ON THE BBC’S PRINCE CASPIAN AND DAWN TREADER 7 September 2008
Posted by Renette in 4 Prince Caspian, 5 The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, British Broadcasting Corporation.add a comment
Like I mentioned in my previous entry, I’ve had the complete VCD collection of the BBC adaptation of THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA for 3 years now but I have only attempted to watch it once. I gave up after a few minutes because I was creeped out by the talking beasts – which were actually people wearing animal costumes, until friends from The Lion’s Callforum mentioned how they liked it, especially The Silver Chair. So I dug out my old VCD’s and watched SC, and liked it a lot.
Tonight, having nothing better to do (and not having cable connection at the moment for some reason), I thought I’d watch PRINCE CASPIAN and THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER, which was meshed to one movie. My major problem is that I can’t find the last disc, so I couldn’t finish watching it. But still, here are my comments:
COMMENTS ON THE CAST
There’s something about Richard Dempsey’s portrayal as PETER PEVENSIE that I really liked. He was younger than I thought Peter would be from the book, but he has a certain kingliness and nobility about him that I could really imagine him as the High King.
Sophie Cook as SUSAN PEVENSIE had only a very short role in the film, and I don’t remember much about it.
Jonathan Scott as EDMUND PEVENSIE was okay, though he looked nearly Peter’s age.
I didn’t like Sophie Wilcox as LUCY PEVENSIE that much, because she didn’t quite capture the innocence and pureness of heart that Georgie Henley was able to portray in the Walt Disney-Walden Media version.
I loved both the young PRINCE CASPIAN, played by Jean Marc Perret, and the older KING CASPIAN, played by Samuel West. First, because they got the age right. When Caspian became a king, he was only a boy, not a 27 year old man. Second, because they got his hair right. Caspian had golden curls, not raven black wavy hair. Oh well. Plus, I love how the older Caspian resembled the younger Caspian.
As I mentioned before, David Twaithes as EUSTACE SCRUBB captured the whining, irritating quality of the character.
For the minor characters, I’ve got to say I also loved MIRAZ (Robert Lang), CORIAKIN (Preston Lockwood) and best of all, the HAG (which I just found out was played by Barbara Kellerman, who also played the White Witch and the Lady of the Green Kirtle).
COMMENTS ON THE SCRIPT
Again, I must say I’m really impressed with how many direct quotes they incorporated in the dialogue. I guess the main difference is that they combined PC and VDT into pretty much one single story. As I said before, I can’t find the last CD so I don’t know how the story ends, but they thought of a pretty good way to do it. When the Pevensies get back to Narnia after the end of PC, instead of everyone going to school, Peter is going to Professor Kirke’s, Susan to the USA (uh, in a train?) and Ed and Lucy to the house of their cousin Eustace Scrubb. Of course, this leads straight to the story of VDT.
I think though that if you watch this film without reading the book, you’d be hard-pressed to understand the back-story of the Telmarines and the battle.
OTHER COMMENTS
Uh, I thought it was weird for Aslan, Susan and Lucy to watch the second Battle of Beruna rather nonchalantly from the comforts of a tall hill. And I thought the dryads (spirits of the trees) were way too creepy and ghost-like.
I sort of wished I’ve seen the BBC adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia when I was younger. I’m sure I would have enjoyed it more, but as it is, I still love it.
LISTENING TO NARNIA (Part 2) 25 July 2008
Posted by Renette in 5 The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, 6 The Silver Chair, 7 The Last Battle, HarperCollins.add a comment
As mentioned in my previous entry, I recently bought The Chronicles of Narnia Unabridged Boxed Audiobook Set of HarperCollins for my birthday through Amazon.com. It’s been over a month since I first started listening to it (while driving alone – which I don’t really do that often, I usually have either my brother or boyfriend with me), and I’m now at the last CD of the last book.
Since I’ve already given my comments on the first four audiobooks, here are my comments on the last three.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (narrated by Derek Jacobi)
I have to admit, VDT is my second least favorite of the Narnia books. One reason is that I never really warmed up to the character of Eustace Scrubb. But Derek Jacobi did an amazing job with him. Pre-dragon Eustace was lofty and annoying, but later became actually… likeable. I particularly loved how he read what dragon Eustace was trying to write in the sand and ended with an exasperated “Oh, bother.” I actually had to double check my book to see if it was really there. It was, but I never noticed it before until Derek Jacobi brought it to life. I didn’t really care for his Lucy voice at the beginning, but it grew on me. I actually cried a bit towards the ending of VDT, when Lucy told Aslan, “It isn’t Narnia, you know… It’s you. We shan’t meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?”
