Friday, December 23, 2005

Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Leila and I went to go to a movie yesterday, since we are in Seattle and we have free babysitting from Nana, Grandad, Anna, or Blake at any time. It has been nice. It is almost like dating again, except I am not sleeping out on the couch by myself. Now all four of us are sharing twin beds along the back of the pit. We can touch heads at night and all talk.

When I saw the opening credits and saw the distributor, Disney, I felt nervous and worried that somehow this would be so disneyfied like Pocahontas or something. For once, they left the beauty of the original story alone. The few modifications do not detract, nor do they change the spirit of the tale. In one case, with Edmund in prison meeting Mr. Tumnus as the witch informs Mr. Tumnus of Edmunds betrayal, it adds to the weight of his actions. Aslan and the rest are magical, but the special effects do not come at the cost of the story or meaning. The makers of this movie loved the books.

I think this is the best movie of the year. I hope everyone goes to see it so that they will make Prince Caspian, The Dawn Treader, and The Silver Chair while Edmund and Lucy are still young. The Horse and His Boy could be made later as well as The Magician's Aprentice.

C. S. Lewis had an insight into Christianity as well as children. That period in England after World War II was a magical time for literature. It is hard to believe that J.R.R. Tolkein and him worked and wrote together in England. Maybe the combination of the trials and horror of the war along with the depression and the hope of the recovery was necessary. I really would like to study some more to see the effect on other writers. I wonder if our tragedies are enough to inspire such art.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I to have two kids one 3 and the other 8, and you are right there ways do work. The favorite in our house is the winning. The oldest is the best at it and she is teaching her sister well. There is no known cure to this phenomenon but Time... So we all have to do is hang in there and pray for the best.