"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe"

Title: "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe"
Director: Andrew Adamson
Producer: Mark Johnson, Perry Moore, Philip Steuer, and Douglas Gresham
Editing: Sim Evan-Jones and Jim May
Composer: Harry Gregson-Williams
Starring:
- William Moseley as Peter Pevensie
- Anna Poppelwell as Susan Pevensie
- Skander Keynes as Edmund Pevensie
- George Henely as Lucy Pevensie
- Tilda Swinton as Jadis, The White Witch
- Liam Neeson as The Voice of Aslan the Lion
- James McAvoy as Mr. Tumnus

Plot and Critical Review: The reviews for today and tomorrow (selected at random, if you recall) will be aimed at the first and second films produced in the cinematic retelling of C.S. Lewis' immortal children's series, "The Chronicles of Narnia." C.S. Lewis wrote "The Chronicles..."between 1949 and 1954 (although the last book was not published until '56), intending them to be a modern fairy tale for children, no more. While many have supposed that Jack (Lewis' nickname) intended the series to be a creative allegory relating to the Christian faith and explaining Christian theology in a way children could understand, that is simply not the case. In his book Of Other Worlds Jack gives this response to such accusations:

"Some people seem to think that I began by asking myself how I could say something about Christianity to children; then fixed on the fairy tale as an instrument, then collected information about child psychology and decided what age group I’d write for; then drew up a list of basic Christian truths and hammered out 'allegories' to embody them. This is all pure moonshine. I couldn't write in that way. It all began with images; a faun carrying an umbrella, a queen on a sledge, a magnificent lion. At first there wasn't anything Christian about them; that element pushed itself in of its own accord."

While this is not of great importance when reviewing a film, it is worth keeping in mind as within this magical tale we will encounter several instances that might have well been transported straight out of the Bible. Even though I am a great fan of the books I will do my best to leave the literary side of "The Chronicles..." at the doorstep as we look at the motion picture, although I admit it may be altogether impossible to disconnect the two. The second half of today's plot synopsis is my rendering of information from Wikipedia. (www.wikipedia.com)

The film begins over London in the year 1940 during The Blitz, the 9-month long bombardment of London by the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force. Among the hundrdeds of thousands in London fearing for their lives is the Pevensie family. The Pevensie children (Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy) are sent to live in the country-side. The Pevensie children were evacuated along with almost 2 million others as part of a government plan to remove children (and others, of course) from the war zone. They arrive at the home of Professor Kirke where they will be staying until it is safe to return home. During a game of hide-and-seek Lucy (the youngest) takes refuge in an old wardrobe. As she backs further and further into the wardrobe to keep herself hidden her hand brushes against something prickly; a branch. She turns around to discover that she isn't in the wardrobe anymore, much less in England. The camera slowly pans away to reveal that she is standing in a snow-covered forest. Along comes a faun, Mr. Tumnus, who invites her to tea. Children must have been much more innocent in 1940 as Lucy barely puts up a fight before accepting. She learns that she's in Narnia, a magical land stuck in an endless winter because of The White Witch, the so-called Queen of Narnia.

Lucy tells her brothers and sister where she went but they don't believe her. Later that night Lucy sneaks back to the wardrobe and Edmund follows, but at a distance so as not to be detected. This time Edmund stumbles into Narnia as well and is nearly run over by a reindeer-drawn chariot carrying The Queen of Narnia. She charms Edmund with hot chocolate and Turkish delight and convinces him to return to Narnia with his siblings. Indeed, she seems far more interested in Edmund's brother and sister's than she does in Edmund even though she promises him as much Turkish delight as he pleases if he returns with the rest of his family. Lucy and Edmund return to the real world. It is not long after all four children take refuge in the wardrobe after accidentally breaking a stained glass window and looking for refuge. As they crowd and push one another they eventually tumble into the snow and they look about in awe...Narnia is real!

They discover Mr. Tumnus has been taken by the Witch's Secret Police and they meet talking beavers who tell them about Aslan (a great Lion who created and is still the true ruler of Narnia). According to the beavers, Aslan is on the move to take the control of Narnia from the White Witch. According to an ancient prophecy two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve (two young men and two young women) will come to the aide of Narnia and fight alongside Aslan and his army.

Edmund sneaks off and visits the Witch alone. When he arrives at her castle she is angry that he did not deliver his brother and sisters and sends a pack of wolves to hunt down the other children and the beavers, who barely escape with the aid of a fox. Meanwhile, Edmund is chained in the Witch's dungeon where he meets Mr. Tumnus in an adjacent cell. The Witch comes down and demands that Edmund tell her where his family is because her police couldn't find them; Edmund tells her some information, but hesitates when Tumnus looks at him, warningly (he also tries to tell the witch that Edmund doesn't know anything, but is injured by Ginnabrik). The witch sees that Tumnus is hindering the information, so she has him "released" and brought over to her. After she tells Mr. Tumnus that it was Edmund's fault that she knew about his involvement, Mr. Tumnus is dragged upstairs and turned into stone, as Edmund sees with a horror when he is brought up.

While Peter, Lucy, Susan, and the beavers are traveling to the Stone Table they are visited by Father Christmas who has gifts for each of them. Warning them that they are tools, not toys, he gives Lucy a bottle of juice of fire-flowers and a dagger; Susan a bow and arrow and a magical horn; and Peter a majestic sword and shield.

Arriving at Aslan's army encampment they finally come into the presence of the great lion. Aslan promises to help Edmund in any way he can. They are also reluctant to participate in a war after fleeing from London. However, they have to save Edmund and Mr. Tumnus and Peter joins Aslan's army. Aslan sends a small company of his soldiers to rescue Edmund.

