spine-tingling joywhen she walked on the stage to give her first public speech at ShweDagon People Forum. I think Michelle did not disappoint the Lady and the people of Myanmar. The storyline may be oversimplified but I would still rate this moviewith 9, it's hard to present the whole struggle of Daw Ang Sang in ashort time, but I guess most people who go and watch this movie shouldalready have some background of what happened in real life.I've seen the Lady in Hong Kong and found it one of the best movies ofits kind.

Muhannad Kalaji

(2013-05-11 02:06:32)

good but not "WOW"

i was waiting for someone to make a movie about this very remarkablelady and finally it came through... the staring hero was an obviousthough very good choice however there are somethings that the moviefailed to achieve i believe:-we did not fall in love with the country in dispute (Burma)the moviehardly came up with any historical events/facts that would bring theaudience to understand the place-beside the"lady" and her family there are hardly any other characterthat you could remember after the movie, we realize this is a biographybut the struggle was not her's alone -the way that (Burma) was captured on Camera was just to emphasis thestereo type about Asians -the movie would have a spectacular ending if they waited for sometimeas the hero of our story dose indeed forms a government after themilitary hands over the power to her-comparing the movie to other remarkable ladies biography such as (theIron Lady) and (the Queen) we find that this one is the least of theothers in terms of direction and productionMuhannad Kalaji

rogerdarlington

(2013-05-10 11:58:16)

Moving story of personal courage for political purpose

Making a commercial film about a struggle for human rights anddemocracy is a real struggle because most audiences want entertainmentand not politics. So the producers have to find an 'angle'. In 1987, "AWorld Apart" told the story of the fight against apartheid in SouthAfrica but through the prism of the strain that this put on ANCactivist Ruth First's relationship with her young daughter. A similarapproach is used here in this account of the life of Aung San Suu Kyi,the eponymous lady and leader of the National League for Democracy inthe dictatorship that has ruled Burma for most of the period sincepost-war independence from Britain. So it is not politics as such whichis to the fore here but Suu Kyi's relationship with her husband, Oxfordacademic Michael Aris, and most especially the regime's brutal refusalto allow Aris to see his wife one last time when he was dying ofprostate cancer. It is a gut-wrenchingly sad tale.Malaysian-born actress Michelle Yeoh - a Bond girl in "Tomorrow NeverDies" and pugilist star of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" - looksperfect in the leading role, giving a performance which, while oftenunderstated, is deeply moving. David Thewlis (various "Harry Potter"films and "The Boy With The Striped Pyjamas") is very effective as thelong-suffering husband. The exotic locations and local faces inThailand serve the movie well and original music by the French EricSerra plus some Mozart enhance the emotional power of the work. It isperhaps no surprise that the script for what is in essence a love storycomes from a female writer - the British Rebecca Frayn - but one mightnot expect the identity of the director for this Anglo-French film: LucBesson, best known for such action movies as "Nikita", "Leon" and "TheFifth Element"."The Lady" may be a bit one-dimensional and lack nuance, but ithighlights a long struggle for human rights that is not sufficientlywell-known and the timing of its release (I saw it in January 2012) ispoignant. When filming started, Suu Kyi was still under house arrest,as she had been in total for some 15 years, but by the time the filmwas finished she had been released. At the end of the movie, the irongrip of the regime and the number of political prisoners arehighlighted but, in the weeks around the film's release, the generalsinstituted a series of liberalisation measures including the freeing ofmost political prisoners. If all this augurs an era of genuinedemocracy in Burma, "The Lady" will be a wonderful testimony to thepower of personal courage and sacrifice to effect political change.

yukiyuki324

(2013-05-08 02:17:29)

