Iris (2001/I)

Director:

Richard Eyre

Writers:

John Bayley (books)
Richard Eyre (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

18 January 2002 (UK)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Her greatest talent was for life

Plot:

True story of the lifelong romance between novelist Iris Murdoch and her husband John Bayley, from their student days through her battle with Alzheimer's disease.

Plot Keywords:

Alzheimer's Disease | Novelist | Love | Friend | Writer

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 11 wins & 22 nominations

Cast

Kate Winslet	...	Young Iris Murdoch
Hugh Bonneville	...	Young John Bayley
Judi Dench	...	Iris Murdoch
Jim Broadbent	...	John Bayley
Eleanor Bron	...	Principal
Angela Morant	...	Hostess
Penelope Wilton	...	Janet Stone
Siobhan Hayes	...	Check-Out Girl
Juliet Aubrey	...	Young Janet Stone
Joan Bakewell	...	BBC Presenter
Nancy Carroll	...	BBC PA
Kris Marshall	...	Dr. Gudgeon
Tom Mannion	...	Neurologist
Derek Hutchinson	...	Postman
Samuel West	...	Young Maurice (as Sam West)

Also Known As:

Iris: A Memoir of Iris Murdoch (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:PG (TV rating) | Iceland:L | Malaysia:18SX | Hungary:14 | Singapore:PG (video rating) (heavily cut) | Singapore:R(A) (theatrical rating) (cut) | South Korea:15 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Canada:AA | Finland:K-11 | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:AL | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | USA:R | Philippines:R-18

Filming Locations:

Magpie Lane, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

Timothy West who plays "Older Maurice" and Samuel West who plays "Young Maurice" are father and son.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When Iris and John are traveling to the nursing home, they are seen crossing a bridge. This bridge is Magdalene Bridge and leads to East Oxford, yet The Vale House, where Iris Murdoch spent the final years if her life, was (and still is) in South Oxford.

Quotes:

Iris Murdoch: I... wrote?
John Bayley: Yes, my darling, clever cat! You wrote books.
Iris Murdoch: Books... I wrote?
John Bayley: You wrote novels. Wonderful novels.
Iris Murdoch: I... wrote...
John Bayley: Such things you wrote. Special things. Secret things.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 59th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2002) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Que reste-t-il de nos amours?

Great Performances, But Only a Good Movie.

"Iris" is an intense character-study that is full of bravura performances, but is also a film that struggles for greatness and never quite reaches the mark. Iris Murdoch was a great English novelist, arguably the greatest of her time, but Alzheimer's would strike the writer and eventually take away everything needed to continue her literary work. The film splits in two between Murdoch's early life (played by Oscar-nominee Kate Winslet) and her latter life (Oscar-nominee Judi Dench). What we see is Murdoch's relationship with her true love and future-husband John Bayley (Hugh Bonneville in the early sequences and Oscar-winner Jim Broadbent in the latter stages). "Iris" struggles as it goes back and forth between the early years and the latter years of Murdoch's life. This makes the film like a jumping-jack that just does not know when to quit. The film is not complimentary to Murdoch in her early years as she is shown as a teasing bi-sexual who basically uses men and women for her own personal gain. She is also shown as a somewhat cruel person who intentionally and unintentionally hurts those closest to her. Dench, on the other hand, plays Murdoch as a woman slowly losing control of those things most important to her. There are definitely flashes and similarities between the four actors who play the two characters flawlessly. Broadbent is best, but his Oscar win is not dominant by any stretch of the imagination. The film also looks somewhat cheap and rushed at times. It is just so British and the production values are not near as high as they really should have been. However, the film does show the Alzheimer's Disease in a very accurate way. Those who have seen it firsthand (I have) will find the film very difficult to get through because the research done for the movie is second-to-none. Those who are not familiar with the disease will find the film intriguing and interesting. "Iris" is a fine effort and the performances save the day on more than one occasion, but overall the film is not quite what the film-makers had hoped it would be by the final act. 4 stars out of 5.