The Silver Chair (narrated by Jeremy Northam)
I was worried before listening to this because as I have mentioned before, SC is my favorite of the Narnia books, mainly because of its theme (remembering and following the signs) and its main character, Puddleglum the Marshwiggle. Although Puddleglum’s voice was not how I imagined it to be, and the Lady of the Green Kirtle did not trill her R’s as much as I thought she should have, it was nevertheless very well done. The banter between Jill Pole and Eustace Scrubb was always lively.
The Last Battle (narrated by Patrick Stewart)
I mentioned in my previous entry that my favorite audiobook was The Magician’s Nephew. After the first chapter of hearing Professor X (Xavier) – er, I mean, Patrick Stewart – reading LB, I knew the people from HarperCollins saved the best for last. Patrick Stewart was amazing. There were particular moments in his reading that really stuck to my mind, such as when the Talking Dogs barked: “Welcome! Welcome! We’ll help, we’ll help, help, help. Show us how to help, show us how, how. How-how-how?” I also loved his voice for Puzzle and Shift and Poggin the Dwarf. He was able to distinguish each voice and give it a character of its own, so you always knew who was talking.
After listening to 30+ hours worth of reading, all I can say is that I can’t wait to start listening all over again!
LISTENING TO NARNIA (Part 1) 11 July 2008
Posted by Renette in 1 The Magician's Nephew, 2 The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, 3 The Horse and His Boy, 4 Prince Caspian, HarperCollins.add a comment
I recently bought The Chronicles of Narnia Unabridged Boxed Audiobook Set of HarperCollins for my birthday through Amazon.com, along with a new hardbound Narnia book (which I mentioned in my profile). I got my package last 24 June (which was my 40th month with my boyfriend Sidney) and I’ve been listening to it whenever I’m driving alone (which isn’t actually that often).
This is my first time to listen to an audiobook and I wasn’t disappointed. At first, I thought there would be sound effects (like perhaps the sound of a river running or horses trotting) in the background, but it wasn’t like that at all. It was just one British voice reading the books out loud to you, changing the tone and accent of each character so that you’d distinctly know which was which.
I’ve already gone through the first four, and here are my comments:
The Magician’s Nephew (narrated by Kenneth Branagh)
This is my definitely my favorite audiobook so far. There were two particular character voices I loved. The first is that of the cabby (who later became King Frank). In the book, it says he had a cockney accent, but since I’ve never heard of a cockney accent before, I had no idea how that would sound like. The audiobook really brought it to life for me, especially the part how his speech changed while Aslan was talking to him. The second was the Bulldog who kept arguing with the Elephant by saying, “I object to that remark very strongly.” The way he said it was so funny, I literally burst out laughing.
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (narrated by Michael York)
I can’t actually remember much about this one. It was good, but not quite memorable. I liked the voice of Aslan, Peter and Jadis though.
The Horse and His Boy (narrated by Alex Jennings)
This is my second favorite so far, mainly because the narrator was able to invent a distinctly Calormene accent for Rabadash, the Tisroc etc. I love how Rabadash said, “Oh my father and oh the delight of my eyes” in a drawling voice which really sounded as if the Tisroc was not the delight of his eyes. I just have one issue: how come Shasta and Aravis didn’t have the same accent, even though they both grew up in Calormen? Oh well.
Prince Caspian (narrated by Lynn Redgrave)
I had apprehensions before listening to this one, because I didn’t know how all the predominantly male characters would be voiced in such a way as to distinguish one from another. You’d have to remember that nearly all the lead characters in Prince Caspian are male (e.g. Peter, Edmund, Caspian, Trumpkin, Dr. Cornelius, Miraz, Trufflehunter, etc). For all the other audiobooks, the narrators were male, and the female characters they had to do usually ranged from only one to three (e.g. Lucy, Susan, Polly, etc). But the narrator actually did a really good job, especially with Trumpkin. I just didn’t like her Aslan voice though.
