Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe
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A Buena Vista release of a Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media presentation of a Mark Johnson production. Produced by Johnson, Philip Steuer. Executive producers, Andrew Adamson, Perry Moore. Co-producer, Douglas Gresham.
Screenplay: Ann
Peacock, Adamson, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, (based on the
book by C.S. Lewis.) Rating: PG Column Rating: Must See See with Children? Yes, for most, however, scenes toward the end of the film really ‘push the envelope’ of PG, as they ramp up to a violently graphic battle, and may warrant a look-see first, before allowing tikes to view. Disney provides an exquisitely crafted special effects voyage into C.S. Lewis’ world of Narnia—a celluloid masterpiece—and a satisfying movie experience. Four siblings cross an enchanted threshold into a world populated not by humans, but strange beings of myth and legend: unicorns and centaurs, fauns and phoenix birds, giants and dwarfs who all live side by side with animals of every sort—and they all talk, have political persuasions and bad hair days. As strangers to Narnia, the children learn most of Narnia was loyal to a regal Lion considered to be their once and forever king, although for one hundred years, a fearsome (and oddly human looking) Witch has pretended to his throne, enslaving any beings she wishes, dealing a cryogenic limbo with her wand to any who displease her. Fear of her anger reigns in Narnia when the children arrive. Incidental to the story, which leads up to this crucial passage into Narnia, is an interesting historical snippet about London, circa WWII. Enduring increasingly destructive German air raids, British families outside the besieged city received London’s ‘ticket labeled’ children into their country homes. One such home was offered for the Pevensie children, which is how they came to be in the mansion of a wealthy and mysterious recluse, Professor Kirke (excellently done by Jim Broadbent, a veteran actor with nearly 75 big and small screen characterizations under his belt). The youngest of these four children, Lucy Pevensie (Georgie Henley), accidentally tumbled from the rear of an enchanted Wardrobe in her world straightaway into another, equally dangerous world. Henley, in a charismatic debut performance as Lucy more than adequately fills the ‘lead’ role. Fellow actors Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, and Anna Popplewell, are Lucy’s siblings Edmond, Peter and Susan. Fourteen-year-old Keynes and Eighteen-year-old Moseley are also new to the big screen. Sixteen-year-old Popplewell, most recently in Girl With A Peal Earring, is a bit more experienced with her six big screen appearances, lending her Susan an air of sophisticated authority which works for this ‘oldest girl’ role. Georgie Henley charms the ‘lead’ out from under her fellow actors. All are charming and round out the four Pevensie siblings displace by the war. Homesick, bored and left to their own devices, they explore the grounds and the many rooms of the Kirke manse. On one rainy day they play hide-and-seek. Young Henley’s Lucy filled the bill for the Lewis version of a young heroine. She loses out to the older ones and must search deeper into the unknown maze of rooms, one of which is empty, save for an ornate, and oversized Wardrobe. Henley’s soft-eyed manner was perfect, her acting genuinely a pleasure to watch, as her Lucy tentatively picks her way through the snow just outside the Wardrobe. Her first encounter with the faun who befriends Lucy works well. Twenty-five year old James McAvoy engagingly brings Mr. Tumnus to graceful life, in his ninth big screen characterization of his ten-year career. McAvoy’s Mr. Tumnus causes the viewer to set aside WWII reality for the time, as the wily faun lures her to his cave home for tea—and a trap. As he gets to know Lucy, he regrets his self-serving ways, mournfully asking Lucy’s forgiveness while he sets her wise to the dangers and wonders of Narnia. She returns safely to the Wardrobe. Her brothers and sister dismiss her childish excitement, until an occasion when they follow her into the Wardrobe to avoid getting in trouble from the housfrau. Pushing for room amongst the hanging fur coats, the oldest topples onto the snowy forest floor just back of the Wardrobe. After recovering from the shock of this snowbound reality, and apologizing propertly to Lucy, they borrow some of the furs and set out to explore a bit. And that made four humans come to Narnia. In short order they not only learn that Mr. Tumnus is in trouble for befriending Lucy, a human, but that there is a prophecy of four humans coming to save them all from the White Witch, Ice Queen and harsh monarch, who is dominating the lands with her scorcery. Veteran actor Tilda Swinton is magnificently ominous as the Witch, deftly portraying a steely eyed and believably dispassionate, utterly fearsome ruler Witch. Her costumes, hair and makeup support her chilly interactions with everyone. She appears human, which is out of context in this mish-mash of Gryphons, Satyrs, Hags and such, her minions of her frozen lands. Swinton brings Lewis’ warrior White Witch into vile relief. Her credible Witch means to see the Pevensie brood dead, to prevent the prophecy from coming true, of their presence causing her demise. Lewis’ story Witch is in danger, and so the Pevensie siblings are in danger. They have come to a world divided, awaiting a war that must surely come. The followers of the icy pretender to the thrown must defend her from those devoted to their beloved King, Aslan, who is returning to free Narnia, with the Pevensie brood’s help. Liam Neeson performs the voice of Aslan, the Lion, lending the noble King a majestic timbre of voice equal to the undertaking, as Aslan moves about, interacting with his people, wise and regal. Aslan, a superbly rendered and kingly special effects lion, has been ‘gone.’ He returns as the children make their way across the land, to meet him—and their destinies. Noteworthy are some understated tidbits: Deep Magic reinforces the governance of all of Narnia. The White Witch wielded her magic to put Narnia in the ‘deep-freeze’ and usurp Aslan. On the other hand, Aslan, a magician of the realm, has read the ‘fine print’ of the Deep Magic inscriptions, and uses his knowledge to deceive the White Witch. Her seeming triumph is her undoing, but in the interim, her ferocious participation in the ensuing battle is a marvel of conviction, and interweaves with all the feats of the newly battle-trained Pevensie allies of Aslan. The continued presence of the prophesied humans, coupled with the return of Aslan, causes Narnia to wake from its wintry slumber, the thawing rivers once again rushing down the mountain sides, the trees flowering into springtime glory. Aslan’s forces camp in the hills above a plain to match any movie battle landscapes. As they move into position at one edge of this great valley, the White Witch’s swollen ranks flow over the other, with the White Witch driving a polar bear-drawn chariot. (By an accident of latitude in our world, wolves and polar bears are with the snow-bound Witch’s troops in Lewis’ Narnia…no matter, they are still good guys in ours). This filmic adventure transitions flawlessly from C. S. Lewis’ book to the big screen. Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe endures as his most memorable work…the heroes are truly heroic, especially when marred by human weakness and failings. Anyone who has read Lewis knows that the Narnia series is rich with admirable characters, complex villains and a plethora of misshapen, misbegotten beings of the worlds of magic and myth, as well as a good many of the animals of our world, talking and thinking, albeit filled with a rather anthropomorphic set of very familiar values, capable of absolute corruption and have recognizable qualities and behavior. Huge kudos are deserved by the massive and highly skilled film crew that breathed life into his story, creating his fantasy in vivid ‘reality’ on the big screen. Three writers assisted in the screenplay adaptation with Andrew Adamson, who also was the Director. Of course, this type of undertaking required a massive crew of stunt people, computer graphics and animation technicians, special effects makeup, hair and prosthetics artists, sculptors and costume designers and digital compositors—with their craftsmanship, cloven-hoofed Mr. Tumnus trotted about agile as a faun should. The Centaurs are brilliant special effects characters. Mr. & Mrs. Beaver’s facial expressions looked like what Ray Winstone and Dawn French probably looked like as they spoke the beaver’s words. Hilarious. State-of-the-art special effects and graphical work interweave seamlessly with the actors. Impressive. C. S. Lewis’ beliefs and philosophical perspectives survive him in his works, creating so many timeless sagas. Lewis makes distinctions of right and wrong contrasted expertly with compassion and forgiveness. His evil characters are superlative villains of striking conflict, outdone—not by their own duplicity—but by the righteousness of the good, and usually heroic champions they wish to defeat. Chronicles of Narnia does not disappoint—either the book, or the movie. Harry Gregson-Williams' score satisfies, as does the locations, from New Zealand, to Poland, the Czech Republic, England and Guatemala.
Camera (Technicolor,
Panavision widescreen), Donald M. McAlpine; editors, Sim Evan-Jones, Jim
May; music, Harry Gregson-Williams; production designer, Roger Ford;
supervising art director, Ian Gracie; art directors, Karen Murphy, Jules
Cook, Jeffrey Thorp; set decorator, Kerrie Brown; costume designer, Isis
Mussenden; sound (Dolby Digital/DTS/SDDS), Tony Johnson; sound designer,
Richard Beggs; supervising sound editors, George Watters II, Beggs;
re-recording mixers, Terry Porter, Dean A. Zupancic; visual effects
supervisor, Dean Wright; visual effects supervisors, Jim Berney, Scott
Farrar, Bill Westenhofer; special visual effects and animation, Sony
Pictures Imageworks, Industrial Light & Magic; visual effects, Rhythm &
Hues; creature and visual concept designer, armor and weapons, Richard
Taylor, WETA Workshop; special makeup and creatures, Howard Berger,
Gregory Nicotero; associate producer-assistant director, K.C. Hodenfield;
second unit director, Phil Neilson; second unit camera, Brad Sheild,
Dick Pope; stunt coordinator, Allan Poppleton; casting, Pippa Hall, Gail
Stevens. Reviewed at ArcLight Cinemas, Los Angeles, Nov. 22, 2005. MPAA
Rating: PG. Running time: 139 MIN.
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