Narnia
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BlackShanglan
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Huckleman2000 said:
The Voyae of the Dawn Treader is one of my favorites as well. But - and do laugh - I've always had a special place in my heart for The Horse and His Boy.
Shanglan
rgraham666
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BlackShanglan said:
OK. LOL.
rgraham666
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I think my favourite character was the professor.
Even as a kid, I wanted to be the crotchety old weirdo, that actually made a lot of sense if you took the time to listen to him.
Even as a kid, I wanted to be the crotchety old weirdo, that actually made a lot of sense if you took the time to listen to him.
Shendude
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Well, he is pretty useless for most of VotDW.Huckleman2000 said:
Hrrm, I've known this was coming out for almost a year now. I guess I just travel in different circles than everyone else. I recall driving my brother and a friend nuts becuase I'd heard their would be a LWW trailer with some movie (I think it was Star Wars Episode III, but I may misremember), and insisted that we therefore HAD to see the previews. We ended up watching a different showing than the other guy who was supposed to be watching with us.
I recall cheering when I saw the four kids standing by the road. Got a lot of funny looks. M'bro ribbed me for over a wekk.
cloudy
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Ran across this review on MSN....I like the way she writes 
Aslan is on the move
The mighty ‘Chronicles of Narnia’ lion is a different kind of deity
By Mary Beth Ellis
MSNBC contributor
When I was a freshman, my theology professor sat us down and put “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” in our hands, and we all cheered, for here at last was a book for a college course that did not ask us to write a thesis statement or balance chemical formulas or some other horrible thing. Then he announced that nothing in the book was what we thought it was at all; it seemed that the White Witch was the devil and Turkish Delight was sin and Aslan was Jesus and we had an essay due on all of this next Tuesday.
It is frighteningly easy to ruin a good work of literature by scholaring all over it. If I didn’t learn it that day in Theology 101, I figured it out 10 years later at my first academic conference, at which the most entertaining thing was the cocktail party — nothing beats watching a room full of Ph.Ds attempt to form a line at the bar. And even before the alcohol showed up, several of my fellow attendees were open to conversation about Aslan, but they tended to begin their sentences like this: “Of course, dystopian constructs often enjamb metaphysical imagery…” I will expound further upon this the instant that I complete the three or four additional advanced degrees that will allow me understand just what-all was said.
But a good Hollywood adventure does not need to worry about paragraphs or SAT words or even, in most cases, any semblance of a plausible plot. So sometimes we look to a good movie to make the literature more digestible, to “pre-baptize the imagination,” to use Lewis’ own words.
Yet in a world where Christ is a lion (hear this in Movie Trailer Guy Voice: “In a world… where Christ is a lion… and no one cares about Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson…) movie makers must step lightly. Mental pictures drive good literature, and I do not envy anyone intending to match a six-year-old with a God-imaged lion.
A laid-back savior
I like Aslan immensely; as a deity, his rules seem few. You don’t need a Motorola user’s manual where Aslan is concerned. He’s a very laid-back sort of creator and savior, yet is wonderfully awful in the ancient sense of the word: He inspires awe. He carries far more psychic weight than any other character in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” More than Peter. More than The White Witch. Far more than Edmund, who — despite a properly enormous repentance scene at the end of the novel — heartily sucks.
Edmund aside, Aslan keeps excellent company. Father Christmas! He hangs with Santa Claus! Who else is he running with, when not in Narnia? What is he up to? We are told he’s “not quite tame,” which could mean just Aslan could romp up to anybody at any time. Is he poolside at Palm Springs? Interviewing for yet another installment of “I Love The 80s”? Is he (oh please, oh please, oh please) smacking Tom Cruise around?
As long as you’re not running around with wolves or turning traitor on your own siblings along with a perfectly nice family of beavers (I’m looking at you, Edmund), you’re A-OK with Aslan, a cat of few words. In “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” he speaks a grand total of 922 words, less even than this entire article. When he does talk, it’s things like “Look alive, everyone,” or “Hi! You up there!” or, my personal favorite, a good “Haa-a-arrh!” in response to a snotty inquiry from The White Witch. Would that more leaders answered questions with a good “Haa-a-arrh!”; it would make “Larry King Live” almost bearable.