ON THE BBC’s THE SILVER CHAIR 5 July 2008
Posted by Renette in 5 The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, 6 The Silver Chair, British Broadcasting Corporation.2 comments
I’ve had the complete VCD collection of the BBC adaptation of THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA for 3 years now (someone gave it to me for Christmas during our department’s exchange gift) but I have only attempted to watch it once. I started with THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, but I had to give up after only a few minutes. I was instantly creeped out by the talking beasts – which were actually people wearing animal costumes, quite unlike the realistic computer-generated animations of the Disney-Walden Media version. Of course, this is quite understandable, since the technology twenty years ago cannot be compared to the technology available today. From what I hear, the BBC adaptation was actually the best in its time. Anyway, I’ve always planned on getting down to the series and watching the entire thing just for the sake of saying that I’ve seen it, but I never got around to it until tonight.
Following the suggestion of my friends at the TLC forum (TLC stands for THE LION’S CALL, one of my favorite websites), I now started with THE SILVER CHAIR, which they said was the best (being released last in the series – that is, in 1990). Now, The Silver Chair is my favorite book in the Chronicles, and PUDDLEGLUM is my favorite character in the entire world, so I was really curious to see it. Besides, the actor playing Puddleglum (Tom Baker) was getting rave reviews in all the Narnia forums I’ve been.
So now that I’ve seen it, what can I say? Minus the distracting special effects, the dreary costumes (especially of the Underlanders) and the scary-looking puppet Aslan, I must say I really liked it!
COMMENTS ON THE CAST
David Thwaites as EUSTACE SCRUBB looked too young and was too short, and he was not irritating enough. Even during his post-dragon period, Eustace still had his moments. But I could live with that, the actor was good enough.
Camilla Power as JILL POLE was amazing. She was pretty and smart and even sassy at times. She was everything I hoped Jill would be.
Tom Baker as PUDDLEGLUM was fantastic! I’ve always imagined Puddleglum to be very, very thin and tall, but what was important is that he captured the Puddleglumy spirit. He was rather funny without trying, his facial expressions were properly gloomy, and he delivered my favorite lines with all the ghastly cheerfulness of a marshwiggle.
Barbara Kellerman as THE LADY OF THE GREEN KIRTLE was a bit too theatrical and overly dramatic for my taste, which is why she couldn’t quite pull of the eerily calm demeanor of the Emerald Witch. But she did trill her R’s nicely.
Richard Henders as PRINCE RILIAN didn’t quite capture the silly spirit from the book during his enchantment, and he was quite theatrical as well especially in the silver chair scene. I also found him weird-looking with a beard. He reminds me of a cartoon character but I can’t remember who.
Ronald Pickup as the voice of ASLAN was a bit too sleepy and slow and unimpressive, but that may be because I’m comparing him to Liam Neeson’s version.
Warwick Davis (who played NIKABRIK in Disney-Walden’s version of PRINCE CASPIAN) as GLIMFEATHER got all the tu-who’s right in my opinion.
Big Mick as the hard-of-hearing TRUMPKIN was hilarious, although he had only a short role.
COMMENTS ON THE SCRIPT
I must say that I’m very impressed at how faithful this adaptation was to the book, and how closely the plot and script followed the text. I also particularly like the numerous direct quotes, which the actors were thankfully able to say without sounding weird or unnatural. I’d say the following were relatively the biggest changes, which were all quite minor and understandable:
1) Rilian was wearing a mask when they met him in the Underworld. He had to have a mask so that the viewers won’t connect the dots too soon since they already showed what the prince looks like when Aslan was giving the signs to Jill.
2) The Lady of the Green Kirtle did not use a mandolin-like instrument which she thrummed to complete her enchantment. Instead, there was this weird greenish spray from her fingers.
3) The side-story of the Land of Bism wasn’t dealt with, which was okay because it could deflect from the plot.
4) The children called each other a couple of times by their first names (Eustace and Jill). In the book, they always used their last names (Scrubb and Pole) except for the part where they said goodbye, thinking that they were going to their deaths.
