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Shadowlands

 
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Shadowlands

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Shadowlands
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  • Director: Norman Stone
  • AMG Rating: starstarstar
  • Genre: Drama
  • Movie Type: Romantic Drama, Biopic
  • Themes: Battling Illness, Dying Young, Writer's Life
  • Main Cast: Joss Ackland, Claire Bloom
  • Release Year: 1985
  • Country: UK
  • Run Time: 90 minutes

Plot

A real-life incident involving two major literary figures was dramatized for British television in 1985 under the title Shadowlands. Joss Ackland stars as English author C.S. Lewis, who in 1950 begins a correspondence with American poet Joy Gresham, here played by Claire Bloom. Though Lewis is a confirmed bachelor and Gresham is a wife and mother, their long-distance friendship blossoms into something deeper. In 1952, Gresham, newly divorced, moves to England to be nearer Lewis, who has no inclination to marry. A spiritual crisis profoundly affects the relationship--and completely alters Lewis' outlook on life. Shadowlands premiered in America over PBS on October 29, 1986; screenwriter William Nicholson later adapted his script into a play, which was filmed by director Richard Attenborough in 1993, with Anthony Hopkins as Lewis and Debra Winger as Gresham. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Review

This motion picture superbly chronicles the profound but painful love shared by British author C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) and American poet Joy Davidman Gresham. While documenting an important period in the life of the esteemed Lewis -- a novelist, teacher, philosopher, and devout convert from atheism to Christianity -- the film also explores the painful happiness of falling in love late in life, when new risks both terrorize and tantalize. William Nicholson's script sparkles with gentle wit. For example, after Lewis secretly marries Gresham in a civil ceremony in 1955 solely to qualify her for British citizenship, she observes that wagging tongues say they are unmarried and committing sin when they are really married and remaining chaste. Josh Ackland and Claire Bloom perform brilliantly as the enamored couple, projecting the quiet passion -- and compassion -- that Lewis and Gresham have for each other after she develops cancer and they marry in a religious ceremony in 1957, when Lewis is nearing 60. Other excellent performances abound, including that of David Waller as Lewis' brother, Warnie, and those of Rupert Baderman and Rhys Hopkins as Gresham's children. Throughout the film, the script deftly probes the meaning of love, suffering, and life itself while eschewing melodrama and sentimentality. The film's ending is optimistic, suggesting that the "shadowlands" of the material world are only a poor reflection of the glittering world beyond death. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide

Cast

Joss Ackland - C.S. Lewis; Rupert Baderman - Douglas; Claire Bloom - Joy Davidman; Rhys Hopkins - David; Tim Preece - Alan Gregg; Philip Stone - Harry Harrington; David Waller - Warnie Lewis

Credit

Norman Stone - Director, Ken Howard - Composer (Music Score), David M. Thompson - Producer, William Nicholson - Screenwriter

Similar Movies

Celeste; The Remains of the Day; Carrington; Coming Through; De-Lovely
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Wikipedia: Shadowlands (film)
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
For 1985 television film, see Shadowlands. For other uses, see Shadowland.
Shadowlands

UK Theatrical release poster
Directed by Richard Attenborough
Produced by Richard Attenborough
Brian Eastman
Written by William Nicholson
Starring Anthony Hopkins
Debra Winger
Edward Hardwicke
Music by George Fenton
Cinematography Roger Pratt
Editing by Lesley Walker
Distributed by Savoy Pictures (USA)
Paramount Pictures (UK)
Release date(s) December 25, 1993 (US)
Running time 131 mins
Country UK
Language English

Shadowlands is a 1993 British biographical film directed by Richard Attenborough. The screenplay by William Nicholson is based on his 1985 television production and 1989 stage adaptation of the same name. The original television film began life as a script entitled I Call it Joy written for Thames Television by Brian Sibley and Norman Stone. Sibley later wrote the book, Shadowlands: The True Story of C. S. Lewis and Joy Davidman.

Contents

Plot synopsis

Set in the 1950s, the film focuses on reserved, middle aged bachelor C. S. Lewis, an Oxford University academic at Magdalen College and author of The Chronicles of Narnia series of children's books, and his relationship with divorced American poet Joy Gresham and her young son Douglas. What begins as a formal meeting of two very different minds slowly develops into an intense feeling of connection and love. Lewis finds his quiet life with his brother Warnie disrupted by the outspoken, feisty Gresham, whose uninhibited behavior offers a sharp contrast to the rigid sensibilities of the male-dominated university. Each provides the other with new ways of viewing the world. Initially their marriage is one of convenience, a platonic union designed to allow Gresham to remain in England. But when she is diagnosed with cancer, deeper feelings surface, and Lewis' faith is tested as his wife tries to prepare him for her imminent death.

Principal cast

Critical reception

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times called the film "intelligent, moving and beautifully acted."[1]

Rita Kempley of the Washington Post described it as "a high-class tear-jerker" and a "literate hankie sopper" and added, "William Nicholson's screenplay brims with substance and wit, though it's essentially a soap opera with a Rhodes scholarship . . . [Winger] and Hopkins lend great tenderness and dignity to what is really a rather corny tale of a love that was meant to be."[2]

In Variety, Emanuel Levy observed, "It's a testament to the nuanced writing of William Nicholson . . . that the drama works effectively on both personal and collective levels . . . Attenborough opts for modest, unobtrusive direction that serves the material and actors . . . Hopkins adds another laurel to his recent achievements. As always, there's music in his speech and nothing is over-deliberate or forced about his acting . . . Coming off years of desultory and unimpressive movies, Winger at last plays a role worthy of her talent."[3]

Awards and nominations

References

  1. ^ Chicago Sun-Times review
  2. ^ Washington Post review
  3. ^ Variety review

External links

Preceded by
The Crying Game		 Alexanda Korda Award for Best British Film
1993		 Succeeded by
Shallow Grave

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

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