The Chronicles of Narina: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
After the conspicuous boxoffice success of the Lord of
the Rings trilogy, it seemed inevitable that Clive Staple
Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia should also be committed to
celluloid. Lewis was a longtime friend and colleague of Tolkien's
and it is doubtful that Tolkien would ever have finished Lord
of the Rings without Lewis' continual encouragement. Like
Tolkien, Lewis also created a series of books that are among
the bestloved fantasy literature of the 20th century. However,
compared to Tolkien, Lewis' work is decidedly lighter in tone
and informed by his Christian beliefs. (Lewis was one of the
foremost theologians of the 20th century.)
As a film, The Lion, The Witch and the a Wardrobe is not
completely successful in replicating the depth of Lewis' story,
but it is nevertheless an exceedingly good effort. Directed by
Andrew Adamson (Shrek), the film captures much of the
tone of the book and, more importantly, the spirit of the characters.
The opening of the film is somewhat awkward, depicting the German
bombing of London during World War II (a scene not in the book
but necessary to explain the set-up). Afraid for their lives,
the Pevensie children Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are sent
away to live in the rustic mansion of eccentric Professor Kirk,
far from the danger of falling bombs.
Bored and displaced, the foursome are coaxed one day into a game
of hide and seek by young Lucy, who selects as her hiding place
a large, old wardrobe in an unused section of the house. But
this is no ordinary wardrobe, and Lucy suddenly finds herself
in a strange, wintry land, and accepting an invitation to tea
with a fawn named Mr. Tumnus. Disbelieved by her siblings upon
return, Lucy is crushed. But soon after, when the four are on
the run from Professor Kirk's punitive housekeeper, the only
hiding place proves to be (of course) the wardrobe, and the rest
of Lucy's siblings are quickly made into believers as they themselves
are drawn into the fantastical world of Narnia.
The film is beautifully realized, and one of its strongest attributes
is the casting. The young actors who play the Pevensie children-William
Moseley (Peter), Anna Popplewell (Susan), Skandar Keynes (Edmund),
and Georgie Henley (Lucy)-embody the very characters Lewis created.
Adamson extracts first-rate performances from these newcomers,
which is all the more amazing, considering that this is Adamson's
first live-action film. Special mention must also go to Georgie
Henley, whose performance as Lucy steals the show. Henley's large,
awestruck eyes and feisty persona perfectly capture Lucy's childlike
wonder and capacity to accept the fantastical world into which
she literally stumbles.
The film's non-human denizens are equally well-done, with James
McAvoy perfectly cast as the gentle Fawn Tumnus. As the White
Witch, Tilda Swinton is appropriately icy and stern, whose seductiveness
jolts the viewer when her velvet temptations give way to abrupt
flashes of rage. An extraordinary array of non-visible acting
talent are also on-hand, lending their voices to Narnia's talking
beasts. Ray Winston and Dawn French breath appealing cockney
life into Mr. and Mrs. Beaver while the wonderfully droll Rupert
Everett supplies the appropriately sly voice of the illfated
fox. And Aslan, the mysterious lion-savior of Narnia, is voiced
by the velvet dignity of Liam Neeson.
In terms of pacing, the film seems to rush things, and some of
Lewis' deeper illustrations of moral dilemmas (particularly Edmond's
fall from grace and restoration) are given short shrift. Also,
the scene where the two older siblings finally enter Narnia feels
a tad unceremonious, and their reaction a little too blasé
for such a fantastical experience. But considering all that could
have been blundered in this film, it is better to celebrate all
the things that Adamson got right. I was nervous that the depiction
of Father Christmas would be laughable, but his appearance-and
more especially, the performance by James Cosmo (Braveheart)-was
absolutely right-on. And Lucy's playful, smart-alec remark, "I
told you he was real!" concludes the scene beautifully.
The strangely familiar look of New Zealand makes for a wonderful
backdrop for the fantastical land of Narnia while the snowy peaks
of the Czech Republic perfectly captures Lewis' descriptions
of Narnia's endless winter. The sets and art direction are fantastic,
so much so that the interior forest sets are virtually indistinguishable
from the real locations. And the climactic battle scene, where
Peter leads the armies of Narnia against the White Witch's forces,
is epic.
In fact, the only area where this film truly falters is with
the music. The score by Harry Gregson- Williams (Kingdom of
Heaven) is pleasant, but too often shifts into sensual, Enya-like
vocals, which are out of place in Lewis' fairy tale. Nor does
the score sufficiently enhance the film's more portentous events,
such as Aslan's death and resurrection.
But overall, this film works exceptionally well, largely due
to its winning cast and Adamson's obvious care and desire to
keep the characters and story from being swallowed up by special
effects.
Paul Andrew MacLean
© 2006 