A reflection on democracy

To put it simply, this movie is good for self-reflection : do not takedemocracy as granted.I am a merely a Hong Kong guy. As you may or may not know, HK is nowunder the control of the China PRC government since 1997.HK people have been dreaming of universal suffrage to elect their ownchief executive using their own votes since then.The truth is, PRC does all its possible way to prevent universalsuffrage to happen in HK.And the worse is, HK does not have Aung San Suu Kyi. Personally I don'teven believe there will be one in the future.Burma has Aung San Suu Kyi. China has Liu Xiaobo. Hong Kong has nothingbut a scumbag of pro-PRC politicians trying their best to protect theirauthority or privileges. So I guess this movie is particularly meaningful to those people, meincluded, that cannot cast their vote to find their desired leader.Democracy may not solve all problems, but it gives hopes to humanityand the spirit of freedom.God bless Aung San Suu Kyi. Democracy never comes easy.

ann-asmcm

(2013-05-07 21:37:51)

Thoroughly evocative and compelling

This is one of the best films I have seen in a long time. It was highlyentertaining, emotionally evoking and educational. I had known verylittle on the situation in Bhurma, and felt the summaries I read priorto visiting the cinema to see this film did not do justice to thiscinematic gem. I came away from the screening determined to learn moreand do what small part I could to right the wrongs portrayed in TheLady. The setting was wonderful, and I felt the cast played their partsmarvellously. Many write ups of the film have criticised the length,however I do not think the story could have developed to give one areasonable overview of the situation with a shorter script. It would beunnecessary to follow each of the characters' developments in the film,particularly given the length of time in question.I would recommend this film to anyone as essential viewing, whether ornot you have an interest in political affairs or not. The politics inThe Lady is so simply set out and self- explanatory that anyone wouldunderstand the issues at hand.

Colin Ward

(2013-05-03 08:58:41)

Elegant story-telling, powerful film

I have to say I didn't find any wrong notes in this film at all.Performances were excellent and the way the writer pulled out the keyevents was deft. Crucially, the writer doesn't spoon feed you withevery emotion, every key thought or motivation. The audience has tothink and imagine. How would it feel to lose your father at a youngage? How would it feel to build a life away from your own country andthen return there to find it in turmoil? How would you respond to beingasked to lead a protest to save your country, knowing the personalsacrifice that will involve? Superb drama about a real and tragic storythat continues to play out.

Jihang Ye

(2013-05-02 16:39:35)

Quite excellent, a real appealing story and vivid life.

Although this film were not produced by the native people, it wouldnever diminish its excellence; anyway, how can you rely on the Tyrannygovernment release those film-makers and politic prisoners to producethis film? The lady by Yeong was well presented, behave properly toreflect the path of Lady, who was fighting all her life for freedom anddemocracy; it has been quite a long time since I felt excited and movedby a movie. The script itself of The Lady is quite attractive, thelegendary life of Suu Kyi made us realize, there indeed exist somepeople, who can fight for the freedom of their country instead offocusing on their own benefits. Suu Kyi sacrificed a lot during herlife, including a large part of her family life after marriage; but shestill insisted regardless of the hardship in her arrest. Moreover, MissYeong also performed quite well and expressed the very exact charactersof Suu Kyi in the film: love, patience, tolerance, artistic and calm.Perhaps it comes from her careful preparation for this film in the last3 years. But the end of the movie is kind of abruptness, I don't quitecatch its meaning; perhaps it can develop better. All in all, highlyrecommended! Excellent movie!

James Hitchcock

(2013-04-30 16:11:15)

