The Last Of England

To say that Margaret Thatcher was a polarising figure is an understatement. The United Kingdom’s first female Prime Minister either did a great deal of good or bad, depending on your socioeconomic status during her tenure, but the Conservative Party’s leader definitely made her mark.

Now, the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) has put together a series called The Last of England: Thatcherism and British Cinema (4 April to 25 June 2014, free admission) where the curious and the learned can get a deeper look at what made Thatcher such a divisively iconic figure. 

The exhibition opens up with a complete retrospective of Derek Jarman’s films, including Super-8 videos, shorts and music videos—which forms the crux of the exhibition—with the title of the exhibit taken from Jarman’s 1987 book and film, The Lst of England. 

There are seven other parts to the exhibit, ranging from the pre-Thatcher years with Ken Loach’s The Spirit of ’45 to For Queen and Country, which includes films like This is England, Elephant and The Falklands Play. 

This exhibit is unique in its ability to span decades and cross generations in one fell swoop, offering up numerous aspects of Thatcherism in the United Kingdom. She was unlike other Prime Ministers in many regards: she was elected for three terms, invaded a country, oversaw a large-scale miner’s strike, and changed the United Kingdom forever. 

Whether you think she was the worst thing to happen to England or a saviour in human form, there’s no denying the effect Margaret Thatcher had on the United Kingdom. The changes she made are still being felt decades after she left public office, and GoMA is honouring her with a full exhibit called The Last of England: Thatcherism and British Cinema.