Product Details

• Actors: Judi Dench, Jim Broadbent, Kate Winslet, Hugh Bonneville, Penelope Wilton
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Miramax
• VHS Release Date: January 14, 2003
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (82 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00007K08K
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #353,105 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Iris teems with fussy charm and the intimate joy found only in a lover's foibles. Adapted from the memoirs of literary critic John Bayley, the film recounts his courtship of and long marriage to British novelist Iris Murdoch. The scenario tacks back and forth from the young Iris (Kate Winslet)--ready to seduce one and all with her coy command of words and sex appeal--to the elder Iris (Judi Dench)--slowly giving way to the cruel erasure of Alzheimer's--and it is impossible not to be moved by the film's denouement of loss. Ms. Dench is, as usual, resplendent, tossing off literary quips, knowing glares, and razor-sharp metaphors with graceful ease. The pleasure Murdoch took in what must have been an extraordinary life is palpable every second Dench is onscreen. Jim Broadbent is also especially fine as the elder Bayley, steadfast in devotion and humor. The script, however, is painfully predictable and heavy-handed in its frequent use of symbolism (e.g., sheets of paper flying into the ocean, rocks slipping to the river's bottom). Nevertheless, Iris evokes a passion for learning and intimacy worthy of its subject. --Fionn Meade

Product Description

Here's the powerful true story based on John Bayley's novels that earned Jim Broadbent an Academy Award(R) for Best Supporting Actor and Academy Award(R) nominations for Best Actress Judi Dench and Best Supporting Actress Kate Winslet (IRIS, 2001). Judi Dench (SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE) and Kate Winslet (TITANIC) bring to the screen one of the most extraordinary women of the 20th century, celebrated English author Iris Murdoch. As told by her unlikely soulmate, husband John Bayley, Iris first became known as a brilliant young scholar at Oxford whose boundless spirit dazzled those around her. Then, during her remarkable career as a novelist and philosopher, she continued to prove herself a woman ahead of her time. Even in later life, as age and illness robbed Iris of her remarkable gifts, nothing could diminish her immense influence or weaken the bond with her devoted husband.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love Does Not Cure Everything, But It Helps A Lot, June 7, 2002

By 

Alysson Oliveira "Alysson Oliveira" (Sao Paulo-- Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Iris (DVD)

"Iris" is not an easy to movie to watch. It is very painful and it can be unberable to some people. But in the end you see how much it means to have someone to support and love you -- mainly when you need.

The film tells the story of the British novelist and phlisopher Iris Murdoch. Alternating scenes from the young Iris (Kate Winslet) and the old (Judi Dench) the film shows the most important periods of her relationship with the love of her life John Bayley ( Hugh Bonneville and Jim Broadbent). So we see when they first met and how they develop such a relarionship founded on love, friendship and mutual admiration. And we also see their last days, when the desease dominates Iris' mind.

The cast is simply a wonderful. No actor is in the wrong place and the four central actors who plays the couple in different times of their lives are stunning. Kate Winslet once more is brilliant as the young Iris who is beautiful inteligente and fierce. Judi Dench as the older Iris is centred and calm, but still brilliant and the moments when the diseades dominates her mind she is perfect. Jim Broadbent really deserved his Oscar as Iris soul mate. He is the one who helps her to fight the disease, despite the fact it is a lost battle -- as all doctors say.

The direction is simple and quite effective. The screenplay may sound confusing at first, but it is not. The writer meant to show how close facts that happen to the young Iris to the old one are.

Love can not cure anything, but with this movie we see how it helps when hard times come. Iris and John had only each other to support, and they did so until the last minute. Another thing, after seeing the movie, I'm feeling very temptead to read some of Iris' novels.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and poignant, January 26, 2002

By 

E. C. O'Donovan (New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This is such a beautiful film, and although it's sad I didn't find it depressing. The setting is drab - in fact, most of it is filmed in a dilapidated old house - but the effective use of flash-backs and the four superb, Oscar-worthy performances of Judi Dench, Jim Broadbent, Kate Winslet and Hugh Bonville shine and make this movie something truly exceptional. See it.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant portrait of Iris Murdoch, August 24, 2002

By 

Matthew Horner (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Iris (DVD)

Because I have personally witnessed the devastation of Alzheimers Disease, I was hesitant to view Iris, which is an unflinching account of famed British writer Iris Murdochs battle with this monstrous illness. Now, Im glad I saw it. Its a beautiful film.

Murdoch [1919-1999] wrote nearly thirty novels, most of which deal with the complexities and mysteries of human behavior. She also taught philosophy. She deeply loved her husband of forty years, John Bayley, a renowned literary critic. Her other great love was words. To watch her slowly losing contact with all she loved [and, thus, with all she was] is a deeply touching experience, though the movie can only begin to describe the real-life events.

Iris is portrayed as a young woman by Kate Winslet. Judi Dench plays the older Iris. Young John is Hugh Bonneville, old John is Jim Broadbent, who won and Oscar for his performance. The casting is perfect, not only because the actors are great ones, but also because they blend perfectly as the movie switches back and forth between the present and the past.

This is not meant to be a comprehensive biography. It touches on only a few highlights, which are meant to contrast the vibrantly alive and productive young Iris with the fragile and lost Iris at the end of her life. It is done with great compassion, and the result is perhaps the best illustration of the horror of Alzheimers ever put on film.