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.
PRACTICAL PEOPLE IN NARNIA 21 August 2008
Posted by Renette in 1 The Magician's Nephew, 3 The Horse and His Boy, 4 Prince Caspian, 5 The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve, Talking Beasts.2 comments
In The Chronicles of Narnia, a total of seven people were described as being practical, and three of them were called practical in a rather negative way.
JADIS
The children were now afraid that Jadis would have something to say to them about what had happened in the wood. As it turned out, however, she never mentioned it either then or afterwards. I think (and Digory thinks too) that her mind was of a sort which cannot remember that quiet place at all, and however often you took her there and however long you left her there, she would still know nothing about it. Now that she was left alone with the children, she took no notice of either of them. And that was like her too. In Charn she had taken no notice of Polly (till the very end) because Digory was the one she wanted to make use of. Now that she had Uncle Andrew, she took no notice of Digory. I expect most witches are like that. They are not interested in things or people unless they can use them; they are terribly practical. So there was silence in the room for a minute or two. But you could tell by the way Jadis tapped her foot on the floor that she was growing impatient. – from Chapter 6, “The Beginning of Uncle Andrew’s Troubles,” The Magician’s Nephew
From this quote about Jadis, being practical means only paying attention to someone if you wanted to use the person in one way or another. Jadis didn’t pay attention to Polly because she was using Digory. Later on, she didn’t pay attention to Digory either because she was using Uncle Andrew. She didn’t waste her time in noticing or paying attention to people who didn’t suit her purposes.
UNCLE ANDREW
We must now go back a bit and explain what the whole scene had looked like from Uncle Andrew’s point of view. It had not made at all the same impression on him as on the Cabby and the children. For what you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing: it also depends on what sort of person you are.
Ever since the animals had first appeared, Uncle Andrew had been shrinking further and further back into the thicket. He watched them very hard of course; but he wasn’t really interested in seeing what they were doing, only in seeing whether they were going to make a rush at him. Like the Witch, he was dreadfully practical. He simply didn’t notice that Aslan was choosing one pair out of every kind of beasts. All he saw, or thought he saw, was a lot of dangerous wild animals walking vaguely about. And he kept on wondering why the other animals didn’t run away from the big Lion. – from Chapter 9, “The Founding of Narnia,” The Magician’s Nephew
From this quote about Uncle Andrew, being practical means only paying attention to something that involves yourself and nothing more. Uncle Andrew missed the point of the entire creation (or “founding”) of Narnia simply because he was only concerned that that the animals wouldn’t attack him. He didn’t waste his time in noticing or paying attention to things that didn’t concern him directly.
ARSHEESH
Sometimes if Arsheesh was there Shasta would say, “O my Father, what is there beyond that hill?” And then if the fisherman was in a bad temper he would box Shasta’s ears and tell him to attend to his work. Or if he was in a peaceable mood he would say, “O my son, do not allow your mind to be distracted by idle questions. For one of the poets has said, `Application to business is the root of prosperity, but those who ask questions that do not concern them are steering the ship of folly towards the rock of indigence’.”
Shasta thought that beyond the hill there must be some delightful secret which his father wished to hide from him. In reality, however, the fisherman talked like this because he didn’t know what lay to the North. Neither did he care. He had a very practical mind. – from Chapter 1, “How Shasta Set Out on His Travels,” The Horse and His Boy
From this quote about Arsheesh, being practical means only paying attention to something that you already know about. He never concerned himself with the lands beyond, like the free North. He didn’t waste his time in noticing or paying attention to things that he wasn’t familar with.
Being practical isn’t all that bad though. In fact, there were four others who were mentioned as being practical, but not in the way that Jadis, Uncle Andrew and Arsheesh were.
DUFFLE AND THE STAG
Presently, however, two more practical people arrived in the little wood. One was a Red Dwarf whose name appeared to be Duffle. The other was a stag, a beautiful lordly creature with wide liquid eyes, dappled flanks and legs so thin and graceful that they looked as if you could break them with two fingers.
“Lion alive!” roared the Dwarf as soon as he had heard the news. “And if that’s so, why are we all standing still, chattering? Enemies at Anvard! News must be sent to Cair Paravel at once. The army must be called out. Narnia must go to the aid of King Lune.”
“Ah!” said the Hedgehog. “But you won’t find the High King at the Cair. He’s away to the North trouncing those giants. And talking of giants, neighbours, that puts me in mind -”
“Who’ll take our message?” interrupted the Dwarf. “Anyone here got more speed than me?”
