Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful love story, filled with sensitivity!
Review: Anthony Hopkins is at his sensitive best. His characterization of C.S. Lewis is brilliant. Combine the wonderful performance by Debra Winger as the American poet and you have a beautiful love story. The setting is Oxford, England which adds a terrific romantic landscape straight from the poetry of Shelly. A must see!
Rating: 
Summary: An affecting film about the price of attachment
Review: This movie has suffered the unfortunate fate of being labeled a "high-brow tearjerker" by a number of critics. But it is far, far more than that. It is a wonderfully affecting portrait of a man finally revealed in all the ambiguity and uncertainty that he had spent a lifetime evading. The acting is superb, the cinematography is beautiful, and the script contains some of the most haunting lines I have encountered (e.g. "we read to know we are not alone"). Fans of C. S. Lewis would probably like a more hagiographic representation of him, but the movie chooses instead to examine him in all his human complexity. I recommend this movie very highly.
Rating:
Summary: A love story in the 1940's tradition.
Review: Maybe this movie does not closely follow the life of CS Lewis but it offers fine performances by both Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger. It's a late in life love story and carries on the romantic tradition of a classic such as Dark Victory. Even though you'll need to keep the tissue nearby, you'll still be uplifted and hopeful at the end. One of my all time favorite movies!
Rating: 
Summary: Missed opportunity
Review: I think this is Anthony Hopkins' best performance. He's wonderfully moving, but unfortunately the script is gutted to the point where it misses the essence of Lewis. This "rigid" philosopher was really nothing of the sort - read his brilliant 40s sermons (imo, "The Weight of Glory" is one of the best ever given). In the end, he questioned, but the ambiguity implied by the script simply wasn't there, as anyone who read his "post-Joy" works can see. The depth of Lewis's Christian sensibilities and his struggle with Joy's loss is better captured in the 1980s BBC version of Shadowlands; it was unfortunate to waste a fine Hopkins performance. For more on Lewis, see Kreeft's fabulous "The Shadow-Lands of C.S. Lewis : The Man Behind the Movie."
Rating:
Summary: A moving story with a great performance by Anthony Hopkins
Review: This movie is based on part of the life of the author C.S. Lewis but you do not need to be a fan or indeed even read any of his work to enjoy it. Hopkins plays Lewis, a rigid Christian Philospher. "A tempestuous American woman enters his life and eventually wins his heart" is how Hollywood would describe it, but this is more than a shallow love tale. The movie is beautifully shot and the performances are all quite fine. There are moments of very real, grab the kleenex sadness here as well as real insight into the essence of the characters. I can't say enough about Anthony Hopkins here...buy this tape! END
Rating:
Summary: Is it about Lewis?
Review: The movie was done well. The cast was magnificent. The scenes of the Oxford Campus were beautiful. The story drew me in. However, it did not present Lewis very well. First, it presents Lewis as being rather naive about suffering. He kept giving the same sermon over and over and implies that did not really understand suffering. This is not so. His mother died when he was very young. He was a soldier in World War 2. His close friend, Charles Williams, died around this period of his life. Second, the movie left the viewer with the impression that Lewis left his simple Christianity and grew into a better understanding of the world. He truly suffered when Joy died as the book, "A Grief Observed" describes beautifully, but he did not leave the faith. I like the BBC version better. It is closer to the original play. I recommend the movie, because it well done. However, I do not recommend the movie as a way to learn more about C. S. Lewis. It is a beautiful, fictional love story.
Rating:
Summary: What Price Love?
