Iris
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Movie Reviews of Iris
Movie Review: an elegy for a british writer
Summary: 4 Stars
"If one doesn't have words, how does one think?"
This film is probably the most poignant examination of old age and the tragic diminution of self that it brings since "On Golden Pond".
Old age ain't for sissies. For John Bayley and Iris Murdoch, it's even less of a picnic. Barely upon completion of her final novel, the celebrated writer Murdoch is beginning to sink into dementia brought on by Alzheimer's Disease.
Through flashbacks, we see how this 'nation of two'(Bayley and Murdoch) formed a union. Iris Murdoch (portrayed in her young years by Kate Winslet) is a liberated freethinker. Her daringness is symbolized in one scene by the bright red dress that she wears to a party. It is the one bit of color in a relentlessly and purposefully drab-colored movie.
Young Iris selects the awkwardly shy and stuttering John Bayley as her mate because she recognizes his unstinting goodness. She may also recognize that he is an insurance policy against her future loneliness...for it is quickly established that Iris is the stronger of the pair, and that dutiful John will suffer for his love of her.
The older Iris is portrayed by Judi Dench, who gives a justly praised performance. Looking like the kind of lost soul portrayed in the photographs of Diane Arbus, Dench through her acting shows the progression of Alzheimer's symptoms from the first subtle signs to the final ravages.
Jim Broadbent is also superb as the older John Bayley. As the caregiver left with his faculties fully intact, it is he who must register recognizable human emotions from apprehension and hope, to resentment, despair and rage.
Kate Winslet certainly does nothing here to diminish her reputation as one of the most fiercely intelligent of young actresses.
"Iris" is a film that is British to the core. The casting is superb, the performances impeccable and naturalistic, but the film is destined to appeal mostly to the "Masterpiece Theater" crowd--probably the very people who most fear and best understand the terrible fall from the heights that Alzheimer's can pose for a person who lives the 'life of the mind'.
Movie Review: The realisms of Alzheimer's disease
Summary: 4 Stars
The writers displict the realities of living with Alzheimer's disease as well as the real livings of the philosopher/author. Yet, "Iris" is about love. The two issues blend nicely. The mountains of life with this disease are real for the victim and their families. Heavy heart and soul was written so powerfully that when sadness booms, the audience cries. When anger booms, the audience's heart beats in raging speeds. When happiness booms, the audience's sense of hope arises.Judi Dench and Jim Broadbent are an amazing duo as husband and wife fighting the battle of love and care vs. rage and turbulation. This is what makes a "disease based" movie so unique. Dench displicts how such a battle changes one's life like the real-life philosopher. She is one of few modern actresses who can express such soul in a movie. Broadbent, in his deserved Oscar winning role, displicts why one needs such hope and why it's important to never surrender. Kate Winslet shows how such life outlook begins. As the young Iris, she proves that one doesn't have to have the perfect beginnings to have a near perfect ending. Winslet was the perfect casting choice as she proves that she'll be a legendary actress within the next few years. None of these three actors hold back a drop of emotion for a second.
One will have to watch the movie to know what I'm talking about. If I reveal everything now, it'll ruin the movie's theme for the first-time viewer. I can write by experiece about Alzheimer's disease; therefore, don't think for a second that "Iris" overdramatizes it like most movies. My grandmother passed away in 2000 after her ten-year battle. She may not have been a philosopher, but the battles in her life and family were similar to the movie.
For some, it may take a second viewing of "Iris", but they will leave fulfilled and inspired.
Movie Review: Sad and lovely
Summary: 4 Stars
This film details the relationship between John (Bonneville/Broadbent) and Iris (Winslet/Dench), two young academics who meet, fall in love, and marry. John seems in a perpetual state of admiration for Iris, who blossoms into a celebrated novelist. Clearly, John is the lover and Iris is the loved in their relationship. Iris is the sun, and John is the planet that orbits around her. And John seems ecstatic that this is the nature of things.
As the two age, however, Iris falls prey to Alzheimer's, and her fine mind, which has always been her greatest attribute (and one of John's greatest loves), begins to fail. The story follows John and Iris as the illness takes greater possession of her and John struggles to cope without the central force/focus of his life.
Performances are wonderful in this, particularly those of Broadbent and Dench. Hugh Bonneville gives an uncanny take on a young Jim Broadbent/John Bayley. This movie is sad, because it is about losing someone that you love. But there are hopeful moments, too, when John celebrates the pieces of Iris that are still left to him, the brief moments of lucidity that the universe seems to grant her.
I find it interesting that, though Iris Murdoch is much more widely-published than Bayley has been (most of his work is literary criticism), it is his silm, loving volume of tribute to her that is so well-known. Broadbent won an Oscar for portraying Bayley in this film, and it was well-deserved.
Worth seeing.
Movie Review: Strong and well done
Summary: 4 Stars
There are very few times I have read a book and seen an actress so clearly in the leading role. When I first read portions of John Bayley's book, I couldn't think of anyone else but Dame Judith playing the leading role. Kate Winslet came as a surprise as the young Iris--but she managed to pull the role off superbly.
The story's of Iris Murdoch, brilliant British philosopher, teacher, and novelist. It begins with a young Iris meeting John Bayley (Hugh Bonneville as the young John and Jim Broadbent as the elder) at Oxford. She's quite a libertine and he's not even had a woman yet.
They move in together. While John is an intelligent and strong man in his own rights, he becomes Iris' shadow and later her caretaker as Alzheimer's ravages one of the finest minds.
The film's heartrending tale is beautifully acted on the parts of both the young and old versions of Iris and John. John has some harsh realities to face with both the infidelities of the younger woman and the fragilities of the older.
The story's told honestly, but with compassion. Not necessarily a film to be seen on a grey, rainy day, but worth the watch if you are a fan of Dench and Winslet. They blend together almost seamlessly in the role of Iris.
Movie Review: A Beautiful Mind
Summary: 4 Stars
The premise of "Iris" is simple enough, but the history of Iris Murdoch and her long time lover John Bayley is a thing of fascination. Told through a series of flashbacks comparing the slowly ailing Iris to the younger courtship years of writers Iris and John Bayley, it's a masterpiece of editing. Iris is no sweet angel of the literary world, but a confrontative liberal progressive willing to explore every part of life she can indulge in. This proves a quandary for the young John Bayley (played by an amazing look-alike named Hugh Bonneville), whose is rather shy, but hopelessly in love with Iris. The acting is beyond superb with Kate Winslet as the young Murdoch. Admittedly, there are the weepy moments when Iris adamantly refuses to give in to this disease, all in vain. There are the struggles with herself and her lover. The literary metaphors and ironies are abundant ("There is only one freedom of any importance, freedom of the mind") and the visual ones are somewhat cliché. Regardless, this is a fascinating work of acting by some incredible talents of our age. It's not always upbeat, but it makes you appreciate what you have and how little it takes to be happy.