Movie Monday

This week's movie topic is all about Books in the Movies...Share on your blog some of your favorite bookish flicks (movies that feature books, reading, librarians, bookstores and the like), linking back here at The Bumbles.

Shadowlands. I loved this movie when it first came out but haven't thought about it in ages. (Shame on me.) An American divorcee, an aspiring writer named Joy (played by Debra Winger) is a huge fan of author CS Lewis. She's enchanted by his ideas and the way his mind works, as represented by the words on the page. She begins a correspondence with him and he (Anthony Hopkins) is equally as impressed by the way she seems to be able to see him so clearly without ever having met him. She flies to Oxford, they meet and then slowly, gently, unexpectedly fall in love. I don't want to be a spoiler, but something major and terribly sad happens that will strike you as cruel. These two waited so long to find one another and then this happens! At one point Joy tells Lewis that we can't enjoy life's happiness without suffering its pain. "That's the deal." That's life. Wise words, but such a hard lesson.

It's a true story, which adds to its poignancy. I also embrace the idea that a sensitive someone can see into our souls by the words we write. Also, their faith was a powerful bond between them. They were both converts to Christianity -- he from atheism and she from Judaism -- and that's an unusual topic for a mainstream film with Oscar-worthy stars.