Shadowlands (1993) Reviews

• Ride the Magic

  
  By A1HS9F7J51E9CB on 2003-01-06
  The sheer beauty of this film is stunning. Scenes of Oxford and its magnificent medieval buildings are breathtaking. The famed splendor of the English countryside beguiles. Add to this the spectacular performance of Sir Anthony Hopkins playing revered author/philosopher C.S. Lewis, and you have a stellar movie.

  Shadowlands is set in the early '50s when Lewis was a middle-aged bachelor. All is well in his world. He is a huge success as an author, teacher and speaker. His life is well ordered to the point of being hum drum, and it is exactly the way he likes it. He meets an American, Joy Gresham (excellently played by Debra Winger) who turns his life upside down. Probably for the first time in his life, he does something really foolish. He marries Joy to give her "green card" status. The marriage is supposed to be "only technical." He lives in Oxford, she in London. Joy becomes ill, and Lewis realizes the depth of his feeling for her. Only when she has received a death sentence, does he fully and reluctantly give himself over to his love for her. When he loses her, his grief and pain devastate him to the point where he actually loses his faith. Joy has tried to prepare him, "We can't have the happiness of yesterday without the pain of today. That's the deal." but nothing in Lewis's life has readied him for it.

  Yes, "Shadowlands" is a two-hankie affair, but not in the usual sense. It is a path and a journey and a reawakening. Hopkins is so powerful in his role that the viewer sees Lewis as multi-faceted: a shy man, almost naïve in many areas, detached but armored with huge intelligence and cosmopolitan skills. Debra Winger plays off him with a wonderful chemistry. (I had to wince at her perfect '50s wardrobe. It was impeccably "right" in authenticity, but so terribly unbecoming!) I also much admired Edward Hardwicke who played Lewis' s brother Warnie. His warmth and genuine kindness set off Hopkins's detachment and shyness. Richard Attenborough made "Shadowlands" a seamless experience.

  The DVD pkg. was good, particularly liked the behind-the-scenes feature. The picture was sharp and clear. My only complaint was the sound. The dialogue was frequently hard to understand.
  -sweetmolly-Amazon.com Reviewer
  
  

• The pain then is part of the happiness now. That's the deal.

  
  By A3D6TFYRMIV3ZL on 2004-02-29
  "I seem to play men who are sort of imprisoned in themselves," Anthony Hopkins comments in an interview included on this movie's DVD. And although this adequately characterizes a mere fraction of his work, roles like that of butler Stevens in Merchant/Ivory's adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's "Remains of the Day," Henry Wilcox in E.M. Forster's "Howards End" (also by Merchant/Ivory) and even Thomas Harris's Hannibal Lecter, illustrate Hopkins's minimalist approach to acting, which makes him so uniquely qualified to play emotionally restrained men, locked up behind the walls erected by convention, trauma or madness. Thus, while bearing little physical resemblance to the real C.S. Lewis, atheist-turned-Christian scholar and bestselling author of the famous "Narnia Chronicles," Hopkins was a natural choice for the role in this movie about Lewis and his wife-to-be, American poet Joy Gresham (Debra Winger).
  
  Albeit subtitled "based on a true story," "Shadowlands" doesn't purport to recount the couple's relationship in its full complexity - that would take much more than a 2 hours, 15 minutes-long film, if it were accomplishable at all. On equally strong intellectual footing, Joy Gresham and "Jack" Lewis were bound to each other not only by a joint interest in literature and because Joy challenged all assumed bases of Lewis's scholarly life, but also by their personal geneses as convert Christians (he coming from atheism, she from Judaism, at least partly influenced by Lewis's writings). Obviously for reasons of dramatic streamlining, director Richard Attenborough and screenwriter William Nicholson - who adapted his play for the big screen after having already scripted the 1985 BBC production featuring Joss Acklund and Claire Bloom - chose to cut down on several facts and persons, such Joy Gresham's second son David (who is not mentioned at all), Lewis's 1954 move from Oxford's Magdalen College to similarly-named Magdalene College at Cambridge (likewise not included), the alcoholism of Lewis's brother Warren ("Warnie") (which is substantially downplayed, as is the abusiveness of Joy's first husband Bill Gresham) and Lewis's complicated friendship with J.R.R. Tolkien (who surprisingly is not at all among the featured Oxford scholars). Similarly, at least according to some accounts Lewis was not quite the bachelor he is shown to be here, possibly having shared more than tenancy of The Kilns (where he and Warren still lived when he met Joy) with Janie King Moore, 25 years his senior and mother of his college roommate Edward "Paddy" Moore, who died in WWI. With regard to Lewis's and Joy Gresham's relationship itself, the movie espouses the view of some biographers that the couple's April 1956 wedding was merely a marriage of convenience designed to allow Joy to stay in England - and that Lewis only fell in love with her after she had been diagnosed with cancer (although she had evidently been taken with him for a considerably longer time) - but here, too, much remains disputed: inevitably so, as this goes to the very heart of their romance; a romance, moreover, growing in an environment not exactly encouraging to the baring of one's soul to outsiders.
  
