Shadowlands Full Movie | Anthony Hopkins
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Sep 14, 2020
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C. S. Lewis was an extraordinarily gifted thinker. From a young age he was surrounded by books 📚 Through his reading, Christ reached out to him and called him to something higher. He would go on to become a champion of clear reasoning. An anti-materialist and destroyer of atheistic arguments. Anthony Hopkins does a masterful job of portraying Lewis. Prior to production, Hopkins read many of C. S. Lewis's books. He especially loved, a Grief Observed, upon which this movie is based. — Paul
Shadowlands (1993 film)
| Shadowlands | |
|---|---|
 UK theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Richard Attenborough |
| Screenplay by | William Nicholson |
| Based on | Shadowlands by William Nicholson |
| Produced by | Richard Attenborough Brian Eastman |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Roger Pratt |
| Edited by | Lesley Walker |
| Music by | George Fenton |
Production companies | Price Entertainment Spelling Films International |
| Distributed by | United International Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 131 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $22 million |
| Box office | $52 million[1] |
Shadowlands is a 1993 British biographical drama film about the relationship between academic C. S. Lewis (played by Anthony Hopkins) and Jewish American poet Joy Davidman (played by Debra Winger), her death from cancer, and how this challenged Lewis's Christianity. It was directed by Richard Attenborough with a screenplay by William Nicholson based on his 1985 television film and 1989 stage play of the same name. The 1985 script began life as 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. The film won the 1993 BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film. The film marked the last film appearance of English actor Michael Denison.
Plot[edit source]
In the 1950s, the reserved, middle-aged bachelor C. S. Lewis is an Oxford University academic at Magdalen College and author of The Chronicles of Narnia series of children's books. He meets the married American poet Joy Davidman Gresham and her young son Douglas on their visit to England, not yet knowing the circumstances of Gresham's troubled marriage.
What begins as a formal meeting of two very different minds slowly develops into a feeling of connection and love. Lewis finds his quiet life with his brother Warnie disrupted by the outspoken Gresham, whose uninhibited behaviour sharply contrasts with 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' beliefs are tested as his wife tries to prepare him for her death.
Cast[edit source]
- Anthony Hopkins as C. S. "Jack" Lewis
- Debra Winger as Joy Davidman
- Edward Hardwicke as Warren "Warnie" Lewis
- Joseph Mazzello as Douglas Gresham
- James Frain as Peter Whistler
- Julian Fellowes as Desmond Arding
- Michael Denison as Harry Harrington
- John Wood as Christopher Riley
- Peter Firth as Dr. Craig
- Mandy Hazledine as train passenger
Critical reception[edit source]
Shadowlands received positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 97% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 30 reviews, with an average rating of 8.02/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Thanks to brilliant performances from Debra Winger and especially Anthony Hopkins, Shadowlands is a deeply moving portrait of British scholar C.S. Lewis's romance with American poet Joy Gresham."[2]
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times called the film "intelligent, moving and beautifully acted."[3]
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."[4]
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."[5]
Year-end lists[edit source]
- 3rd – James Berardinelli, ReelViews[6]
- Top 10 (not ranked) – George Meyer, The Ledger[7]
- Honorable mention – Dan Craft, The Pantagraph[8]
Changes from the stage play or earlier television production[edit source]
The stage play opens with Lewis giving a talk about the mystery of suffering, whereas this film intersperses a similar talk several times throughout the narrative. The television film opens with Lewis giving a radio broadcast about the sanctity of marriage.
In the stage play as in reality, Lewis and Davidman honeymoon in Greece. In the film, on their honeymoon they look for a "Golden Valley" in Herefordshire, England, as depicted in a painting hanging in Lewis' study.
As in the stage play, though not the earlier television film, Joy has only one son. In the original television film, as in reality, Joy had two sons, Douglas and David.
Awards and honours[edit source]
- Academy Award for Best Actress (Debra Winger, nominee)
- Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (nominee)
- BAFTA Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film (winner)
- BAFTA Award for Best Film (nominee)
- BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Anthony Hopkins, nominee)
- BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Winger, nominee)
- BAFTA Award for Best Direction (nominee)
- BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (nominee)
- National Board of Review Award for Best Actor (Hopkins, winner)
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor (Hopkins, winner)
- Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor (Hopkins, winner)
Hopkins was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Remains of the Day, so he was ineligible for Oscar consideration for this film.
References[edit source]
- ^ "Top 100 grossers worldwide, '93-94". Variety. 17 October 1994. p. M-56.
- ^ "Shadowlands (1993)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (7 January 1994). "Shadowlands". Chicago Sun-Times.
- ^ "Shadowlands (PG)". The Washington Post. 7 January 1994.
- ^ Weissberg, Jay (2 December 1993). "Review: Shadowlands". Variety.
- ^ Berardinelli, James (2 January 1995). "Rewinding 1994 -- The Year in Film". ReelViews. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- ^ Meyer, George (30 December 1994). "The Year of the Middling Movie". The Ledger. p. 6TO.
- ^ Craft, Dan (30 December 1994). "Success, Failure and a Lot of In-between; Movies '94". The Pantagraph. p. B1.
External links[edit source]
- Shadowlands at IMDb
- Shadowlands at Box Office Mojo
- Shadowlands at Rotten Tomatoes
- Shadowlands at Arts&Faith.com
