Iris (2001/I)

Director:

Richard Eyre

Writers:

John Bayley (books)
Richard Eyre (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

18 January 2002 (UK)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Her greatest talent was for life

Plot:

True story of the lifelong romance between novelist Iris Murdoch and her husband John Bayley, from their student days through her battle with Alzheimer's disease.

Plot Keywords:

Alzheimer's Disease | Novelist | Love | Marriage | Death

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 11 wins & 22 nominations

Cast

Kate Winslet	...	Young Iris Murdoch
Hugh Bonneville	...	Young John Bayley
Judi Dench	...	Iris Murdoch
Jim Broadbent	...	John Bayley
Eleanor Bron	...	Principal
Angela Morant	...	Hostess
Penelope Wilton	...	Janet Stone
Siobhan Hayes	...	Check-Out Girl
Juliet Aubrey	...	Young Janet Stone
Joan Bakewell	...	BBC Presenter
Nancy Carroll	...	BBC PA
Kris Marshall	...	Dr. Gudgeon
Tom Mannion	...	Neurologist
Derek Hutchinson	...	Postman
Samuel West	...	Young Maurice (as Sam West)

Also Known As:

Iris: A Memoir of Iris Murdoch (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:PG (TV rating) | Iceland:L | Malaysia:18SX | Hungary:14 | Singapore:PG (video rating) (heavily cut) | Singapore:R(A) (theatrical rating) (cut) | South Korea:15 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Canada:AA | Finland:K-11 | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:AL | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | USA:R | Philippines:R-18

Filming Locations:

Magpie Lane, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

Only the second film (after Titanic (1997)) to have two actors nominated for an Academy Award for playing the same role in the same movie. In both films Kate Winslet played the younger version in the dual-nominee role.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When Iris and John are traveling to the nursing home, they are seen crossing a bridge. This bridge is Magdalene Bridge and leads to East Oxford, yet The Vale House, where Iris Murdoch spent the final years if her life, was (and still is) in South Oxford.

Quotes:

Young Iris Murdoch: [to John] You know more about me than anyone. You are my world.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Magic of 'Finding Neverland' (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

The Lark in the Clear Air

Beautifully told but incomplete

"Iris" tells of British novelist Iris Murdoch and her husband as they struggle together with her Alzheimer's affliction. The couple is portrayed in youth by Winslet and Bonneville and in old age by Dench and Broadbent with all delivering sterling performances. The plaintive and wistful story is told through interleaving scenes of the older couple's struggle with moments from the younger couple's life. As far as it goes, the film is an excellent product. What it doesn't deliver, however, is a deep sense of Murdoch, her philosophies and complexities of thought thereby giving greater depth to the character and a sense of the significance of what she is losing. In short, the film dwells too much on the disease and too little on the woman. Recommended for more mature viewers (B+)