  Be that all as it may, however, "Shadowlands" is an emotionally and visually stimulating, tremendously powerful production, centering on the recognition that there are only two ways to deal with love: either to shut it out, thus avoiding pain as much as you're foregoing bliss, or to embrace it, thus also allowing for the sorrow it may bring. As a boy, Lewis chose the former: Unable to cope with his mother's death and reconcile it with the idea of a benevolent God, he chose atheism over religion and, later, a scholar's protected, emotionally unchallenging existence over matrimony; this remaining his choice even after having accepted Christianity, now explaining human suffering as "God's megaphone for shouting at a callous world." Yet, all that was called into question when he met Joy who, with her outspoken nature, progressive views, ex-communist background and New York Jewish upbringing was the most unlikely match conceivable for him; and soon made herself unpopular with his Oxford colleagues, e.g. by pointedly rebuking Christopher Riley's (John Wood's) remark that men have intellect where women have souls (which incidentally could well have come from Lewis himself, who had once explained his refusal to marry by noting that then "all the topics of conversation would be used up in a fortnight"). Yet, what had started with a courtesy meeting over tea with a self-professed admirer soon blossomed into a stimulating intellectual exchange and, based thereon, friendship - although Lewis still clung to the idea that there was nothing more to their relationship. Indeed, just *because* Joy was a woman with whom he could have the intellectual exchange he had heretofore only known with men, he could accept her as a friend while keeping her at an emotional distance ... or so he thought. Only the realization that he would soon be losing her forever (at least, according to this movie's interpretation) cut through his armor. Still, although he believed he had now understood that happiness and pain are inextricably linked in love, his faith was again profoundly shaken by her death, giving birth to of his most personal works, "A Grief Observed."
  
  Magnificently framed by its Oxford University background and featuring a tremendous cast, from the two leads to Edward Hardwicke (Warren Lewis), Joseph Mazzello (Douglas Gresham) and top-tier actors even in minor roles (to name but a few, Julian Fellowes, Michael Denison, Peter Howell, Julian Firth and Peter Firth), "Shadowlands" received Oscar nominations for Debra Winger and William Nicholson's screenplay (Anthony Hopkins was only nominated for "The Remains of the Day"), but in a year that also saw strong competition from "Philadelphia," "Age of Innocence," "Short Cuts" etc., ultimately lost out to "Schindler's List" and "The Piano" (Holly Hunter). Nevertheless, this is a powerful testimony to the love between two truly unusual individuals; one of Oxford-s pre-eminent scholars and the woman who was to him, as he wrote in her epitaph, "the whole world ... reflected in a single mind."
  
  Also recommended:
  Through the Shadowlands: The Love Story of C. S. Lewis and Joy Davidman
  C. S. Lewis Signature Classics: Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, A Grief Observed, The Problem of Pain, Miracles, and The Great Divorce (Boxed Set)
  The Chronicles of Narnia
  The Inklings
  The Company They Keep: C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien as Writers in Community
  84 Charing Cross Road
  The Remains of the Day (Special Edition)
  Howards End - The Merchant Ivory Collection
  Terms of Endearment
  
  

• What Price Love?

  
  By A2ZSC81MXLBELX on 2003-10-15
  This review refers to the DVD(HBO) edtion of "Shadowlands"...

  With every viewing of this touching and true romance, I become more appreciative of what a fine film this is. Had I written a review after the first time I watched it, I probably would have gone 4 stars. The first time around, I really got to know C.S. Lewis and Joy Gresham thanks to the deep and moving performances of Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger. After that it was joy spending more time with them, really getting to know their story, and taking in the magnificent work of Director Richard Attenborough and the photography of Roger Pratt.

  The story is a bittersweet tale of a mid-life romance that is all to short. C.S. Lewis, the famous writer of children's stories, lives the quiet life of a proper gentleman. He's a professor at Oxford,devout Christian,set in his ways, never married and is repsected by all that know him.When Joy Gresham a divorced, Jewish, Communist, brash New Yorker, with a young son enters his world,things as he knows them are about to change.They develop a friendship and soon she starts to melt the icy wall he has built up around his perfect world. To the shock of all those that know him well, Lewis finally lets his emotions be a part of his life. It is only when Joy becomes terminally ill with cancer, that he realizes the full depth of his love for this woman and her son, and must learn to deal with the pain as well.

  I can't think of anyone else who could be C.S. Lewis. Hopkins is a virtuoso. One look at his eyes and we know the depth of his feelings. Winger is an impressive of a match for him as Gresham was for Lewis. She knows how to grab your heart and keep it("Terms of Endearment"). I must also mention the talented young Joseph Mazzello who turns in a remarkable performance as Douglas, Joy's son. William Nicholson has turned his stageplay into a beautiful screenplay, and the music by George Fenton flows with the story.

  The DVD is a nice presentation in widescreen, that takes in the splendor of the scenery and sights of England. The tech info here states that the sound is in Dolby Dig 5.1. It is not.(This appears to be the only edtion) The sound is in DD2.0 Surround, and although the dialouge is a little low, the surround sound is very good. Special features include a "Behind the Scenes Featurette" and excerpts of interviews with the stars, the filmmakers and a now grown Douglas Gresham.

  The story is a true love story.Five Stars for one that reminds us that to love and to be loved is worth the price of the pain it sometimes brings......enjoy....Laurie
  
  

• Anthony Hopkins at his best

  
  By A2GPEV42IO41CI on 2003-04-09
  Anthony Hopkins stars as C.S. Lewis, the acclaimed English writer of books on Christianity and childrens' fantasy. Lewis was a middle-aged Oxford Don and bachelor when he met an American fan, Joy Gresham, who was as bold and blunt as he was refined and restrained. He married her "on paper only" so she and her son could stay in England, but their friendship gradually deepened. When Joy is diagnosed with cancer, Lewis realizes he truly loves her; they are married in a religious ceremony and live together until her death a short time later.
  