MEMORABLE QUOTES
The following quote was not said by Puddleglum in its entirety in the movie, but since this is my favorite quote in the book, I’m putting it here:
“One word. All you’ve been saying is quite right, I shouldn’t wonder. I’m a chap who always liked to know the worst and then put the best face I can on it. So I won’t deny any of what you said. But there’s one thing more to be said, even so. Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all those things – trees and grass and sun and moon and stars and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one. And that’s a funny thing, when you come to think of it. We’re just babies making up a game, if you’re right. But four babies playing a game can make a play-world which licks your real world hollow. That’s why I’m going to stand by the play-world. I’m on Aslan’s side even if there isn’t any Aslan to lead it. I’m going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn’t any Narnia. So, thanking you kindly for our supper, if these two gentlemen and the young lady are ready, we’re leaving your court at once and setting out in the dark to spend our lives looking for overland. Not that our lives will be very long, I should think; but that’s a small loss if the world’s as dull a place as you say.”
After a speech like that, I’ll have to agree with Prince Rilian: “The blessing of Aslan upon this honest marshwiggle!”
In the book, the following quote was actually given by Aslan to Edmund and Lucy towards the end of THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER, when Lucy told him that it was him they miss when they return to our world. However, since Aslan said it towards the end of BBC’s version of THE SILVER CHAIR, I’m putting it here as well:
“There I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.”
If you don’t know what Aslan’s other name is, here’s a link to an insightful essay from The Lion’s Call (by Petraverd) which discusses this point.
OTHER COMMENTS
I don’t even want to begin talking about the costumes of the Underworld gnomes, which reminds me of the Michelin character that looks like an obese mummy. I’m sure that with their limited budget, that was all they could come up with.
After seeing The Silver Chair, I’ve now decided to watch all the others in the series. It’s funny to be watching the BBC version twenty years after they were made, but I now think that this is a must-see for all hardcore Narnia fans. So thanks BBC for bringing Narnia to life!
FAVORITE NARNIA MOVIE LINES (LWW) 16 June 2008
Posted by Renette in 2 The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Walden Media - Walt Disney Pictures.add a comment
I know it’s been more than 2 years since The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe came out, but I thought I’d write about it today. After all, it is what led me to enter the world of Narnia (to know the story, please check my profile). So here are some of my favorite lines from the movie, which I got from IMDB (Internet Movie Database) and NarniaWeb (where you can get a complete transcript) with some minor modifications.
Susan: Gas-tro-vas-cu-lar… Come on, Peter. Gastrovascular.
Peter: Is it Latin?
Susan: Yes.
Edmund: Is it Latin for “worst game ever invented”? (Susan shuts her dictionary with a withering look at Edmund)
Lucy: We could play hide and seek!
Peter: But we’re already having so much fun. (looking at Susan)
Mr. Tumnus: And what about you? You must be some kind of beardless dwarf?
Lucy: I’m not a dwarf! I’m a girl. And actually, I’m tallest in my class.
Lucy: (holds out her hand) Pleased to meet you, Mr. Tumnus, I’m Lucy Pevensie. (Mr. Tumnus looks at her hand curiously) Oh, you shake it.
Mr. Tumnus: W-why?
Lucy: I… I don’t know!
White Witch: I can make anything you’d like.
Edmund: Can you make me taller?
Professor Kirke: You seem to have upset the delicate internal balance of my housekeeper.
Peter: We’re very sorry, Sir, it won’t happen again.
Susan: It’s our sister, Sir. Lucy.
Professor Kirke: The weeping girl?
Susan: Yes, sir. She’s upset.
Professor Kirke: Hence the weeping.
Edmund: (after Peter hands a ladies coat to him) But that’s a girl’s coat!
Peter: (nods) I know.
Susan: Did that bird just “pssst” us?
Peter: (upon first seeing Mr. Beaver) Here, boy, tsk, tsk, tsk.
Mr. Beaver: (after looking at the Peter’s outstretched hand) Well I ain’t gonna smell it if that’s what you want.
Peter: He said he knows the faun.
Susan: He’s a beaver, he shouldn’t be saying anything!
Mr. Beaver: When Adam’s flesh and Adam’s bone sits in Cair Paravel in throne, the evil time will be over and done.
Susan: You know that doesn’t really rhyme.
Mr. Beaver: I know, but you’re kind of missing the point.
Peter: (to the beavers) I think you’ve made a mistake. We’re not heroes!
Susan: We’re from Finchley!
Peter: (watching Mrs. Beaver packing food) What are you doing?