“I’ve got speed,” said the Stag. “What’s my message? How many Calormenes?”
“Two hundred: under Prince Rabadash. And -” But the Stag was already away – all four legs off the ground at once, and in a moment its white stern had disappeared among the remoter trees. - from Chapter 12, “Shasta in Narnia,” The Horse and His Boy
From this quote, being practical means doing what must be done. Upon learning of the coming army of Prince Rabadash, the other creatures didn’t exactly jump into action, but dawdled around chatting about it. Only Duffle, who took control of the situation, and the stag, who rushed to inform the High King, did their part in averting the danger.
SUSAN
“That’s the trouble of it,” said Trumpkin, “when most of the beasts have gone enemy and gone dumb, but there are still some of the other kind left. You never know, and you daren’t wait to see.” …
Lucy shuddered and nodded. When they had sat down she said: “Such a horrible idea has come into my head, Su.”
“What’s that?”
“Wouldn’t it be dreadful if some day, in our own world, at home, men started going wild inside, like the animals here, and still looked like men, so that you’d never know which were which?”
”We’ve got enough to bother about here and now in Narnia,” said the practical Susan, “without imagining things like that.” – from Chapter 9, “What Lucy Saw,” Prince Caspian
From this quote, being practical means focusing on the problem on hand. Susan didn’t want to worry about ”imaginary” things – she only wanted to deal with those that are ”here and now.” Perhaps that became her problem later on – when she got back to England, she only wanted to deal with the “here and now” and convinced herself that Narnia was only imaginary.
EUSTACE
“Why is it called Aslan’s table?” asked Lucy presently.
“It is set here by his bidding,” said the girl, “for those who come so far. Some call this island the World’s End, for though you can sail further, this is the beginning of the end.”
“But how does the food keep?” asked the practical Eustace.
“It is eaten, and renewed every day,” said the girl. “This you will see.” – from Chapter 13, “The Three Sleepers,” The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
From this quote, being practical means asking questions about things that don’t seem to add up logically. Eustace never lost this trait until The Last Battle, which adds charm to his character.
There is a positive and a negative side to being practical. As long as we make sure we’re not like Jadis, Uncle Andrew or Arsheesh, then being practical should be okay.
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.
THE GIANTS OF NARNIA 3 July 2008
Posted by Renette in 2 The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, 4 Prince Caspian, Other Creatures.1 comment so far
NARNIA is a land of creatures most of us have never heard of like dryads (the spirits of the trees) and naiads (the gods and goddesses of the river). Then there are the creatures that are more familiar to us, appearing in more popular fairy tales and fantasy stories, like dwarves and giants. But the Narnian giants are unlike the giants from our fairy tales (who sometimes say “fee-fie-fo-fum”), and they are unlike the giants from the surrounding areas of Narnia as well – such as the stupid giants of Ettinsmoor who play cockshies (a stone throwing contest) nearly everyday, and the “gentle” giants of Harfang, whose idea of being gentle turned out to be eating man-pies.
From the seven books of THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, we have two examples of Narnian giants (those that live in the land of Narnia itself), namely GIANT RUMBLEBUFFIN and GIANT WIMBLEWEATHER.
We first meet Giant Rumblebuffin in the White Witch’s courtyard in THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE. Of course, he was still a stone giant at that time, until Aslan breathed on his feet and revived him. Although it took some time before he could understand what happened, he courteously thanked the Lion and then joined in the Battle of Beruna, where Aslan defeated the White Witch and later crowned the four Pevensies kings and queens of Narnia.
Giant Wimbleweather was also involved in another battle (which happened hundreds of years after the Battle of Beruna) in PRINCE CASPIAN. We first meet him arriving at the Dancing Lawn with the centaurs, “carrying on his back a basketful of rather sea-sick dwarfs who had accepted his offer of a lift and were now wishing they had walked instead.” He was unfortunately not very smart and made a critical error during the battle, much to everyone’s dismay.
From these two examples, we see that giants are very polite and thoughtful creatures. When Giant Rumblebuffin finally realized how Aslan has saved him from his stony state, he “bowed down till his head was no further off than the top of a haystack and touched his cap repeatedly to Aslan.” When Aslan asked his name, he respectfully replied, “Giant Rumblebuffin, if it please your honour.” When Aslan requested him to destroy the gate, he immediately obeyed the Lion’s request and remembered to warn the creatures nearby to get out of the way. When Lucy noticed that her “handkerchee” wasn’t helping him much given how small it was for the giant’s huge face, he hastened to assure her that it wasn’t useless. “Not at all. Not at all,” he said politely. “Never met a nicer handkerchee. So fine, so handy. So – I don’t know how to describe it.”
