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Iris [2002] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
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The other phase reveals Murdoch near the end of her life, struggling to complete what would be her final novel and fulfil her public engagements as she succumbs to the effects of Alzheimer's disease. Judy Dench has given numerous fine screen performances, but none as gripping nor so heart-rending as the ageing writer who withdraws into her own world--to the consternation, anger, then acceptance of her husband, movingly played by Jim Broadbent. Cameos from such actors as Eleanor Bron and Timothy West add to the overall quality, as does Eyre's lucid script, atmospheric location filming in and around Oxford, and an attractively low-key score from James Horner. Murdoch's novels may in future receive the kind of filmic presentation that does them justice. For now, this poignant insight into episodes from the life of a great modern writer is a must-see.--Richard Whitehouse
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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
A literary academic whose novels met with widespread commercial acclaim, the work of Iris Murdoch has a depth and elusiveness difficult to capture on screen. So for Iris, his first film as a director, Richard Eyre avoids the problematic novels and instead alternates the two phases of Murdoch's life as related by her widower John Bayley in his books Iris: A Memoir and Elegy for Iris. We see the headstrong and captivating Oxford undergraduate with academia at her feet, drawn to the gauche Bayley on account of his sincerity and understanding of what she needs to achieve for herself. Kate Winslet has the right combination of vibrancy and thoughtfulness for the young Iris, with Hugh Bonneville sympathetic as Bayley.
"Wither shall I go from thy spirit?"
Review date: 2008-10-19 Rating: 10 out of 10
Prolific English novelist Iris Murdoch (The Sea, the Sea, Under the Net) was a lover of words and the power of language. She was quite the avant-garde free-thinker as a young professor and the shy, stuttering John Bayley seemed an unlikely match for her, but fall in love they did and they shared a long and loving marriage. The movie focuses on Iris' battle with Alzheimer's disease, which gradually robbed her of the ability to use her beloved words. John cared for her and loved her until the end.
This is simply the best movie I've seen in a long time; the acting is superb as is the script. Judi Dench gives a stunning performance as Iris. It is heartbreaking to watch her steady decline, knowing how it must end. She was nominated for, but did not receive an Oscar, however, Jim Broadbent rightly won one for his role as her steadfast husband. He, too, is perfect, tenderly caring for his beloved even when she doesn't know him. When the movie flashes from Iris' present decline to John's memories of their meeting and courtship, the younger Iris is well-played by Kate Winslet. She captures the love of life and philosophy that Iris had. The James Horner soundtrack is the perfect companion to the deeply personal and yet universally-understood story of unselfish love.
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Reviews
A roller coaster!
Review date: 2008-08-07 Rating: 8 out of 10
This film has frustration, selfishness, touching scenes and pivotal moments. Superb acting by Kate Winslet and Judie Dench etc. A fascinating piece of a decline in a writer's life. You either find Iris frustratingly selfish or admire the bold and experimental taste that feeds her imagination to the literary world. Some say what a cow others say WOw! Though it cannot be ignored that either way the film is an emotional one. It has captured authentically a part of someone's life. I'm glad I didn't watch this at the cinema where tissues were unavailable.
A beautiful film
Review date: 2008-04-27 Rating: 10 out of 10
Iris is a true story based on the lives of Iris Murdoch and John Bayley. The film rotates between present day (as it were) and their youth. Murdoch is played by Judi Dench in the present and Kate Winslet in the past. Whilst Bayley is played by Jim Broadbent in the present and Hugh Bonneville in the past and is seen primarily through the perspective of Bayley. I cannot praise these actors enough. Rarely do you see such performances. It is truly stunning. Its a film that shook me to my core. It was intensely emotional. Jim Broadbent was truly magnificent and portrayed the feeling of watching someone you love so very much begin their descent into losing their ability to utter the most simple words to perfection. Utterly gut wrenching.
Judi Dench is nothing short of a superstar in front of a camera and I felt that everybody pulled their weight in this. It is a film that I'd have to describe as simply beautiful.
I can only hope I never have to deal with this sort of thing myself. I find it difficult to convey my feelings further. It is one of those films that you must watch and I am sure you will know what I mean. Honestly, its something we all should see.
IRIS
Review date: 2005-11-14 Rating: 10 out of 10
FUNNY, SAD, ROMANTIC, AND SHOCKING. BEAUTIFUL PHOTOGRAPHY. I LOVELY FILM FOR SENSITIVE SOULS
The destruction of a gifted mind by Alzheimer's disease
Review date: 2004-12-25 Rating: 8 out of 10
"Iris" was a most disturbing film for me to watch, although I know exactly why it affected me so. Ever since I learned that H. L. Mencken spent the final years of his life incapacitated by a stroke that made it impossible for him to read and write (or to remember nouns), the idea of losing my mental faculties has been pretty much the worst of all possible fates for me. Similar ground is covered in "Iris," as the novelist Iris Murdoch has her mind, her marriage, and her life destroyed by Alzheimer's disease. Of course the film makes me uncomfortable; it should make anybody uncomfortable to watch a human being's life come undone like this.
The screenplay by Richard Eyre and Charles Wood, based on the books "Iris: A Memory" and "Elegy for Iris" by her husband John Bayley, attempts to convey cinematically what has been lost. Consequently we cut back and forth between the present, as John (Jim Broadbent) struggles to take care of his beloved Iris (Judi Dench), and disjointed scenes from the past, as young John (Hugh Bonneville) and Iris (Kate Winslet) meet and fall in love. Sometimes they are brief glimpses, other times extended scenes, combining to provide a disjointed pictures of these two lives.
I was surprised that I do not especially remember Iris Murdoch as a novelist; I know that I have never read any of her books. So my sense of what a great mind was lost is based entirely on what we see of Iris at the top of her game in the film. Clearly "Iris" is a film that presents these lives in fragments and pieces. We never fully understand why Iris decides to marry Jim; it must have been a superb meeting of the minds, but that is not the sense we get from the film where Jim is pretty much an amiable fuddy duddy. "Iris" is about the end and the beginning of a relationship, with a giant gap in the middle. Still, this film is about the growing gaps that appeared in the lives of this couple, so it is hard to say such an approach is unjustified. Again, if "Iris" is an unsettling film, then we have to remember that it should be.
The acting by the four principles is first rate, although I want to make special mention of Hugh Bonneville because he was the only one of the quartet not to receive an Oscar nomination. Bonneville does as fine of a creating a younger Broadbent as Kate Winslet does a younger Judi Dench, but apparently that is a thankless job.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Jim Broadbent
Eleanor Bron
Kate Winslet
Hugh Bonneville
Judi Dench
Creators:
Judi Dench (Primary Contributor)
Jim Broadbent (Primary Contributor)
Richard Eyre (Writer)
Anthony Minghella (Producer)
David M. Thompson (Producer)
Guy East (Producer)
Harvey Weinstein (Producer)
Charles Wood (Writer)
John Bayley (Writer)
Director(s):
Recording label: Miramax
Manufacturer: Miramax
EAN: 0786936178272
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Closed-captioned, Colour, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen,
Release date: 2002-08-20
Universal product code (UPC): 786936178272
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Region code: 1
Running time: 91 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2001
Language: English (Original Language)