Well done and sad
Added 1/6/2010
It's terrifically well done with perfect casting. I only wish there had been even more of the brilliant Iris, before her decline into Alzheimer's. She was amazingly, spectacularly brilliant, as well as eccentric (shall we say) in love and one of the greatest English novelists. The movie follows her husband, John Bayley's memoirs of her, their deep love and his devotion during her illness. Very moving.
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The flashback is back
Added 1/4/2010
First off, too many people ignore the absolutely brilliant Hugh Bonneville as a young Jim Broadbent. There was an Oscar-worthy turn if ever I saw one.
Stupid being that I am, I had never heard of Iris Murdoch beyond an ocassional mention of her name. Thus the film fascinated me as a purely biographical work. Naturally, with DAME Judi Dench and Jim Broadbent, one can never go awry, and I truly loved nearly every minute of their work here.
However: I feel that too many "Alzheimer" films are being made these days--since one powerful film can go a long, long way--and I felt that "Iris" got carried away with itself in this part of the film. I asked, What is it? Is it about Alzheimer's Disease or about Iris Murdoch?
Somehow the film didn't work for me, in that direction, and I felt it dragged the thing down badly. There is a way of portraying Alzheimer's in film, I believe, that enhances the story and drives the point home--without the horrors being devoured like red meat. It is something I simply cannot stand. Jim Broadbent's (Bayley's) horrible mental breakdown from the strain of caring for his wife is a thing I wish never to see again in any film. And Dame Judi (Iris) urinating in her living room is also excessive and unnecessary.
I'd say not to miss this film, but then, as they say in England, I hope you have a strong stomach!
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A Beautiful Mind at the end of the road
Added 5/10/2009
This is a beautiful movie though not especially enlightening regarding Murdoch's philosophy at all. Rather it is a romp through her life with John from their meeting and through flashbacks and returns a comparison of their lives together then and the present of the film. It would be a little too risqué to play for students in class though I suppose everything was meant to portray the character of Iris as John recalls her. What the movie does do is encourages reading since one is curious about what the movie leaves out - what she wrote. There are a few choice interviews that Dench does wonderfully. Of interest is the happy YouTube offerings of several interviews with Iris Murdoch so one can compare. But I suppose the main concern of the movie is to present the unfortunate future for many who live the life of the mind and the eventual loss of it. The surprise is that those who are so intellectually active (as well as active in other ways) might still suffer the consequences of a deterioration of the brain and loss of what most makes life worth living for them. Sad.
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Love Can Conquer All- Almost
Added 3/23/2009
"The absolute yearning of one human body for another particular body and its indifference to substitutes is one of life's major mysteries." Iris Murdock
I love the writing of Iris Murdock and her quotes even more so. The film about her life and her slip into oblivion is a marvelous feat. How could a book written by her husband, John Bayle be so provocative and fascinating? It is the four actors who play Iris and John in their 43 year marriage that makes this film a true treasure. Iris was born of Irish parents and moved to London as a small child. She was an intelligent, out spoken young woman and took up Literature at Oxford. It was during this time that she met John. Kate Winslet and Hugh Bonneville play the young couple. A more two unlikely pair. Iris outgoing, outspoken and with many friends. John introverted, someone who stuttered with few friends. But fall in love they did- both highly intelligent- John was a literature professor and Iris wrote books- wonderful books that gained her fame and she became a Dame of the Empire. They settled into their lives with their writings and their friends.
As Iris approached the age of 55 she noted forgetfulness, unable to remember a word here and there. At this age, Judi Dench and Jim Broadbent played their aging counterparts. Iris was examined and in the film no diagnosis was spoken, but we know it is Alzheimer. Judi Dench plays an amazing Iris during this period. Her every glance and facial expression give us the feel of one who is slipping away. It is Jim Broadbent as John who is amazing. As a caretaker he exhibits the grace of one who loves, but also the lethargy and extreme fatigue of caring for someone who is active but must be watched at all times. He is in a time and place of his own, but he insists upon caring for Iris by himself. As time goes on we see him slip into forgetfulness himself, until he realizes he must do something.
An amazing film, difficult to view at times if you have someone who is slipping away. But for all of us who love someone and for those of us who care, we view this film as a devoted husband giving his loved wife the tribute she deserves.
Recommended. prisrob 03-22-09
Ladies in Lavender
Revolutionary Road
Heroes & Villains: The Last Englishman
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Terribly sad
Added 2/13/2009
If your idea of entertainment is watching a brilliant mind dissolve into dementia, then this one's for you. Dench is great, as usual. Based on the husband's tribute book, the movie alternates back and forth between the present and the past to give a picture of the couple's marriage and early days. It's a real weeper.
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