Cheap Iris (DVD) (Judi Dench, Jim Broadbent) (Richard Eyre) Price

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Customer Reviews of Iris

A quartet of outstanding performances make "Iris" special
"Iris," directed by Richard Eyre, is at its heart a love story. The film tells the story of British novelist Iris Murdoch and her husband, professor John Bayley. The film focuses on two specific time periods in this enduring relationship: the beginning, when they were a romancing young couple, and the later years, when an aging Iris began to mentally deteriorate due to a brain disease.

Rather then tell the story chronologically, the filmmakers switch back and forth between these two time periods. The result is quite effective. This technique is greatly enhanced by the principal actors: Judi Dench and Jim Broadbent as the older couple, and Kate Winslet and Hugh Bonneville as their younger incarnations. The four great performances mesh together seamlessly.

Bonneville gives a touching performance as the intelligent but awkward young man who is captivated by the bold young Iris. Winslet gives her young Iris a commanding intellect and a powerful sexuality, both of which are lit by an intriguing inner fire. She's a joy to watch. Dench and Broadbent are heartbreaking as they take these characters into their struggle against Iris' devastating illness. These four actors definitely make "Iris" worth seeing.

The parts of the film that focused on Iris' illness seemed somewhat choppy at times; I found it difficult to get a sense of how exactly the disease was progressing. Nevertheless, "Iris" rises above the stereotypical "disease-of-the-week" genre due to great performances, as well as to the films's overall effective structure. Ultimately, this is a moving and very real love story, as well as a thoughtful meditation on loss and mortality.

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Poignant portrait of Iris Murdoch
Because I have personally witnessed the devastation of Alzheimer's Disease, I was hesitant to view 'Iris', which is an unflinching account of famed British writer Iris Murdoch's battle with this monstrous illness. Now, I'm glad I saw it. It's 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 Alzheimer's ever put on film.

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Love Till Death Do Part
John Bayley and Iris Murdoch were married for a long time and were in love. It wasn't always a bed of roses but they stood by one another even when she was stricken with Alzheimer's disease. John did what he could for his wife but he knew he couldn't do it alone.
For anyone who thinks that love and marriage are dead, watch this movie. Love and marriage isn't dead. Their marriage strengthened through time which made them have a profound respect for one another and a strong love that bonded them together.