As always, the English are extremely good in reconstructing historical surroundings, clothes, make-ups and so on. But this is also a question of English acting at its best.
There isn't much to be said about Dame Judi Dench, who is probably one of the greatest actresses in the world right now. But she is matched, not by Kate Winslet, although Winslet is quite good, but by the men: Hugh Bonneville and Jim Broadbent as Iris Murdoch's husband in young and old incarnation.
That male character is rather rare in films. He very seldom gets the girl, but this is a movie about real life, so maybe its possible. There is one scene here that lifts itself (concerning real life) over the rest of the movie and that is when Iris tells about her lovers and Mr. Bailey tries to look unmoved, speaking about bad war widow pensions. Iris understands all of his pain. In that moment she understands the man in his poorness completely and starts loving him for real. She says that he is her world. That is rather beautiful.
That's a small detail in the script, but that one alone makes this film well worth seeing.
There isn't much to be said about Dame Judi Dench, who is probably one of the greatest actresses in the world right now. But she is matched, not by Kate Winslet, although Winslet is quite good, but by the men: Hugh Bonneville and Jim Broadbent as Iris Murdoch's husband in young and old incarnation.
That male character is rather rare in films. He very seldom gets the girl, but this is a movie about real life, so maybe its possible. There is one scene here that lifts itself (concerning real life) over the rest of the movie and that is when Iris tells about her lovers and Mr. Bailey tries to look unmoved, speaking about bad war widow pensions. Iris understands all of his pain. In that moment she understands the man in his poorness completely and starts loving him for real. She says that he is her world. That is rather beautiful.
That's a small detail in the script, but that one alone makes this film well worth seeing.