Shadowlands (1993 film)

Shadowlands is a 1993 British biographical drama film about the relationship between academic C. S. Lewis and American poet Joy Davidman, her death from cancer, and how this challenged Lewis's Christian faith. 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.

For the Broadway play, see Shadowlands (play).

Shadowlands
UK theatrical release poster
Directed byRichard Attenborough
Produced byRichard Attenborough
Brian Eastman
Screenplay byWilliam Nicholson
Based onShadowlands
by William Nicholson
Starring
Music byGeorge Fenton
CinematographyRoger Pratt
Edited byLesley Walker
Production
company
Price Entertainment
Spelling Films International
Distributed bySavoy Pictures (US)
Paramount Pictures (UK)
Release date
  • 25 December 1993 (1993-12-25)
Running time
131 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget$22 million
Box office$25,842,377

Plot

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' faith is tested as his wife tries to prepare him for her imminent death.

Cast

Critical reception

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."[1]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times called the film "intelligent, moving and beautifully acted."[2]

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."[3]

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."[4]

Changes from the stage play or earlier television production

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

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
  1. "Shadowlands (1993)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  2. Ebert, Roger (7 January 1994). "Shadowlands". Chicago Sun-Times.
  3. "Shadowlands (PG)". The Washington Post. 7 January 1994.
  4. Weissberg, Jay (2 December 1993). "Review: Shadowlands". Variety.
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