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Terre des ombres

The man. The myth.

Terre des ombres

Postby Guest » August 5th, 2004, 8:09 pm

As I waited in a bookstore for my dear Maria, I idly poked through the DVD shelves, and found Shadowlands. Imagine my surprise when I found that Debra ["Are you a real cowboy, John Travolta?"] Winger played Joy across from Anthony Hopkins.

Hopkins did reasonably well, I thought, together with Antonio Banderas, in the verging-upon-syrupy Mask of Zorro.

Cheers,
~Karl
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Re: Terre des ombres

Postby Leslie » August 5th, 2004, 8:39 pm

I'm trying to imagine if it was a pleasant surprise or not.

Neither Winger nor Hopkins played the characters as I picture them. Hopkins was not the large, jovial man that Lewis is said to have been. Winger sounded like an opinionated New Yorker, but I think lacking some of the edge that Joy had.

I liked Hopkins in The Mask of Zorro too. There, his outward reserve allowed the strong inner passion for his cause to show through.
"What are you laughing at?"
"At myself. My little puny self," said Phillipa.
--Rumer Godden, In This House of Brede
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Re: Terre des ombres

Postby Guest » August 5th, 2004, 8:43 pm

We haven't actually seen the film, so the surprise is as yet quite neutral.

Our cable stations have set Urban Cowboy on Saturate, so we are in no hurry to see Debra Winger in anything else anytime soon ....
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Re: Terre des ombres

Postby a_hnau » August 9th, 2004, 7:39 pm

I had a very uncanny experience... I've watched Shadowlands a number of times and enjoy it for what it is - a necessarily limited portrayal of a part only of Lewis's life. But I recently went to see the stage play at a local theatre, put on by an amateur company, and it was (again) uncanny - the chap playing Lewis had the voice, the mannerisms, not so that he slavishly imitated Hopkins but evoked exactly the same response, persona, how do I describe this? It made me shiver. Has anyone seen any of the dramatisations done by the Saltmine Theatre Company? I'm sure they've done Screwtape and I think also The Great Divorce...
Urendi Maleldil
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Re: Terre des ombres

Postby Guest » August 12th, 2004, 11:12 am

Many CSL aficionados have criticised Shadowlands for its many inaccuracies. However, Douglas Gresham has said that although it was factually inaccurate it was emotionally spot-on.

On a personal note this movie affected me in unexpected ways. It helped to save my marriage (really!), it helped to re-ignite my interest in CSL, and as a result it helped me to change my spiritual life.

Not bad for just one movie.

Needless to say, I recommend it.

Lynn
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Re: Terre des ombres

Postby Larry W. » August 31st, 2004, 1:03 am

Although I liked the movie "Shadowlands", I thought the BBC television version (with the same title) was more accurate. I think Joss Ackland and Claire Bloom were in the lead roles of the TV version, which followed the events of Lewis and Joy's life more closely. If you have read the book "C. S. Lewis Through the Shadowlands" by Brian Sibley you will notice that the BBC version is very faithful to this factual biography, which is almost like a companion to that television film.

Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger were also very good in these roles. But when the Hollywood movie shows Lewis almost losing his faith when Joy dies and his being so distant from her (unapproachable) in the beginning-- this seems more like fiction than biography.

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