  Anthony Hopkins is exquisitely fragile and vulnerable as Lewis. I simply could not stop looking into his eyes, which reflected great love as well as inconsolable pain. Sadly, Debra Winger was miscast as Joy. I found her annoying and unbelievable. The location photography is stunning, showcasing majestic Oxford and the idyllic English countryside.
  
  I recommend "Shadowlands" for those who appreciate Anthony Hopkins' great acting skills; they will not be disappointed.
  
  

• C.S. Lewis for dummies.

  
  By on 2003-08-29
  A shamelessly tear-jerking soap opera from that paragon of conventionality, Richard Attenborough. *Shadowlands* will seem a lot better to those who don't know much about C.S. Lewis, but for those who know something of his life and writings, it will seem inadequate. It's really almost inexcusable that a movie about this famous intellectual, children's novelist, and Christian apologist is so devoid of intellect, so devoid of the ideas that made this figure unique in 20th Century letters. (The movie shows Lewis speaking the same tail-end of the same lecture to THREE different audiences. Didn't he have anything else to say?) If you want to make a movie about a nice, quiet, shy old English guy who falls in love with a brassy-voiced American, then do us all a favor and invent the characters out of whole cloth. C.S. Lewis deserves better than this. And it's pretty far removed from what actually occurred in his life. He and his future wife, the American poet Joy Gresham, had known each for years before tying the knot, relating to each other primarily as fellow Christian intellectuals. Here, Attenborough (or the playwright who originally wrote the story) insists on a standard Hollywood "cute-meet": Joy blares out "Anybody here called 'Lewis'?" in a tea-room. But I suppose that we can't expect too much intellectual discourse in a movie designed for the multiplex. Ultimately, one gets the sense that the filmmakers are almost out to get Lewis: that same speech he keeps making has something to do with God wanting us to experience suffering so that we can "grow up". Can you see what's coming? That's right -- cancer for his new lady-love. Debra Winger is sadly put in the position again where she has to slowly die of incurable cancer, as in *Terms of Endearment*. As for Anthony Hopkins, he -- rather like Robert Duvall -- tends to basically play himself whenever he's trapped in a mediocre script, and he does so here.
  
  
• A movie catharsis....
  By A2R82WZIRO3FBT on 2004-08-06
  Only 2 movies I have seen in my life have made me cry out loud. This was one of them. This is the ONLY movie I have ever seen whose lesson has not left me, even after several years. "The pain now is part of the happiness then. That's the deal". An incredibly profound concept, but so true. No wonder Lewis said of her that she represented to him the whole world in a single mind. The lesson of this film is mind-blowing for anyone who has ever tried to shield himself from the prospect of pain that comes with just living and engaging in human relationships.
  
  Hopkins completely disappears into the role. It is probably the finest acting performance I have ever seen from anyone in any film.
  
  This is one of those films that belongs on the bookshelf at home, right alongside "Mere Christianity".
  
  
• TIMELESS, INTENSE ROMANCE WITH LOADS OF OLD-FASHIONED VIRTUE
  By A1L8HRCM60W0W7 on 2004-07-11
  You should certainly see Joss Ackland's version of this film, which was a BBC production and hence true to the original play etc. Come to think of it, you may also want to read the original play itself by Hanff (which is on my wishlist but I have not yet read.)

  Nonetheless, the thrilling chemistry between Debra Winger and Anthony Hopkins is very, very hard to resist and I wholeheartedly recommend this supposedly "Hollywood" version. It's ranks for me in the same genre as "The Remains of the Day" and "84 Charing Cross."

  To begin with, how immaculate the casting is: Debra Winger plays an uninhibited and witty American poetess, while Anthony Hopkins plays a reclusive British middle-aged scholar at Oxford.

  They meet over tea. She is in a withering marriage, but in her bull-in-a-china-shop American fashion, she arrives like a fresh wind to rock his musty ivory-tower existence.

  As the film progresses, her crudeness (only exacerbated by Winger's awkward NY accent) is soon peeled away to reveal a heart of gold and a life-affirming sense of humor. For instance, while escorting her around Oxford, Hopkins haughtily says, "I do not really go in for seeing the sights." In response, she says, "So what do you do, walk around with your eyes shut?"

  Such sprightly but tender moments evoke the screenplay's stirring underlying message -- pain is an inevitable ingredient of love. If you are looking for a somewhat weepy but always warm and wonderful romantic film, this is one of the best you'll find.
  
  

• Is it about Lewis?
  By A3W1JJGJHRPH4Y on 2004-07-13
  The movie was done well. The cast was magnificent. The scenes of the Oxford Campus were beautiful. The story drew me in. However, it did not present Lewis very well. First, it presented Lewis as being rather naive about suffering. He kept giving the same sermon over and over and this technique implied that did not really understand suffering. This was not so. His mother died when he was very young. He was a soldier in World War 2. His close friend, Charles Williams, died around this period of his life. Second, the movie left the viewer with the impression that Lewis abandoned his simple Christianity and grew into a better understanding of the world. He truly suffered when Joy died as the book, "A Grief Observed" described beautifully, but he did not leave the faith.
  