Review: This review refers to the DVD(HBO) edtion of "Shadowlands"... With every viewing of this touching and true romance, I become more appreciative of what a fine film this is. Had I written a review after the first time I watched it, I probably would have gone 4 stars. The first time around, I really got to know C.S. Lewis and Joy Gresham thanks to the deep and moving performances of Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger. After that it was joy spending more time with them, really getting to know their story, and taking in the magnificent work of Director Richard Attenborough and the photography of Roger Pratt. The story is a bittersweet tale of a mid-life romance that is all to short. C.S. Lewis, the famous writer of children's stories, lives the quiet life of a proper gentleman. He's a professor at Oxford,devout Christian,set in his ways, never married and is repsected by all that know him.When Joy Gresham a divorced, Jewish, Communist, brash New Yorker, with a young son enters his world,things as he knows them are about to change.They develop a friendship and soon she starts to melt the icy wall he has built up around his perfect world. To the shock of all those that know him well, Lewis finally lets his emotions be a part of his life. It is only when Joy becomes terminally ill with cancer, that he realizes the full depth of his love for this woman and her son, and must learn to deal with the pain as well. I can't think of anyone else who could be C.S. Lewis. Hopkins is a virtuoso. One look at his eyes and we know the depth of his feelings. Winger is an impressive of a match for him as Gresham was for Lewis. She knows how to grab your heart and keep it("Terms of Endearment"). I must also mention the talented young Joseph Mazzello who turns in a remarkable performance as Douglas, Joy's son. William Nicholson has turned his stageplay into a beautiful screenplay, and the music by George Fenton flows with the story. The DVD is a nice presentation in widescreen, that takes in the splendor of the scenery and sights of England. The tech info here states that the sound is in Dolby Dig 5.1. It is not.(This appears to be the only edtion) The sound is in DD2.0 Surround, and although the dialouge is a little low, the surround sound is very good. Special features include a "Behind the Scenes Featurette" and excerpts of interviews with the stars, the filmmakers and a now grown Douglas Gresham. The story is a true love story.Five Stars for one that reminds us that to love and to be loved is worth the price of the pain it sometimes brings......enjoy....Laurie
Rating:
Summary: "We read to know we are not alone."
Review:
This movie is the perfect vehicle for the subtleties of Anthony Hopkins' acting talent, the slow shifting of emotions as author CS Lewis awakens to life and, through it, love. In this enactment of the romance between Lewis and Joy Gresham, a divorced American with a young son, Hopkins portrays an extremely private man and he does so with great sensitivity.
The stolid Oxford professor has insulated himself from any real intimacy with the world. As his friend Joy Gresham says, Lewis keeps everyone at a distance, either by years or by position. Secure in the book-lined rooms of academia, CS Lewis is enshrined in the world of the intellect, recoiling from the pain of real personal investment.
When Lewis meets Gresham and her son, the professor makes an elaborate show of friendship unbound by commitment. But Joy (Debra Winger) is more direct, unwilling to endure his self-protective posturing. In order to remain in London, Gresham must marry and Lewis accommodates her request and they wed in a civil ceremony. It is only after she is diagnosed with cancer that Lewis realizes the depth of his feelings for this woman, their time together now severely restricted. Lewis recognizes the rarity of such opportunity, throwing himself into new-found passion in middle age.
Hopkins flexes his acting muscles as this stolid, reserved man slowly awakens after a lifetime of self-control, embracing whole-heartedly an affection towards another, suddenly exuberant after years of emotional quietude. Unable to deal with his own grief at Gresham's impending death, Lewis is finally reminded that her son, Douglas, is suffering as well. In one of the most powerful scenes of the movie, Lewis approaches the young boy now in his care, reaching into the deepest reserves of compassion to as they both grieve, the beginning of healing.
The cinematography adds to the texture of the movie, verdant green hills, the weight of an Oxford winter, the bustling London streets. Winger is adequate as Gresham, but no match for Hopkins. Winger doesn't shine, simply reflects Hopkins' tour de force performance. A more memorable actress than Winger might have made this film perfect, but the emotional tenor of Hopkins' acting dwarfs the rest of the characters. "The boy chose safety. The man chose suffering." Luan Gaines/ 2005.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent film
Review: 'We read to know that we are not alone!' I guess one can also say 'we watch movies to find humanity or common human experiences' I didn't mean to sound deep, but this movie is in perfect pitch right down to the intricate details. I can't add anymore to what the previous reviewers have written. BUY THIS DVD!
Rating:
Summary: Best emotional scene in all of cinema
Review: This movie simply sparkles. Although I've never really liked Debra Winger in her movie roles, she brought a refreshing sense of realism to her role of Joy in this film. The tour de force, however, belongs to Anthony Hopkins. We understand all his detachments and his eventual great emotional entanglements that allow him to finally live a life that had been held at arms length before.
One of the last scenes in which C.S. Lewis sits upstairs with his step-son trying to piece together the effects of Joy's death cuts me to the heart every time I see it. Anthony Hopkins is so genuine and finally lets that emotional dam break in a most believable while still subtle way. I treasure this movie and only wish it had received more acclaim in theaters. It is a jewel to add to your home collection. I highly recommend it.
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