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The Lady

  • 2011
  • Tous publics
  • 2h 12m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
12K
YOUR RATING
Michelle Yeoh in The Lady (2011)
The story of pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi and the academic and writer Michael Aris; a true story of love set against political turmoil.
Play trailer2:32
2 Videos
55 Photos
BiographyDramaHistoryRomance

The story of Aung San Suu Kyi as she becomes the core of Burma's democracy movement, and her relationship with her husband, writer Michael Aris.The story of Aung San Suu Kyi as she becomes the core of Burma's democracy movement, and her relationship with her husband, writer Michael Aris.The story of Aung San Suu Kyi as she becomes the core of Burma's democracy movement, and her relationship with her husband, writer Michael Aris.

  • Director
    • Luc Besson
  • Writer
    • Rebecca Frayn
  • Stars
    • Michelle Yeoh
    • David Thewlis
    • Jonathan Raggett
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    12K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Luc Besson
    • Writer
      • Rebecca Frayn
    • Stars
      • Michelle Yeoh
      • David Thewlis
      • Jonathan Raggett
    • 46User reviews
    • 119Critic reviews
    • 43Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 2 nominations total

    Videos2

    U.S. Version
    Trailer 2:32
    U.S. Version
    French Version
    Trailer 0:50
    French Version
    French Version
    Trailer 0:50
    French Version

    Photos55

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    + 49
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    Top cast55

    Edit
    Michelle Yeoh
    Michelle Yeoh
    • Aung San Suu Kyi
    David Thewlis
    David Thewlis
    • Michael Aris
    Jonathan Raggett
    Jonathan Raggett
    • Kim Aris
    Jonathan Woodhouse
    • Alexander Aris
    Markus Waldow
    • Reporter
    Susan Wooldridge
    Susan Wooldridge
    • Lucinda Philips
    Benedict Wong
    Benedict Wong
    • Karma
    Htun Lin
    • General Ne Win
    Agga Poechit
    • Than Shwe
    Donatienne Dupont
    • Marie-Laure Aris
    Phoe Zaw
    • Aung San - the Father
    Marian Yu
    • Daw Khin Kyi - the Mother
    May
    • Mon Mon
    Ko Ko Win Aung
    • Red Scarf Captain
    Thein Win
    • U Kyi Maung
    San Lwin
    • U Win Tin - Writer
    Zaw Oo
    • U Tin U
    Nay Myo Thant
    • Win Thein - Student
    • Director
      • Luc Besson
    • Writer
      • Rebecca Frayn
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews46

    7.011.5K
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    Featured reviews

    7JamesHitchcock

    One of the Last Bastions of Tyranny

    Politically, the late eighties and nineties were the most hopeful period in recent history. Throughout the world, especially in Eastern Europe and Latin America but also in Africa and the Far East, dictatorial regimes were giving way to democracy. Activists such as Lech Walesa, Vaclav Havel and Nelson Mandela were exchanging their prison cells for their countries' Presidential Palaces, and it seemed that Burma (I will not call it "Myanmar"), which had been governed by a repressive military junta since 1962, would be the next democratic success story. Opposition to the regime was led by Aung San Suu Kyi, the beautiful and charismatic daughter of a national hero who enjoyed the devoted support of most of her compatriots. It seemed inevitable that "people power" would sweep away the junta, just as it had swept away the Marcos regime in the Philippines and the Communist dictatorships of Eastern Europe.

    And yet this did not happen; the Burmese regime succeeded in maintaining its iron grip on power. Perhaps the reason was that, unlike many other tyrannies, it lacked any recognisable ideology beyond an Orwellian vision of "a boot stamping on a human face, forever". Communism collapsed when it became clear that it could not perform its ostensible ideological function, the protection of the economic interests of the working man. This in turn provoked the collapse of right-wing dictatorships like Pinochet's in Chile or Suharto's in Indonesia, which had justified their existence by claiming to defend their countries against Communism. Apartheid collapsed when it became clear that the economic interests of black and white South Africans were so closely intertwined as to make nonsense of the idea of "separate development". Than Shwe's junta, lacking any ideology which could be discredited in this way, could resist the forces of change for as long as it could maintain the loyalty of its troops and its own will to power.

