"IRIS", THE FILM

A few evenings ago, I watched the movie Iris, which is the story of the English novelist Iris Murdoch's decline into Alzheimer's in the later years of her life, and her husband John's loving and valiant efforts to care for her in their home. The story, which is based on John Bayley's memoir, Elegy for Iris, is beautifully brought to the screen by director Richard Eyre.

My review may be something of a spoiler for those of you who have not seen the film, but then again, maybe not.  Fair warning.

The movie includes flashbacks to Murdoch's vibrant younger years at Oxford University, where she and her husband meet.  Dame Judi as the older Iris is, as usual, superb, and Jim Broadbent as John Bayley, her husband, is excellent.  The younger versions of Iris and John are very well-played by Kate Winslet and Hugh Bonneville.  The two young actors resemble the older actors closely enough so that the flashbacks are not in the least jarring.

As we watch Murdoch decline and Bayley become frustrated and then overwhelmed as he attempts to care for her, the scenes are heartbreaking. Their house descends further and further into chaos - an apt metaphor for their lives and for Murdoch's ruined mind.

Despite the overall sadness, the film had its humorous moments.  When Iris and John met, she had already had a series of lovers, at least one of whom was a woman, while John was a virgin the first time the two made love. There's a wonderfully funny scene in the movie when Iris names all her past lovers.  Before Iris begins, John says, with his usual stutter, "Ought I - I to take notes?"  After her accounting of her past loves, he says. "Is that all?  I - I mean roughly?"