WEBBTIDE 2001-2002 @ SHORELINE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Volume 37 No. 09 Feb. 15 - Feb. 28, 2002 [ ARCHIVE ] [ GUESTBOOK ]
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'Iris' offers puzzling posthumous praise for renowned English author

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      "Iris" is a drama about legendary English writer Iris Murdoch's unusual life and 40-year marriage to her great love, John Bayley (Hugh Bonneville and Jim Broadbent). Iris (1919-1999) was an Oxford scholar renowned for her brilliant literary work and zest for living.
      Writer/Director Richard Eyre co-wrote the film with Charles Wood, focusing on her relationship with her husband during their initial courtship and the final days of her life. The scenes bounce back and forth between time periods, correlating and contrasting the younger, healthier girl with the older, rapidly declining woman.
      "Iris" is set in Oxford, where the younger Iris delights in delicious adventure with no boundaries, and the disturbingly untidy Charlbury Road home of the elder Iris.
      The younger Iris (Kate Winslet) is a complicated, free-spirited woman whose life is guided by her own dictates, a remarkable feat in the 1950s. Young Iris befuddles her lover, young John Bayley, with her unwillingness to be rigidly defined by societal mores. She is bisexual, hedonistic and entirely unapologetic about her relentless quest for fun.
      The elder Iris (Judi Dench) is still an extraordinarily inquisitive and complex woman, but her once-dazzling mind is now quickly dimming from the ravages of Alzheimer's Disease.
      The bulk of the film dwells on this aspect of Iris's life, and while Eyre proclaims a desire to offer "... first and foremost a love story," in reality the viewer is given a horrific look at the frightening indignities inflicted by a merciless killer.
      Young Iris and her lover, John, romp through several scenes, becoming acquainted and falling in love. For a wildly passionate woman, however, there isn't nearly the level of joyous laughter one might expect. Instead, Young Iris seems darkly introspective, often brooding and coldly moody.
      Even more of these scenes would be preferable to the larger quantity of moments in which the elder Iris's mind and body descend into an eternal abyss. As Iris begins to realize that her mind isn't what it once was, she eloquently speaks of her fear: "I feel as if I'm sailing into darkness."
      Dench is a marvel in her role as Iris. Her subtle movements, whether nervous tic, wild gesticulation or terrible blank look in the eyes, tell the mortifying tale of a terrified woman driven on a journey to certain doom.
      Winslet delivers a good performance with what she is allowed to do. Unfortunately, there is such a strong emphasis on mystery and secrecy that she is often limited to enigmatic smiles and sighs.
      Bonneville and Broadbent are excellent choices for their roles as the younger and elder John. They look almost eerily similar, and both actors are skillful at portraying intense love, frustration and confusion as they try to understand Iris.
      Eyre and Wood do an excellent job of correlating the past to the present, thus effectively demonstrating how much Iris lost to her illness. If "Iris" is intended to honor a gifted, much-admired woman, however, it is bewildering that the writers would spend most of the film dwelling on humiliating tribulations that an Alzheimer's victim must endure.
      It is important to understand what Iris suffered, but is it essential to the story that she stand in her living room wetting herself because she is no longer aware of her surroundings, let alone herself?
      An argument could be made for telling the brutally honest story of her tragic final days, but a loving tribute should celebrate the best, most glorious aspects of a cherished and respected person.
      This reviewer left the theater a bit enervated and a touch depressed, wishing that Iris had a chance to remark on the film.
      "Iris" is scheduled to open at Metro Cinemas and other theaters on Friday, Feb. 15.

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by Cindy Valleley

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'Iris' offers puzzling posthumous praise for renowned English author
.	"Iris" is a drama about legendary English writer Iris Murdoch's unusual life and 40-year marriage to her great love, John Bayley (Hugh Bonneville and Jim Broadbent). Iris (1919-1999) was an Oxford scholar renowned for her brilliant literary work and zest for living. Writer/Director Richard Eyre co-wrote the film with Charles Wood, focusing on her relationship with her husband during their initial courtship and the final days of her life. The scenes bounce back and forth between time periods, correlating and contrasting the younger, healthier girl with the older, rapidly declining woman. "Iris" is set in Oxford, where the younger Iris delights in delicious adventure with no boundaries, and the disturbingly untidy Charlbury Road home of the elder Iris. The younger Iris (Kate Winslet) is a complicated, free-spirited woman whose life is guided by her own dictates, a remarkable feat in the 1950s. Young Iris befuddles her lover, young John Bayley, with her unwillingness to be rigidly defined by societal mores. She is bisexual, hedonistic and entirely unapologetic about her relentless quest for fun. The elder Iris (Judi Dench) is still an extraordinarily inquisitive and complex woman, but her once-dazzling mind is now quickly dimming from the ravages of Alzheimer's Disease. The bulk of the film dwells on this aspect of Iris's life, and while Eyre proclaims a desire to offer "... first and foremost a love story," in reality the viewer is given a horrific look at the frightening indignities inflicted by a merciless killer. Young Iris and her lover, John, romp through several scenes, becoming acquainted and falling in love. For a wildly passionate woman, however, there isn't nearly the level of joyous laughter one might expect. Instead, Young Iris seems darkly introspective, often brooding and coldly moody. Even more of these scenes would be preferable to the larger quantity of moments in which the elder Iris's mind and body descend into an eternal abyss. As Iris begins to realize that her mind isn't what it once was, she eloquently speaks of her fear: "I feel as if I'm sailing into darkness." Dench is a marvel in her role as Iris. Her subtle movements, whether nervous tic, wild gesticulation or terrible blank look in the eyes, tell the mortifying tale of a terrified woman driven on a journey to certain doom. Winslet delivers a good performance with what she is allowed to do. Unfortunately, there is such a strong emphasis on mystery and secrecy that she is often limited to enigmatic smiles and sighs. Bonneville and Broadbent are excellent choices for their roles as the younger and elder John. They look almost eerily similar, and both actors are skillful at portraying intense love, frustration and confusion as they try to understand Iris. Eyre and Wood do an excellent job of correlating the past to the present, thus effectively demonstrating how much Iris lost to her illness. If "Iris" is intended to honor a gifted, much-admired woman, however, it is bewildering that the writers would spend most of the film dwelling on humiliating tribulations that an Alzheimer's victim must endure. It is important to understand what Iris suffered, but is it essential to the story that she stand in her living room wetting herself because she is no longer aware of her surroundings, let alone herself? An argument could be made for telling the brutally honest story of her tragic final days, but a loving tribute should celebrate the best, most glorious aspects of a cherished and respected person. This reviewer left the theater a bit enervated and a touch depressed, wishing that Iris had a chance to remark on the film. "Iris" is scheduled to open at Metro Cinemas and other theaters on Friday, Feb. 15.	.
by Cindy Valleley