| Iris | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Richard Eyre |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | Elegy for Iris byJohn Bayley |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Roger Pratt |
| Edited by | Martin Walsh |
| Music by | James Horner |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Miramax Films (throughBuena Vista International in the United Kingdom and Ireland)[1] |
Release dates |
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Running time | 90 minutes[1] |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | $5.5 million |
| Box office | $16.2 million[2] |
Iris is a 2001biographicaldrama film about novelistIris Murdoch and her relationship with her husbandJohn Bayley. Directed byRichard Eyre from a screenplay he co-wrote withCharles Wood, the film is based on Bayley's 1999 memoirElegy for Iris.[3]Judi Dench andJim Broadbent portray Murdoch and Bayley during the later stages of their marriage, whileKate Winslet andHugh 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 fromAlzheimer's disease and tended to by a frustrated Bayley in their North Oxford home in Charlbury Road. The beach scenes were filmed atSouthwold in Suffolk, one of Murdoch's favourite haunts.
The film had its world premiere inLos 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 wonBest Supporting Actor at the74th Academy Awards, with Dench (Best Actress) and Winslet (Best Supporting Actress) also receiving nominations.
When the young Iris Murdoch meets fellow student John Bayley atSomerville 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.[3] He becomes her carer, as his wife's mind deteriorates from the ravages ofAlzheimer's disease.[4]
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Review aggregatorRotten 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."[5]Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[6]
