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The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe
Stage school kids. Jesus allegory. Impressive CGI battle with big swords. Nice beaver. Fun spotting the animals' voices (Ray Winstone, Dawn French, Liam Neeson, Rupert Everett, an uncreditied Michael Madsen - I got four out of five, not correctly naming Everett, and I became convinced that I'd misidentified Ray Winstone at one point and in fact it was Bob Hoskins as the beaver; good job it wasn't an actual test). I remember the book from school, and liking it; as with any other kid, I was captivated by the idea of a magical land round the back of some coats, but I'm not sure this film was really my cup of tea. It's all a bit bloodless, and I mean that literally, and any story where the good guys get turned to stone has a built-in denouement, doesn't it? Tilda Swinton definitely makes a good white witch, although all the costume and hairstyle changes struck me as a bit camp for this earnest type of thing. I also found the recruitment of mythical creatures (Minotaurs, Centaurs, Cyclops, Gryphons etc.) a bit of a steal. Think up some of your own!
Anyway, it didn't convert me to Christianity but it did pass an easy two and a quarter hours as a nice, bright day turned into a cold, dark evening. I had the day off work, and it felt good to be able to watch a big-budget fantasy on DVD at 5.45, because I could.
posted by Andrew Collins @ 8:05 PM
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4 Comments:
I read it at school too, but felt horribly manipulated when I worked out that it was a Christian allegory and still feel hurt enough not to want to see it. Thanks for the review which saves me thinking I've missed much.
As a child I liked the idea of the doorway through the back of the wardrobe but I hated everything about Narnia and found the book really heavy going (never finished it).
The Christian allegory element always seemed a bit redundant to me, since the life of Jesus is pretty much allegorical anyway. Frankly I'd have rather read the Bible. And I'd rather watch King Of Kings.
I can see why it's a Christian allegory - Aslan dies for someone else's sins (Edmund's I guess, with his appetite for Turkish delight) and is resurrected, and the two girls are the first to see his resurrection, and he is humiliated before being killed. But quite where Father Christmas and some Minotaurs comes in, I do not know.
The fact that you - let's be fair, an intelligent adult - have to make a guess at what the sin was only makes the whole allegory thing the more confusing. What are children supposed to gain when the penny drops? Does wrapping the story in magic and fantasy make it more real to kids? Don't you already have to understand the Christian stories to really "get" this one?
It just seems so pointless. Still, having sat through what felt like 40 days and nights of Perelandra on BBC7 in January, this appears to be par for the course with Lewis.
Incidently, I don't know about the Minotaurs, but I believe Father Christmas comes in down the chimney.
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