Chronicles of Narnia

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Liz_Horton
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Post by Liz_Horton »

Karin Doyle wrote:
totustuus wrote:We got the movie for Easter and watched every day four days in a row. Who else watched with the commentary? Georgie was so hilarious "I LIKE YELLING LINES!" We also watched part of it in French with Spanish subtitles, since I'm taking French and my sister is taking Spanish.
I watched it with the commentary! It was hilarious!
I want to but evertime i try i get interupted or like my mom will come in and say you got the movie for the movie Not the commentary and stuff... But next time shes out of the house you better beilieve i'm gonna try and watch it! hering how good it s and all
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Post by Trent DeWhite »

Has anyone bought the DVD? Is it any good? I heard a rumor that there's a 4-disc version coming out in fall, so I'm waiting to buy.
I'm afraid that is just a rumor, indeed... unless you can provide the name of the source from which you got your information. :(
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Aelwyn
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Post by Aelwyn »

I got the Chronicles of Narnia songbook today!!! \:D/ Yay! It's so cool! :D
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Post by Raskolnikov »

They're coming out with an extended edition DVD of LWW. \:D/

http://www.narniaweb.com/news.asp?id=951&dl=10161435
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Trent DeWhite
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Post by Trent DeWhite »

I didn't think it would happen, but it appears that the release of an extended DVD edition may come to fruition! My question is what extra bonus features they may be adding to the special edition. Is it going to be 3-discs or 4-discs?
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Post by Laurie »

I refuse to get excited about the extended edition until I am in the store holding it in my hands.
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Post by Aravis »

Karin Doyle wrote:I got the Chronicles of Narnia songbook today!!! \:D/ Yay! It's so cool! :D
There's a CoN Songbook? What is the content? I got the Official Movie Scrapbook from the library a while ago. It was really good with lots of BtS picks.

-Aravis-
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Aelwyn
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Post by Aelwyn »

An extended version? Awesome!
Aravis wrote:
Karin Doyle wrote:I got the Chronicles of Narnia songbook today!!! \:D/ Yay! It's so cool! :D
There's a CoN Songbook? What is the content? I got the Official Movie Scrapbook from the library a while ago. It was really good with lots of BtS picks.

-Aravis-
Evacuating London
Lucy Meets Mr. Tumnus
Narnian Lullaby
Father Christmas
Can't Take it In
Wunderkind
Where
Winter Light
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Post by COWBOY OF TEXAS »

I watched it last week on the 4th. \:D/ It was good, better than I had expected.



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Post by VideosForFamily »

Hi,

I had mentioned this already in a different part of the town of odyssey...but I thought I would mention this hear since many of you are talking about the Narnia book and movie series.

I own a site called VideosForFamily.com and to those of you who don't know-- I have started up a little audio series with a young man named Jamie, who is directly from the United Kingdom. The series is compltely on the Narnia book and movie series and I thought you would all enjoy checking it out and listening to what we had to say. It's more of a radio show too actually.

Go to:
http://www.videosforfamily.com/narnia.htm

We're trying to get this more populated around on the web and we'll be doing another show very soon.

Thanks alot and enjoy !
Aaron Pacentine
www.videosforfamily.com
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Post by Jennifer Doyle »

Yay! My mom just bought this movie today. She's only seen it once and we actually had to watch the first 10 minutes of it without sound because of the negligence of whoever was running the movie. People in the theater were actually about to riot.
Haha!
Maybe she'll enjoy the opening part more this time around.
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Post by Applesauce »

More info on the Extended Edition here!
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Smushed and Spicy! \:D/

I really need to change my avatar...
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Post by Elrohir »

I hope this one will be slightly better than the original. I remember thinking when I first saw it that the pacing was off and some of it seemed rushed.
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Post by LizzieG »

I have to confess, I've only read The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, but I've listened to abridged versions of them all, plus the FOTF radio theatre ones. I know I watched at least the first BBC video, but it was so long ago I can't remember much of it.

I'd have to say that The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe is my absolute favorite, though I like all of them. The movie was awesome, there were only a few things I had trouble with. Like, how in the beavers' house, Peter was set on them going back until Edmund turned up missing. In actuality, he wasn't so ready to go. All in all, it was good, for which I'm relieved - I had high hopes for this movie.

I'm really looking forward to Prince Caspian...I hope they do all seven books!

Oh, and I have the soundtrack - it's beautiful. The tracks Karin Doyle mentioned are some of my favorites too. I really like The Battle too.
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Post by bookworm »

After I finished my second viewing review of Voyage of the Dawn Treader I considered reviewing the two other Narnia films too to see how they compare. I decided that I wouldn’t rewatch them solely for that purpose, but the next time I was going to watch them anyway I would take some notes and type up some thoughts.
Well, I did and I did, so here they are.
To start with, I already know that The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is the film I appreciate most as far as staying true to the book is concerned. However there are still some discrepancies, as is always expected with a film adaptation. They are certainly less extreme than the ones I wrote about in Dawn Treader and I am not nearly as opposed to them as I was to those, but nonetheless they still cause brief consternation to someone like me who prefers accuracy to the book when reasonably possible.