Giant Wimbleweather, although he didn’t have any lines in PRINCE CASPIAN, was also a kind, well-mannered creature. As previously mentioned, he offered a lift to the dwarfs on the way to the council, no doubt intending to save them from the fatigue of a long journey. That didn’t turn out quite so well, as we know, since the dwarfs got “sea-sick” from riding on his back. When he made the crucial mistake during the battle, he didn’t vent out his shame and gloom in anger, as you would expect from someone so big, but in sorrow and tears. Again, this did not turn out quite so well, as he unintentionally gave some sleepy mice a shower from the giant tears falling down his face. After being told off by the mice, the giant chose to tiptoe away instead of lashing out. This is a behavior you wouldn’t normally expect from someone who we can assume is the biggest and probably the most powerful in an army.
In life, we have our “gentle giants” as well – those who, despite their size, or influence, or position, are still kind-hearted, and polite, and a pleasure to be with. I’m sure we’ll see them in Aslan’s country in the afterlife.
———————————-
Excerpts on RUMBLEBUFFIN (from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)
“Oh!” said Susan in a different tone. “Look! I wonder – I mean, is it safe?”
Lucy looked and saw that Aslan had just breathed on the feet of the stone giant.
“It’s all right!” shouted Aslan joyously. “Once the feet are put right, all the rest of him will follow.”
“That wasn’t exactly what I meant,” whispered Susan to Lucy. But it was too late to do anything about it now even if Aslan would have listened to her. The change was already creeping up the Giant’s legs. Now he was moving his feet. A moment later he lifted his club off his shoulder, rubbed his eyes and said, “Bless me! I must have been asleep. Now! Where’s that dratted little Witch that was running about on the ground. Somewhere just by my feet it was.” But when everyone had shouted up to him to explain what had really happened, and when the Giant had put his hand to his ear and got them to repeat it all again so that at last he understood, then he bowed down till his head was no further off than the top of a haystack and touched his cap repeatedly to Aslan, beaming all over his honest ugly face. (Giants of any sort are now so rare in England and so few giants are good-tempered that ten to one you have never seen a giant when his face is beaming. It’s a sight well worth looking at.)
“Now for the inside of this house!” said Aslan. “Look alive, everyone. Up stairs and down stairs and in my lady’s chamber! Leave no corner unsearched. You never know where some poor prisoner may be concealed.”
And into the interior they all rushed and for several minutes the whole of that dark, horrible, fusty old castle echoed with the opening of windows and with everyone’s voices crying out at once, “Don’t forget the dungeons – Give us a hand with this door! Here’s another little winding stair – Oh! I say. Here’s a poor kangaroo. Call Aslan – Phew! How it smells in here – Look out for trap-doors – Up here! There are a whole lot more on the landing!” But the best of all was when Lucy came rushing upstairs shouting out, “Aslan! Aslan! I’ve found Mr. Tumnus. Oh, do come quick.”
A moment later Lucy and the little Faun were holding each other by both hands and dancing round and round for joy. The little chap was none the worse for having been a statue and was of course very interested in all she had to tell him.
But at last the ransacking of the Witch’s fortress was ended. The whole castle stood empty with every door and window open and the light and the sweet spring air flooding into all the dark and evil places which needed them so badly. The whole crowd of liberated statues surged back into the courtyard. And it was then that someone (Tumnus, I think) first said, “But how are we going to get out?” for Aslan had got in by a jump and the gates were still locked.
“That’ll be all right,” said Aslan; and then, rising on his hind-legs, he bawled up at the Giant. “Hi! You up there,” he roared. “What’s your name?”
“Giant Rumblebuffin, if it please your honour,” said the Giant, once more touching his cap.
“Well then, Giant Rumblebuffin,” said Aslan, “just let us out of this, will you?”
“Certainly, your honour. It will be a pleasure,” said Giant Rumblebuffin. “Stand well away from the gates, all you little ‘uns.” Then he strode to the gate himself and bang – bang – bang – went his huge club. The gates creaked at the first blow, cracked at the second, and shivered at the third. Then he tackled the towers on each side of them and after a few minutes of crashing and thudding both the towers and a good bit of the wall on each side went thundering down in a mass of hopeless rubble; and when the dust cleared it was odd, standing in that dry, grim, stony yard, to see through the gap all the grass and waving trees and sparkling streams of the forest, and the blue hills beyond that and beyond them the sky.
