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I
never saw any of the "Lord of the Rings" films
but I'm pretty confident in saying that if you
like those movies, you'll like "The Chronicles
of Narnia." Based on the first novel in a seven
book series by C. S. Lewis, this is a fantasy
film with magical lands, weird creatures, witches,
and trapdoors. It's also a film with religious
overtones, particularly for Catholics but also
for Jews and Protestants. Plus it has cute teenage
boys, darling little girls, uniforms from the
days of King Arthur, and a hodgepodge of other
influences. There's a little something for everyone
here and only the stodgiest and most reserved
of adults will refuse to be moved by the story.
While there are supposedly a ton of Christian
references in the film, I found it much more
an analogy about WWII. After all, the film begins
with (bad CGI) images of fighter pilots during
that war. The heroes of the film, the children,
are displaced war orphans who, like many Jewish
children and other children during that time,
are taken by train far away from their homes
and parents and taken to a "safe house." The
Catholic children here "fantasize" that they
are helping unusual and mysterious creatures
who have been held captive and put in a state
of suspended animation by an evil and heartless
leader who has taken over running their homeland.
One of the boys is a traitor to his family due
to his own heartlessness and greed (a reference
no doubt to Hitler youth).
At first I was confused about seeing Father
Christmas in what I perceived to be a "Jewish"
film but then I realized this isn't a film about
Judaism and the Jewish experience as much as
it is an allegory of why non-Jews, Christians
and Catholics, came to fight against Hitler
in WWII. It's about good vs. evil and heart
vs. darkness, right vs. wrong. While the ideal
of the white, pure Christian children helping
the "strange, odd other-worldly" creatures may
ring of smarmy pedant imperialism (the kind
of Christian charity that smacks of belittlement),
the film is nonetheless enchanting and seems
good-hearted.
The series of books about "Narnia," and there
are seven of them, does have some religious
overtones scattered throughout them. Because
of this, Disney hired the company that promoted
"The Passion of the Christ" to churches and
Christian groups in 2004 to promote this film
to the same organizations this year. A book
explaining many of the similarities and parallels
to Bible stories were printed for young people
to help in church study groups. As far as I
could tell, there was only one direct Christian
parallel in this film, where a crucifixion and
resurrection resembling Christ's is presented.
The thought that Disney is promoting a film
which has witches, magic potions, ogres, fawns,
and several other mystical creatures to modern
churches is, indeed, quite humorous.
To be sure, watching William Moseley perform
as Peter in the film is a delight for anyone
who likes fresh-faced teenage boys. (Gee...
anyone?) This young man is beautiful (and yes,
mom, he turned 18 in September so shut up) and
being allowed the opportunity to gaze upon his
facade for over two hours is worth every penny
of admission. Just when you think he can get
no more beautiful and alluring, they put him
in knight's armor and all you can see is that
innocent cherubic face gazing back at you. In
a way, for me, this was a religious film, because
beauty as intense and perfect as Moseley's is
enough to make the most hardened atheist believe
in God and intelligent design.
And then there is adorable Georgie Henley. Doe-eyed,
innocent and as delightful as a picnic on a
warm spring day, Henley is a charmer who captures
our hearts immediately. Her early scenes with
James McAvoy ("Band of Brothers") as the fawn
Mr. Tumnus are more than enough to draw us into
the film and make us care about everything that
happens after. It's a lot to put on the shoulders
of a girl as young as Henley but her natural
warmth and inquisitiveness shines through her
acting and makes us believe in Narnia as immediately
and wholeheartedly as her Lucy does. What a
wonderful performance.
There are only two problems with "The Lion blah,
blah, blah." One is that they hired Tilda Swinton
to play the evil queen and she is so interchangeable
to Cate Blanchet (who played a similar character
in "Lord of the Rings") that even diehard fans
of the Peter Jackson films will be confused
as to who she is. And, two, some of the CGI
here is so bad that it distracts from the film.
Yes, Aslan the Lion looks amazing, as do many
of the characters in the film, but all too often
the film has obvious flaws. One scene, where
the children stand on a hillside, is so obviously
greenscreened that it wouldn't even be convincing
on an episode of "Sesame Street."
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch
and the Wardrobe" is a good film bordering on
greatness. Certainly if you are a Anglophile,
you will find plenty to like here. And if you're
an Anglophile, pedophile with a uniform fetish...
bring a towel.
Notes:
Also with Jim Broadbrent and the voices of Liam
Neeson, Ray Winstone, Dawn French, and Rupert
Everett.
Songs by Tim Finn and Alanis Morrisette appear
over the end credits.
Filmed primarily in Auckland, New Zealand with
some scenes shot in the Czech Republic.
There are seven books in the "Narnia" series
which were written out of chronological order.
"The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is the
first to be written but the second chronologically.
The next film due in the series is "Prince Caspian"
which makes it seem like Disney is going to
make and release the films in the order they
were written and not in their chronological
order.
Viewed in Austin in December 2005.
Report Card
Script:
B-
Acting:
B+
Cinematography\Lighting:
A-
Special Effects\Make Up: C+
Music: C
Final
Grade: B-
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