  I liked the BBC version better. It was closer to the original play.
  
  I recommend the movie, because it well done. However, I do not recommend the movie as a way to learn more about C. S. Lewis. It is a beautiful, fictional love story.
  
  
• Tender triumph!!!
  By ADEW9NW1HGTNJ on 2001-07-29
  This movie is one of those rare films that manages to capture some of lives deeper truths without getting heavy handed. This love story is entertaining mostly due to the fine script and outstanding performances by Anthony Hopkins, Debra Winger (Terms of Endearment, An Officer and a Gentleman) , and Joseph Mazzello (Jurassic Park, Simon Birch). Hopkins plays the mature C.S. Lewis (The Narnia Chronicles, The Four Loves). Even though Oxford professor Lewis has converted to Christianity, he has built a world where no one can touch him emotionally. His relationships with everyone, even his brother and closest friends, are nothing more than intellectual acquaintances.

  Enter Joy Gresham and her young son Douglas. Douglas is an avid Lewis fan from reading the Narnai books. Both mother and child enter Lewis' world, oblivious to the walls Lewis has erected to protect his own emotions. The resulting drama is one of the finest movies available. This is English cinema at its best. Particularly noteworthy is George Fenton's moving score. His original compositions for the film are worth a listen on their own, and one of my favorite soundtracks ever. In the tradition of Vaughn-Williams, Butterworth, and Parry - his music stands with other British 20th century romantics.

  This beautiful film was directed by Sir Richard Attenborough (Gandhi, Jurassic Park), and shows us Hopkin's genius as an actor, making much more use of his talent than we've seen in recent years. This is a tear jerker, but still highly recommend.
  
  

• The Man Who Created Narnia
  By A37F1G84K35FCZ on 2002-07-19
  C.S. Lewis was a remarkable man who created an exceptional body of written work. His writings are all the more special for their extraordinary range. To countless children of any age he is known as the man who wrote, "The Chronicles of Narnia", a series of books for children that remain in print 50 years after his death, and which will soon be made in to films. For an entirely different group of readers he is known for his Christian writings like, "Mere Christianity", "Surprised By Joy", and "The Screwtape Letters". He was an intellectual, a gentleman, and a scholar. He was a distinguished member of the Oxford College faculty, teacher, and public speaker. He was also a very private man until Joy Gresham, portrayed by Debra Winger, arrives in his life, and Lewis played by Sir Anthony Hopkins embarks on a greatly altered life as husband and parent.

  This is a love story that documents that opposites can in fact attract, and in this specific case, when played by one of the finest actors and actresses, places on film what will become a classic love story. The story is also a tragedy for while their married life together was not as brief as the movie suggests, Joy was to become terminally ill. Her sickness and eventual death test all the beliefs that C.S. Lewis had built his adult life upon. As a child he was raised in an environment of faith, as a young man he became an atheist, and then still later he became one of the most widely read Christian writers of the 20th century.

  The cinematography under the direction of Richard Attenborough is beautiful, and like any great film there are a number of other players that make the film so wonderful to watch, in this case Edward Hardwicke as Lewis's brother, and Joseph Mazzello as Douglas Grishem.

  This DVD also offers great interviews with the primary cast members, and a man who happens on the site to chat with the young man who is portraying him as a child. You are not told when he first appears that he is Douglas Gresham, but once you know and you see him chatting with the young actor Joseph Mazzello, it is like seeing two periods of time intersect.

  This type of film is that which I most enjoy the talents of Mr. Hopkins. His most recent film was so wretched; it is hard to reconcile the same man made both movies. If you enjoy a fine story and fine cinematography, you will greatly enjoy this movie.
  
  

• This film will enrich your life.
  By A87HY58JPLQIB on 2000-04-28
  Very few movies have impacted me as this lovely film has. It is a work filled with beauty, honesty, nobility, and reality. Hopkins and Winger are perfectly cast and turn in flawless performances that you will never forget. I cannot overstate the wonderful and powerful chemistry that develops between their characters, nor can I overstate how delightful are the subtleties and nuances that abound in their discovery of each other. And the performances turned in by the rest of the cast are all solid and fit like a good glove. There just are no holes in this movie - it is excellent from the opening credits and never diminishes a whit. Even if your heart is as cold and hard as an Arctic ice floe, I doubt you will be able to watch this and not be moved. Build a fire, take the phone off the hook, dim the lights, and prepare to spend two fabulous hours sharing a magnificent story with those you most care for. If you fall in love with this elegant portrayal as much as I have, you will watch it again and again through the years and always come away feeling enriched and satisfied. What I wouldn't give to see Hollywood would turn out more movies of this caliber!
  
  
• "We read to know we are not alone."
  By A2MF2QVSCUI27G on 2005-03-05
  
  
  This movie is the perfect vehicle for the subtleties of Anthony Hopkins' acting talent, the slow shifting of emotions as author CS Lewis awakens to life and, through it, love. In this enactment of the romance between Lewis and Joy Gresham, a divorced American with a young son, Hopkins portrays an extremely private man and he does so with great sensitivity.
  
  The stolid Oxford professor has insulated himself from any real intimacy with the world. As his friend Joy Gresham says, Lewis keeps everyone at a distance, either by years or by position. Secure in the book-lined rooms of academia, CS Lewis is enshrined in the world of the intellect, recoiling from the pain of real personal investment.
  