“Blowed if I ain’t all in a muck sweat,” said the Giant, puffing like the largest railway engine. “Comes of being out of condition. I suppose neither of you young ladies has such a thing as a pocket-handkerchee about you?”
“Yes, I have,” said Lucy, standing on tip-toes and holding her handkerchief up as far as she could reach.
“Thank you, Missie,” said Giant Rumblebuffin, stooping down. Next moment Lucy got rather a fright for she found herself caught up in mid-air between the Giant’s finger and thumb. But just as she was getting near his face he suddenly started and then put her gently back on the ground muttering, “Bless me! I’ve picked up the little girl instead. I beg your pardon, Missie, I thought you was the handkerchee!”
“No, no,” said Lucy laughing, “here it is!” This time he managed to get it but it was only about the same size to him that a saccharine tablet would be to you, so that when she saw him solemnly rubbing it to and fro across his great red face, she said, “I’m afraid it’s not much use to you, Mr. Rumblebuffin.”
“Not at all. Not at all,” said the giant politely. “Never met a nicer handkerchee. So fine, so handy. So – I don’t know how to describe it.”
“What a nice giant he is!” said Lucy to Mr. Tumnus.
“Oh yes,” replied the Faun. “All the Buffins always were. One of the most respected of all the giant families in Narnia. Not very clever, perhaps (I never knew a giant that was), but an old family. With traditions, you know. If he’d been the other sort she’d never have turned him into stone.”
———————————-
Excerpts on WIMBLEWEATHER (from Prince Caspian)
At last there came a night when everything had gone as badly as possible, and the rain which had been falling heavily all day had ceased at nightfall only to give place to raw cold. That morning Caspian had arranged what was his biggest battle yet, and all had hung their hopes on it. He, with most of the Dwarfs, was to have fallen on the King’s right wing at daybreak, and then, when they were heavily engaged, Giant Wimbleweather, with the Centaurs and some of the fiercest beasts, was to have broken out from another place and endeavoured to cut the King’s right off from the rest of the army. But it had all failed. No one had warned Caspian (because no one in these later days of Narnia remembered) that Giants are not at all clever. Poor Wimbleweather, though as brave as a lion, was a true Giant in that respect. He had broken out at the wrong time and from the wrong place, and both his party and Caspian’s had suffered badly and done the enemy little harm. The best of the Bears had been hurt, a Centaur terribly wounded, and there were few in Caspian’s party who had not lost blood. It was a gloomy company that huddled under the dripping trees to eat their scanty supper.
The gloomiest of all was Giant Wimbleweather. He knew it was all his fault. He sat in silence shedding big tears which collected on the end of his nose and then fell off with a huge splash on the whole bivouac of the Mice, who had just been beginning to get warm and drowsy. They all jumped up, shaking the water out of their ears and wringing their little blankets, and asked the Giant in shrill but forcible voices whether he thought they weren’t wet enough without this sort of thing. And then other people woke up and told the Mice they had been enrolled as scouts and not as a concert party, and asked why they couldn’t keep quiet. And Wimbleweather tiptoed away to find some place where he could be miserable in peace and stepped on somebody’s tail and somebody (they said afterwards it was a fox) bit him. And so everyone was out of temper.
CLASSIC BULGY BEAR MOMENTS 18 June 2008
Posted by Renette in 4 Prince Caspian, Talking Beasts.2 comments
For me, the BULGY BEAR is without a doubt the funniest character in Prince Caspian. Of course, I’m talking of the book Bulgy Bear and not the movie Bulgy Bear, who I think had only one line in the entire film, which was a husky “For Aslan!” For some reason, I couldn’t help giggling when he said that.
Anyway, since his character was underdeveloped in the movie, I’m putting here some classic bulgy bear moments from the book:
On a fine summer morning when the dew lay on the grass he set off with the badger and the two dwarfs, up through the forest to a high saddle in the mountains and down on to their sunny southern slopes where one looked across the green wolds of Archenland. “We will go first to the three bulgy bears,” said Trumpkin.
