The movie was filmed by the BBC. The protagonist is Iris after suffering from Alzheimer's disease. The life of Rish and John when they were young is constantly inserted in the middle. The film is probably meant to express that suffering from Alzheimer’s is the greatest misfortune in the life of intellectuals like Iris-----When she was young, she was a genius with early wisdom. With a superb posture, he is watching everything; when he is old, he suffers from dementia. Not only is he unable to take care of himself, but also completely loses his ability to think, and his mind is simpler than that of a newborn baby. This kind of contrast is certainly impressive, but if the audience doesn't know Iris enough, watching this movie will feel very dull.
"The Economist" published a eulogy by John Bayley (a eulogy I like very much), and many details of the article almost completely overlap with the movie-such as the first meeting of the two cycling in Oxford, swimming together With that muddy petticoat, John witnessed Iris having an affair with other men and women. After Iris fell ill, the house became dirty and messy. Picking up a book on the ground was Jane Austen, John had told Tolstoy. Love, of course, and John's stuttering stutter.
What I don't like is that the movie's portrayal of John is very inaccurate, and he didn't express his aura as "right". The John in the movie is gentle and close to cowardice, and pure and almost ignorant. Apart from his pious love for Iris, he has almost no personal charm. But the real John must be vigorous and arrogant, otherwise he won’t have his weird humor and sloppy appearance. Ci's poetry is "bad poetry"; he is quite tolerant of Iris' extramarital affairs, and is even more out of touch with academic status and reputation). The real John should be richer and more complex, otherwise he would be less likely to attract Iris to spend his life with him.
I think the most beautiful line of the movie comes from John’s speech at the funeral of his friend Janet:
Anna Karenina (Tolstoy, you know), on her way to the station to throw herself under the train, she has something funny which she thinks to tell Oblonsky, a lover, about; we all do it; I do it with Iris, Janet , all our friends. But then Anna thought, she wouldn't be seeing Oblonsky again because she was about to kill herself. If there is one thing that would have prevented Anna from throwing herself under a train, that would be it--- The thought of telling something funny to the man she loved. Love is over. Life would soon be over. Goodbye, Janet.
In addition, the song Lark In The Clear Air sung by Iris is also very good, the melody is very tactful, in contrast to the lyrics It seems a bit mediocre.
Lark In The Clear Air
Dear thoughts are in my mind
And my soul it soars enchanted
As I hear the sweet lark sing
In the clear air of the day
For a tender beaming smile
To my hope has been granted
And tomorrow he shall hear
All my fond heart longs to say
I will tell him all my love
All my soul's pure adoration
And I know he will hear my voice
And he will not answer me nay
It is this that gives my soul
All its joyous elation
As I hear the sweet lark sing
In the clear air of the day
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