  When Lewis meets Gresham and her son, the professor makes an elaborate show of friendship unbound by commitment. But Joy (Debra Winger) is more direct, unwilling to endure his self-protective posturing. In order to remain in London, Gresham must marry and Lewis accommodates her request and they wed in a civil ceremony. It is only after she is diagnosed with cancer that Lewis realizes the depth of his feelings for this woman, their time together now severely restricted. Lewis recognizes the rarity of such opportunity, throwing himself into new-found passion in middle age.
  
  Hopkins flexes his acting muscles as this stolid, reserved man slowly awakens after a lifetime of self-control, embracing whole-heartedly an affection towards another, suddenly exuberant after years of emotional quietude. Unable to deal with his own grief at Gresham's impending death, Lewis is finally reminded that her son, Douglas, is suffering as well. In one of the most powerful scenes of the movie, Lewis approaches the young boy now in his care, reaching into the deepest reserves of compassion to as they both grieve, the beginning of healing.
  
  The cinematography adds to the texture of the movie, verdant green hills, the weight of an Oxford winter, the bustling London streets. Winger is adequate as Gresham, but no match for Hopkins. Winger doesn't shine, simply reflects Hopkins' tour de force performance. A more memorable actress than Winger might have made this film perfect, but the emotional tenor of Hopkins' acting dwarfs the rest of the characters. "The boy chose safety. The man chose suffering." Luan Gaines/ 2005.
  
  
  
  
  
• The shadow lands in our hearts: Love ruins the best of plans
  By A2MG8DHACXH5MS on 2005-12-06
  C.S. Lewis was a brilliant Oxford scholar and best beloved author of the chronicles of Narnia. Just like his famous Lion, Witch and Wardrobe .... Lewis was under his own spell of sorts. He had cleverly crafted a life whereby love could not enter. His heart was ice and his Christian faith provided a comfortable protective shell from being emotionally hurt. Like the chronic winter of Narnia, Lewis was numb and frozen to the sun and warm emotions of love until Joy Gresham entered his life. Then it was all tested as Lewis' emotional snow began to melt. For a committed British Christian, Lewis had to wrestle with Joy's Jewish heritage, divorced status, single motherhood, brash New York manner, and her total opposite character to him. If anyone would have been the most inappropriate person for C.S. Lewis it was Joy Gresham. Shadowlands is a stirring, simmering, and gut breaking performance of love and its ability to break and heal the toughest of curses .... the ones we place on our own hearts with our best intentions. A must see for anyone who wants to know that they aren't alone in the frightening domain of love that comes without warning to pull apart our best laid plans.
  
  
• Grab some tissues!
  By on 1999-04-26
  This is probably Anthony Hopkin's best performance in any film I've seen him in. He does a superb job of depicting C.S. Lewis, the British writer best known for his children's stories, The Chronicles of Narnia. Although the film doesn't go much into who Lewis was, it focuses more on the love story between him and his wife, Joy Davidman Gresham, and her tragic death of cancer. Lewis, a shy, quiet bachelor, had no intention of marrying, and was quite content as a writer and a teacher at Oxford. Joy Gresham was an outspoken American writer raised in a Jewish household and a self-proclaimed athiest who had converted to Christianity. The movie tells of how the two met, eventually fell in love, and married after Joy was diagnosed with fatal cancer. One thing the movie also portrays is how Lewis was finally hit with a real pain of his own after Joy's death, and how he dealt with it. Even if you're not familiar with C.S. Lewis, this movie is a must-see!
  
  
• An Extremely Touching Film
  By A39CX0EE4BZCZC on 2006-04-21
  C. S. Lewis is making a bit of a comeback with the "Chronicles Of Narnia" movie of late, but here's a film portrait of him made in 1993 starring the great British actor Anthony Hopkins.
  
  To Christians, Lewis has always been a familiar name: one of the greatest and most well-known Christian apologists theologians ("Merre Christianity," "The Screwtape Letters,"etc.) and fiction (the Narnia series) writers of all time. But this film - no surprise - doesn't really deal with that: it's mainly a love story, the love he had toward his American wife, played by Debra Winger.
  
  Being a Brit, the film takes place in England and features some wonderful landscapes of that great country. Hopkins exudes warmth in the role of Lewis and Winger is okay, New York City accent and all, as the American. I would have chosen someone else for the role, but Winger gets by.
  
  Not to be forgotten is the fine job Edward Hardwicke did as "Warnie," Lewis' brother. Joseph Mazzello, one of the top child actors of the early '90s, is the Lewis' young boy. When father and son cry together at the end, it is one of the most touching scenes I've ever viewed on film.
  It's a touching story, period, and if it doesn't get your eyes moistened at least once, check your pulse. The dialog in here is excellent, too. I particularly enjoyed the by-play of dry wit between the professors and Winger's various comments to her husband.
  
  Nice films like this are unusual and should be treasured, as Lewis and his works are by so many people, Christian or non-Christian.
  
  
  
• Does God want us to suffer? Answers to be found in this movie
  By A1L1VZAKJNP0W4 on 2007-01-15
  This is an incredibly moving movie, the true life story of C S Lewis. It is a tear-jerker that answers deep questions about the meaning of life, love and suffering. Anthony Hopkins plays the role of C S Lewis perfectly, illuminating the admiration I already had for him as a writer, especially after reading Mere Christianity. He was a true gentleman, and this drama defines that through his gentleness, sacrificial giving and the great love that he himself didn't realize he possessed until faced with the deep sorrows he experienced first as a child, and then as a man.
  This is one of my favorite true life stories based on the the richness and depth of the story that causes us to pause and think about the true meaning of our relationships, the true meaning of living life through all of its sorrows. Don't watch this to be entertained. Watch it for the experience.
  
