Shadowlands

The novel "Nightmare Alley" was written by William Lindsay Gresham. I learned from the commentary track on the DVD and from subsequent research that Gresham's wife, Joy, left him because of his drinking and abuse, moved to England, took up there with C S Lewis; and that Lewis's romance with Joy Gresham became the basis for the play and movie, "Shadowlands".

Over the weekend I saw "Shadowlands" for the first time since knowing of the connection. There is only a very little about William Lindsay Gresham in the movie, but the film does deal with some of the same themes (death and faith) although, of course, it is a much less cynical film.

I couldn't help but be struck by the final shot of the movie: of a boy running over green fields with a dog. ("Nightmare Alley" fans will all know why I was struck by this particular image).