Shadowlands: Amazon.ca: DVD

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Customer Reviews

82 Reviews

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

Average Customer Review

4.4 out of 5 stars (82 customer reviews)

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Is it about Lewis?, July 12 2004

By

Jeffrey A. Thompson (Iowa City, IA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

Ce commentaire est de: Shadowlands (DVD)

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.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars the hollywood-ized version of an interesting love story, April 7 2004

By

Miss Tresninos "mistresninos" (SoCal) - See all my reviews

Ce commentaire est de: Shadowlands (DVD)

When I discovered this movie was being made I was so excited. Unfortunately I spent most of my viewing time thinking, it didn't happen that way and WHERE IS HER OTHER KID?!?

But, if you know absolutely nothing about CS and Joy Lewis' life together and know nothing much about CS and Joy Lewis at all, you will enjoy this movie. It is a well-made, Hollywood love story. The acting is excellent and the storyline is compelling. Just keep in mind that this is NOT how it really happened and PLEASE go read for yourself the true story.

Oh, yeah, don't forget the Kleenex. It's a three box-er.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars TIMELESS, INTENSE ROMANCE WITH LOADS OF OLD-FASHIONED VIRTUE, July 10 2004

By

Shashank Tripathi (Gadabout) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

Ce commentaire est de: Shadowlands (DVD)

You should certainly see Joss Ackland's version of this film, which was a BBC production and hence true to the original play etc. Come to think of it, you may also want to read the original play itself by Hanff (which is on my wishlist but I have not yet read.)

Nonetheless, the thrilling chemistry between Debra Winger and Anthony Hopkins is very, very hard to resist and I wholeheartedly recommend this supposedly "Hollywood" version. It's ranks for me in the same genre as "The Remains of the Day" and "84 Charing Cross."

To begin with, how immaculate the casting is: Debra Winger plays an uninhibited and witty American poetess, while Anthony Hopkins plays a reclusive British middle-aged scholar at Oxford.

They meet over tea. She is in a withering marriage, but in her bull-in-a-china-shop American fashion, she arrives like a fresh wind to rock his musty ivory-tower existence.

As the film progresses, her crudeness (only exacerbated by Winger's awkward NY accent) is soon peeled away to reveal a heart of gold and a life-affirming sense of humor. For instance, while escorting her around Oxford, Hopkins haughtily says, "I do not really go in for seeing the sights." In response, she says, "So what do you do, walk around with your eyes shut?"

Such sprightly but tender moments evoke the screenplay's stirring underlying message -- pain is an inevitable ingredient of love. If you are looking for a somewhat weepy but always warm and wonderful romantic film, this is one of the best you'll find.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Deeply moving love story and character study. Attenborough's best
Immensely moving, with a stunning, complex performance by Anthony
Hopkins, and a very good one by Debra Winger as his slow developing
love. Lisez davantage

Published 11 months ago by K. Gordon

5.0 out of 5 stars WARNING:Serious tear jerker
This is the saddest movie I have ever seen. It is also the best "thoughtful chick flick" on the planet. Lisez davantage

Published on Mar 26 2004 by Wendy Gouine