Just watched Narnia (Possible spoilers)

[Firebeetle]

As some of you know, I work part-time as a projectionist. As part of my duties, I often have to watch movies we have put together to insure there are no bad splices or other problems. Tonight, I once again sacrificed my time to watch Chronicles of Narnia.

First of all, go see this movie. It's smarter and better done than 95% of what's out there and a welcome respite from some very bad movie seasons. It is simply a well made film, with excellent acting, production values, excellent special effects (that never "show-off" or detract from the plot!), and a very satisfying, well-paced, character-driven story. Worth every bit of your money. Go see it, you won't be sorry.

Some thoughts:

A.) It's not "just a kid movie". Even though the animals talk. Children will love it, mind you, but adults can buy tickets without a prerequisite niece, nephew, son, daughter, street urchin, or other minor accompanying them. This is an intelligent movie that is done very well. All children's movies should treat their audience in such a manner.

B.) It's very true to the original, I could follow the text in my head and match it to the screen. Conversely, there are numerous additions, expansions, and some omissions to the text. For the purists among us, rejoice. You will have plenty of material to gripe and kvetch about for weeks on these and other boards. There will be plenty of opportunity for you to show how smart you are in your maticulous knowledge of C.S. Lewis. Don't pretend you don't like it.

Most changes seem to be of the cinemagraphic kind, the make the movie flow well or increase drama. Lewis' text is very realistic, with events happening over time. These gaps are usually eliminated for the movie. Other events are rearranged or added to give more drama and emotional tension. The beaver's house is fled while the wolves attack, there is an icy river action scene, etc. These scenes seem fine for what they are.

There are many little omissions. There is no stone knife, no scene of the witch hiding as a boulder, Rumblebuffin in not introduced properly nor does he knock down the gates, Aslan doesn't play with the girls, and I do miss the scene of the animals celebrating Christmas. Which brings me to my next point.

C.) I feel the Christian allegory of the movie has been minimized. There is not much you can do in this regard (Aslan's death is so central to the text) but what can be has been. There is no mention that I heard of the Emperor-beyond-the-sea (Narniaspeak for God) of that Aslan is his son or the witch his former executioner. Father Christmas is still in there (no, he doesn't look like a Coca-cola ad Santa) but his impact in minimized with the deletion of the animals celebrating Christmas scene. The director doesn't seem too keen on the whole Christian allegory thing from interviews. I think that's a mistake. This book, more than any other text, made me under salvation. "Edward, Aslan, Witch, got it," is what happened when I read it. It's not obvious to the casual observer, just very well written allegory. Honestly, Gandalf's resurrection is more obvious biblical allegory (although Tolkien swears it isn't, what do authors know?) than Narnia is.

D.) The kids are really kids, not pretend grown-ups. For so long movies have "today's kids" who talk like sarcastic, wise-cracking,immature adults. I hate that, as a teacher kids simply are not that way. These kids are really kids, and well-acted at that. It's so refreshing to have children that are truly believeable as children. Sadly, we are guarenteed posts to the oppostie, by posters whose vision of kids have been shaped by years of Hollywood convincing us that kids really are little smart-mouth adults.

There is also, refreshingly, no hint of sexuality in the movie. The white witch is fierce and beautiful, but not sexualized. This will jar some viewers I'm sure, but I found it quite refreshing for a change. (Hypocrite alert: I'm also the same guy who really liked Charlize Theron in Aeon Flux and Catherine Zeta-Jones in Legend of Zorro.)

I hope I haven't ruined anything for you.

 

[Seravin]

Well, ruining it would telling us that the witch killed the lion, with a knife, on the stone table; or something like that.

thanks for the opinion. It was already on my must-see list, now I feel better about it.

 

[Zappo]

I like what you write. It dispels my greatest worries over the film.

 

[shilsen]

There is also, refreshingly, no hint of sexuality in the movie. The white witch is fierce and beautiful, but not sexualized.

What? No lion-on-witch action? Oh, the humanity!

Kidding aside, thanks for the review.

 

[Umbran]

C.) I feel the Christian allegory of the movie has been minimized. There is not much you can do in this regard (Aslan's death is so central to the text) but what can be has been. There is no mention that I heard of the Emperor-beyond-the-sea (Narniaspeak for God) of that Aslan is his son or the witch his former executioner. Father Christmas is still in there (no, he doesn't look like a Coca-cola ad Santa) but his impact in minimized with the deletion of the animals celebrating Christmas scene. The director doesn't seem too keen on the whole Christian allegory thing from interviews. I think that's a mistake. This book, more than any other text, made me under salvation. "Edward, Aslan, Witch, got it," is what happened when I read it. It's not obvious to the casual observer, just very well written allegory. Honestly, Gandalf's resurrection is more obvious biblical allegory (although Tolkien swears it isn't, what do authors know?) than Narnia is.

Okay, so how do you reconcile "There is not much you can do in this regard (Aslan's death is so central to the text)..." with "It's not obvious to the casual observer, just very well written allegory"? Those two seem rather contradictory. If it is so central and blatant that you can't remove it, how is it no obvious?

And I have to disagree Gandalf. But that's for another thread

 

[Storm Raven]

There are many little omissions. There is no stone knife, no scene of the witch hiding as a boulder, Rumblebuffin in not introduced properly nor does he knock down the gates, Aslan doesn't play with the girls, and I do miss the scene of the animals celebrating Christmas. Which brings me to my next point.

No stone knife? How does the central scene between Aslan and the wicth work then?

 

[Rykion]

C.) I feel the Christian allegory of the movie has been minimized... snip ... Honestly, Gandalf's resurrection is more obvious biblical allegory (although Tolkien swears it isn't, what do authors know?) than Narnia is.

I find this disconcerting as the entire basis for the Chronicles of Narnia is Christian allegory. Each book is thick with allegory, and the final book comes out and tells you what is going on. It would be like filming LotR movies and trying to minimize any fantasy in it. The events around Aslan in "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" are a far closer allegory than anything that happens to Gandalf.

 

[Mallus]

There is also, refreshingly, no hint of sexuality in the movie.

While I understand that's true to the source material, and the source, seeing as there was no hint of sexuality in C.S. Lewis, it saddens me to think of the sexiness being drained out of Tilda Swinton.

 

[Storm Raven]

While I understand that's true to the source material, and the source, seeing as there was no hint of sexuality in C.S. Lewis, it saddens me to think of the sexiness being drained out of Tilda Swinton.

Apparently the intelligence was drained out of her as well. She has maintained in interviews that the Narnia books aren't a Christian allegory at all, but instead are about the holocaust, and the White Witch is a white supremacist.

I'm sure C.S. Lewis would have been very surprised to hear that, since he made no secret of the fact that the books were an explicit Christian allegory.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

<snip>.

My experiences with it are limited to the cartoon a lot of years back and reading synopsis on Wikipedia but this sounds cool. I for one am glad they are minimizing the religious allagory apparently and not having the kids spouting hip snappy dialogue as you said. Should be cool.