Prince Caspian, the movie

I have seen Prince Caspian, the new Narnia movie. As others have said, it isn't the same as the book. What movie is?

For one thing, there is more fighting in the movie, including an attempt to take King Miraz's castle, which isn't in the book at all. For another, Susan is much more active in the fighting than C. S. Lewis would have wanted. And the score is loud, to go along with the fighting. But it's a good enough movie, and Aslan, and honor, and not taking personal vengeance, are elevated. Georgie Henley, as Lucy, is splendidly appealing, as she was in the previous Narnia movie.

Here's a quote from the book (not the movie):
"You come of the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve," said Aslan. "And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor in Earth. Be content." Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia. New York: Collier Books, 1970. pp. 210-211. To Caspian, who wishes that he had come from a more honorable lineage.

Thanks for reading. See the movie.

Narnia movie: The Georgie Henley show

My wife and I went to see the new Narnia movie yesterday, and enjoyed it a lot. We agreed that Georgie Henley, who is currently 10 years old, was a great Lucy. And, since Lucy has the largest part in the movie, that was good for the movie. I'd say that she was Lucy.

If you are looking for a lot of stuff on the web about this young lady, you aren't going to find it. But that's OK. Even movie stars aren't defined by what you can locate with Google. Will she go on to become a great actress? Will this be her only role? (See Mary Badham, who basically had just one role, as a 10-year-old, in a great movie, but presumably has gone on to lead a decent and productive life as a non-star.) Who knows? I hope she isn't spoiled by any success that comes from this.

What about the movie? If you are looking for reviews, lots of them, see here, also here for one that didn't make the extensive Christianity Today list.

Did the film follow the book, The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe? Not exactly. There were a number of tweaks. One was adding a little material at the beginning about World War II. (I had forgotten, but Arevanye reminded me, that C. S. Lewis, himself, had children from London stay with him during the bombing.) You can read about changes from the book in many of the movie reviews from the previous paragraph. Some changes, at least, are to be expected when you change from a relatively short book to a movie. No doubt there will be many arguments on the pros and cons of these changes. I won't contribute to such arguments here.

Did the film portray Isaiah 53:5? ("But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." Handel used this KJV text as part of his great Messiah.) In my opinion, yes. That was the central Christian message in the book, and it remains so in the film.

Did the film have a sense of wonder, of joy, characteristics of the book, and of the writing of Lewis, generally? Yes. No doubt much of the credit goes to the producer, director, and their many assistants, but a lot of it goes to Georgie Henley.

Thanks for reading. Enjoy the film, if you haven't already.