Thoughts on Narnia
Dec. 27th, 2005 12:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ceebeegeeI saw The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe on Christmas Day with my Mom. MAN. It is a GREAT adaptation of a wonderful book. Simply fantastic. They changed a few things here and there, like: it opens showing the Battle of Britain and a quick exchange illustrating the tension between Eedmund and Peter. It takes a little while to get started. Also, they've added a dramatic confrontation on the the rapidly melting river between Peter, Susan and Lucy and Fenris Ulf (the Wolf, the head of the Witch's secret police)--this is not in the book at all but I think I like it. They played around a bit with the scene with Father Christmas; they leave out his wonderful introductory line "I've come at last. She has kept me out for a long time, but I have got in at last." It's also a little unclear because they cut the Beaver's line "Didn't I tell you it was always winter and never Christmas?" To those who haven't read the book, without that line it's a little unclear who the guy is, since he doesn't wear red, or any sort of hat, and is skinny.
And they changed around the scene when Fenris Ulf attacks the children--in the book Peter is talking to Aslan when they hear a clarion call. Aslan says to him quietly "It is your sister's horn," and Peter remembers--the horn is blown when in danger, to summon help, so he charges over and the whole incident is very much from Peter's perspective. He faintly hears Aslan say "Back! Let the Prince win his spurs" (to the other animals, who are about to help Peter) and then it all happens very quickly and he is covered with blood and the wolf is dead. I always loved this temporary shift in perspective, it made the reading a bit more challenging. The movie tells the story much more objectively, and Aslan says "Back! This is Peter's fight" or something like that, not nearly as cool.
And one more thing--when Susan and Peter talk to the Professor about what Lucy's been saying, these impossible tales about another country in the wardrobe and whatnot--in the book, the Professor takes them through a modified Socratic process to lead them to the conclusion that Lucy might actually be telling the truth. But in the movie he says some nonsense like "you're a family, you might try acting like it." BARF. Edmund's family too so if family believes you no matter what, whom do you believe when they're asserting contradictory versions? Why did they change that? Good English common sense is all they need, not this Kum Ba Ya nonsense.
The movie LOOKS fantastic--this gorgeous cold vision of snowy trees and rills and frozen rivers. It's like a fantasia on Northern Europe. And the whole feeling is lovely, and strange--you really do feel in another world, very mesmerizing, and exciting, and alien. Tilda Swinton kicks the SHIT out of her role as The White Witch--she is amazing. It took me a while to get used to her--I conceived of the Witch as less animated, colder, and Swinton shows a lot more personality, she has this twitchy kind of delivery, as though she's trying to remember how people act when they're nice to each other (when she's tempting Edmund in the sledge). But this way really works--you see how truly evil (not just cold--evil) the Witch is. Man. She's great. The scene where she smacks the shit out of Edmund, and then caresses him and says he needs to decide which side he's on--whoah. Aslan looks great, and is voiced by, of all people, Liam Neeson. The kids are all pretty good, but I liked Edmund the best--the kid did a great job with that role.
There's one cool line that's new--the Witch has the Fox (new character, a pro-Narnian sympathizer) brought before her to interrogate with Edmund nearby. He says "Your Majesty" and she cuts him off, and he says "I don't mean to be rude, but I wasn't addressing YOU"--meaning, he was addressing Edmund. That was a cool moment--the look on Edmund's face as he starts to realize his destiny in this world.
The battle is awesome as well--Peter and Edmund send chills down your spine with how absolutely cool they look in Gothic armor. Very intense and exciting. The scene depicting Aslan's death is perhaps TOO intense--I was a sobbing wreck and I *know* what happens, and that it ends well! I'm not sure I would take a kid to see that--it is very upsetting when he is walking up to the Stone Table and the rabble is tormenting him. And after all that, I wish they spent a little more time on Aslan's resurrection, when he plays with Lucy and Susan, and the Harrowing of Hell sequence.* He breathes them back to life and then marshals them into an army, and there are some awesome characters introduced here (in the book), like the other lion who is so excited and goes around saying "Didja hear that? Aslan said 'us lions'--that's what I like about Aslan, no standing on ceremony, no standoffishness. 'Us lions'!" He just keeps chattering away excitedly until finally Aslan shuts him up by loading him down with a bunch of things to carry. I always loved that lion.
*After Aslan is resurrected, he takes Susan and Lucy up to the Witch's castle to bring back to life the many Narnians whom the Witch has turned into stone. There is a lot of Christian allegory and symbolism in the Chronicles, and this sequence is supposed to be the Harrowing of Hell--that is, Xtian tradition (not the Gospels) says that during the three days between Christ's death and resurrection, He went down to Hell where everyone, good and bad, went because according to Christian dogma, it wasn't until Christ died for our sins that Death had been conquered. Christ kicked ass in Hell and brought back all the saints and good people and sent them to Heaven--this is called the Harrowing of Hell. I'm just explaining the tradition to you, BTW, not trying to convert anyone.