    "The Lady" depicts the life of Suu Kyi, known as "the lady" to her followers. It is not a complete biography, as it shows little of her early life, apart from the assassination of her father Aung San when she was three years old. The main action begins in 1988, when she was in 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 against military 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 convincing majority in the 1990 parliamentary election. The military, however, refused to recognise the result and reimposed martial law. Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest and all political campaigning was forbidden. The junta seemed quite unmoved by international condemnation; even the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Suu Kyi in 1993 could not persuade them to release her.

    The film was directed by Luc Besson, who was perhaps not the ideal director, as he had previously best been known for making action movies such as "Nikita". He had made a previous biography of a national political heroine, "Joan of Arc", but even there the action scenes are the best thing about the film. It is perhaps therefore unsurprising that "The Lady" is rather slow and ponderous and shows signs of having been made by a director unused to this style of film-making. Visually, however, the film is often attractive, with effective contrasts between the green, tropical lushness of South-East Asia- these scenes were shot in Thailand rather than Burma itself- and the grey stone of Oxford, a city often seen in the snow.

    To be fair to Besson, he appears to have been deeply committed to this film, and it is possible that without his commitment it might never have been made. He was fortunate in having a leading lady, Michelle Yeoh, who was just as committed as he was; indeed, it was she who persuaded him to take on the project. Yeoh here gets to show, as she did 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 of bearing a striking resemblance to the woman she is portraying.

    Yeoh described the film as "an incredible love story", and the element most emphasised in the film is the relationship between Suu Kyi and her husband, from whom she was separated for many years. She would have been free at any time to leave Burma and rejoin him and their two sons in England, but always refused to do so, knowing that if she ever left the country she would never be permitted to return. David Thewlis as Aris is perhaps even better than Yeoh, playing him as an unworldly academic and devoted family man who nevertheless selflessly insists that his wife remain in Burma, knowing that if she leaves the country this will be a great blow to the pro-democracy movement. His premature death from cancer, possibly brought on or exacerbated by the stress of his situation, is the film's most tragic moment.

    Suu Kyi's house arrest has now been lifted and Burma is now ruled by a civilian government, although it remains to be seen whether it will evolve into a genuine democracy; the elections in 2010 were widely denounced as neither free nor fair, and the new government as a mere front for a continuing military dictatorship. The expulsion of Michelle Yeoh from the country last year would suggest that the authorities are still very touchy about criticism. The film, however, performs the valuable service of reminding the world of the problems of a country which was for too long one of the last bastions of tyranny. I certainly preferred it to "The Iron Lady", the other recent biopic of a major female political figure. 7/10
    9phd_travel

    A story that must be told and Michelle Yeoh is terrific

    With such a fascinating subject matter this movie would have been an interesting watch no matter who directed it but I think Luc Besson did a good job showing he is more than just an action thriller director. Of course there are some violent parts showing the brutality of the Military that are in your face and exciting as expected. He handled the private woman and her personal sacrifice and bravery in a tasteful manner.

    Michelle Yeoh does a brilliant job. It's a really good fit for her. She is good in both the intimate moments dealing with her family and in her dignified public persona. She deserves an acting nomination for her work. David Thewlis is well cast as a disheveled looking professor type.

    The subtitles are a major part of the movie with lots of dialog in Burmese. But it's still easy to follow the plot which doesn't jump around too much and is well laid out. It deserves a place among the better political true life movies. While not as dramatic or gut wrenching as "Cry Freedom" or "the Killing Fields", it still delivers a powerful message. Those interested can also watch "Beyond Rangoon" with Patricia Arquette which is a more adventure style portrayal of the events in Burma.

    Wish the movie could have shown more recent events including her recent release. Reminds us there is still a long way to go in Burma.

    Touching and a must watch.
    rogerdarlington

    Moving story of personal courage for political purpose

    Making a commercial film about a struggle for human rights and democracy is a real struggle because most audiences want entertainment and not politics. So the producers have to find an 'angle'. In 1987, "A World Apart" told the story of the fight against apartheid in South Africa but through the prism of the strain that this put on ANC activist Ruth First's relationship with her young daughter. A similar approach 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 in the dictatorship that has ruled Burma for most of the period since post-war independence from Britain. So it is not politics as such which is to the fore here but Suu Kyi's relationship with her husband, Oxford academic Michael Aris, and most especially the regime's brutal refusal to allow Aris to see his wife one last time when he was dying of prostate cancer. It is a gut-wrenchingly sad tale.

