Shadowlands (DVD)

How can it be that some of the greatest stories of the 20th century were written by academics? In Oxford in the 1950s two great series of books were born and brought before an unsuspecting public. There was Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings' with its (in my view) overblown mythology, and there was also the Narnia books, a series of compelling stories for children written by an English lecturer, Clive Staples Lewis, an eminent scholar and theologian. What ...
...that he was a confirmed bachelor, living with his brother in a small cottage on the outskirts of Oxford. The story of Lewis' life is well documented, especially in the book 'Shadowlands', which in the mid 1980s was dramatised by the BBC into a film starring Joss Ackland and Clare Bloom.

In 1993, Sir Richard Attenborough made the story into a film starring Anthony Hopkins (he wasn't a 'sir' then) and Debra Winger. The film is around ... more

How can it be that some of the greatest stories of the 20th century were written by academics? In Oxford in the 1950s two great series of books were born and brought before an unsuspecting public. There was Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings' with its (in my view) overblown mythology, and there was also the Narnia books, a series of compelling stories for children written by an English lecturer, Clive Staples Lewis, an eminent scholar and theologian. What was all the more surprising about Lewis was the fact that he was a confirmed bachelor, living with his brother in a small cottage on the outskirts of Oxford. The story of Lewis' life is well documented, especially in the book 'Shadowlands', which in the mid 1980s was dramatised by the BBC into a film starring Joss Ackland and Clare Bloom.

In 1993, Sir Richard Attenborough made the story into a film starring Anthony Hopkins (he wasn't a 'sir' then) and Debra Winger. The film is around 2 hours long, but then again doesn't seem like it. It is Certificate U because it does not contain any sex. violence, or 'sexual swearwords'. However, it is the sort of film that small children may find a little slow and, perhaps, depressing.

The Synopsis
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C S Lewis' life is turned upside down when he meets one of his correspondents. She is an American poetess, a former furvent Communist, a lady by the name of Joy Gresham. Joy is visiting Britain with her young son Douglas, principally to enjoy the culture, but also to avoid Joy's husband Bill (in the book we learn that Bill was a serial womaniser and a very violent drunk).

At first we see a gentle friendship, as two seemingly disparate people, a shy and bookish don and a brash lady from the Bronx discuss their love of writing. We also see Lewis' seemingly unending generosity, when he marries Joy to enable her to stay in Britain. However, we then see tragedy. Joy Gresham was struck by cancer at an early age, and this forced Lewis to confront two major things in his life. He was an eminent speaker on christian matters, and yet was forced to ask why people suffered, something that rocked his solid christian faith. He was also forced to realise that he actually loved Joy, not just out of convenience, but in that 'I long to see her and my heart will break if she is taken away from me now' kind of feeling. Anyone who has ever been in love knows what that is about. The problem with Lewis' wish to marry Joy was that she was a divorcee, and as such could not be married by the church.

We then see the very short married life that Lewis and Gresham spent with one another, a life that enriched both of them physically and spiritually. I am not saying that there was a physical nature to the marriage, who knows, but that they both seemed to derive physical strength from one another.

When the awful moment does come, we see Lewis' difficulty to face the death of his wife, and his great struggle to communicate his grief to Douglas (Lewis mother had also died when he was a young boy).

All in all, it looks like a totally depressing film, really.

The Acting
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Well, in a word, superb. Anthony Hopkins is enigmatic and charming as C S Lewis, a man who is so knowledgable and yet so naive at the same time, he displays wisdom and ignorance almost simultaneously.

Debra Winger is brilliant. I never really rated her as an actress before, but in this she is understated and conveys happiness and pain brilliantly.

The supporting cast are great as well, containing young actors as well as established character actors such as Michael Dennison (without Dulcie Grey, though).

The Setting
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I had to include this. The setting of Oxford with its dreaming spires, is excellent. However it is the footage of Clive and Joy's honeymoon in Herefordshire that captivated me. The Golden Valley looked stunning, and made me realise I wanted to live in Herefordshire. I saw the film in 1994. In 2003 I realised my ambition.

Conclusions
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The film is, quite simply, excellent. The acting, script and cinematography meld together to produce a beautiful film. The storyline, although it would seem like it at first glance, is not schmaltzy and harrowing, it is actually life-affirming and heartwarming. To see two people so in love, yet knowing that there time together is more limited than most, seems to make us realise that we should do likewise and make the most of the time we spend with our loved ones, and not carp on about how life has dealt us a bad hand. I know I do that sometimes, and remembering a film like 'Shadowlands' makes me realise I am not so badly off, actually.

Neil
January 2004 

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