One of the Last Bastions of Tyranny

Politically, the late eighties and nineties were the most hopefulperiod in recent history. Throughout the world, especially in EasternEurope and Latin America but also in Africa and the Far East,dictatorial regimes were giving way to democracy. Activists such asLech Walesa, Vaclav Havel and Nelson Mandela were exchanging theirprison cells for their countries' Presidential Palaces, and it seemedthat Burma (I will not call it "Myanmar"), which had been governed by arepressive military junta since 1962, would be the next democraticsuccess story. Opposition to the regime was led by Aung San Suu Kyi,the beautiful and charismatic daughter of a national hero who enjoyedthe devoted support of most of her compatriots. It seemed inevitablethat "people power" would sweep away the junta, just as it had sweptaway the Marcos regime in the Philippines and the Communistdictatorships of Eastern Europe.And yet this did not happen; the Burmese regime succeeded inmaintaining its iron grip on power. Perhaps the reason was that, unlikemany other tyrannies, it lacked any recognisable ideology beyond anOrwellian vision of "a boot stamping on a human face, forever".Communism collapsed when it became clear that it could not perform itsostensible ideological function, the protection of the economicinterests of the working man. This in turn provoked the collapse ofright-wing dictatorships like Pinochet's in Chile or Suharto's inIndonesia, which had justified their existence by claiming to defendtheir countries against Communism. Apartheid collapsed when it becameclear that the economic interests of black and white South Africanswere so closely intertwined as to make nonsense of the idea of"separate development". Than Shwe's junta, lacking any ideology whichcould be discredited in this way, could resist the forces of change foras long as it could maintain the loyalty of its troops and its own willto power."The Lady" depicts the life of Suu Kyi, known as "the lady" to herfollowers. It is not a complete biography, as it shows little of herearly life, apart from the assassination of her father Aung San whenshe was three years old. The main action begins in 1988, when she wasin her mid-forties and returned to Burma to visit her ailing mother,having previously been living in England with her husband Michael Aris,an Oxford professor. Her visit coincided with an uprising againstmilitary rule, which was followed by a brief period of liberalisation.She was persuaded to lead the country's nascent pro-democracy movement,and her party, the National League for Democracy, won a convincingmajority in the 1990 parliamentary election. The military, however,refused to recognise the result and reimposed martial law. Suu Kyi wasplaced under house arrest and all political campaigning was forbidden.The junta seemed quite unmoved by international condemnation; even theaward of the Nobel Peace Prize to Suu Kyi in 1993 could not persuadethem to release her.The film was directed by Luc Besson, who was perhaps not the idealdirector, as he had previously best been known for making action moviessuch as "Nikita". He had made a previous biography of a nationalpolitical heroine, "Joan of Arc", but even there the action scenes arethe best thing about the film. It is perhaps therefore unsurprisingthat "The Lady" is rather slow and ponderous and shows signs of havingbeen made by a director unused to this style of film-making. Visually,however, the film is often attractive, with effective contrasts betweenthe green, tropical lushness of South-East Asia- these scenes were shotin Thailand rather than Burma itself- and the grey stone of Oxford, acity often seen in the snow.To be fair to Besson, he appears to have been deeply committed to thisfilm, and it is possible that without his commitment it might neverhave been made. He was fortunate in having a leading lady, MichelleYeoh, who was just as committed as he was; indeed, it was she whopersuaded him to take on the project. Yeoh here gets to show, as shedid in "Memoirs of a Geisha", that she is more than just a Bond Girl,more than just a kung-fu action heroine. She has the advantage ofbearing a striking resemblance to the woman she is portraying.Yeoh described the film as "an incredible love story", and the elementmost emphasised in the film is the relationship between Suu Kyi and herhusband, from whom she was separated for many years. She would havebeen free at any time to leave Burma and rejoin him and their two sonsin England, but always refused to do so, knowing that if she ever leftthe country she would never be permitted to return. David Thewlis asAris is perhaps even better than Yeoh, playing him as an unworldlyacademic and devoted family man who nevertheless selflessly insiststhat his wife remain in Burma, knowing that if she leaves the countrythis will be a great blow to the pro-democracy movement. His prematuredeath from cancer, possibly brought on or exacerbated by the stress ofhis situation, is the film's most tragic moment.Suu Kyi's house arrest has now been lifted and Burma is now ruled by acivilian government, although it remains to be seen whether it willevolve into a genuine democracy; the elections in 2010 were widelydenounced as neither free nor fair, and the new government as a merefront for a continuing military dictatorship. The expulsion of MichelleYeoh from the country last year would suggest that the authorities arestill very touchy about criticism. The film, however, performs thevaluable service of reminding the world of the problems of a countrywhich was for too long one of the last bastions of tyranny. I certainlypreferred it to "The Iron Lady", the other recent biopic of a majorfemale political figure. 7/10

paul david

(2013-04-30 15:28:38)

The Steel Orchid or Burmas First Lady as Told in this film?

