C.S. Lewis was an Oxford outcast who drank beer like it was a second job, failed his driving test 17 times, and turned childhood trauma into a world millions still escape to.
And he went from atheist to zealous Christian.
I rank this as the best documentary about C.S. Lewis (I’ve started a list of other C.S. Lewis docs here: “The Best C.S. Lewis Documentaries”)
Watch “Beyond Narnia: The Real Life Of C.S. Lewis”
You can watch it for free on YouTube by clicking the video embed above.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 90/100
- IMDB Rating: na
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: na
Release Date: May 13, 2023
My Review of “Beyond Narnia: The Real Life Of C.S. Lewis”
The Setup
Directed by AN Wilson (biographer of “C.S. Lewis: A Life”), “C.S. Lewis: Beyond Narnia” dives into the mind behind “The Chronicles of Narnia.”
Beyond Narnia, Lewis was a medieval scholar, atheist-turned-Christian, Oxford outsider, and failed poet.
It explores his childhood in Belfast, his war years, his deep friendship with J.R.R. Tolkien, and the personal tragedies that shaped his writing.
You Can’t Make This Sh*t Up
- Lewis failed his driving test 17 times. He was a brilliant scholar, but in some practical areas, he was hopeless.
- His most famous conversion moment happened on a trip to the zoo. When Lewis set off for Whipsnade Zoo, he didn’t believe Jesus was the Son of God. By the time he arrived, he did.
- He had an unusual home life. Lewis made a pact with a fellow soldier, Paddy Moore, to take care of each other’s family if one of them died in the war. Paddy died, and Lewis kept his word—living with Moore’s mother, Janie, for decades. The nature of their relationship remains debated.
- Oxford colleagues hated his fame. Despite being the most popular lecturer at Oxford, he was repeatedly denied a professorship. Academics resented his success as a Christian writer and broadcaster.
More Highlights from the Doc
- Childhood shaped Narnia. Lewis and his brother invented an imaginary world filled with talking animals. His early exposure to Squirrel Nutkin and Beatrix Potter influenced Narnia.
- Tragedy struck early. His mother’s death when he was nine devastated him. His father sent him to boarding school in England, where he felt like an alien.
- An atheist mentor trained him in ruthless logic. His tutor, Kirkpatrick, drilled him in dialectical thinking, turning him into a fierce debater.
- As a 19-year-old soldier in WWI, Lewis took a German platoon prisoner. He rarely talked about his time in the trenches, describing it as “unimportant.”
- J.R.R. Tolkien changed everything. A famous late-night conversation between Tolkien, Hugy Dyson and Lewis on September 19, 1931 during a walk along Addison’s Walk at Magdalen College (Oxford) changed everything. Tolkien convinced Lewis Christianity was a “true myth”—a real story that made sense of all other myths.
- A debate “ended” his career as a Christian apologist. In a 1948 debate at Oxford Socratic Club against Elizabeth Anscombe (a devout Catholic!), Anscombre demolished his argument about miracles. The 1948 debate shook Lewis’s confidence as a Christian writer. He had built a reputation as a great defender of the faith, but when Elizabeth Anscombe tore apart his argument about miracles, it made him rethink his approach. After that, he pulled back from writing heavy-duty theology aimed at debating skeptics. Instead, he focused on storytelling, using fiction to communicate big ideas about faith, morality, and the nature of good and evil. This shift led to “The Chronicles of Narnia”, where he explored Christian themes in a way that was more imaginative and emotional rather than purely logical.Afterward, he wrote no more Christian apologetics aimed at converting unbelievers.
Lesser-Known Details from the Doc
- Lewis never quite got over his mother’s death. When he and his brother buried their childhood toys at their childhood home, it symbolized the end of their innocence.
- The wardrobe in Narnia was a real place. The professor’s house in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is based on Kirkpatrick’s home, where Lewis was tutored.
- He wasn’t impressed by his own poetry. His dream was to be a great poet, but his 10-year effort (Dymer) flopped. He resented the success of contemporary poets like T.S. Eliot.
- He nearly refused his Cambridge professorship. He only accepted after Tolkien intervened, convincing Cambridge to let him commute from Oxford so he wouldn’t have to leave his alcoholic brother, Warnie.
- He answered thousands of fan letters. His brother Warnie typed over 12,000 replies on his behalf.
- His last years were filled with heartbreak. His wife, Joy Davidman, was diagnosed with terminal cancer shortly after they married. Her death in 1960 left him shattered.
Thanks for reading!
Rob Kelly, Chief Maniac, Daily Doc