February 12, 2012

This Day in Indie History: Iris

by MovieMaker Staff | Published February 14, 2007

The critically acclaimed movie Iris was put into limited U.S. release on this day in 2002. The movie, written and directed by Richard Eyre, was adapted from the John Bayley book of the same name. It starred British actresses Kate Winslet and Dame Judi Dench, both playing the role of British novelist Iris Murdoch, who died in 1999 after a long bout with Alzheimerâ€™s. Eyre uses the movie to juxtapose the stages of Murdochâ€™s lifeâ€”from headstrong and quick-witted, to the wilting flower dependent upon her husband (played in the two eras by Hugh Bonneville and Jim Broadbent).

Film Star Factoid: Jim Broadbent took home the Best Supporting Actor Oscar that year, but Kate Winslet also brought home an honor that night from the Kodak Theatre: For the second time in her career, Winslet received an acting nod for playing the younger version of an on-screen character. What is most notable, however, is that her costarsâ€”Gloria Stuart in Titanic and Dame Judi Dench in Irisâ€”were also nominated for their older portrayals of the same character.