Hollywood's Version of Narnia
In retrospect, I guess it was silly to convince myself that Hollywood would retain the essence of a The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in its upcoming feature film adaptation, due out next Friday. In a recent interview with Andrew Adamson, its clear that the film's Director just doesn't get it.
"I didn't think a lot about the religious aspect of the film," said Adamson. "I know people have interpreted the book in many different ways over different years.....I don't know if C.S. Lewis really intended it to be allegorical, but he definitely wrote from a place of his own belief."
Didn't think about the religious aspect of the film? Interpreted in many different ways? Listen, I understand that when kids read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe they may not immediately see the Gospel story jump off the page. But Lewis, although cautious never to characterize Chronicles as an 'allegory', (late in life he said he didn't intend the series to be allegorical initially, but realized there was really no other way to interpret it), was very clear in his spiritual intentions. If Hollywood is going to take on a movie adapted from a book by one of the most revered authors in modern history, Hollywood cannot alter its core message without some understandable public backlash.
Adamson then went on to argue with the interviewer that Aslans' death has nothing in common with Jesus' death and resurrection. More disturbing is Adamson's interpretation of Aslan's confrontation with the White Witch near the end of the book.
"There's a moment where Aslan and the White Witch stare at each other at the end as if they're both accepting their fate. He's going to have to kill her. She accepts that she's going to be killed. And to me I didn't want to send home the message that war is an ideal solution. I wanted Aslan to actually regret the fact that he's going to have to kill the White Witch."
(Sigh) Oh yes, I do remember that portion of scripture where Christ is sad and upset about defeating sin. Is there anything worse than the misinterpretation of a great character of literature for the advancement of the director's/studio's political ideas?
In the end, I'm sure the film will be a visual masterpiece. Adamson proved his worth with Shrek. The trailer itself gave me goosebumps. But the most remarkable aspect of Chronicles is its allegory, something I fear may be lost on its viewers.
"I didn't think a lot about the religious aspect of the film," said Adamson. "I know people have interpreted the book in many different ways over different years.....I don't know if C.S. Lewis really intended it to be allegorical, but he definitely wrote from a place of his own belief."
Didn't think about the religious aspect of the film? Interpreted in many different ways? Listen, I understand that when kids read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe they may not immediately see the Gospel story jump off the page. But Lewis, although cautious never to characterize Chronicles as an 'allegory', (late in life he said he didn't intend the series to be allegorical initially, but realized there was really no other way to interpret it), was very clear in his spiritual intentions. If Hollywood is going to take on a movie adapted from a book by one of the most revered authors in modern history, Hollywood cannot alter its core message without some understandable public backlash.
Adamson then went on to argue with the interviewer that Aslans' death has nothing in common with Jesus' death and resurrection. More disturbing is Adamson's interpretation of Aslan's confrontation with the White Witch near the end of the book.
"There's a moment where Aslan and the White Witch stare at each other at the end as if they're both accepting their fate. He's going to have to kill her. She accepts that she's going to be killed. And to me I didn't want to send home the message that war is an ideal solution. I wanted Aslan to actually regret the fact that he's going to have to kill the White Witch."
(Sigh) Oh yes, I do remember that portion of scripture where Christ is sad and upset about defeating sin. Is there anything worse than the misinterpretation of a great character of literature for the advancement of the director's/studio's political ideas?
In the end, I'm sure the film will be a visual masterpiece. Adamson proved his worth with Shrek. The trailer itself gave me goosebumps. But the most remarkable aspect of Chronicles is its allegory, something I fear may be lost on its viewers.
posted by JP at 12:48 PM
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