Cheap Shadowlands (DVD) (Anthony Hopkins) (Richard Attenborough) Price
CHEAP-PRICE.NET ’s Cheap Price
$9.97
Here at Cheap-price.net we have Shadowlands at a terrific price. The real-time price may actually be cheaper — click “Buy Now” above to check the live price at Amazon.com.
| ACTORS: | Anthony Hopkins |
| CATEGORY: | DVD |
| DIRECTOR: | Richard Attenborough |
| THEATRICAL RELEASE DATE: | 14 January, 1994 |
| MANUFACTURER: | Hbo Studios |
| MPAA RATING: | PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) |
| FEATURES: | Color, Dolby, Widescreen |
| TYPE: | Feature Film-drama |
| MEDIA: | DVD |
| # OF MEDIA: | 1 |
| UPC: | 026359096822 |
Related Products
Customer Reviews of Shadowlands
Grab some tissues! This is probably Anthony Hopkin's best performance in any film I've seen him in. He does a superb job of depicting C.S. Lewis, the British writer best known for his children's stories, The Chronicles of Narnia. Although the film doesn't go much into who Lewis was, it focuses more on the love story between him and his wife, Joy Davidman Gresham, and her tragic death of cancer. Lewis, a shy, quiet bachelor, had no intention of marrying, and was quite content as a writer and a teacher at Oxford. Joy Gresham was an outspoken American writer raised in a Jewish household and a self-proclaimed athiest who had converted to Christianity. The movie tells of how the two met, eventually fell in love, and married after Joy was diagnosed with fatal cancer. One thing the movie also portrays is how Lewis was finally hit with a real pain of his own after Joy's death, and how he dealt with it. Even if you're not familiar with C.S. Lewis, this movie is a must-see!
Ride the Magic
The sheer beauty of this film is stunning. Scenes of Oxford and its magnificent medieval buildings are breathtaking. The famed splendor of the English countryside beguiles. Add to this the spectacular performance of Sir Anthony Hopkins playing revered author/philosopher C.S. Lewis, and you have a stellar movie.
Shadowlands is set in the early '50s when Lewis was a middle-aged bachelor. All is well in his world. He is a huge success as an author, teacher and speaker. His life is well ordered to the point of being hum drum, and it is exactly the way he likes it. He meets an American, Joy Gresham (excellently played by Debra Winger) who turns his life upside down. Probably for the first time in his life, he does something really foolish. He marries Joy to give her "green card" status. The marriage is supposed to be "only technical." He lives in Oxford, she in London. Joy becomes ill, and Lewis realizes the depth of his feeling for her. Only when she has received a death sentence, does he fully and reluctantly give himself over to his love for her. When he loses her, his grief and pain devastate him to the point where he actually loses his faith. Joy has tried to prepare him, "We can't have the happiness of yesterday without the pain of today. That's the deal." but nothing in Lewis's life has readied him for it.
Yes, "Shadowlands" is a two-hankie affair, but not in the usual sense. It is a path and a journey and a reawakening. Hopkins is so powerful in his role that the viewer sees Lewis as multi-faceted: a shy man, almost naïve in many areas, detached but armored with huge intelligence and cosmopolitan skills. Debra Winger plays off him with a wonderful chemistry. (I had to wince at her perfect '50s wardrobe. It was impeccably "right" in authenticity, but so terribly unbecoming!) I also much admired Edward Hardwicke who played Lewis' s brother Warnie. His warmth and genuine kindness set off Hopkins's detachment and shyness. Richard Attenborough made "Shadowlands" a seamless experience.
The DVD pkg. was good, particularly liked the behind-the-scenes feature. The picture was sharp and clear. My only complaint was the sound. The dialogue was frequently hard to understand.
-sweetmolly-Amazon.com Reviewer
Is it about Lewis?
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.