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Shadowlands
No Trailer Available
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Price Entertainment
Savoy Pictures Savoy Pictures
?
Shadowlands Productions
Spelling Films International Spelling Films International

Not part of a collection.

Shadowlands

He distanced himself from love as he distanced himself from pain, until one woman got close enough to open his heart to the world.

1993 131 min ★ 6.9 (313) Released
Drama Romance

C.S. Lewis, a world-renowned writer and professor, leads a passionless life until he meets spirited poet Joy Gresham.

Original title
Shadowlands
Language
EN
Country
US,GB
Budget
$22,000,000
Revenue
$25,842,000
Reviews & Ratings 1
Filipe Manuel Neto

Filipe Manuel Neto

Sep 27, 2022 · via TMDB

★ 8.0

**Hopkins and Attenborough in an emotional and feeling-filled work.** When I decided to see this movie, I knew little about the life of the writer C. S. Lewis, who I only knew from having written the books "The Chronicles of Narnia". And I confess that, in order to fully understand the film and also be able to write something about it, I had the curiosity and interest to read one thing or two about him. For example, I was very impressed by his deep connection to the university and his closeness to J. R. R. Tolkien, who is also the author of a great work of fiction. In fact, thinking about it, it is interesting to see how their works share a lot of points of contact, subtle similarities. But that's a thing for another review. The film focuses on Lewis' life and, especially, on his love relationship with his American wife, Joy Gresham. Lewis was an academic, philosopher and theologian who left many works on these topics, and who unexpectedly decides to marry a recently divorced American, in a union that only later gave way to love between them. The film was inspired by a play, which in turn was inspired by the texts that Lewis wrote about what he experienced and felt. The best thing about the film, for me, is the direction and the cast performance. The director, Sir Richard Attenborough, was known for his attention to detail, cinematography and choice of locations. Considered by many to be one of the great British film directors, this film leaves us with a work full of elegance and beauty, but which seems to be largely forgotten these days, undoubtedly deserving more attention. The cast, in turn, is expertly led by Debra Winger and Sir Anthony Hopkins, a duo of actors of great quality and talent. Hopkins does deeply emotional work, in which we can see that he tried to employ a lot of feeling as well as intellect. Winger didn't impress me that much, but the great quality of her work is undeniable, especially in the moments when she plays with Hopkins or with her fictional son, played by a young boy, Joseph Mazello, who also deserves praise for a job well done. The rest of the cast gives the protagonists the necessary support, but does not stand out or stand out. The film was filmed in Oxford, and we can see how Attenboroug tried to take advantage of the original places, where Lewis would have been and that he surely knew, such as the university and academic spaces. The film gives us an aroma of the atmosphere of the old and renowned institution, and of some of the ceremonies and traditions that take place there. The cinematography is very beautiful and makes the best use of light, close-ups, landscapes and the beauty of old buildings. There are no great effects here, nor does the film need that, but we have an effective soundtrack.

User reviews courtesy of TMDB.

Keywords 15
1950s author bachelor based on play or musical biography brother children's author christianity england falling in love literature marriage oxford stroke of fate writer
Cast 30
Anthony Hopkins

Anthony Hopkins

C. S. 'Jack' Lewis

Debra Winger

Debra Winger

Joy Gresham

Edward Hardwicke

Edward Hardwicke

Warnie Lewis

John Wood

John Wood

Christopher Riley

Michael Denison

Michael Denison

Harry Harrington

Peter Firth

Peter Firth

Dr Craig

Matthew Delamere

Matthew Delamere

Simon Chadwick

Julian Fellowes

Julian Fellowes

Desmond Arding

Julian Firth

Julian Firth

Father John Fisher

Robert Flemyng

Robert Flemyng

Claude Bird

Peter Howell

Peter Howell

College President

Pat Keen

Pat Keen

Mrs Young

Karen Lewis

Karen Lewis

Hotel Receptionist

Roddy Maude-Roxby

Roddy Maude-Roxby

Arnold Dopliss

Gerald Sim

Gerald Sim

Superintendent Registrar

James Frain

James Frain

Peter Whistler

Joseph Mazzello

Joseph Mazzello

Douglas Gresham

Tim McMullan

Tim McMullan

Nick Farrell

Toby Whithouse

Toby Whithouse

Frith

Scott Handy

Scott Handy

Standish

Roger Ashton-Griffiths

Roger Ashton-Griffiths

Dr Eddie Monk

Howard Lew Lewis

Howard Lew Lewis

Tea Room Waiter

John Quentin

John Quentin

Station Acquaintance

Alan Talbot

Alan Talbot

College Porter

Sylvia Barter

Sylvia Barter

Woman in Bookshop

Pauline Melville

Pauline Melville

Committee Chairwoman

Ninka Scott

Ninka Scott

Lecture Committee

Walter Sparrow

Walter Sparrow

Fred Paxford

Terry Rowley

Terry Rowley

Registrar

Norman Bird

Norman Bird

Taxi Driver Witness

Crew 11
Stuart Craig

Stuart Craig

Production Design

Stephenie McMillan

Stephenie McMillan

Set Decoration

Roger Pratt

Roger Pratt

Director of Photography

Richard Attenborough

Richard Attenborough

Director

Adam Somner

Adam Somner

Second Unit First Assistant Director

Alison Webb

Alison Webb

Associate Producer

Richard Attenborough

Richard Attenborough

Producer

George Fenton

George Fenton

Original Music Composer

Chris Corbould

Chris Corbould

Special Effects Supervisor

William Nicholson

William Nicholson

Screenplay

William Nicholson

William Nicholson

Theatre Play

Gallery 34
Videos 1
Similar Movies 115
US Release Dates 2

Dec 25, 1993

(Los Angeles, California, New York City, New York)

PG Theatrical

Jan 14, 1994

Theatrical

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The Stranglers - Live '78, SF

The Stranglers - Live '78, SF

1978

VS
Saddle Leather Law

Saddle Leather Law

1944

Sign in to vote

Battle your watched movies head-to-head

Community Top Movies

🥇 Evil Dead II

Evil Dead II

1987 · 14 wins

🥈 The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight

2008 · 14 wins

🥉 Halloween

Halloween

1978 · 13 wins

#4 Final Destination

Final Destination

2000 · 12 wins

#5 Halloween II

Halloween II

1981 · 11 wins

Sign in to build your own ranking
0 Points
0/0 Correct
0 Streak

Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.

Movie Trivia

Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.

What movie experience do you prefer?

Movie theater — theater popcorn with Icee/soda & maybe nachos 67%
At home — relaxed on your favorite couch or chair with whatever drinks & snacks are in the kitchen 33%
3 votes

What is your favorite movie genre?

Action 33%
Adventure 0%
Animation 0%
Comedy 0%
Crime 0%
Documentary 0%
Drama 0%
Family 0%
Fantasy 0%
History 0%
Horror 67%
Music 0%
Mystery 0%
Romance 0%
Science Fiction 0%
Thriller 0%
War 0%
Western 0%
3 votes

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