Mrs. Beaver: You’ll be thanking me later. It’s a long journey, and Beaver gets pretty cranky when he’s hungry.
Mr. Beaver: I’m cranky now!
Mr. Beaver: (after seeing that his friends have been turned to stone) You take one more step, traitor, and I’ll chew you to splinters!
Fox: Relax. I’m one of the good guys.
Mr. Beaver: Yeah? Well, you look an awful lot like one of the bad ones. (referring to the wolves)
Fox: An unfortunate family resemblance. But we can argue breeding later.
Fox: Forgive me, your Majesty.
White Witch: Don’t waste my time with flattery.
Fox: Not to seem rude, but I wasn’t actually talking to you. (looks pointedly at Edmund)
Mr. Beaver: Come on, hurry up!
Peter: If he tells us to hurry up one more time, I am going to make him into a big, fluffy hat.
Susan: (when they were about to finally meet Aslan) Why are they all staring at us?
Lucy: Maybe they think you look funny.
Peter: (looking out towards Cair Caravel) Aslan, I’m not who you think I am.
Aslan: You’re Peter Pevensie, formerly of Finchley. Beaver also mentioned that you planned on turning him into a hat.
Maugrim: (to Susan and Lucy who were playing by the water on their own) Please don’t run…
Wolf: We’re tired…
Maugrim: And we’d prefer to kill you quickly.
Gryphon: They come, your Highness, in numbers and weapons far greater than our own.
Oreius: Numbers do not win a battle.
Peter: No… But I bet they help.
Peter: For Narniaaaa!!! And for Aslannnn!!!
Edmund: (when his horse suddenly rears up while he is learning to ride it and use his sword) Whoa, horsey.
Philip the Horse: (in haughty tones) My name is Philip.
Peter: (to Edmund, during the battle) There are too many of them! Go! Get out of here! Get the girls, and get them home!
Mr. Beaver: (dragging Edmund away) Come on, you heard him! (Edmund starts towards Peter) Peter said to go!
Edmund: Peter’s not king yet.
FAVORITE NARNIA MOVIE LINES (PC) 6 June 2008
Posted by Renette in 4 Prince Caspian, Walden Media - Walt Disney Pictures.add a comment
Here are some of my favorite lines from the movie Prince Caspian. I got this from IMDB (Internet Movie Database) and NarniaWeb (where you can get a complete transcript) with some minor modifications.
Edmund: (sitting on a bench beside Peter after helping him out of a fight without receiving a thank you) You’re welcome.
Peter: (stands up) I had it sorted.
Lucy: I wonder who lived here.
Susan: (picks up a small chess piece) I think we did.
Edmund: Hey, that’s mine! From my chess set!
Peter: Which chess set?
Edmund: I didn’t have a solid gold chess set in Finchley, did I?
Lucy: (holding up one of her old dresses in the treasure chamber) I was so tall.
Susan: Well, you were older then.
Edmund: As opposed to hundreds of years later, when you’re younger.
Trufflehunter: (after fighting with Nikabrik in Trufflehunter’s house and knocking down a bowl of soup) Look what you made me do! (muttering) Spent half the morning on that soup…
Caspian: What are you?
Trufflehunter: You know, it’s funny that you should ask that. You’d think more people would know a badger when they see one.
Caspian: No, I mean you’re Narnians. You’re supposed to be extinct.
Nikabrik: (sarcastically) Sorry to disappoint you.
Trufflehunter: (to Nikabrik, who wanted to kill Caspian) Enough, Nikabrik! Or do I have to sit on your head again?
Trumpkin: (after Miraz strikes him across the face) And you wonder why we don’t like you.
Susan: (aiming her bow and arrow at the Telmarines, who were holding the tied-up Trumpkin over the river) Drop him! (the Telmarines toss Trumpkin in the water and run away)
Trumpkin: (to Susan, after being rescued) “Drop him?” Was that the best you could think of?
Lucy: (looking sadly at the woods) They’re so still…
Trumpkin: The trees? What did you expect?
Lucy: They used to dance.
Peter: (looking down a cliff over the water) Is there a way down?
Trumpkin: Yes. Falling.
Lucy: (to Peter and Susan, who didn’t believe that she saw Aslan) I wish you would all stop trying to sound like grown-ups! I didn’t think I saw him, I did see him.
