CBS presents a made-for-television movie directed by Robert Iscove and written by David Hill. Airing from 8 to 10 p.m. Sunday over WBBM-Channel 2.

John Fedders would never be confused with Ward Cleaver. Mike Tyson seems to hit (literally) closer to the mark - and by the looks of Sunday's CBS movie, "Shattered Dreams," even that characterization seems kind.

Airing from 8 to 10 p.m. over WBBM-Channel 2, "Shattered Dreams" is a pathetic tale of the American nightmare, starring Lindsay Wagner and Michael Nouri in an account of the tragic, violent marriage of Charlotte and John Fedders.

By the beginning of the second term of the Reagan administration, John Fedders (Nouri), who held the powerful post of director of enforcement for the Securities and Exchange Commission, seemed like a sprinter on the fast-track of Washington power.

But all his dreams for elective office, or a cabinet post, crashed about his shoulders in the midst of a bitter divorce from his wife Charlotte (Wagner), when tawdry allegations of wife-beating were made public.

"Shattered Dreams" is based on Charlotte Fedders' book-length version of her life with John Fedders, 17 years of Gestapo strictness, arctic emotions and horrendous violence.

Beginning with their early courtship (even then John treated Charlotte like a dead mouse on the kitchen floor), "Shattered Dreams" continues through his rise as a successful corporate attorney to his public service in Washington.

Through it all there were periods (oh, say, lasting a minute and a half) when John appeared to be a loving, caring husband and father to the couple's five sons. But for the most part, "Shattered Dreams" is the story of a cold, demanding and violently unpredictable man crumbling under the immense weight of self-imposed personal and career pressures.

"Shattered Dreams" is a sad tale of a wife struggling against impossible odds to hold onto her marriage and family. This also is a classic story about the psychology of spousal abuse and why battered women stay in a painful marriage for so long.

From a dramatic standpoint, "Shattered Dreams" is compelling. Wagner, a fine actress, delivers a touching portrait of a tortured, unhappy woman hopelessly lost in a disintegrating marriage to a deeply troubled husband.

Nouri turns in a disquieting effort as John. This is a difficult role, because John must slowly evolve from a strictly disciplined man obsessed with succeeding in law to a glowering monster capable of uncontrollable and unexpected rage.

But this role also is difficult for other reasons, which speak to the fundamental weakness of "Shattered Dreams."

While any form of spousal abuse is intolerable, "Shattered Dreams" is told totally from the perspective of Charlotte. The viewer is exposed to John's brutality, his cruelty, his unbending nature, solely from the vantage point of his ex-wife.

Are these characterizations accurate? Did the events depicted by "Shattered Dreams" actually occur? Or has some degree of dramatic license been applied by screenwriter David Hill and director Robert Iscove to make John Fedders even more of a monster than he might well be?

"Shattered Dreams" addresses the basic problem in adapting television movies from current headlines. John Fedders is an easy target. He did not deny having struck his wife, so he became fair game for dramatists.

This is not a defense of John Fedders, who, by his own admission, committed some terrible acts toward his wife and family.

But the viewer also should know this film only represents one point of view regarding the tragedy of a failed marriage.

Daniel Ruth's entertainment reviews can be heard Monday through Friday at 10:10 a.m., 12:10, 4:36 and 6:36 p.m. over WMAQ all-news 67 (670 AM).