SHADOWLANDS
A film review by Michael John Legeros
Copyright 1994 Michael John Legeros
Director: Richard Attenborough ("Chaplin," "Gandhi")
Writer: William Nicholson, based on his play
Cast: Anthony Hopkins
Debra Winger
MPAA Rating: "PG"
Running Time: 130 minutes
----
"I'm afraid I panicked."
- C.S. Lewis on why he ordered a gin-and-tonic on his
honeymoon.
Richard Attenborough had a good year in '93. He breezed his way through JURASSIC PARK with a warm performance as the didn't-mean-to- be-evil scientist. And, in December, he served up his own movie magic with SHADOWLANDS, the touching, true-life story of how author C. S. Lewis discovered love very late in his life.
The story opens in 1952 at Oxford University. Lewis is already a world-renowned children's author, much to the bemusement of his friends and fellow faculty members. They chide "Jack," as he's called, because they know all too well of his controlled, insulated world --a world with no seeming accommodation for children or child-like behavior.
Into that world steps Joy Gresham, an American poet who has been corresponding with Lewis. Her letters hint of a special awareness into his character. And when she travels to England with her son, Joy discovers a common bond with her favorite author--a bond that is tested by friendship, love, and illness....
SHADOWLANDS is a delightfully unobtrusive film.
Director Attenborough lets his actors act with an uncommon sparsity of intrusive technique. Given the very melodramatic nature of the story, the film's plain-vanilla wrapper is almost staggering. And yet, with hardly any overt manipulation from the filmmaker, the story still makes quite an impact.
(If nothing else, see it for the background music that stays in the background! :-)
Structurally, SHADOWLANDS weakens somewhere in the last third.
The story wanders off-course for a bit as the characters grapple with a host of "heavier" themes. The saturating solemnity--coupled with an already strained running time--results in a story that seems to lose steam before galloping onward to its fine finish.
Despite the weakened final act, SHADOWLANDS is still a very rewarding experience. Credit the combined efforts of a talented cast and an excellent writer.
Playing his second repressed-but-I-like-it character since THE REMAINS OF THE DAY, Hopkins glides through with his role with magical ease. His part is much more expressive, though no more interesting, than his last role of Stevens the Butler. He'll be a front-runner for Best Actor.
Winger pulls off an equally fine performance--her first in quite some time. She walks and talks American, but her eyes flash with unexpected intelligence. She's the perfect foil for the stately actor.
The supporting players are tremendous. Standouts include John Wood, Peter Firth, and Edward Hardwicke as "Jack's" droll brother Warnie.
Writer William Nicholson helps the actors along with line after line of quotable dialogue. Though his script is heavy on the meanings of life, love, and loss, humor wins the day for most of the movie. Some of the better bits include Winger's first appearance in a British tea room, a hilarious roundtable discussion on Christmas, and a classic bit of Hopkins ordering room service.
Bottom line: SHADOWLANDS is the touching, true-life story of how
C. S. Lewis discovered love very late in his life.
Seemingly overlong, due to a weakened third act, this
delightful film is a stunning showcase for everyone
involved.
Grade: A-
.
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