Once A King or Queen In Narnia...

I just saw The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe last night. Man, was it good!

As a very big--and rather particular--fan of C.S. Lewis' books, I was enormously proud of the film, even as I sat there watching it. Everything was as it should have been. All the memorable story points and images are carefully preserved from the book; the lamp post in the clearing, the White Witch on her sleigh, and the wardrobe, of course. At the same time, however, there are changes made for the sake of a theatre-going audience. But I was very impressed with the way those changes were handled. There's a balance struck between prose and cinematography which is so rare in these kinds of adaptations. Something I noticed was that there are no actual cuts to the story, mostly just additions, like the scene at the frozen waterfall. Sometimes minor plot points are changed, but nothing is removed entirely--an admirable feat indeed.

And one thing I absolutely loved seeing--the allusion (or is it foreshadowing?) to a "future" book in the series, The Magician's Nephew. That book is really the beginning of the series, although it was the sixth book written--a prequel. One of the stars of that book is named Diggory. He is present when Narnia is created, and eventually grows up...into the professor who takes in Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy! You can see in the film that he knows just what the children are talking about, especially right at the end ("I don't think you'd believe us, sir"..."Try me!"). A very nice touch for those who have read the books.

So, all in all, a thouroughly enjoyable experience. I can't wait for Prince Caspian, which has just been greenlighted for production. I'm sure it will be just as good as its predecessor.

Be seeing you,
Steven