Nobody should criticise the drama directing or entertainment value of afilm like this which offers an intimate insight into the struggle ofone human being to fulfil a humanitarian cause for her country,Mynanmar.Quite by chance, I watched WE yesterday, another love story with atwist directed by Madonna. As for the Lady, both Michelle Yeogh andDavid Threwlis are excellent throughout in the two leading roles. thefilm is as much about their devotion to their each other as it is tothe cause of Burma (or Mynanmar if you like).What disappointed me was that there was no translation for wheneverBurmese was spoken in the movie and so I had no idea what was beingsaid. furthermore, the end credits were in French and I could notunderstand them either.Considering the political nature of the movie and the profile of thewoman in focus, I thought it was a surprisingly unpolitical film andthe Burmese Generals came across as a bunch of puffs who had no idea toconnect with the people they ruled and controlled.I also agree that the ending was rushed after Mikeys death and moretime could have been spent to balance the story to the present day butthat is the directors prerogative and I am not criticising in any way.I remember the Ghandi movie and as much as I liked this movie, sorry,the overall quality of this movie cannot be compared to Ghandi.Terrific film, have a few hankies at the ready and be ready to grab ahand or two when things taken a sudden turn!

David O'Mahony

(2013-04-29 21:52:11)

If you only watch one film this year, ensure its "The Lady"

Whilst the film-making was not the best ever, it was MORE than goodenough to convey to the viewer the awe-inspiring bravery, decency andhumanity of Aung San Suu Kyi, her family and many supporters whosuffered so much - including death.It was a heavy, profound watch.... if you don't tear-up at at least acouple of points on this one, you are made of steel!I disagree with another reviewer that the portrayal of the evilmilitary mis-ruler was overdone and bordering on ridicule. I live inS.E. Asia, and i have observed those in uniforms and in possession ofpower, believe me it was spot-on. And lets face it, they wereabsolutely evil. The parallels with Richard Attenborough's "Gandhi" are definitelyapparent, and the biggest surprise is how good Michelle Yeo is in therole! Enjoy.

Dharmendra Singh

(2013-04-29 14:43:07)

A By-the-Numbers Biography

Luc Besson ('Leon', 'Nikita') is the unlikely director to cinematiseAung San Suu Kyi's unlikelier story: one of courage, endurance andsacrifice. In the hands of a director more accustomed to making epics,there's a chance this film could have been more compelling. Besson ofcourse gets the blood and guts right, but lacks the sensitivity whichshould have been this biography's essence.Michelle Yeoh, that graceful, handsome actor, whom audiences willrecognise from many a martial arts movie, assumes the daunting leadrole. David Thewlis stars as her husband, Dr Michael Aris, the manbehind the great woman.Suu leaves England, where she has lived since her famous politicalfather was assassinated, to visit her ailing mother in Burma. Whilstthere, Suu is moved by the indiscriminate violence being meted out by asuperstitious dummy of a dictator. She thought her stay would last twoweeks. She ended up staying there for 15 years.Although married to an Oxford academic, and despite having mixed-racekids, Suu feels an immediate rekindling of emotion for her native landand her native people. A group of acolytes forms and asks – morepresumes – that Suu will lead Burma into democracy.I thought this essential part of the film was one of the weakest. It isperemptory and dubious. A scene showing Suu react to the challengeahead was necessary but missing. Again, the absence of such a scenemade it hard for me to connect with the character.This was supposed to be a story about one of the most inspirationalpeople in recent times. I understood that from the news reports; notthis film. I thought Thewlis was subpar. Either he's too reserved, oris he's playing an Englishman too well. Equally, I didn't believe inthe family unit: their acting towards each other felt staged.Ultimately, I didn't get a full sense of just how unimaginable thistrial was for Suu.www.moseleyb13.com