“Shadowlands” is the beautiful true story of C.S. Lewis and how he came to find love in a most unexpected place.
Living the life of a bachelor, with his equally unmarried brother Warnie, C. S. (who went by the name of Jack) thought he had everything he could ever want. He was a famous and skilled lecturer, he had a series of best-selling children’s books about a magical wardrobe that acted as the portal between this world and another, and he was well respected by his peers. For the last little while, he’s been exchanging letters with an American poet by the name of Joy Gresham, and they’ve shared many of their professional experiences with each other. But one day, Jack (Anthony Hopkins) gets a letter, telling him that Joy will be in London for a while and would like to meet with him personally.
He’s not sure what to expect, but he certainly wasn’t expecting a pretty young woman (Debra Winger). As they talk, he realizes that she’s more incredible than he had even imagined.
Joy has had a tumultous life and is divorced. She’s decided that she’d like to live in England permanently, along with her son, but she needs Jack’s help – and asks him to marry her. She knows he doesn’t love her, and she’s not asking for that kind of relationship – she just wants to stay in the country. Jack agrees, and he and Joy are married forthwith.
Not too long after that, Joy is diagnosed with cancer, and Jack devotes all his time from then on taking care of her. Theirs is a tender and sweet love story – they may have married for convenience, but they are soon head-over-heels in love with each other. When Joy later passes away, Jack becomes father to her son, and raises him as his own.
This is a deeply introspective movie, one that will make you think, cry, chuckle, and then cry some more. I loved this movie and would highly recommend it to anyone.
This film is rated PG.
Related Blogs:
Anthony Hopkins: An Immense Talent