Iris

Rating:
Summary: Love Does Not Cure Everything, But It Helps A Lot
Review: "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.

Rating:
Summary: I Have Forgot Much, Cynara
Review: Usually, that poem is quoted only because of its now-famous second line, "Gone with the wind, flung roses". "Iris" takes us on a journey through a wonderful marriage of two clever minds, a journey which takes one member unfortunately to the thieves' den of Alzheimer's Disease. In a way, I got pretty much the movie I expected at "Iris"--I knew that Judi Dench and Kate Winslet were both first-rate performers. I didn't know how the movie would be presented, however, with the juxtposition of then with now: We see Iris as a young woman played by Kate, and then Iris as an old woman played by Judi. I think that was a very good idea, because both women got equal time on the screen at pretty much the same time. It also allowed the writer and director to treat things thematically with comparison and contrast right off the bat, rather than the audience's having to recall something from two hours' earlier, if we had instead been given a strictly chronological treatment. I just marvelled at how well the movie was cast, appearance-wise. Young resembled old remarkably, unlike the implausible idea that roundish passionate Kate Winslet in time would ever turn into lean tepid Gloria Stuart back in "Titanic" days.

There's one especially telling scene, when Jim Broadbent, the husband of Alzheimer-afflicted Judi, finally breaks down and starts screaming and yelling at her in bed, his outburst drawn from the terrible abandonment he feels at the loss of his heretofore brilliant wife. We see the rage that the disease causes in survivors and caregivers, who seem to get nothing back no matter how tender the care they lavish on their loved ones.

Unlike "A Beautiful Mind", there can be no happy ending at the conclusion of "Iris"; Alzheimer's is a progressive disease the end stage of which is death. "Beautiful Mind" showed triumph through adversity, but that is not possible with every illness. Thus, "Iris", though undeniably a well-crafted piece, is tremendously sad. See it on a sunny afternoon, when you can still go out and enjoy what is left of your day; it is not a film to see and then face the dark uncertainty of night.

Rating:
Summary: We learn little when we should be learning droves.
Review: "Iris" falls into a category of movies I like to call "Sleeper Weepers," meaning you'll either be weeping for the film's main character, who undoubtedly goes through much tribulation and hardship, or you'll be rubbing your eyes open from sheer boredom and listlessness as the movie drones on and one seemingly without end. I was not impressed with the film: it moves at a dreary, lifeless pace that doesn't really peak the interest in its main character, Iris Murdoch, of whom we learn little when we should be learning droves.

From the start, we get the feeling that Murdoch's life was one of great achievement; the film's opening scene that introduces Dame Judi Dench as the older version of the British author show her giving a speech about life, education, the mind, etc (Kate Winslet plays the young version). No sooner have we started to get to know Iris as an spunky old lady, than we are transported back in time to her early years, in the years when she first met her future husband, John Bayley (played young by Hugh Bonneville, played old by Jim Broadbent), who is intrigued by her seemingly ageless zest for life.

The film does well in casting Dench and Winslet, their performances breathing life into Murdoch in a manner that the film realizes only in glimpses. Dench fills the room with a great presence, while also adding what she can to the emotional strings, as her character begins to fall to the clutches of Alzheimer's disease. Winslet is uniquely charming, full of verve and tenacity. Bonneville portrays the young Bayley with a boyish naivety that makes their delicate relationship even more touching in certain moments, while Broadbent shapes the older, learned man into someone devoted to his love through good times and bad.

It's only a shame that these touching moments come as mere glimpses, cast into a canvas that, despite a somewhat short running time, seems endless and ongoing. The movie sees fit to shove symbolism and the elements of loss and love down our throats without abandon, which would work had director Richard Eyre been able to inject some measure of emotional resonance into the proceedings. What we get, in between the interspersed moments of real resonance, is a rather sloppy series of transitions between past and present, those which deaden any feeling we've begun to develop for Murdoch or Bayley.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment in "Iris" is the lack of overall feeling one gets from watching Murdoch's life unfold in such a wearisome manner. The acting, the small touches of witty humor and real emotion, don't neccessarily go to waste, but they don't receive the full realization they so truly deserve.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Acting Performances
Review: Judi Dench, Kate Winslet and Jim Broadbent all give outstanding acting performances during the film "Iris". It is the acting that is the main reason to see this. The script is alittle slow, with not enough information given about Iris Murdoch's writing. Also, this is a real tear-jerker of a movie. Watching Iris Murdoch become ill with Alzheimer's is very sad and depressing. Jim Broadbent conveys the frustrated emotion that a husband would feel as his wife goes through a disease like this. It is portrayed in a very realistic manner. A film to see some of the best actors of our time in their best performaces.

Rating:
Summary: Exquisite
Review: Exquisite performances so perfectly reflect the horror of alzeimher's and the pain one feels losing a loved one without being able to say good-bye. The shiny leathery texture of Iris' skin and the vacant look in her eyes when she was put in the nursing home was an exact replica of my own grandmother's who died only last year. For those who haven't experienced this kind of loss, it is a moving and extraordinary movie that is not to be missed.