But those 922 words — or however many of them are included in the movie version — must weigh heavily upon director Andrew Adamson. Who do you get to voice a character like this? The trailers always show Aslan in full roar mode, which is understandable, I guess, but I’m curious as to just who the “Look alive, everyone” honors are going to descend upon. How do you even begin to address a character like this? Gilbert Gottfried would probably not go over well. Nor would, for any number of horrible reasons, Michael Jackson. James Earl Jones has already filled the lion voice checkbox on his resume, and is probably too busy rolling around in his Vader money to take on further cat-related voice work in any case.
Lewis would not approve
As if he saw the movie version on the red-carpeted horizon, Lewis himself once wrote the following on the subject of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” as a cartoon: “I am sure you understand that Aslan is a divine figure, and anything remotely approaching the comic (above all anything in the Disney line) would be to me simple blasphemy.”
Well! Good thing we’ve managed to avo—oh, wait a minute. Walt says hello, C.S.
Disney’s doesn’t have the best track record of literature-to-movie translations. I vastly enjoyed learning, for instance, that “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame’s” Quasimodo did kick-steps with gargoyles sounding remarkably like George Costanza and Jim Dial — did they celebrate Festivus together?
I have read that C.S. Lewis began developing the “Chronicles of Narnia” after a series of nightmares about lions. Perhaps he was prefiguring the CGI Aslan to come; we can only hope that “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” escapes the George Lucas treatment and we are not forced to endure 90 unbearable minutes of Jar Jar Binks-style head bonking from The King.
Aslan is indeed on the move — trademarked stickers and greeting cards in his royal wake. Wherever he’s headed, I do hope it’s in the opposite direction of Narnia’s closest academic conference.
Freelance writer and English teacher Mary Beth Ellis runs www.BlondeChampagne.com, where viewers are welcome to verify that she is actually somewhat paler than The White Witch. Haa-a-arrh.
Aslan is on the move
The mighty ‘Chronicles of Narnia’ lion is a different kind of deity
By Mary Beth Ellis
MSNBC contributor
When I was a freshman, my theology professor sat us down and put “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” in our hands, and we all cheered, for here at last was a book for a college course that did not ask us to write a thesis statement or balance chemical formulas or some other horrible thing. Then he announced that nothing in the book was what we thought it was at all; it seemed that the White Witch was the devil and Turkish Delight was sin and Aslan was Jesus and we had an essay due on all of this next Tuesday.
It is frighteningly easy to ruin a good work of literature by scholaring all over it. If I didn’t learn it that day in Theology 101, I figured it out 10 years later at my first academic conference, at which the most entertaining thing was the cocktail party — nothing beats watching a room full of Ph.Ds attempt to form a line at the bar. And even before the alcohol showed up, several of my fellow attendees were open to conversation about Aslan, but they tended to begin their sentences like this: “Of course, dystopian constructs often enjamb metaphysical imagery…” I will expound further upon this the instant that I complete the three or four additional advanced degrees that will allow me understand just what-all was said.
But a good Hollywood adventure does not need to worry about paragraphs or SAT words or even, in most cases, any semblance of a plausible plot. So sometimes we look to a good movie to make the literature more digestible, to “pre-baptize the imagination,” to use Lewis’ own words.
Yet in a world where Christ is a lion (hear this in Movie Trailer Guy Voice: “In a world… where Christ is a lion… and no one cares about Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson…) movie makers must step lightly. Mental pictures drive good literature, and I do not envy anyone intending to match a six-year-old with a God-imaged lion.
A laid-back savior
I like Aslan immensely; as a deity, his rules seem few. You don’t need a Motorola user’s manual where Aslan is concerned. He’s a very laid-back sort of creator and savior, yet is wonderfully awful in the ancient sense of the word: He inspires awe. He carries far more psychic weight than any other character in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” More than Peter. More than The White Witch. Far more than Edmund, who — despite a properly enormous repentance scene at the end of the novel — heartily sucks.
Edmund aside, Aslan keeps excellent company. Father Christmas! He hangs with Santa Claus! Who else is he running with, when not in Narnia? What is he up to? We are told he’s “not quite tame,” which could mean just Aslan could romp up to anybody at any time. Is he poolside at Palm Springs? Interviewing for yet another installment of “I Love The 80s”? Is he (oh please, oh please, oh please) smacking Tom Cruise around?
