"Iris"

Films/DVD Asylum

Movies from comedy to drama to your favorite Hollyweird Star.

This is a moving film about the late writer Iris Murdock's decent into Altzeimer's, which led to her death in 1999. The film switches between the young adult Iris and the writer in her final stages. One is instantly struck by the actresses, Judi Dench as the old Murcock and Kate winslet as the young one. Not only do they have an uncanny resemblence but their mannerisms are the same and add enormous credence to the portrayals (Dench won a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for the performance). Similar wizardry is evident in the actors playing suitor then husband John Bayley, the noted literary critic (played here by Hugh Bonnevile and Jim Broadbent). Bayley is deeply in love with Iris, and tolerates her infidelities (with both sexes) although being disstressed by them. The portatyal of Iris losing her faculties is distressing and sad, and shows how devastating the disease is, not only to the victim but to those around her (or him). Some have complained about the portrayal of Bayley as a diddering old man and others have a problem with the fact that the middle of Murdock's life is completely missing, but for me the back and forth between young and old worked and mioved me. Highly recommended.

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Topic - "Iris" - rico 11:58:44 10/21/06 (1)

agreed - PhilJ 04:09:14 10/22/06 (0)

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