Rating:
Summary: A quartet of outstanding performances make "Iris" special
Review: "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.

Rating:
Summary: Engrossing Love Story
Review: Iris is really a love story in two parts. The main story is about the life of John Bayley and his wife Iris Murdoch all through her old age and illness, with juxtaposed flashbacks of their early years punctuating their intellectual courtship and partnership that lasted over forty years. All the actors have done an admirable and convincing job. It is a very different Kate Winslet - who plays the young Iris - from her Titanic days. Perhaps the director has intended not to capitalize on the literary status of Iris Murdoch and wanted to portray Iris and her husband as ordinary people struggling with love, devotion, frustration, and illnesses. But Iris Murdoch was an intellectual with multi-dimensional depths. When Iris passed away, John Bayley wrote: "She is not sailing into the dark. The voyage is over and, under the dark escort of Alzheimers, she has arrived somewhere." There seemed to be a lot more to the physical frustration and inconvenience in their struggle against the debilitating disease. It would have been an interesting exploration to see how she would draw strength from classical philosophy, Morality, and Existential ideals when she realized her biggest asset - her mind - was wasting away. The characterization of John Bayley is rather self-deprecating. It is difficult to believe that, among all the eligible suitors, Iris would find Bayley the most appealing. At one point in the movie, Iris says to him: "You are the one who knows me the most." It is not clear altogether how this was true. Iris keeps saying no one has read her novels before they were published but offers a manuscript to Bayley. This is hardly convincing as the way that Bayley would learn everything about Iris.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, But I have Questions
Review: "Iris", is a very fine film that owes its quality to the performances of at least 2 actresses, and 2 actors. I did not have a stopwatch to determine who was onscreen longer, but whether it is the young Iris versus the older, or the young John Bailey versus the elder, the time differential is minimal. I am a great fan of Judi Dench but I would like to understand why her part qualified for Best Actress and Kate Winslet's performance only for Best Supporting actress. More of the character of Iris is revealed by Winslet, as it must, for Dame Dench's character falls rapidly to Alzheimer's. This takes nothing away from her performance as the elder Iris, but my question remains. I also did not know of the beautiful singing voice that Kate Winslet has. It is wonderful and added a pleasant dimension to the film.

The actual construction of the film is far below the caliber of the cast. What the blazes was the rush? Iris is an extremely complex character and 90 minutes for the exposition of her life is absurd. With the talent the director had, why did he film a sonnet when there was a beautiful book for the making? The film jumps back and forth between the past and present far too often, and at times the cuts are jarring. A tender moment abruptly becomes a group bellowing out a song in a pub that made many in the theater jump.

There was an unforgivable blunder that was repeated at least 3 times. There is no justification for why it happened or why it was not corrected. The key to any good film experience is becoming immersed in the story, and forgetting its just a movie. The suspension of disbelief is impossible to accomplish when the boom microphone that is supposed to be held above the actors, and not within the frame of the film, becomes a piece of equipment turned co-star. How does a director miss this basic blunder, and the cinematographer, those that review the dailies as the movie is made, those that edit the film, and those that review the final work prior to releasing it to the public?

The stars I posted for this film are for the people and the characters they portrayed. This film has garnered 3 Oscar Nominations for Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress. Why it was passed over for Best Supporting Actor is a mystery, for the dual portrayals are symbiotic, were they of uneven caliber neither would work. There is no mystery why the director was overlooked, for Richard Eyre overlooked basic blunders and minimilized what this story and its actors could have put on the screen. He is the explanation of why a film with top honors in 3 of 4 acting categories did not merit a best film nomination.

Rating:
Summary: Bring EXTRA tissues!
Review: A marvelous love story between two intellegent, quirky human beings than spans the years and the inevitable process of aging and what diseases may come with that process. A real tearjerker quite a bit of sniffling in the theatre when I saw it. You may not want to bring elderly friends/relatives worried about Alzheimer's. Judi Dench's performance was amazing and heartbreaking. (Everyone deserved the award nominations!)

Also, how wonderfully refreshing to view a film that Hollywood filmakers didn't get to spoil with outrageously attrative older actors paired with actresses 30 years their junior. I'm sticking with British (and foreign) films. Cheers!

Rating:
Summary: A Wonder-filled Experience
Review: This movie reminded me in many ways of ("A Beautiful Mind")... the enthralling nature of experiencing something which one would not realize until one was invited into the "minds" of these characters (who could be you or me) to see the complexities of the reality of life situations, and yet the sublime way in which those who are closest to us care for us in times of greatest confusion and doubt. This movie fosters a greater undertanding of the human conditon which may confront us and those we love..everyone involved with this movie should receive artistic acclaim for the powerful understated ways in which they crafted this production...!