Iris
- Director: Richard Eyre
- Writer: John Bayley; Richard Eyre
- Producer: Michael Dreyer; Guy East
CGiii Comment
A difficult film to watch.
The agonising collapse into Alzheimer's...torture for the person, torture for those that care.
Broadbent won the Oscar - Dame Judi should have too.
A mesmerising amount of talent and skill are on show.
Eyre directs from the back - knowing his actors are more than capable...allowing them to demonstrate their craft.
A heart-breaking wonder.
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
Iris, based on the life of revered British writer and philosopher Iris Murdoch, is a story of unlikely yet enduring love. As a young academic, teaching philosophy at Oxford, Murdoch meets and eventually falls in love with fellow professor John Bayley, a man whose awkwardness seems in stark opposition to the spirited self-confidence of his future wife. The story unfolds as snippets of time, seen through Bayley's eyes. He recalls their first encounter over 40 years ago, activities they enjoyed doing together, and Iris' charismatic and individualistic personality. These images portray Murdoch as a vibrant young woman with great intellect and are contrasted with the novelist's later life, after the effects of Alzheimer's disease have ravaged her. Murdoch's great mind deteriorates until she is reduced to a mere vestige of her former self, unable to perform simple tasks and completely reliant on her at times frustrated yet devoted husband.
Cast & Characters
Kate Winslet as Young Iris Murdoch;
Hugh Bonneville as Young John Bayley;
Judi Dench as Iris Murdoch;
Jim Broadbent as John Bayley;
Eleanor Bron as Principal;
Angela Morant as Hostess;
Penelope Wilton as Janet Stone;
Siobhan Hayes as Check-Out Girl;
Juliet Aubrey as Young Janet Stone;
Joan Bakewell as BBC Presenter;
Nancy Carroll as BBC PA;
Kris Marshall as Dr. Gudgeon;
Tom Mannion as Neurologist;
Derek Hutchinson as Postman;
Samuel West as Young Maurice