So for this review I will follow the same pattern as the Dawn Treader review; that is, noting the differences I noticed while watching and presenting my thoughts on them.
I will separate them into the same categories:
Minor Changes - things that are different from the book, causing me to take note, but that are rather overlookable
Major Changes - things that were extremely altered from the book, or alterations of things I feel should remain unchanged

Like I said before, I understand that films based on books are never going to be exactly like the original stories, and I accept that certain things may need changed to make the transition from book to screen feasible.
So, I will once again divide the major changes into the subcategories of:
Acceptable - changes I can deal with because they were understandable in the context of making the film
Disappointing - changes that had no perceptible need to be made other than the filmmakers taking artistic license

If you don’t want to read this because you think I harp too much on how nothing should be changed from books, I understand. But if you do, let’s get started.



Minor Changes:


In the book Mr. Tumnus tells Lucy stories about dancing with the nymphs and dryads. In the movie he doesn’t, he just goes right to playing his flute.
The filmmakers made images of the dances show in the fireplace, so they weren’t completely left out. You have to have read the book to know what that was all about, but it was a nice touch.

In the book they leave the beavers’ dam as soon as they realize the Witch will be coming for them, which gives them time to get away before she starts out. In the movie they aren’t gone by the time the wolves reach the dam, and just barely escape.

There were a number of differences in the Father Christmas scene.
First, in the book he gives the beavers gifts as well, but not in the movie. This isn’t really a problem because it could be insinuated that he drops off the beavers’ gifts at their home later, since they aren’t needed at the present moment like the children’s are.
Second, the order that the presents are presented is changed. In the book he gives them out oldest to youngest, in the movie it’s reversed.
And third, in the book he gives them an additional present before leaving, “something for the moment for you all” which was a pot of tea. In the movie he does not.

There were two differences with the wolf attack.
In the book only Susan gets stuck in the tree, Lucy is able to run away. In the movie both climb the tree.
In the book the other wolf is hiding in the thickets and pointed out by Aslan so they can follow it to Edmund. In the movie the wolves are both attacking and Aslan pins the other one down with his paw until after the fight, then releases it and tells them to follow.

Multiple changes were made to the Witch’s meeting with Aslan.
In the book Aslan only grants the Witch a meeting after she agrees to leave her wand behind. This is omitted from the movie, but it could be suggested that it was simply not observed as the scene opened slightly after that would have taken place.
In the book it was one of the soldiers that dared to Witch to “come and take” Edmund, in the movie it was Peter.
There was a distinct change in the dialogue between Aslan and the Witch, but that will be noted in the next section because it is a more major change.
And when the Witch questions whether Aslan will keep his word and he roars, in the book she “fairly ran for her life” but in the movie she just sits down on her litter.



Major Changes:


One obvious difference from the book is how they actually get into Narnia.

In the book:
The first time, when only Lucy goes, they were just exploring the house and she decided to look in the wardrobe.
The second time, when it’s Lucy and Edmund, they are playing hide and seek and Edmund follows Lucy in.
The third time, when they all go, they are trying to find a place to hide from a tour group looking through the house.
In the movie:
The first time, they are playing hide and seek and Lucy hides in the wardrobe.
The second time, Lucy is checking if Narnia is back and Edmund follows her in.
The third time, the kids break something and hide in there to avoid getting in trouble.
So these events have been both altered and replaced in the film version. However, the details of how and why they go in each time aren’t important, it’s who goes in when that matters, so these are acceptable changes in light of making the sequences fit better in the movie.


Renaming the Eastern Sea.

In the book, Mr. Tumnus tells Lucy that Narnia stretches from the lamppost to Cair Paravel on the Eastern Sea. In the movie, he says on the Eastern Ocean.
This may seem like a small change, but I’m actually placing it in the disappointing category. There was no need I could see to change the word from what it originally was, they just did it. Without a reason for it, I say it should not have been done. I’m sure Lewis gave much thought to what he named things. If he called it a sea, there was probably a reason. Saying ocean instead changes the whole topology of Narnia. There is a difference between a sea and an ocean, it’s not just a different word. And besides all that, I think Eastern Sea sounds better anyway. ‘The Eastern Ocean’ just doesn’t come off the tongue right.


Edmund and Mr. Tumnus.

In the book, Tumnus was already turned to stone when Edmund arrived at the Witch’s house, and he sees him in the courtyard.
In the movie, Edmund meets him in the White Witch’s dungeon.
I can understand this change in the context of the film. It adds to the impact of Edmund realizing what he’s done by his forming a relationship with Tumnus and then seeing him turned to stone. It’s an acceptable change.


