Iris (2001 film)
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox film Iris is a 2001 biographical drama film about novelist Iris Murdoch and her relationship with her husband John Bayley. Directed by Richard Eyre from a screenplay he co-wrote with Charles Wood, the film is based on Bayley's 1999 memoir Elegy for Iris.<ref name="Bayley">Template:Cite web</ref> Judi Dench and Jim Broadbent portray Murdoch and Bayley during the later stages of their marriage, while Kate Winslet and Hugh Bonneville appear as the couple in their younger years. The film contrasts the start of their relationship, when Murdoch was an outgoing, dominant individual compared to the timid and scholarly Bayley, and their later life, when Murdoch was suffering from Alzheimer's disease and tended to by a frustrated Bayley in their North Oxford home in Charlbury Road. The beach scenes were filmed at Southwold in Suffolk, one of Murdoch's favourite haunts.
The film had its world premiere in Los Angeles on 14 December 2001, followed by a theatrical release in the United Kingdom on 18 January 2002 and in the United States on 29 March. It grossed $16 million on a $5.5 million budget and received positive reviews, with praise towards the performances. For his role as Bayley, Broadbent won Best Supporting Actor at the 74th Academy Awards, with Dench (Best Actress) and Winslet (Best Supporting Actress) also receiving nominations.
Plot
When the young Iris Murdoch meets fellow student John Bayley at Somerville College, Oxford, he is a naive virgin easily flummoxed by her libertine spirit, arch personality, and obvious artistic talent. Decades later, little has changed and the couple keep house, with John doting on his more famous wife. When Iris begins experiencing forgetfulness and dementia, however, the devoted John struggles with hopelessness and frustration.<ref name="Bayley"/> He becomes her carer, as his wife's mind deteriorates from the ravages of Alzheimer's disease.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Cast
Reception
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 79% of 110 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critical consensus states, "A solidly constructed drama, Iris is greatly elevated by the strength of its four lead performances."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Awards and nominations
References
Further reading
External links
- 2001 films
- 2000s English-language films
- 2001 romantic drama films
- 2001 drama films
- American biographical drama films
- American films about Alzheimer's disease
- American romantic drama films
- British biographical drama films
- British films about Alzheimer's disease
- British romantic drama films
- Biographical films about philosophers
- Biographical films about writers
- Films scored by James Horner
- Films based on biographies
- Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award–winning performance
- Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe winning performance
- Films produced by Scott Rudin
- Films directed by Richard Eyre
- Films set in Oxford
- Films set in universities and colleges
- Films about disability in the United Kingdom
- Films set in the University of Oxford
- Films shot in Oxfordshire
- Films shot at Pinewood Studios
- BBC Film films
- BAFTA winners (films)
- 2000s American films
- 2000s British films
- English-language biographical drama films
- English-language romantic drama films