  
• Heartwarmingly Perfect!
  By A26XPNBICXR6QL on 2000-05-15
  As an Anthony Hopkins fan, I knew I would love this from the beginning. With this movie, I have proved myself to be right. The actors are superb and bring the characters to true form. It is a very beautiful story of what can happen when someone really falls in love. I thought it was better than most sappy love stories where you can tell from the very beginning where the relationship is going to be by the end of the movie. With a story so passionate and powerful, this movie transcends the simplistic nature of a "happily ever after" fairy tale. This movie causes you to appreciate those people who mean a lot to you. This movie deserves more than 5 stars and there aren't enough words to describe the emotional value of this film.
  
  
• Well done, but a bit disappointing for true Lewis buffs
  By A3FHSLWEMH7JD8 on 2001-08-23
  The acting, scenery, photography, and themes in this film are well above most. However, for those of us who are devotees of the real C.S. Lewis's theological works, and who know something of his biography, it is tempting to say that this is a fine enough film... but not much about C.S. Lewis.

  Indeed, the real Lewis and Joy did not have lives that were the stuff of conventional love stories, and the need of film makers to produce love stories in a certain pattern (this one being of the tragic genre) is eternal. Yet their shared Christian commitment, which seems only hinted at in the film, has much to do with their commitment to one another and eventual marriage. With that essential element removed, one tends to shudder that this crude, ill-mannered, loud American woman seems so meddling in the life of an Oxford don. (From Joy's first meeting with Jack, when she calls out "Anyone here called Lewis?" in a crowded , distinguished tea room, I wondered why he did not quietly disappear with his dignity intact.)

  It seems, considering references to the Narnia series and the fictitious honeymoon spot, that the theme here was supposed to be that love is "magical." The real Lewis and his wife had less magic but far more substance, much more beautiful in its reality than fairy tales can be. As well, the film makes it appear that their life together was compressed into a matter of weeks.

  Those who enjoy tear jerkers will find this a five star plus, and my own four stars are because, compared to many films, this is quite a good one. But I do not happen to be one who has much taste for using some events in the lives of fascinating "real people" to develop fictional love stories.
  
  

• the hollywood-ized version of an interesting love story
  By ATI4J88UWW94M on 2004-04-07
  When I discovered this movie was being made I was so excited. Unfortunately I spent most of my viewing time thinking, it didn't happen that way and WHERE IS HER OTHER KID?!?

  But, if you know absolutely nothing about CS and Joy Lewis' life together and know nothing much about CS and Joy Lewis at all, you will enjoy this movie. It is a well-made, Hollywood love story. The acting is excellent and the storyline is compelling. Just keep in mind that this is NOT how it really happened and PLEASE go read for yourself the true story.

  Oh, yeah, don't forget the Kleenex. It's a three box-er.
  
  

• I Didn't Know Atheists Could Lie So Beautifully
  By A2CD4S6QGRMO4I on 2005-08-04
  Take a giant in the world of Christian Theolgy and turn him into a self-centered secularist and you have this film
  When asked if the Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe was a Christian metaphor, Lewis denies it and says it is a tale about magic....Of course since atheists believe there is no Ultimate Truth, they have no trouble lying.
  Of course I was not suprised to see Attenbough was in involved.He ruined Chorus Line by taking the song What We Did For Love, which on stage explained why dancers go through so much at such a risk and made it a sappy love songg..In Young Winston, he made Churchill sound like a pacifist...
  To get a real picture of C.S. Lewis watch the BBC classic production starring Josh Ackland and Claire Bloom.
  
  
• Brilliant exploration of love, loss and renewal
  By A1XX1KKXH9W7I7 on 2007-01-13
  I've watched this film many times and for many reasons, chiefly among them, the exquisite performances by both leads. Safe and secure in his world of intellectual pursuits and spiritual exploration, C.S. Lewis had no interest in worldly love and romance nor did he think that when he agreed to marry divorced Jewish-American poet, Joy Gresham so that she could obtain British residency, that it would go beyond a platonic friendship. However, slowly Lewis realizes that his comfortable existence is not only one of cerebral isolation but one of emotional loneliness and finds in Gresham both a feisty, intelligent friend and a profoundly brave and uncompromising woman that teaches him that a person's life cannot be measured solely by intellectual accomplishments or other noble pursuits. Watching Hopkins as Lewis, all stiff-upper-lip English rectitude, flourish into a man who, for the first time, realizes the transfixing power of love, is a lesson in acting. Winger is no less impressive as Joy Gresham, a proud and strong woman, unwilling to be undone in the face of adversity. Joy's death scene is one of the most heartbreaking ever committed to celluloid, with an inconsolable Lewis praying for his dear wife's soul. I can't tell you how that scene affects me. I'm not one to cry in films but this so beautifully and honestly done, without a trace of melodrama or maudlin excess, that you feel that you are privy to a very personal moment in these two people's lives and I just bawl my eyes out. Extraordinary acting, directing and cinematography with superb supporting performances by everyone, makes Shadowlands a truly intelligent, cogent, yet equally human cinematic experience.
  
