Which Iris Murdoch Novels Have Been Adapted Into Films Or TV?

Fell for 'The Sea, The Sea' and wanted more. Heard about adaptations like 'The Bell' or 'A Severed Head', but not sure what's out there.
2026-07-17 13:06:29
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6 Answers

Roy
Roy
The BBC Radio 4 adaptations are possibly more successful than the screen versions because they are more talky and allow the narratives to unfold more. The three screen versions of her work are ‘A Severed Head’, ‘The Sea, The Sea’ and ‘The Italian Girl’. There is possibly a 4th film adaptation of ‘The Black Prince’ but I have never seen it and it doesn’t get a mention on her official website. As companion pieces they are interesting but there is nothing here for a new audience to get excited about. I believe her work needs a bold and innovative director to unlock her writing for a new generation.
2026-07-21
Traci Warnke-Wiand
Traci Warnke-Wiand
For a novel, short stories or plays, only three have been made into films or television dramas: A Severed Head (1970), The Sea, The Sea (1988) and The Italian Girl (1991). There were reportedly plans to make The Bell into a three-part drama in the early 1980s, but it never materialized. The Black Prince was adapted into a TV movie in the mid-1990s. The novels of Iris Murdoch are a treasure trove of vivid and exciting scenes and plot twists. But the novels are held together by the internal monologue of the main characters and their philosophical struggles. This is very difficult to translate to the screen without falling back on voiceover.
2026-07-22
Poohcat32 Johnson
Poohcat32 Johnson
Their novels would make great mini-series: loads of affairs, intellectual crises and fantastic locations for exterior shots. So far there have been a film of ‘A Severed Head’ (starring Trevor Einhorn, Derman and Jackie Place), a TV movie of ‘The Sea, The Sea’ (Jim Broadbent), and a TV film of ‘The Italian Girl’ (Mathilda May). Rumours have been circulating about an adaptation of ‘The Bell’ but nothing seems to have been confirmed. This is a gap in the market just waiting to be filled. Someone like Andrew Haigh would be perfect to adapt ‘The Good Apprentice’ and Mike Leigh would bring all the required subtlety to ‘An Unofficial Rose’ for example. The material is all there.
2026-07-22
Jenny Chan
Jenny Chan
This is just a list of book recommendations, but I added some info about the films for extra value.
2026-07-22
Joe Huggins
Joe Huggins
This is a really interesting question. Much of Irvine Welsh’s work is not cinematic in the sense that it explores the inner lives of his characters in great depth, and so tends to be difficult to transfer to the screen. Most are okay-ish in that sense. Known ones are A Severed Head, The Sea, The Sea and The Italian Girl. Another deeply underappreciated work of hers is The Black Prince. An interesting case study in poor translation. None of them are terrible in themselves but all are shallow imitations of the much richer novel from which they were adapted. Interesting in terms of how they highlight the unique qualities of the novel as a literary form.
2026-07-23
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