Trumpkin: (pause) I AM a grown-up.
Caspian: (to Trufflehunter and Nikabrik, who were following him surreptitiously) I can hear you.
Trufflehunter: (coming out of hiding) I just think we should wait for the kings and queens. (Caspian keeps walking) Fine, go then! See if the others will be as understanding.
Nikabrik: Or maybe I’ll come with you. I want to see you explain things to minotaurs.
Caspian: (stops) Minotaurs? They’re real?
Trufflehunter: And very bad-tempered.
Nikabrik: Not to mention big.
Trufflehunter: Huge.
Reepicheep: (brandishing his sword against a fallen Caspian) Choose your last words carefully, Telmarine.
Caspian: (incredulously) You are a mouse.
Reepicheep: (sighs) I was hoping for something a little more original.
Peter: (stopping during their swordfight) Prince Caspian?
Caspian: And who are you?
Susan: (running) Peter!
Caspian: High King Peter?
Peter: I believe you called.
Caspian: I thought you’d be… older.
Peter: Well if you like, we can come back in a few years.
Caspian: No! No, it’s alright! You’re not exactly what I expected.
Edmund: Neither are you.
Lucy: (upon seeing Reepicheep for the first time) Oh my gosh, he’s so cute.
Reepicheep: (drawing his sword and looking around) Who said that?!?
Lucy: Um, sorry.
Reepicheep: Oh, uh… Your Majesty. With the greatest respect… I do believe courageous, courteous or chivalrous might more befit a knight of Narnia.
Reepicheep: (to Trumpkin the dwarf, who aided him in his attack) We were expecting someone taller!
Trumpkin: You’re one to talk.
Reepicheep: Is that supposed to be irony?
Pattertwig the Squirrel: (in response to the fear of being trapped and starved to death in Aslan’s How) We could gather nuts!
Reepicheep: (sarcastically) Yes! And then throw them at the Telmarines!
Queen Prunaprismia: (to Miraz, after he admitted that he killed Caspian’s father) I thought you said he died in his sleep!
Miraz: That was more or less true.
Miraz: Tell me, Prince Edmund…
Edmund: King.
Miraz: I beg your pardon?
Edmund: It’s King Edmund, actually. Just king though. Peter’s the High King. (after an awkward pause) I know, it’s confusing.
Edmund: (to Peter, after destroying the ice wall, where the ghost of the White Witch was tempting both Caspian and Peter) I know, you had it sorted.
Caspian: (to Susan, after she announced that she will never be able to go back to Narnia according to Aslan) I wish we could have had more time together.
Susan: We never would have worked, anyway.
Caspian: Why not?
Susan: Well, I AM 1300 years older than you.
Edmund: (upon their return to England) Do you think there’s any way we can go back? (the Pevensies stare at him in surprise) I left my new torch in Narnia.
ON PRINCE CASPIAN (THE MOVIE) 5 June 2008
Posted by Renette in 4 Prince Caspian, Walden Media - Walt Disney Pictures.add a comment
I’m a really huge fan of The Chronicles of Narnia series by my favorite author, C S Lewis, so I was very excited to see the movie. It was a good thing that I decided early on that I would enjoy it as a movie on its own, and not as the movie version of my favorite book. I’m glad I did, because otherwise I’d be appalled at the number of liberties they took with the plot (warning: spoiler alert!).
That’s not saying I didn’t enjoy the movie though, because I really did. Ben Barnes was amazing as Prince Caspian the Tenth, as were William Moseley as Peter, Anna Popplewell as Susan, Skandar Keynes as Edmund and Georgie Henley as Lucy. I am now officially a fan of director Andrew Adamson, who directed the first Narnia movie as well as Shrek 1 and 2.
I kind of wish he incorporated some flashback scenes though, such as when the Pevensies first realized they were in Cair Paravel (Peter, Susan, Lucy and Edmund were standing in the exact same place as they were during their coronation) and when they first saw the stone table split into two in Aslan’s How.