  
• Please See BBC Version!
  By AYHSQWSUML1M on 2000-01-07
  I admit that this movie was visually interesting & performaces were very good, but I repeat my review of the BBC Version here: I watched this movie in the BBC version on encore, when I had been ill a long time. It was very difficult to watch at places, but was also extremely helpful to me during a painful time. I would recommend it to everyone, but most especially to anyone who is ill or cares about someone who is ill. I do think that it needs to be watched at least twice because, I find that each time I watch it, I pick up even more nuances. In my view. it beats the Anthony Hopkins, Debra Winger version, hands down. I once bought the BBC 70 minutes version that was aired in the U. S., thinking that it was the same but, it was not. With 20 minutes edited out, it does not compare either. Too much of the man's faith is missing from both movies which leaves it with a watered down effect and less significance. I don't know what possessed them to take away the essence of this man in the other versions but, after anxiously anticipating them, I found myself greatly disappointed in both. If you want more of the real man's story and less hollywood story telling, then I recommend the 90-95 minute version by the BBC, with Joss Ackland & Claire Bloom. You may find that you still like both versions but, that is my definitive favorite! :)
  
  
• Powerful, Intelligent, and Joyous
  By A2GCSJJSTHZVIN on 2000-04-15
  I probably watch this film every two years, yet like fine wine, it grows even better after time. This picture is a beautiful, thought provoking, and highly effective meditation on how love, death, god, joy, and pain all coexist in the strange universe that is life. With subject matter as complex as this, the viewer can see where one could easily become lost in C.S. Lewis's story, but "Shadowlands" never falters. The film remains quiet, simple, and highly effective through Attenborough's understated direction, and its cast's uniformly excellent performances.

  However, what sits at the very core of "Shadowlands" beauty is its ultimate truth. There are moments in this film so full of genuine, unflynching emotion that its power practically hits the audience member in the gut. Yes, the film's magnificently depicted scenes of death and grieving never fail to jerk tears from my eyes, but Lewis's closing lines regarding the choices he made as a boy and a man make me sob.

  "Shadowlands" is undoubtedly representative of filmaking at its very best. I recommend this film without reservation to anyone!
  
  

• Much more than a love story
  By AMMEMPM9MPS55 on 2002-03-02
  Attenborough's gentle film, based on the stage play of the same name, in turn based on the events of Lewis' relationship with (and later, marriage to) Joy Gresham, is a thought-provoking drama that deals with questions that will have faced every person of faith at one time or another. The themes of human experience, the, at times puzzling, antithesis of pain and happiness, and what it means to be authentically human, are lucidly developed without being overdone or becoming cliched.

  This was the first time in a while I have cried watching a film. In fact, the tears really flowed as I watched the anguish of Anthony Hopkin's brilliant performance. Part of that was the confrontation with the heartache and pain inherent in human existence (at least on this side of eternity); part of it was seeing in Lewis' struggle with the question of pain a reflection of the inner struggle that we all face as we try to hold on to faith in God at times when life seems to be doing all it can to confuse us. With that in mind, this is no sentimental love story: this is a painful, though at the same time inspiring, journey into the paradoxes and dilemmas of faith and life that we are all familiar with.
  
  

• Anthony Hopkins is the (almost) perfect CS Lewis
  By AHCVWPLA1O4X8 on 2003-06-04
  This is the story of CS Lewis's life--at least, his later life. Lewis, the brilliant intellectual, the revered Christian apologist, the man who seemed to have answers to everything, was living a calm and adequate life with his brother Warren. All of that changed when an American woman named Joy came along. Suddenly, Lewis (Jack, as he's called) finds he does NOT have the answers, and that there has been something missing from his life all along. This film is a story of the love that Lewis found, lost, and found again.

  This movie is well-made, and very accurate as to the period and setting. Anthony Hopkins's performance is stunning--he seems to fit Lewis perfectly. I have always had a picture in my mind of how Lewis would look and behave, and Hopkins comes about as close to my mental image as is reasonably possible.

  That having been said, Debra Winger's acting is absolutely horrid. Her accent is bad, her mannerisms are annoying, and she is simply not convincing in her role as Lewis's love. Also, I did not like that the movie ignored such great friends of Lewis's as Owen Barfield and JRR Tolkien (even if these men played a less significant part in his later life).

  I would have liked to see these men, as well as others, in the movie, but was disappointed. Despite these shortcomings, however, Shadowlands is a pretty good representation of Lewis's life, and you can't beat Hopkins's brilliant acting when he plays the Oxford fellow. If you're a CS Lewis fan, this movie is worth seeing.
  
  

• A very moving, powerful and poignant look at love
  By AMWSZ61FILX2J on 2004-12-27
  This is one of the best films I have seen. It is the story of CS Lewis, a literary genius, and his improbable encounter with a love that changes his life. One caution is that this film cannot be watched with dry eyes, it is that powerful and moving.
  
  The film catches an established CS Lewis, who at this point has already written several books and is well known. He is visited by a woman and her son who come over from America. One of my favorite scenes is of the young boy searching through Lewis's house and finding a big wardrobe; the look of disappointment when he reaches through the coats and hits the solid back is priceless. An obvious nod to the magical wardrobe in the CS Lewis classic "The lion, the witch and the wardrobe".
  