When Edmund reveals information.

In the book, Edmund tells the White Witch all he knows right away, that is, his siblings are with the beavers, Aslan is coming, and they are going to the Stone Table.
In the movie, he only reveals a little at a time. When he first meets with the Witch he tells her where his family is, then later to spare his life he tells about Aslan, and still later to save a fox he tells about the Stone Table.
In light of the progression of the film, I think this change is acceptable. It keeps the Edmund and the Witch side-plot going while the other children are doing their part.


The Fox.

The fox is a character that is not in the book. He was introduced in the movie to add to the story of how the Narnians are preparing for battle now that the children have come. That’s acceptable artistic license. The more drastic change isn’t about him actually being introduced, but in how he was introduced.
In the book the Witch turns a group of animals to stone because they say they’ve met Father Christmas. In the movie that confrontation is cut entirely, and instead the children find a group of stone animals much earlier, and it’s revealed that they were turned to stone for trying to help Mr. Tumnus. I suppose this change is acceptable all things considered. At least they kept the essence of the event in there, even though the details were altered.


Edmund’s rescue.

In the book the Witch uses magic to hide herself and the dwarf when the soldiers come to rescue Edmund, but in the movie the Witch isn’t even present and the dwarf gets tied up. This isn’t too important, except that if it had really happened that way the soldiers would have probably taken the dwarf back to Aslan as a prisoner instead of just restraining him, that was why the Witch disguised them in the book.
But in the audio commentary, director Andrew Adamson said that the rescue scene was originally left out of the film because he didn’t think it would be necessary, but when screening the film he noticed people got a little confused without seeing it, so he went back and added it in. He makes the comment that to put it in they had to “repurpose some plates shot for entirely different reasons” so it sounds like that scene was actually from something else that was cut from the film and not originally meant to be the rescue scene, so if that’s true then it’s perfectly acceptable because he was doing the best he could with what he had.


Aslan and the Witch.

In the movie Aslan ferociously rebukes the Witch for explaining her claim on Edmund’s life “Do not cite the Deep Magic to me Witch, I was there when it was written.” but in the book it’s the other way around, with the Witch asking “Have you forgotten the Deep Magic?” and Aslan replying “Let us say I have forgotten it, tell us of this Deep Magic.” after which the Witch chides Aslan for suggesting that he need be told what was written on the Stone Table and other places. Although I can appreciate why the change was made for the film, I have to label it as disappointing because it was such a drastic alteration of the original dialogue that wasn’t extremely necessary.


Phillip, Edmund’s horse.

This one really upsets me; it is definitely in the unacceptable category.
In one of the scenes leading up to the battle, Edmund and Peter are practicing sword fighting on horseback and Edmund’s horse says his name is Phillip. This was obviously just put in by the filmmakers to get a laugh, because nowhere in the actual battle does Edmund ride a horse.
That scene alone isn’t a problem. If they had left it at that it would have gotten a chuckle and all would be well. But, at the end of the movie, when the kids are grown up and out riding, Edmund’s horse speaks again, revealing that it is still Phillip.
This is intolerable. The books make it clear that no one would dare ride a talking horse when not in time of war, because the talking beasts are equal to humans in Narnia. During the battle it was okay, but years later there is no way someone would still be riding it, especially not the king!
An inexcusable oversight by the filmmakers.


Telling the army about Aslan’s death.

In the book, no one but Lucy and Susan know Aslan was killed.
In the movie, they send the message back through the trees so the army would know.
I have to put this one on the disappointing list. While at first thought it seems sensible that they would tell the army about something so important, don’t forget that if they were meant to then Lewis would have had them do it as well. He didn’t, and actually makes a point about the fact that no one else knew what happened. After the battle, Susan and Lucy have a discussion about whether they should tell Edmund how Aslan sacrificed himself for him, and decided not to because it would have been too awful for him. But to be fair, before this was made an absolutely final decision they were interrupted, so it could be thought perhaps they told him later and it just wasn’t mentioned in the book, but that may be assuming a bit much on the part of the reader.
In the commentary, director Andrew Adamson acknowledges that this was a “big change” from the book where the army goes off to battle without knowing anything had happened to Aslan, but he said they changed it because it seemed “strange” that the girls wouldn’t have let their brothers know what happened.


Aslan resurrecting the statues.

In the book, the first statue Aslan brings back to life is the lion that Edmund drew on.
In the movie, it’s Mr. Tumnus.
I’ll let this go in the acceptable category since it made for a touching reunion scene between Tumnus and Lucy which made time for Aslan to bring back some other statues before the scene ended, making the events that would follow clearer.


Lucy using her cordial.

