Shadowlands

1993
PG
2h 11m

IMDb RATING

7.3/10

21K

YOUR RATING

Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger in Shadowlands (1993)

Play trailer2:26

1 Video

43 Photos

Biography Drama Romance

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

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.3/10

21K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 7 wins & 14 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 2:26

Shadowlands

Photos43

+ 35

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
In real life, Joy had two sons: Douglas Gresham (who was depicted in this movie) and David Gresham (who was not). David was born in 1944, and Douglas in 1945. After their mother's death, David and Douglas continued to live with their stepfather, C. S. Lewis. In contrast to his mother, stepfather, and younger brother, David was less interested in converting to Christianity, and while still a child living with Lewis, he started to return to Judaism. According to Edwin Brown's book "In Pursuit of C. S. Lewis", Lewis was very supportive of David's interest in Judaism, including finding a kosher butcher to supply his meat.

Goofs
Jack and Joy actually spent their honeymoon in Greece, not that search for the "Golden Valley". Outside of his Army stint in WW1, Jack had never left England before and was unsure about traveling to Greece. He was afraid it wouldn't live up to what he had imagined. After reading Homer and Aristotle (in Greek) he had built up quite a mental image. The trip did not disappoint him.

Quotes
Jack: Why love, if losing hurts so much? I have no answers anymore: only the life I have lived. Twice in that life I've been given the choice: as a boy and as a man. The boy chose safety, the man chooses suffering. The pain now is part of the happiness then. That's the deal.

Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Heaven and Earth/Grumpy Old Men/Shadowlands/In the Name of the Father/The Summer House (1993)

User reviews121

Featured review

Spellbinding ride through the Shadowlands

Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger are perfectly cast in this beautiful film that contains what maybe the best and most haunting scenes in the history of motion pictures.

I didn't realize that there was almost no music until the third time I watched it. Hopkins delivers a career-best performance and Joseph Mazzello (as Winger's son) is terribly underbilled (his performance is superb), and I have no idea why Shadowlands didn't even land a Best Picture Academy Award nomination, it's certainly worth the price of the rental.

+ (GOOD THINGS) 1.) Death scene 2.) Chemistry between Hopkins and Winger 3.) Richard Attenborough's direction 4.) Hopkin's performance 5.) William Nicholson's script 6.) Winger's performance 7.) Joseph Mazzello's performance