They came in a glade to an old hollow oak tree covered with moss, and Trufflehunter tapped with his paw three times on the trunk and there was no answer. Then he tapped again and a woolly sort of voice from inside said, “Go away. It’s not time to get up yet.” But when he tapped the third time there was a noise like a small earthquake from inside and a sort of door opened and out came three brown bears, very bulgy indeed and blinking their little eyes. And when everything had been explained to them (which took a long time because they were so sleepy) they said, just as Trufflehunter had said, that a son of Adam ought to be king of Narnia and all kissed Caspian – very wet, snuffly kisses they were – and offered him some honey. Caspian did not really want honey, without bread, at that time in the morning, but he thought it polite to accept. It took him a long time afterwards to get unsticky.
Here we find out that the bulgy bears have a “woolly sort of voice”, are “very bulgy indeed,” and gives “wet, snuffly kisses.” Aren’t they adorable? The next scene happened during the feast and council on Dancing Lawn where all the old Narnians gathered to meet with Prince Caspian. The creatures were debating how to go about the council, and the chapter starts by saying: “The bulgy bears were very anxious to have the feast first and leave the council till afterwards: perhaps till tomorrow.”
“Is there time for this foolery?” asked Nikabrik. “What are our plans? Battle or flight?”
“Battle if need be,” said Trumpkin. “But we are hardly ready for it yet, and this is no very defensible place.”
“I don’t like the idea of running away,” said Caspian.
“Hear him! Hear him!” said the bulgy bears. “Whatever we do, don’t let’s have any running. Especially not before supper; and not too soon after it neither.”
The last scene was when they were discussing the duel of Peter and Miraz, and choosing who the three marshals should be.
Peter was just explaining to Caspian that he could not be one, because his right to the throne was what they were fighting about, when suddenly a thick, sleepy voice said, “Your majesty, please.”
Peter turned and there stood the eldest of the bulgy bears. “If you please, your majesty,” he said, “I’m a bear, I am.”
“To be sure, so you are, and a good bear too, I don’t doubt,” said Peter.
“Yes,” said the bear. “But it was always a right of the bears to supply one marshal of the lists.”
“Don’t let him,” whispered Trumpkin to Peter. “He’s a good creature, but he’ll shame us all. He’ll go to sleep and he will suck his paws. In front of the enemy too.”
“I can’t help that,” said Peter. “Because he’s quite right. The bears had that privilege. I can’t imagine how it has been remembered all these years, when so many other things have been forgotten.”
“Please, your Majesty,” said the bear.
“It is your right,” said Peter. “And you shall be one of the marshals. But you must remember not to suck your paws.”
“Of course not,” said the bear in a very shocked voice.
“Why, you’re doing it this minute!” bellowed Trumpkin.
The bear whipped his paw out of his mouth and pretended he hadn’t heard.
Well what can I say? You’ve got to love the bulgy bears, even when they’re sucking their paws!
WHY NIKABRIK WENT SOUR 10 June 2008
Posted by Renette in 4 Prince Caspian, Other Creatures.add a comment
Prince Caspian introduced us to another interesting study of character, that of Nikabrik the black dwarf. We first meet him inside the home of Trufflehunter, wanting to kill Caspian the Tenth against the wishes of the badger and Trumpkin. Nikabrik is angry at all Telmarines, bitterly remembering the injustices suffered by the old Narnians in their hands. In his defense, Nikabrik was born in hiding, grew in hiding and lived in hiding throughout his life, which must have been very difficult for any independent, freedom-loving dwarf.
Nikabrik’s heart is full of hatred from the start. His gut reaction is always to kill those whom he perceives as his enemies. When he first sees the unconscious Caspian, his first instinct was to attack the hapless Telmarine. “I’m certainly not going to let it go alive,” he tells Trufflehunter and Trumpkin. When he first sees Dr. Cornelius, Caspian’s half-dwarf tutor who played a vital role in the story, he wanted to kill him too. “Pah! A renegade dwarf. A half-and-halfer! Shall I pass my sword through its throat?” Notice the pronoun that he uses when referring to Caspian and Dr. Cornelius – it or its instead of him or his (“I’m certainly not going to let IT go alive.” “Shall I pass my sword through ITS throat?”). This shows that Nikabrik objectifies his enemies, without bothering to know who the person really is.
At that time, hundreds of years have passed without hearing anything from Aslan, and it was natural for the Narnians to feel abandoned by the Great Lion. One interesting thing about Nikabrik though was that he actually believed in the existence of Aslan. He just did not have faith in his goodness and wisdom and strength. “Aslan and the kings go together. Either Aslan is dead, or he is not on our side,” he told the others. “Or else something stronger than himself keeps him back. And if he did come – how do we know he’d be our friend?”
