I was trying to figure out the Dame Judy Dench film I loved so much, and it is called "Iris." It's about a woman and her husband as she slowly, over time develops Alzheimers disease. Kate Winslet plays Iris as a young woman. Very touching film.
V
OT: Great Actors and films
Jun 03, 2006
6 Replies
V
Hi V,
I work in an assisted living home on a part-time basis. Alzheimer's is a sad, sad disease. If you want to read something that describes what it's like for the patients, go to the following .pdf file and look at pages 24-26, "The Experience of Dementia as a Journey". It will make you cry.....
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That "woman and her husband" just happen to be Dame Iris Murdoch and her husband John Bayley. The film, starring Judi Dench, was based on John Bayley's memoir Elegy for Iris, which is a record of their life together and his wife's decline into Alzheimer's Disease. I'm sure you could get the movie on DVD, but you would probably also enjoy Elegy for Iris, and of course Iris Murdoch's novels are well worth reading.
J
Will do, but I am firmly saddened by the state of that disease. I cannot imagine being trapped in a place where you can't get out.
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> /J The one movie I remember that really captured what we went through when my dad was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers (he was 52 at the time, back in 1973) was called: "There Were Times, Dear". I know it had Shirley Jones in it, but don't remember anyone else's name. We were lucky. He was a very kind person and even when he lost all of his inhibitions over the next 7 years, he never got mean or nasty like some patients do. Another movie with a relatively young victim was "Do You Remember Love". I think that had Joanne Woodward, but I'm not sure. I think "The Notebook" also deals with Alzheimers. I started tearing up at the beginning of that at the plasma donation center & was glad that I was ready to leave. I can't imagine their reaction at one of the donors sobbing during a movie. :-) I can't even watch "On Golden Pond" because of that one scene where Henry Fonda gets lost after picking berries. Liz from Humbug
"Jangchub" wrote .
It is based on the life of Iris Murdoch, a gifted writer and philosopher, and the memoir written by her husband. A real story of true love. Dawne
I saw it so long ago I don't remember who Iris Murdoch was. I know I loved the story and felt touched by its intimacy.
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