As long as you’re not running around with wolves or turning traitor on your own siblings along with a perfectly nice family of beavers (I’m looking at you, Edmund), you’re A-OK with Aslan, a cat of few words. In “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” he speaks a grand total of 922 words, less even than this entire article. When he does talk, it’s things like “Look alive, everyone,” or “Hi! You up there!” or, my personal favorite, a good “Haa-a-arrh!” in response to a snotty inquiry from The White Witch. Would that more leaders answered questions with a good “Haa-a-arrh!”; it would make “Larry King Live” almost bearable.
But those 922 words — or however many of them are included in the movie version — must weigh heavily upon director Andrew Adamson. Who do you get to voice a character like this? The trailers always show Aslan in full roar mode, which is understandable, I guess, but I’m curious as to just who the “Look alive, everyone” honors are going to descend upon. How do you even begin to address a character like this? Gilbert Gottfried would probably not go over well. Nor would, for any number of horrible reasons, Michael Jackson. James Earl Jones has already filled the lion voice checkbox on his resume, and is probably too busy rolling around in his Vader money to take on further cat-related voice work in any case.
Lewis would not approve
As if he saw the movie version on the red-carpeted horizon, Lewis himself once wrote the following on the subject of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” as a cartoon: “I am sure you understand that Aslan is a divine figure, and anything remotely approaching the comic (above all anything in the Disney line) would be to me simple blasphemy.”
Well! Good thing we’ve managed to avo—oh, wait a minute. Walt says hello, C.S.
Disney’s doesn’t have the best track record of literature-to-movie translations. I vastly enjoyed learning, for instance, that “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame’s” Quasimodo did kick-steps with gargoyles sounding remarkably like George Costanza and Jim Dial — did they celebrate Festivus together?
I have read that C.S. Lewis began developing the “Chronicles of Narnia” after a series of nightmares about lions. Perhaps he was prefiguring the CGI Aslan to come; we can only hope that “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” escapes the George Lucas treatment and we are not forced to endure 90 unbearable minutes of Jar Jar Binks-style head bonking from The King.
Aslan is indeed on the move — trademarked stickers and greeting cards in his royal wake. Wherever he’s headed, I do hope it’s in the opposite direction of Narnia’s closest academic conference.
Freelance writer and English teacher Mary Beth Ellis runs www.BlondeChampagne.com, where viewers are welcome to verify that she is actually somewhat paler than The White Witch. Haa-a-arrh.
Saucyminx
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did you guys go see it yet?
Didja? Didja? The kids had a snow day yesterday so i packed them up, hitched up the dog sled, and mushed out to the cineplex. It was definately worth the trip. Another one of those movies that about halfway through, i turned to my husband and said "can we go see this again?"
Didja? Didja? The kids had a snow day yesterday so i packed them up, hitched up the dog sled, and mushed out to the cineplex. It was definately worth the trip. Another one of those movies that about halfway through, i turned to my husband and said "can we go see this again?"
matriarch
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RG went to see........see this thread:
Feedback on Narnia - the film
The Gosling and I can't decided whether to go see that or Harry Potter this evening.
The review of Narnia in the local paper, had it down as 'lacking'.......I will reserve comment until I've seen it myself. Never did have any respect for critics.
Feedback on Narnia - the film
The Gosling and I can't decided whether to go see that or Harry Potter this evening.
The review of Narnia in the local paper, had it down as 'lacking'.......I will reserve comment until I've seen it myself. Never did have any respect for critics.
English Lady
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My Mum went to see it last night and she said it was spot on -so i'm really looking forward to going and seeing it now 
I know a local church gave out 100 free tickets to go and see Narnia..so i don't think they were particularly upset
I know a local church gave out 100 free tickets to go and see Narnia..so i don't think they were particularly upset
rgraham666
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Pure said:
Did he se the same movie as me?
rgraham666
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Then you are missing a treat, both the books and the movie.
Do not let a blind fanatic remove possibilities from your world. If it wasn't for Lewis and these books it is quite possible I would be a completely different person. I read them when I was 9 and they opened my eyes to a world of wonder.