  The scenes of the outspoken young American being introduced to the stuffy Oxford colleagues of Lewis depict just what an improbable match this is. Nonetheless, Lewis falls in love. The rest of the story needs to be experienced.
  
  There are no weak moments on this film. The acting is first rate throughout and Hopkins is at his best. The love between them is both believable and truthful, as is the way the relationship brings out feelings Lewis had long shut down.
  
  A classic, a true love story. If you are at all a fan of CS Lewis, or just of great films, then this is a must see. Powerful, moving and a very poignant examination of love. Highly recommended.
  
  
  
• "Lewis and water"
  By A13DRH017BAN4I on 2005-11-23
  C.S. Lewis used the phrase "Christianity and water" to describe diluted versions of the Christian faith. This movie might well be called "Lewis and water", because it is certainly not C.S. Lewis straight up.
  The Lewis of this film is a man of simplistic belief whose faith crumbles at the first encounter with trouble. This is an extremely unfair depiction of the scholar and philosopher whose beliefs were well-reasoned, mature, and deeply held. It's okay to show that even this iconic figure might have had doubts at one time or another -- he was, after all, a fallible human being -- but not at all just to portray him the way this movie did.
  
  
  
• Anyone's Life Might Change
  By A28WJUJF6D2ULA on 2007-02-18
  As I've written before, American audiences might disagree but I think Anthony Hopkins is far more effective in these sorts of productions than he is in the Hannibal series.
  
  Shadowlands is a demanding story that says much in some very small ways that can easily be missed. Telling the (very) true to life tale of C.S. Lewis' marriage, late in his years, to an admiring American poet, Joy Gresham, who visited Lewis and his brother at Oxford, where Lewis, along with Tolkien and some others whose names we remember today, were comfortably ensconced as collegiate dons. While at first the cerebral and emotionally distant (and timid) Lewis is slightly repelled by the extroverted, Jewish Grisham, played here by Debra Winger, Lewis eventually awakens to the realization that a part of his nature theretofore unknown to him has come alive, and the bond he feels for this unexpectedly arrived woman is real and of great meaning to him.
  
  While in the beginning Lewis maintains he has married Grisham strictly as a courtesy that allows her to remain in Britain, the amorously inexperienced theologian and fiction writer acknowledges his love, and for a time is the happiest he has ever been. But then a tragedy clouds Lewis' new identity as husband, and also stepfather to a worshipful teenaged boy, as Grisham's dormant cancer returns with fatal results. Lewis stays by his wife to the end, and claims that the lesson he learns from this chapter in his existence is that the sadness that ultimately visits him and all others who love another is part of the joy inherent in love itself, a separate hemisphere, a reaction to an action, the darkness inextricably wedded to love's light. Lewis survives Grisham and goes on to pen more books of a spiritual and ecumenical nature, but as all who have read him or who knew him note, he was a much changed person once Grisham had passed away.
  
  Shadowlands somehow handles a dreary subject without losing itself to morosity or melodrama. It is both a movie with a message, and also a visit to the personal life of an intensely private man few who read the Narnia series truly know. It is evenly-paced, intellectually-demanding, and openly spiritual as well as biographical. What it lacks in broad appeal it makes up for in being deeply rewarding to those willing to respect (if not embrace) the lessons Lewis believed he absorbed during the time he was given to know Joy Grisham. Those who didn't find this playing at their local multiplex years ago will be pleased with the quality of this DVD release. I recommend it be viewed without distractions, because its message wilts quite easily.
  
  
• Great movie...
  By A33PNAQ33DGBJG on 2007-03-12
  Pass the popcorn around as you watch this movie. It is a sweet movie about finding love late in life and learning to live again.
  
  
• We are living in the shadowlands.
  By A96K1ZGW56S2I on 2002-09-30
  SHADOWLANDS is a film that is based on the love story between C.S. Lewis and Joy Gresham. The movie is beautifully photographed, is acted superbly, and has some wonderful dialogue. The oral wit of Lewis is captured in almost every scene and Anothony Hopkins gives one of the most realistic and moving performances of his career. Richard Attenborough's direction is nearly flawless and SHADOWLANDS sinks any notion that Attenborough was a one-film wonder director (GHANDI).

  I am a huge fan of C.S. Lewis and enjoyed the film immensely. Non-Christian friends of mine have been moved to tears while watching the film because not only does it capture the essence of true love, but because it is a true story. C.S. Lewis was set to be a lifelong bachelor until he met Joy Gresham. They were in many ways opposites (e.g. nationality, heritage, lifestyle, etc.) and it would seem inconceivable that the two should fall in love. But they did. It was as though God used Lewis and Joy to illustrate His love for us.

  There were only two parts of the movie that I disliked. I found Debra Winger's performance to be irritating and annoying. There were scenes where she shined and captured the real Joy. However, for most of the film, Winger's Joy seemed fake and unnatural.

  The other thing I didn't like about the movie is that they cut out one of the Gresham boys. Joy had two boys, not one and the movie acts as though one of the two brothers didn't even exist. It's simpler to tell a story that way, but not necessarily best.

  Overall, a wonderful film about two very real people who had an amazing love story. It's a film sure to raise emotion, perhaps bring a tear to one's eye and it makes a great date movie.
  
  

• C.S. Lewis: Through the Shadowlands
• The Remains of the Day (Special Edition)
• The Magic Never Ends - The Life and Work of C.S. Lewis
• 84 Charing Cross Road
• A Grief Observed