BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

DipitySkillful an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

Lucia Ayala It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

gavin6942 C.S. Lewis (Anthony Hopkins), a world-renowned Christian theologian, writer and professor, leads a passionless life until he meets a spirited poet (Debra Winger) from the United States.One would think the story of C. S. Lewis would revolve around his writing the Narnia books, probably his greatest creation. Or at the very least, a look at his early years to see how he developed his Christian philosophy (which is still very powerful... the Lord, Liar or Lunatic idea has remained strong). Instead, they focus on a romance involving a Jewish atheist. Odd.But, of course, that in itself makes for an interesting story and is a lesser-known part of his life. Did she influence him? Certainly. And he also influenced her. This is foremost a romance, but with more than a little intellectual and spiritual development.

JoshSharpe I have truly loved the Narnia books by Clive Staples Lewis since I was 7. I have a memory of staying up late in bed, reading the last few chapters of "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" before seeing the movie the next day. Little did I know of C. S. Lewis' (Jack) personal life. He was a very reserved man as is shown here, and he doesn't have much of a life outside of teaching and writing. That is, until he meets Joy Gresham, an American woman living a hard life with her abusive husband and young son. Jack takes them in and for the first time, begins to love like he never thought he could. There is much more to this film than what meets the eye. It it is a story of compassion, love, loss, grief, and faith. As a Christian, it is wonderful to see a film with such deep and moral messages that revolve and even feel aimed, at me specifically. Anthony Hopkins does a magnificent job in portraying the famous and troubled writer. This is a movie worth watching again and again.

Catharina_Sweden Shadowlands is a wonderful movie, for so many reasons: the fact that it is about the author of the Narnia books (many people know nothing about him except for "Narnia"), the beautiful interiors and the academic, time-honoured atmosphere at the old university, philosophical thoughts, poetical language, the fact that Anthony Hopkins had the lead (everything with Antony Hopkins in it automatically becomes sublime!)... One wishes that one could have had a teacher like Lewis/Hopkins when one was young! :-) But best of all was the love story, of course. It was very romantic when the bogus marriage turned into real love, and the couple got married for real with a priest! This is of course a not uncommon theme in romantic movies - but this time it was about real people, and it had happened just like that in reality, which made the impact on the viewer even stronger! ...and it was of course even more tragic when Joy (the American wife) died, as love had come to C.S. Lewis so late in life...The reasons I give the movie "only" 9 stars instead of 10, are two. First, I did not find the American woman very sympathetic. It would have been much more fun with a nicer and more beautiful woman as Lewis'/Hopkins' great love... Of course it might be that she is portrayed accurately, but as the portrait of Lewis is also romanticized (he was not as handsome or charming as Hopkins! :-) ), the filmmakers could have used their poetical license to make the wife a more lovable character as well! The other reason is that I found the movie just a little too slow and long. It would have been a great improvement if they had shortened the slow parts with 10-15 minutes all in all.

gcd70 Acclaimed Christian writer C.S. Lewis is the focus of Sir Richard Attenborough's gentle but moving film about the realisation and discovery of love.Anthony Hopkins (an actor who has movie-goers waiting with baited breath for his next performance) plays the aging lecturer and philosopher who meets an American divorcée whom he takes under his wing. It is only when faced with the possibility of losing her that he realises how much he cares for her.Attenborough' film is very English as it tells this romantic and tragic love story with sensitivity and a delightful sense of humour. Hopkin's is in fine form again as he plays a role similar to the one in "Howard's End", and Debra Winger is very competent as honest American fan Joy Grisham (she's been better though)."Shadowlands" is also bound to make a big impression at the Academy Awards, due to its fine production values (especially cinematography), sturdy direction and strong cast. Perhaps a little too subtle and gentile to have an enormous emotional impact, but many will still find this fairy tale love story very moving.Sunday, February 13, 1994 - Village Rivoli Cinema