Shadowlands (4 Stars)

Now how would I sum up my feelings about this film in four words? I can think of something, but it's so trite that I'm ashamed to even say what it is.

The film tells the true story of the relationship between C. S. Lewis and Joy Gresham. It begins in 1952, it shows their marriage in 1956, and it ends with her death in 1960. Opposites attract. He was a stuffy Oxford professor, still a bachelor in his 50's. She was a brash modern woman, recently divorced. He was a man with a deep Christian faith. She was an atheist and a Communist. Tragedy struck. Soon after their marriage she was diagnosed with cancer. The few years they had together were the happiest of Lewis's life, but after her death he lost his faith in God. Whether he found his faith again is a matter of dispute, since the only book he wrote after her death, "A Grief Observed", gives conflicting statements.

I had trouble relating to the first half of the film, which presented Lewis in his background at Oxford. Even though it only took place 60 years ago the world shown is so remote to me that it seems like scenes from hundreds of years ago. Maybe this is because Oxford University follows traditions that are rooted in the distant past. Lewis, as portrayed by the great Anthony Hopkins, is such a cold, reclusive character that it was difficult for me to find any sympathy with him. It wasn't until the second half of the film that I started to enjoy it. I was deeply moved by the emotional power of the love the two felt and Lewis's emotional decay after his wife died. I recommend the film to my readers, if you can put up with the slowness of the first half.