COMMENTS ON THE PLOT
I thought the back-story was a bit underdeveloped, especially with regards to the identity of the Telmarines and Prince Caspian. I’m not sure if a person who watches this without having read the book first can completely understand the complexity of the story. As previously mentioned, there were a lot of changes in the story, such as the timing when Prince Caspian blew the horn. In the movie, he blew it when he was caught by Trumpkin, Nikabrik and Trufflehunter; in the book, he blew it when the old Narnia were already assembled and have begun fighting against the Telmarines. Another change was how Trumpkin was captured by the Telmarines. In the book, he was captured on his way to the Lantern Waste (or the lamp post where Lucy first entered Narnia) to meet the ancient kings and queens whom they were expecting. In the movie, he was captured when he tried to stop the Telmarines from getting at Caspian at the woods.
COMMENTS ON THE CHARACTERS
Most of the characters were a bit different from the books, although the changes did add more drama to the movie. Trumpkin was a little too surly and morose – I don’t remember seeing him smile even once in the entire movie. Peter seemed to be going through an angry adolescent stage where he wants to call all the shots and yet does not want to take the blame when things go wrong. Prince Caspian was not as deferential towards the four ancient kings and queens as I would expect him to be (saying to Peter, “You’re not exactly what I expected,” to which Edmund retorted, “Neither are you.”) And Aslan was a near non-entity in this movie, only appearing towards the end. There was also the power struggle between Caspian and Peter, which was an interesting angle; although in the book Peter was quick to assure the other that he wasn’t there to steal the throne, but to help him claim it.
I think they did a fantastic job with the dashing Reepicheep the mouse, which is why I really hope they do The Silver Chair too, so that I can see what Andrew Adamson (or Michael Apted perhaps?) can do with my all-time favorite character, Puddleglum the marshwiggle. They were also able to give more depth to the character of Caspian’s Uncle Miraz, who “looks as if he’d be equally at home starring in ‘300′” as it says in one review. In the movie, Susan is a warrior (unlike in the book, where Aslan did not want the girls to participate in the battle) and Lucy remains childlike and pure of heart, that for a time she is the only one to see Aslan. Edmund’s character was the most interesting for me though – there’s an emotional maturity about him now compared to the previous movie, plus he shows some dry British humor as well.
There was very little screen time for Trufflehunter though, who is the embodiment of steadfast, unwavering faith in Aslan, and of Dr. Cornelius, who played a bigger part in the book. And there was only a brief appearance by the funny, lovable bulgy bear! In the book, I love the part when he was allowed to be one of the marshals for the duel with Miraz, and Peter told him, “But you must not suck your paws.” He looked shocked and replied, “Of course not!” until Trumpkin pointed out that he was actually sucking his paws at that very moment.
COMMENTS ON THE CHRISTIAN THEME
Prince Caspian is not as overtly Christian as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the pivotal scene of which was the death and resurrection of Aslan, which mirrors Jesus. I think the main Christian theme in this movie would be faith in God even when he seems so far away. I particularly love the part when Peter and Caspian were arguing about war strategy, and Lucy said, “Have you forgotten who really defeated the White Witch, Peter?” I also like the part when the spirit of the White Witch reemerges and tempts both Caspian and Peter into calling her back to life. Edmund, perhaps in an attempt to make up for his betrayal in the first movie, destroyed the ice wall of the White Witch (this part wasn’t in the book though) because he knew that only Aslan could help them.
OTHER COMMENTS
Curiously, there were portions reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings. One was when Dr. Cornelius woke up Caspian to warn him of the attempt on his life that night. There’s a shot of Caspian peeking through the door of an adjacent room while the Telmarines shot arrows presumably at the sleeping form of Caspian, and feathers got strewn about the room. This reminded me of the scene where Aragorn (who was still called Strider at that time) moved the hobbits to a different room of the inn they were staying at to warn them of the danger. Later that night, they watched the Black Riders attacking what they thought were the sleeping forms of the Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin, and feathers got strewn about the room as well. Another was the rising of the river god towards the end of the last battle, which reminded me of the time Arwen used elvish magic on the river to destroy the Black Riders following her and the injured Frodo. There was also the scene where Edmund seemed to fall off the balcony to be borne by a griffin, which reminded me of Gandalf jumping off the rooftop of Saruman’s tower, only to be carried away by another huge bird. And of course, there were the dryads (trees) at the end, which reminded me of the Ents.
It seems that this movie is pretty much getting mixed reviews from what I can see from the internet, but I found a review from Plugged In which I particularly liked. I for one loved this movie as much as I loved “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” and I can’t wait for the next Narnia movie, “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” to start filming.