After the battle, in the book Lucy is hesitant to give the wounded her healing cordial.
In the movie, she is very eager to do so.
This one is hard to label. I want to say disappointing because it’s an important part of the book, yet I can appreciate why it wouldn’t have fit very well in this scene of the movie. In the movie Lucy doesn’t need any encouragement at all to start using her cordial on the fallen, she does it immediately without even a word from Aslan. But in the book, she is reluctant to use it on others because she isn’t sure if she’s given Edmund enough yet, and Aslan actually sternly rebukes her saying “Must more people die for Edmund?”
This change was actually pointed out by the director Andrew Adamson himself. In the audio commentary he said that he didn’t put it in the film because it seemed like “such a downer at such a victorious moment” which I can understand, but it was kind of supposed to be. It was making the point that although Lucy had a great connection with Alsan, she still wasn’t completely following his wishes yet. She was more concerned about her brother than the others that were dying. It may have also been making a point about trust, or lack of trust, because Father Christmas told her that one drop was all that was needed, yet she repeatedly asked if she had given Edmund enough.
Andrew did acknowledge that it wouldn’t be right to completely leave it out though, so he said he tried to convey it silently rather than with a verbal rebuke. If you look carefully, you do see that Aslan gives Lucy a nod before she heads off. You have to be looking for it to notice it, but it makes me feel better that it was put in there. I would have liked it better if it had been put in words, but I suppose all things considered it’s better this way movie-wise. And I’m glad to know it was given serious thought by the director, that’s good to hear.


Queen Susan the Gentle.

In the book Susan is crowned ‘Queen Susan’ but when given her subtitle is just ‘Susan the Gentle’ while all the others retain their royal title.
In the movie, she is crowned as Queen Susan the Gentle.
I also have mixed feelings on how to label this one.
Once again I want to say disappointing because something like that has to be intentional on Lewis’s part, but once again I can understand why in this scene that change would have been made.
I never understood why Lewis didn’t call Susan a Queen after the coronation. Aslan himself said once a king or queen in Narnia, always a king or queen. She is definitely a queen in office, why doesn’t she get to be one in title? The only idea I can come up with is maybe that was a little foreshadowing of how Susan is the one that eventually falls away to no longer be a friend of Narnia.
But whether that’s the reason or not, in this particular scene of this particular film, as a stand alone movie, there’s no indication of what is to come for her. So I think that although this was almost certainly intentional in the book, the change can be accepted in the movie for the sake of bringing a feeling of inclusion and completion to the scene.



Those are all the changes I noted, but there are a few other things I have to mention.
These are things that were not changed, and I have to commend the filmmakers for them.


When Lucy first finds the wardrobe room the book mentions that there was a dead bluebottle (a kind of fly) on the windowsill. With so many other things being changed in the movie, I was surprised that the filmmakers made it a point to include that small detail. Although in the film it isn’t dead yet, but still it’s remarkable to me that they would purposefully include that.

The silver apple container that Professor Kirke has was an intentional allusion to the apple he brought back from Narnia as a boy. (Spoiler Alert) He brought one back to cure his mother and then planted the seeds from it which grew into the tree that the wardrobe was made from, explaining why it became a portal to Narnia. This was very clever on the filmmakers’ part, and I salute them for it.

The book says that Cair Paravel was decorated with peacock feathers.
In the movie, the stained glass window behind the thrones has a distinct peacock feather pattern. Also, there is a peacock-like artifact in the niche to the side.
In the audio commentary, the production designer Roger Ford said that was very intentional.
I was quite pleased to hear that they purposefully influenced their design from the book. It gives a sense that they really do care.



So there it is. Looking back, I can confirm what I was already pretty sure of: This film did an extremely better job of staying true to the book than Voyage of the Dawn Treader. And it was just as good of a movie too, so that proves it can be done.

Next time I watch Prince Caspian I’ll take some notes on it too and then I can compare all three.
My other Narnia reviews: Prince Caspian, Voyage of the Dawn Treader
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Post by Jesus' Princess »

Wow, that was a really nice review Bookworm. I enjoyed reading it.
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Post by TigerintheShadows »

Wow, this is nice. I'm now considering doing something like this for HP, although I'll probably post it on my FanFiction forum since it wouldn't get a good reception here. ;) All the same, the way you noted every detail, every discrepancy from the book, definitely reminded me of how I react to the HP movies. I enjoyed reading this, bookworm. 'Twas very nice.
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Post by Aeva »

(If you do write reviews for the Harry Potter movies, Tiger, would you be willing to PM them to me? Although I have not read the books and don't think I ever will, I do like the movies and would enjoy reading your reviews. :) )
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Post by Marvin D. »

I liked it, even if I skipped through some of it :anxious: Good job \:D/
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Post by Knight Fisher »

Your review was good. But I despise these movies. But I am a book purist.
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