Worthy Narnia Fantasy
by Spencer Warren
Issue 110 - June 25, 2008

The filming of C.S. Lewis’s children’s fantasy classic The Chronicles of Narnia is a major event for conservatives in the Culture War. The first of the seven stories, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, was released to much acclaim in 2005. Now we have the second story, Prince Caspian, to enjoy during the summer, for it fully meets the high standard set by its predecessor. Both join such movies as the J.R.R. Tolkien Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003), the Harry Potter films (2001-2007), The Lion King (1994), The Nativity Story (2006), Amazing Grace (2007) and Atonement (2007) as proof that there are some people with the funds and talent to make worthy films based on eternal truths for an audience of normal Americans. We are indebted to billionaire Philip Anschutz, owner of Walden Media and Bristol Bay Productions, for producing the Narnia films (all seven stories are planned, with the next one to go into production in the autumn) and also co-producing Amazing Grace, Charlotte’s Web (2006), Bridge to Terabithia (2007) and Ray (2004). In addition, the two companies’ film of Lewis’s Christian apologetic The Screwtape Letters is in production. (Among his many works, Lewis also wrote in 1943 – ahead of its time -- a stout defense of objective truth and a critique of “Men Without Chests,” The Abolition of Man.)

Narnia is the fairy tale land where the four Pevensie children (Peter, Susan, Lucy and Edmund) find themselves fulfilling their solemn duty, leading the battle for goodness, justice and truth against evil. As in the first story, Narnia is “peopled” with talking animals, including here a shrewd badger and a warrior mouse, Reepicheep, and his platoon of fighting mice. “He was of course bigger than a common mouse,” Lewis explains, “well over a foot high when he stood on his hind legs. . . . he wore a tiny little rapier at his side and twirled his long whiskers as if they were a moustache.” The Narnians also include fauns, centaurs, and dwarfs, as well as leopards and other animals. Then, above them, there is the awesome talking lion, Aslan, a figure of power, kindliness and immense wisdom (Liam Neeson provides his voice). Lewis, an Oxford don, wrote The Chronicles of Narnia in the later 1940s and ‘50s, drawing on classical and Norse mythology for his Narnian characters, and on Christian symbolism for his broad themes. (His Oxford colleague Tolkien converted him to Christianity.) In the first story, Aslan, “the son of the great Emperor over-Sea,” sacrifices his life in a torturesome death for the sins of others (“the son of Adam”). His Passion makes possible their redemption. Susan (Anna Popplewell) and Lucy (Georgie Henley) mourn at the site of his ordeal. Later, Aslan returns in life to lead the Narnians to victory in their apocalyptic battle against the satanic White Witch and her mighty army.

In that first story, Peter (William Moseley) has been crowned King of Narnia, but with his siblings is at the end transported back to their lives in 1940s wartime England – not for long, as we discover in Prince Caspian. Time moves quite differently in Narnia, however, and a thousand years have passed. The Old Narnians have been driven from their homes into the forest by the evil Telmarines (the Humans), whose crown has been usurped by a classic villain truly to be reckoned with, King Miraz (Sergio Castellitto). Thus, after only a short time in England, the Pevensie children find themselves back fighting alongside their friends the Narnians.

When all are reunited in the dense forest, King Peter meets young Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes), who had escaped from his uncle Miraz’s castle when he learned he was to be murdered by the usurper and has found refuge with the Narnians. As one of several examples of Lewis’s interest in Christian themes, Caspian says, “I’ve been looking for people like you all my life,” when he meets these unusual talking creatures. They are desperately outnumbered by Miraz’s medieval-like army, but only the youngest, Lucy, has complete faith that Aslan will appear and deliver them. The accomplished director, Andrew Adamson, directs an affecting (if too short) scene portraying the mystery of Aslan’s transcendent spirit. Lucy, alone, is convinced she has sighted him in the forest, pointing to a quiet opening. The others see nothing there, but the delicacy with which Adamson shoots this spot of nature suggests something special had been present. Also special is Lucy’s abiding faith despite the skepticism around her. This is one of the few memorable visual images in the film, which is more focused on narrative drive.

The rest, and the major portion of the film (if not the book), is devoted to truly thrilling battle sequences of the Narnians’ bold attack, followed by the Telmarines’ counter-attack. Their cavalry assault is met by the Narnian archers with a hail of arrows. Then the enemy follows with its phalanxes of infantry, marching relentlessly upon the ruins of the Narnians’ long-ago home, in whose mountain caverns they have now taken refuge. Adamson and his editors show a tremendous command of tempo as they build up these intense, lengthy sequences, keeping the audience (aided by sound effects and the perfectly paced music score by Harry Gregson Williams) at their seats’ edge. And, as in the earlier film, these battles, ferocious as they are, involve no blood or excess – their restraint is right out of Golden Age Hollywood’s old self-censorship Production Code’s rules, which required respect for the sensibilities of a civilized audience. These battle scenes are among the best ever put on screen, as are the absolutely amazing special effects – of the Narnian characters as well as the battle itself. The visual design of the archaic, pseudo medieval sets and costumes also is superb, superior to the Harry Potter movies.

Amidst these epic scenes, the film dramatizes the Christian mercy of King Peter, which is met by treachery in return – Narnia teaches that there are people who embody unregenerate evil, with whom there can be no compromise (liberals take note). Did Lewis have in mind his country and America’s recent victory over such people in the Second World War? The film also shows us Peter, when things look darkest, in a desperate moment of (understandable) weakness – for none of us is perfect -- beginning to fall prey to the seductive temptation of rescue offered by his old antagonist, the satanic White Witch. But the good side fights on against the overwhelming odds; as even Miraz recognizes, “They won’t surrender. They are too noble.” And throughout the ebb and flow of the mighty battle Lucy struggles to prove her faith in Aslan is justified.

As an epic of good versus evil, the Narnia stories are much superior to Rowling’s Harry Potter tales. The realization on screen of this major work by a beloved Christian author has been joyfully welcomed by Christian groups, as one can see from their study guides and other material posted on the internet. Inevitably, some complain about a loss of emphasis of this or that part of the book, but on the whole the first two Narnia films are cause for great celebration – although not to the atheist fantasist Philip Pullman (the recent film The Golden Compass is based on his work), who has complained Lewis is racist because the ogres in one book are dark-skinned, and not to a writer like Britain’s Polly Toynbee, who wrote in The Guardian that “Narnia represents everything that is most hateful about religion” and presents a “Republican” version of Christianity!

The success of the first two Narnia installments is a great compliment to director Adamson, screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and everyone else involved in their production, particularly as the director and screenwriters came to this very ambitious project with quite limited experience – thus demonstrating their inspiring innate talent. It is no easy task to bring off fantasy on screen, combining the human and fantasy elements, as credibly and with such sincerity as they have done here; nothing is fake or tongue-in-cheek, unlike certain other recent adventure films based in the past. And, like the books, the first two films work with equal success for children of all ages – including those of us well into adulthood.

Whether this will be maintained in the third Narnia movie, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, is open to some doubt, as the new director will be Michael Apted, who piloted Amazing Grace with none of the flair Adamson has brought to the Narnia series. (See review here.) But let us hope for the best. The future of this series is important. We need these films for our own epic struggle in the Culture War.

Spencer Warren is ConservativeBattleline On Line's media critic.