Do not let a blind fanatic remove possibilities from your world. If it wasn't for Lewis and these books it is quite possible I would be a completely different person. I read them when I was 9 and they opened my eyes to a world of wonder.
NoJo
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Pure said:
Without getting into a religous debate here, I both agree with all three criticisms of his books, and still think they're fantastic and well worth reading.
He wasn't pro death, but certainly believed that life was sometimes something you should sacrifice for the greater good. So did gentle Socrates.
C.S. Lewis' racism was typical for his background, and you can see the same thing in his friend Tolkein's works. The South is always seen as the land of the Heathen, while Chrisendom is always located in the Fair North.
C.S. Lewis's personifcation of Evil as a beautiful, powerful 8-foot tall witch is also pretty unremarkable.
Personally, as an 11-year-old submissive I used to get the horn over the White Witch, and even more so her sister the Green Witch in the Silver Chair. In fact I thought Edmund was a bit of an idiot to go back to his wimpy brother and sisters.
And if I were Prince Rilian living under the spell of the Green Witch in her dungeon, I'd be mighty pissed off if some kids tried to "rescue" me.
BlackShanglan
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I'm ambiguous on Lewis and women. Yes, we've got the White Witch and the Green Witch. But then, we've also got Rishdah Tarkaan, ready to sacrifice his own son in order to gain Archenland; the governor of the Lone Islands, a slave-mongering beaurocrat; Coriakin, a star who has sinned; Miraz, Caspian's murderous and scheming uncle - and a white male; Miraz's treacherous advisors, who stab him in the back after he trips in a duel; the king of the giants of Harfang, who is clearly the really cruel and calculating one; Uncle Andrew, the greedy and self-glorifying scientist; Digory, Edmund, and Eustace, all of whom betray or scorn their companions when they go to Narnia; the Ginger Cat, who sells out his country and his soul for personal gain; and of course the Ape, who brings about the end of the world.
You know, when I come to think of it ... I'm not at all sure I still buy this idea that he's sexist. I realized it more and more as I wrote this and the examples kept cropping up. Lucy is the one who is always closest to Aslan, and then there's Jill Pole as well, and Susan - although she ends badly - and Aravis (am I remembering the name of Shasta's companion correctly?) They don't just serve spiritual roles; Jill's the best archer of the lot in "The Last Battle," and when Bree and Hwin are escaping to Narnia with the children, it's Hwin who humbly says that she thinks they could run a little further if they really forced themselves to. Bree, the macho warhorse, is eventually made to look rather an ass.
I feel quite happy, suddenly. I've bought this "Lewis is sexist" line for a long time and thought it myself, but I think I suddenly don't buy it any more. Huzzah.
Shanglan
You know, when I come to think of it ... I'm not at all sure I still buy this idea that he's sexist. I realized it more and more as I wrote this and the examples kept cropping up. Lucy is the one who is always closest to Aslan, and then there's Jill Pole as well, and Susan - although she ends badly - and Aravis (am I remembering the name of Shasta's companion correctly?) They don't just serve spiritual roles; Jill's the best archer of the lot in "The Last Battle," and when Bree and Hwin are escaping to Narnia with the children, it's Hwin who humbly says that she thinks they could run a little further if they really forced themselves to. Bree, the macho warhorse, is eventually made to look rather an ass.
I feel quite happy, suddenly. I've bought this "Lewis is sexist" line for a long time and thought it myself, but I think I suddenly don't buy it any more. Huzzah.
Shanglan
NoJo
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Maybe "mysogynistic" isn't the right word. He just didn't seem to approve of women's sexuality, as it inflamed lustful passions and caused a efflux of the sanguine humour, or some fucking medieval crap. So all the sexy women were baddies. And we all know the idiot who started all that.
BlackShanglan
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Sub Joe said:
Ramandu's daughter.
Aurora Black
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It hasn't been released here yet.
Aurora Black
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Sub Joe said:
Greece. That's it, I'm taking the Michigan part off. I only put it there because I got tired of folks asking me where I was from originally.
BlackShanglan
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Sub Joe said:
Mmmm. Joe's standing for me. So many good ways to take that.
