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IRIS DVD Review | August 14, 2002 | |
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Buena Vista Home Entertainment / 2001 / 91 Minutes / Rated R Street date: August 20, 2002 Reviewed by Peter M. Bracke on August 14, 2002. (Bio / Equipment list)
Is there anything more frightening than the thought of losing your intellectual capacity, or simple, basic human functioning? I have to admit to being terrified of the idea; I can deal with getting old, the wrinkles, even the inevitable walking stick. But losing the ability to compose complex thoughts, or worse of all, being a burden on those you love, seems unbearable. And perhaps the cruelest trick of all that the body can play on the mind is Alzheimer's Disease. The most celebrated British novelist and playwright of her time, Iris Murdoch lived many lifetimes over before finally succumbing to the disease in 1999 at the age of 79. More than just a novelist, Iris was a philosopher and remained quite controversial even up until the time of her death. Finding an unlikely soulmate in the young, socially inept Oxford scholar John Bayley, the two became inseparable, despite enduring controversy and Murdoch's active bisexuality. Their love story forms the core of Iris, and is a testament to Murdoch's commitment to education and speech as the highest form of communication. With such an absorbing personality at its center, Iris is one of those films that perhaps could never quite live up to its promise. Indeed, there is much to admire here, even love, but ultimately it ends up being less than the sum of its parts. Director Richard Eyre, who co-wrote the screenplay with Charles Wood, takes an interesting approach, constantly juxtaposing key events between the Iris young and old (Kate Winslet and Dame Judi Dench, respectively), but at such a breathless pace that we have little time to stop and appreciate any single moment. The film also keeps a chilly, remote distance from its story, perhaps unsure whether it is a sincere biography of Murdoch, or a more serious, dramatic study of Alzheimer's. We are presented with a series of self-contained, often stagey vignettes, but with little connective tissue to form a compelling, complete tapestry. Honored with three Academy Award nominations, all in the acting categories, Iris is already remembered largely for its performances. Both Dench and Winslet are flawless, and never once do we doubt they are the same performances. But equally impressive are Hugh Bonneville and Jim Broadbent as the young and old John Bayley (Broadbent would go on to deservedly win the Oscar), and despite the often TV parameters of the script, they succeed in creating three-dimensional, believable characters. There are moments in Iris that are highly affecting, and the film remains worth seeing, if only because of the performances. Too bad it couldn't have been just a little bit more. Video: How Does The Disc Look? Like the film, this transfer is a bit schizophrenic. Presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, the overriding characteristic seems to be soft. The film looks hazy throughout, with dull colors and a mushy, plugged-up appearance. Director of photography Roger Pratt, BSC, also has a penchant for stylized colors and heavy filters, which lends the image even more of an unreal appearance. So while likely an intended stylistic choice, the transfer still has some difficulty reproducing colors cleanly, and contrast is wanting. I also noticed a higher-than-usual number of compression artifacts, likely due to the soft, sometimes grainy source elements. In the end, just a fair presentation. Audio: How Does The Disc Sound? Presented in English 5.1 Dolby surround, there isn't much going on sonically here. Certainly, it is a perfectly nice mix, with clean and clear dialogue and James Horner's plaintive score reproduced warmly. Effects are minimal, with a few slight discrete effects in only a few scenes even discernible, and only the front channels displaying any sort of real depth. Low end is average. Not bad at all, but a very quiet mix, just like the film. Also included is a French 5.1 dub, English captions encoded as subtitles, and true English Closed Captions. Supplements: What Goodies Are There? Despite the film's Academy Award recognition, Miramax doesn't seem to have sprung for any genuinely new supplements, as all the extras included here come from previously-released material. Oddly, both A Special Message from David Hyde Pierce and The Alzheimer's Association Honors Iris and Jim Broadbent are the same feature, a 6-minute clip of Broadbent's acceptance speech at a recent awards ceremony, introduced by Pierce. Genuine and heartfelt, if dull. A bit better is A Talent for Life: Iris (mislabeled as "A Look at Iris" on the packaging), your typical making-of featurette, i.e., extended commercial, but at least it is fairly entertaining. And to be fair, it does run a longer-than-average 14 minutes and features interview bits with director Richard Eyre, producer Robert Fox, and actors Jim Broadbent, dame Judi Dench, Hugh Bonneville and Kate Winslet, plus the usual assortment of film clips. No other extras have been included, aside from some full frame DVD Sneak Peeks at other Miramax titles, and no actual trailer for Iris. DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC? No ROM extras have been included, not even the usual custom Buena Vista skin or weblinks. Parting Thoughts While I don't feel Iris was ultimately successful as either a memoir or a serious look at Alzheimer's Disease, it does boast excellent performances and more than its fair share of poignant moments. As a DVD, it is just a fair release, nothing more, nothing less. Fans of more literate, British chamber dramas might find it well worth picking up, all others check it out as a rental first. | ||
Source: The DVD File | ||