“Nikabrik lost hope,” said Trumpkin in the movie. But it’s not so much as losing hope, but not having any hopes in Aslan in the first place. “I’ll believe in anyone or anything that’ll batter these cursed Telmarine barbarians to pieces or drive them out of Narnia,” said Nikabrik in the book. “Anyone or anything, Aslan or the White Witch, do you understand?” He didn’t care how they will defeat the Telmarines; the end justifies the means after all.
In the end, Nikabrik invited his two friends, the hag and the werewolf, to use black sorcery and call up the White Witch. We know how that ends – he was killed in the fight that ensued in the dark. In the book, nobody knows who actually killed him. “I am sorry for Nikabrik, though he hated me from the first moment he saw me,” said Caspian. “He had gone sour inside from long suffering and hating. If we had won quickly he might have become a good dwarf in the days of peace.”
It’s a sad, sad life to only have hatred and have no hope in your heart. It’s even sadder if who you are or who you become is dependent on how your life is going. It would be a happier, more fulfilling life to instead believe that no matter what happens, “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him” (Romans 8:28). Then we need not become good dwarfs only in the days of peace.
THE FAITH OF TRUFFLEHUNTER 8 June 2008
Posted by Renette in 4 Prince Caspian, Talking Beasts.3 comments
Prince Caspian introduced us to an unforgettable character, that of Trufflehunter the Badger. Though he did not get a lot of screen time in the movie, and his character was a bit underdeveloped, Trufflehunter is actually a model of unwavering faith in God (or in Aslan) regardless of how dark things may appear to be.
It has been 1300 years in Narnia when the Pevensies returned, although only one year has passed in England. In those 1300 years, the Narnians were invaded by the vicious Telmarines, who killed most of them and forced the few survivors to live in hiding. Not once in those 1300 years was there a sign or sighting of Aslan, causing some of the Narnians to begin thinking that the Lion has abandoned them. Some even began to doubt His existence altogether.
Not so with Trufflehunter. Hebrews 11:1 (New Living Translation) defines faith as the “confidence that what we hope for will actually happen.” This is what Trufflehunter showed all the way through. He believed that someday, Aslan will come and help the Narnians and set things right again. He was confident that this will happen sooner or later, in Aslan’s time and not theirs.
When Nikabrik voiced doubts about Aslan, he replied, “Don’t you go talking about things you don’t understand, Nikabrik. You dwarfs are as forgetful and changeable as the humans themselves. I’m a beast, I am, and a badger what’s more. We don’t change. We hold on.”
When it comes to having faith, it seems that there are two types of people, as Trufflehunter differentiated: those who are “forgetful and changeable” and those who “hold on.” I think it’s just the way people are wired – it’s easier for some to have great faith and to believe in God even when things go wrong, while some of us have a more difficult time with it. No matter the type of personality though, nothing excuses us from having faith. Puddleglum was the most pessimistic, most fatalistic creature there ever was, and he had faith.
The key, I think, is to strengthen whatever faith we may have. One way to do this is to keep on remembering the good things God has done. Glenstorm the centaur said something quite meaningful to Trufflehunter: “I watch the skies, badger, for it is mine to watch as it is yours to remember.” The phrases “it is mine to watch” and “it is yours to remember” give the impression of duty, or perhaps even purpose in life – that centaurs were meant to watch the skies (and in so doing, be able to wisely advise the Narnian leaders about wars and such) while badgers were meant to remember what happened in the past (and in so doing, be able to strengthen the faith of other Narnians).
Perhaps the reason why Trufflehunter had such an unshakeable faith in Aslan is because it was his duty – or at least, he felt that it was his duty – to remember the history of Narnia – how Aslan created their world, how he breathed life into the stars and the trees, how he chose some animals to be Talking Beasts, how Aslan defeated the White Witch in the Battle of Beruna, and how he crowned the four ancient kings and queens in Cair Paravel.
Trufflehunter was of course proven right when Aslan finally came to defeat the Telmarine armies and to crown Caspian the Tenth as king of Narnia, which brought peace to the land. His faith was rewarded when we see him again in The Last Battle among those who made it to Aslan’s country. A great compliment was also given to him by the High King Peter, who put his arm around Trufflehunter when they first met and said, “Best of badgers. You never doubted us all through.” To which, in all humility, he replied, “No credit to me, your Majesty. I’m a beast and we don’t change. I’m a Badger, what’s more, and we hold on.”
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.
