[Mithalwen]

It is a long time since I saw Shadowlands ( I saw it when it first came out and was slightly distracted by my friend being in floods of tears during much of it...) and it is a while since it has been on TV. However, while I was disappointed that there was little reference to Tolkien and the Inklings (just a couple of brief scenes in the "Bird and Baby" - though it looked more like the Lamb and Flag across the road to me, which has suffered less from modernisation when I was there...).... and maybe a few words from an Inkling who bore a passing resemblance to JRRT.) we should not take this as a slight.

Remember, this was not the story of CS Lewis the "fantasy" writer or even as a writer but as an aging academic who unexpectedly found love and lost it in tragic circumstances. As a glance at the movies forum will show film makers have to simplify and maintain a clear focus - I know that one of Joy Gresham's sons was excluded and the timeline was rejigged to keep things simpler - I think a glancing reference to Tolkien is as much as can be expected.

Another factor to bear in mind is that according to Carpenter, this was a low point in Tolkien's friendship with Lewis. Lewis had produced all the Narnia stories in the time he was struggling to produce the Rings, he was irked that CS Lewis had not become a Catholic when he became a Christian and of course divorce was and still is a major moral issue for devout Catholics. In these secular days it is hard to appreciate that it could be such an issue but Catholicism was something that separated Tolkien a little from the mainstream of society and perhaps made him somewhat hardline as a response. Ironically it was Edith Tolkien who became friends with Joy.