    Malaysian-born actress Michelle Yeoh - a Bond girl in "Tomorrow Never Dies" and pugilist star of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" - looks perfect in the leading role, giving a performance which, while often understated, is deeply moving. David Thewlis (various "Harry Potter" films and "The Boy With The Striped Pyjamas") is very effective as the long-suffering husband. The exotic locations and local faces in Thailand serve the movie well and original music by the French Eric Serra plus some Mozart enhance the emotional power of the work. It is perhaps no surprise that the script for what is in essence a love story comes from a female writer - the British Rebecca Frayn - but one might not expect the identity of the director for this Anglo-French film: Luc Besson, best known for such action movies as "Nikita", "Leon" and "The Fifth Element".

    "The Lady" may be a bit one-dimensional and lack nuance, but it highlights a long struggle for human rights that is not sufficiently well-known and the timing of its release (I saw it in January 2012) is poignant. 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 film was finished she had been released. At the end of the movie, the iron grip of the regime and the number of political prisoners are highlighted but, in the weeks around the film's release, the generals instituted a series of liberalisation measures including the freeing of most political prisoners. If all this augurs an era of genuine democracy in Burma, "The Lady" will be a wonderful testimony to the power of personal courage and sacrifice to effect political change.
    9kongjr

    Spine-tingling joy to watch this movie!

    Ang Sang Suu Kyi is one of my most favorite political figures (I'm probably not alone on it), I hesitated whether I should go and see this movie, fearing it may not match my impression of Daw Ang Sang gathered from previous news footages and biography.

    It was amazing to see Michelle Yeoh as Ang Sang Suu Kyi, the act was elegantly presented, the way how Michelle put her hand on the waist while walking gracefully, reminded me so much of the Lady, everything comes natural, nothing pretentious, it's a joy to see such a great act with simple body language, it even sent me a sort of spine-tingling joy when she walked on the stage to give her first public speech at Shwe Dagon 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 movie with 9, it's hard to present the whole struggle of Daw Ang Sang in a short time, but I guess most people who go and watch this movie should already 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 of its kind.
    10ann-asmcm

    Thoroughly evocative and compelling

    This is one of the best films I have seen in a long time. It was highly entertaining, emotionally evoking and educational. I had known very little on the situation in Bhurma, and felt the summaries I read prior to visiting the cinema to see this film did not do justice to this cinematic gem. I came away from the screening determined to learn more and do what small part I could to right the wrongs portrayed in The Lady. The setting was wonderful, and I felt the cast played their parts marvellously. Many write ups of the film have criticised the length, however I do not think the story could have developed to give one a reasonable overview of the situation with a shorter script. It would be unnecessary 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 or not you have an interest in political affairs or not. The politics in The Lady is so simply set out and self- explanatory that anyone would understand the issues at hand.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Following Suu Kyi's controversial reign as State Counsellor of Myanmar and her defense of the Rohingya genocide, both filmmaker Luc Besson and screenwriter Rebecca Frayn stated they regretted making this film.
    • Goofs
      The production of the assault rifle AK-47 began in 1949. The Burma soldiers cannot have this rifle in 1947.
    • Quotes

      Aung San Suu Kyi at 2 years old: Daddy, tell me a story.

      Aung San - the Father: Hmm, well, I could tell you about the days when Burma was the Golden Land. Is that the kind of story you want?

      Aung San Suu Kyi at 2 years old: Yes!

      Aung San - the Father: Once upon a time, Burma was a beautiful country blessed with great forests of teak and ebony. This was a time when tigers still prowled the jungles, and elephants roamed the great plains. You'd find sapphires as blue as the bluest sky. And rubies redder than your cheeks. More jewels than a princess like you could ever wish for.

      Aung San Suu Kyi at 2 years old: And then?

      Aung San - the Father: Actually, it's a sad story. Soldiers from a faraway land came and stole all our precious things. That's how our country became so poor.

    • Connections
      Featured in Maltin on Movies: This Means War (2012)
    • Soundtracks
      Slug
      Words and music by Brian Eno, Bono, Adam Clayton,

      The Edge& Larry Mullen Jr.

      Performed by Passengers

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 30, 2011 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • United Kingdom
      • Thailand
    • Official site
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Languages
      • English
      • Burmese
    • Also known as
      • Người Đàn Bà Gan Lì
    • Filming locations
      • Myanmar(on location)
    • Production companies
      • EuropaCorp
      • Left Bank Pictures
      • France 2 Cinéma
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $355,391
    • Gross worldwide
      • $7,832,142
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 12 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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