''Shadowlands'', also known as ''C.S. Lewis: Shadowlands'' and ''C.S. Lewis Through the Shadowlands'', is a 1985

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

written by William Nicholson, directed by Norman Stone and produced by

David M. Thompson David Marcus Thompson (born 18 July 1950 in Hackney, London) is a British film and television producer, and the editor of several books about film directors. Overview Thompson worked for the BBC from 1978 as a film programmer and documentary ...

for

BBC Wales BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcasting, public broadcaster in Wales. It is one of the four BBC national regions, alongside the BBC English Regions, BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Scotland. Established in 1964, ...

. The film is about the relationship between

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

don and author

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univer ...

and the American writer Joy Davidman. It stars

Joss Ackland Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland CBE (born 29 February 1928) is an English retired actor who has appeared in more than 130 film and television roles. He was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for portraying Jock ...

as Lewis, with

Claire Bloom Patricia Claire Bloom (born 15 February 1931) is an English actress. She is known for leading roles in plays such as ''A Streetcar Named Desire,'' ''A Doll's House'', and '' Long Day's Journey into Night'', and has starred in nearly sixty film ...

as his wife Joy Davidman.

Synopsis

Oxford professor, world-renowned writer and confirmed bachelor C.S. Lewis (Joss Ackland) finds himself famed and admired from the success of his recently published series of

Narnia ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' is a series of seven high fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' has been Adaptations of The Chron ...

books for children. One day, Lewis receives a captivating letter from an American woman, New York divorcée: Joy Gresham (Claire Bloom). A mother of two boys, Gresham strikes up a correspondence with Lewis, who over time finds himself falling in love with the writer. Gresham moves to England with her two boys, Douglas and David (Rupert Baderman, Rhys Hopkins), and marries Lewis; who becomes their stepfather. All seems to be a perfect life and marriage for the happy family until Joy is suddenly struck down by cancer and dies. Devastated by this loss, Lewis struggles with his Christian beliefs and begins to challenge his own faith and relationship with God.

History

''Shadowlands'' began life as a script entitled ''I Call it Joy'' written for

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...

Brian Sibley Brian David Sibley (born 14 July 1949) is an English writer. He is author of over 100 hours of radio drama and has written and presented hundreds of radio documentaries, features and weekly programmes. He is widely known as the author of many fi ...

and Norman Stone. Sibley was credited on the BBC film as "consultant" and went on to write the book ''C.S. Lewis Through the Shadowlands: The Story of His Life with Joy Davidman'' (1994). The made-for-television film won BAFTA Awards in 1986 for Best Play and Best Actress (Bloom). Following their roles in ''Shadowlands'', Ackland and Bloom went on to star opposite each other in several other films including: '' Queenie'' (1987), '' Mad Dogs and Englishmen'' (1995) and ''Tales from the Madhouse'' (2000). The original 1985 film ran for 92 minutes; but an alternate version was produced in 1994 for

home video Home video is prerecorded media sold or rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD, Blu-ray and streaming me ...

titled: "C.S. Lewis: Shadowlands", which ran for 73 minutes, cutting several scenes and including on-screen titles. A DVD version was released in 2013 re-titled: "C.S. Lewis Through the Shadowlands" with the original 90 minute running time. Screenwriter William Nicholson adapted a stage version of the 1985 TV movie which premiered at the Theatre Royal in Plymouth on October 5, 1989. The production later went on to the Queen's Theatre in Londonwww.thisistheatre.com. Shadowlands. January 6, 2020.
/ref> before transferring to

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on November 11, 1990 where it received a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

at the

45th Tony Awards The 45th Annual Tony Awards was broadcast by CBS from the Minskoff Theatre on June 2, 1991. The hosts were Julie Andrews and Jeremy Irons. The ceremony Presenters: Carol Channing, Joan Collins, Tyne Daly, Whoopi Goldberg, Joel Grey, Steve Gut ...

on June 2, 1991 for Best Actor (

Nigel Hawthorne Sir Nigel Barnard Hawthorne (5 April 1929 – 26 December 2001) was an English actor. He is most known for his stage acting and his portrayal of Sir Humphrey Appleby, the permanent secretary in the 1980s sitcom '' Yes Minister'' and the Cabi ...

as Lewis). The success of the stage play lead Nicholson to adapt it once again for a feature film: '' Shadowlands'' starring

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...

and

Debra Winger Debra Lynn Wingerhttps://www.pressreader.com/usa/closer-weekly/20200511/282084868951188https://www.discountmags.com/magazine/closer-weekly-may-11-2020-digital/in-this-issue/99961 (born May 16, 1955)https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Inter ...

which was released in 1993.

References

External links

* {{C. S. Lewis 1985 television films 1985 films 1985 in England English films British television films British biographical films BBC television dramas BBC Cymru Wales television shows International Emmy Award for Drama winners University of Oxford in fiction Films set in Oxford C. S. Lewis Cultural depictions of C. S. Lewis 1980s British films

Synopsis

History

See also

References

External links