Nominally a biography of C. S. Lewis, the Oxford lecturer and author of the popular children's books The Chronicles of Narnia, Richard Attenborough's SHADOWLANDS is a philosophical three-hankie picture.
Bachelor C.S. "Jack" Lewis (Anthony Hopkins) lives a quiet life of the mind, writing and teaching, and living with his brother Warnie (Edward Hardwicke). Jack's staid existence is shaken when he meets Joy Gresham (Debra Winger), an American poet with whom he has been corresponding, and who
embarrasses him with her honesty and forthrightness. After a tense and awkward first encounter they become friends and, despite a romantic distance, soulmates. Joy brings her young son Douglas (Joseph Mazzello) to visit the Lewis brothers and reveals that she has fled her abusive husband. Jack
agrees to a mock marriage to Joy so she can gain British citizenship; they live apart until Joy develops cancer and Jack realizes how deeply he feels about her.
The fact that SHADOWLANDS is based on a real-life love affair seems barely relevant; rather than dealing with historical events or social settings, Attenborough focuses almost entirely on the spiritual and personal aspects of this late-blooming romance. The term "tear-jerker" is often used in a
derogatory sense, but SHADOWLANDS earns the label honestly and may well help rehabilitate the genre by demonstrating its possibilities. Rather than brazenly manipulating its audience to force simple sobs, the film mixes introspection and a richly philosophical narration with its weeping for love
lost and life cut short. leave a comment