And they changed around the scene when Fenris Ulf attacks the children--in the book Peter is talking to Aslan when they hear a clarion call. Aslan says to him quietly "It is your sister's horn," and Peter remembers--the horn is blown when in danger, to summon help, so he charges over and the whole incident is very much from Peter's perspective. He faintly hears Aslan say "Back! Let the Prince win his spurs" (to the other animals, who are about to help Peter) and then it all happens very quickly and he is covered with blood and the wolf is dead. I always loved this temporary shift in perspective, it made the reading a bit more challenging. The movie tells the story much more objectively, and Aslan says "Back! This is Peter's fight" or something like that, not nearly as cool.
And one more thing--when Susan and Peter talk to the Professor about what Lucy's been saying, these impossible tales about another country in the wardrobe and whatnot--in the book, the Professor takes them through a modified Socratic process to lead them to the conclusion that Lucy might actually be telling the truth. But in the movie he says some nonsense like "you're a family, you might try acting like it." BARF. Edmund's family too so if family believes you no matter what, whom do you believe when they're asserting contradictory versions? Why did they change that? Good English common sense is all they need, not this Kum Ba Ya nonsense.
The movie LOOKS fantastic--this gorgeous cold vision of snowy trees and rills and frozen rivers. It's like a fantasia on Northern Europe. And the whole feeling is lovely, and strange--you really do feel in another world, very mesmerizing, and exciting, and alien. Tilda Swinton kicks the SHIT out of her role as The White Witch--she is amazing. It took me a while to get used to her--I conceived of the Witch as less animated, colder, and Swinton shows a lot more personality, she has this twitchy kind of delivery, as though she's trying to remember how people act when they're nice to each other (when she's tempting Edmund in the sledge). But this way really works--you see how truly evil (not just cold--evil) the Witch is. Man. She's great. The scene where she smacks the shit out of Edmund, and then caresses him and says he needs to decide which side he's on--whoah. Aslan looks great, and is voiced by, of all people, Liam Neeson. The kids are all pretty good, but I liked Edmund the best--the kid did a great job with that role.
There's one cool line that's new--the Witch has the Fox (new character, a pro-Narnian sympathizer) brought before her to interrogate with Edmund nearby. He says "Your Majesty" and she cuts him off, and he says "I don't mean to be rude, but I wasn't addressing YOU"--meaning, he was addressing Edmund. That was a cool moment--the look on Edmund's face as he starts to realize his destiny in this world.
The battle is awesome as well--Peter and Edmund send chills down your spine with how absolutely cool they look in Gothic armor. Very intense and exciting. The scene depicting Aslan's death is perhaps TOO intense--I was a sobbing wreck and I *know* what happens, and that it ends well! I'm not sure I would take a kid to see that--it is very upsetting when he is walking up to the Stone Table and the rabble is tormenting him. And after all that, I wish they spent a little more time on Aslan's resurrection, when he plays with Lucy and Susan, and the Harrowing of Hell sequence.* He breathes them back to life and then marshals them into an army, and there are some awesome characters introduced here (in the book), like the other lion who is so excited and goes around saying "Didja hear that? Aslan said 'us lions'--that's what I like about Aslan, no standing on ceremony, no standoffishness. 'Us lions'!" He just keeps chattering away excitedly until finally Aslan shuts him up by loading him down with a bunch of things to carry. I always loved that lion.
*After Aslan is resurrected, he takes Susan and Lucy up to the Witch's castle to bring back to life the many Narnians whom the Witch has turned into stone. There is a lot of Christian allegory and symbolism in the Chronicles, and this sequence is supposed to be the Harrowing of Hell--that is, Xtian tradition (not the Gospels) says that during the three days between Christ's death and resurrection, He went down to Hell where everyone, good and bad, went because according to Christian dogma, it wasn't until Christ died for our sins that Death had been conquered. Christ kicked ass in Hell and brought back all the saints and good people and sent them to Heaven--this is called the Harrowing of Hell. I'm just explaining the tradition to you, BTW, not trying to convert anyone.
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(gasp)
Date: 2005-12-27 07:03 pm (UTC)Do you see what an effect those books had on me? The entire class would be in suspense until the next day.
And I remember that lion.
They didn't mention the "eternal winter without Christmas" part?
What a gyp! I'm not happy.
Re: (gasp)
Date: 2005-12-27 07:15 pm (UTC)Re: (gasp)
Date: 2005-12-27 07:33 pm (UTC)Re: (gasp)
Date: 2005-12-27 10:51 pm (UTC)