When Edmund is returned to the encampment Aslan speaks with alone and when he is done tells the other children to forget Edmund's previous actions. They reconcile. The White Witch then arrives and claims that Edmund is her property, based on the "deep magic" of Narnia; it says that traitors belong to her as lawful prey and that she must kill them at the Stone Table. Aslan privately "negotiates" with the White Witch, who agrees to leave Edmund alone. In return, Aslan allows agrees to die in Edmund's place and surrenders to the witch. Later that night Susan and Lucy notice Aslan leaving the encampment alone. After walking with Aslan for a while he tells the sisters to return to camp for they cannot go where Aslan is heading. As they watch in hiding, Aslan approaches the Stone Table where he is humiliated and his mane shaved by the Witch's followers. Finally he is bound and laid before the White Witch herself who plunges a dagger into Aslan, killing him. However, in the morning he is resurrected because "there is a magic deeper still the Witch does not know."

Meanwhile, Edmund persuades Peter to join battle with the Witch's host. At first quite successful, Peter's army soon begins to lose the fight, and Edmund is badly injured, though he has managed to destroy the White Witch's stone-turning staff, her most effective weapon. As she battles with Peter, Aslan soon arrives with reinforcements. She takes advantage of this distraction and disarms him. She is about to stab him when Aslan jumps on her, knocking her to the other side of the cliff and killing her. He then returns to Peter and tells him that "it is finished". Lucy revives Edmund and many others with the fire-flower juice given to her by Father Christmas, while Aslan frees more victims of the White Witch's stone spell.

The Pevensies become Kings and Queens and stay in Narnia until they are older. When chasing a white stag to receive wishes, they find the lamppost and the wardrobe and go back to England, where they magically appear as children again.

My Rating: 7/10

The "Reel Revelation": "Deep Magic - Part 1"

When you hear the word "magic" what is your initial response? What kind of feelings churn within when you hear what some will only acknowledge as the "M-Word"? Like many of the young people living in the world you might think of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Eragon, or any one of the fantastic stories based on the power of magic. In the world of Narnia, however, magic is an altogether different power used for very different purposes. While the magic the White Witch possesses is used in practical ways (the stone spell, for example) to expand her dominion the magic Aslan possesses is much greater and comes from a much different source. In the books that magic is always identified with a capital M. This Magic is "deep" and came from a time long before the world of Narnia ever existed. More importantly, this Magic belongs to Aslan and is at his disposal.

In our own world we are able to identify the presence of different kinds of "magic". I don't mean the spine tingle you get when you open a fortune cookie or hit a jackpot on the first spin. Nor do I mean the wonder we experience when we watch people do things that are nothing less than supernatural. How did David Blane stay in that block of ice for so long?! No no. Here I am speaking of the way we regard sources of influence, how we treat them, react to them, and even revere or worship them. No doubt you've heard the terms "that was magical" or "there's magic in the air." While these phrases are somewhat common we must go deeper and try to ascertain what is actually meant when these words are uttered. We'll look at it in two ways; first discerning the different sources of common influence, those of magic with a small "m". Tomorrow we will search for the greater of the two, the deep Magic of God. The way we'll discern between the two is by what comes as a result of what we experience; the fruit of the forces that move in and through our world.

Take a moment to list some events or experiences you would define as magical. Here are some of the things that first come to my mind:

- A tender kiss.
- The way the flame of a candle moves against the darkness.
- The dramatic ending (finale) of a symphony.
- The beauty of a sunrise.
- Watching people cry during worship.
- The smile of a beautiful woman.
- Falling asleep but remaining awake long enough to know you're entering into a deep dream.

These are all nice things, yes? Magical? You could certainly say that, but for each of these events or experiences there is a very practical and logical explanation. Emotion, physics, natural physical response, REM, sympathy, and empathy all cause us to respond in very human ways to these and countless other stimuli. Why call it magical, then, as if the way we perceive the world is controlled by a power entirely outside ourselves? We must be careful to not give too much credit to the "magic" we attribute to the feelings within; to place our trust in emotions and responses easily explained but still embraced in their mystery alone.

For those who do not know me let me say that I am an absolute romantic; an "incurable" romantic, as someone once said. Because of this sensitivity to all things emotional it is difficult for me to suggest with any amount of honesty that we disregard the unexplained. I would much prefer to think endlessly on wonder of a kiss , for example, and to let that wonder remain locked in mystery altogether. But at what cost?

Among other sayings you've no doubt heard the phrase or have been encouraged to "chase that feeling!" What does that mean? Borrowing the example of a kiss I wonder what it means to "chase" that particular feeling. Does that mean I should kiss as many people as possible until I feel the way I do when I first encountered the feeling worth "chasing"? While I may eventually find that same emotion I will no doubt leave a trail of emotional wreckage behind me in my effort to recreate that "magical" moment. And when I finally reach that feeling what will I do next? No doubt "chase" after it all over again and leave another embarrassing trail of emotional wreckage that will only bear further testament to my foolishness. Not only is this type of behavior the foundation of almost every addiction; it is an indication that the "magic" people believe to be in the world will never satisfy or be satisfied by itself. What kind of "chase" is that?!

There's much to be said about our perceptions of the world around us and how we regard the unseen (but powerfully felt) forces that crash against our souls on a daily basis. For now I encourage you to think on the "magic" you've been chasing in your own life. How long have you been chasing after that feeling, that high, that encounter that will finally satisfy whatever craving is deep within you? Be honest with yourself as we prepare to explore the Deeper Magic; the "Magic" of God.

See you tomorrow - E.T.