The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
Based on the classic novel by C. S. Lewis. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are four London children sent to an eccentric professor's country home for protection during World War II. They find life in the house very boring, until Lucy finds a magic wardrobe which leads to a mystical land called Narnia, where animals talk and follow the wise, kindly, and mighty lion Aslan. But the land is being controlled by an evil White Witch named Jadis, who keeps Narnia in a perpetual winter. Those who oppose her are turned into stone. To defeat the Jadis, they children join with Aslan and the great battle between good and evil begins.
| Narnia's magic casts its spell How great then to welcome to the screen - at last! - the first instalment of The Chronicles of Narnia by Tolkien's life-long friend C. S. Lewis... Andrew Adamson, the Midas-touched director responsible for Shrek, has been brought in to do justice to Lewis's fantastic stories, which, as millions of readers both young and old will attest, are as riveting now as they were when they were first published. The good news is that he's barely tinkered with the originals. He has turned down the opportunity to set the story in urban Britain, to recruit ex-cast members of Hollyoaks to sex up the cast, or to tack a Rachel Stevens song on to the credits. So, just like the good old, sad old days, the four Pevensie children - Lucy (Georgie Henley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Peter (William Moseley) and Edmund (Skandar Keynes) - who have been evacuated from war-torn London to the countryside, step through a wardrobe while trying to hide from their temporary stepmother. They find themselves in a gleaming winter landscape called Narnia, which is populated by fauns, talking trees and a horribly vindictive White Witch called Jadis (Tilda Swinton). The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe A LAND where winter is always, Christmas is never, animals talk, and a giant lion rules, Narnia was always a quaint country, yet one that colonised other imaginations. For years, CS Lewis's Chronicles Of Narnia has had children foraging into the back of old cupboards looking for a path to this allegorical country. A film of The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe has been long mooted, and yet it has taken the success of children-friendly films such as the Harry Potter series and the successful sweep of the Lord of the Rings cycle to push Lewis's fable on to the screen. In Narnia, utopia has a utilitarian side. When Santa arrives to give out presents, they are "tools, not toys". Lucy's healing cordial, Susan's hunting horn and Peter's sword are to help the children become good grown-ups, not enhance their abilities to torment teachers or win at Quidditch. Life lessons and stern moral fibre play their part in both. However, the main distinction between the two rival movies this year is that the Potter kids have the emoting skills of turnips, while Narnia does rather better with the four Pevensie youngsters, all relative newcomers but who bring real distinction to their characters. The transition from child to warrior is a difficult and alarming one but the actors set the tone nicely when they discover that they are Narnia's main hope against evil. Episcopalians embrace 'Lion' as a potential path to faith When it comes to portraying the majesty of God, there is nothing like a well-told story on the big screen. And the Rev. Roy Tripp expects "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" to subtly wow audiences with its parallels to Jesus. He also hopes that it will lead viewers into a deeper exploration of Christianity. ... "C.S. Lewis was a contented atheist-agnostic who thought his way to God," Tripp says. "And he infused his passion for his faith in marvelous books that captivated the world." ... There are great themes of good and evil, right and wrong and what it means to come of age. Young people in the books discover the ability to wander into a new and unseen world. They find they are brave enough to look and explore. And there is Aslan, the lion, who is a Christ figure. The children are almost apostles. They also take their rightful thrones to reclaim the world of Narnia for its inhabitants. Oilman explores Narnia In the film version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, devoted fans will recognize the four young British siblings who are transported through a magic wardrobe to a parallel universe inhabited by talking animals, satyrs, dwarfs, and an evil White Witch. The children discover their own inner strength when they lead the forces of good in a battle to save Narnia. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, in other words, has all the elements — loyalty, family, redemption — that Anschutz prizes most. Those who work with him say that for the press-shy entrepreneur, Narnia represents the perfect melding of his dual missions: to make big money while promoting a moral agenda. Know your Narnia As the CS Lewis classic finally comes to the big screen, Stephanie Merritt offers an A-Z guide to the lion, the witch - and everything else. A is for Aslan -- Aslan the Lion of the title, King, Creator and ultimately Saviour of the land of Narnia. In The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, his return is long-prophesied, he is put to death in a traitor's place (see Edmund), and comes back to life to lead his followers in defeating the forces of evil. Hmm, it does all sound oddly familiar ... A is also for Allegory, see Christian. |
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