Would CS Lewis have protested the new Narnia movie?
11-30-05, 12:49 AM
#1
Would CS Lewis have protested the new Narnia movie?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051129/...arts_narnia_dc
I think he was imagining how it would look with the horrible special effects of his day. I am willing to bet that if he was able to see the modern interpretation, he would be forgiving for it.
And if he was OK with a cartoon version, then a CGI Aslan might not even be a problem for him!
Tue Nov 29, 4:31 AM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - C.S. Lewis, author of the classic children's "Narnia" books which are about to make their big screen debut, was "absolutely opposed" to a live action version of his stories, a newly published letter shows.
Walt Disney's "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" is expected to be a big box office hit this Christmas season, thanks to its blend of magical fantasy themes and a strong Christian slant.
But a letter from Lewis, posted on the literary Web site Nthposition.com, revealed that he had strong feelings about how his book should be used.
"I am absolutely opposed -- adamant isn't in it! -- to a TV version," he wrote to BBC producer Lance Sieveking, who had created a radio version of his book which had met Lewis' approval.
The story tells of four children who travel through a magic wardrobe into the land of Narnia, home to talking animals, a wicked witch and the god-like lion, Aslan.
Disney hopes that the movie, which has its world premiere in London on December 7, will be as big a hit with children as the "
Harry Potter" series, thanks in part to the support of Christian church leaders.
Although Lewis, who died in 1963, said he would have considered a cartoon version, his letter suggests he is unlikely to have approved of Disney's interpretation, particularly its computer-generated Aslan.
"Anthropomorphic animals, when taken out of narrative into actual visibility, always turn into buffoonery or nightmare -- at least with photography," he wrote.
"Cartoons (if only Disney did not combine so much vulgarity with his genius!) would be another matter. A human, pantomime, Aslan would be, to me, blasphemy."
LONDON (Reuters) - C.S. Lewis, author of the classic children's "Narnia" books which are about to make their big screen debut, was "absolutely opposed" to a live action version of his stories, a newly published letter shows.
Walt Disney's "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" is expected to be a big box office hit this Christmas season, thanks to its blend of magical fantasy themes and a strong Christian slant.
But a letter from Lewis, posted on the literary Web site Nthposition.com, revealed that he had strong feelings about how his book should be used.
"I am absolutely opposed -- adamant isn't in it! -- to a TV version," he wrote to BBC producer Lance Sieveking, who had created a radio version of his book which had met Lewis' approval.
The story tells of four children who travel through a magic wardrobe into the land of Narnia, home to talking animals, a wicked witch and the god-like lion, Aslan.
Disney hopes that the movie, which has its world premiere in London on December 7, will be as big a hit with children as the "
Harry Potter" series, thanks in part to the support of Christian church leaders.
Although Lewis, who died in 1963, said he would have considered a cartoon version, his letter suggests he is unlikely to have approved of Disney's interpretation, particularly its computer-generated Aslan.
"Anthropomorphic animals, when taken out of narrative into actual visibility, always turn into buffoonery or nightmare -- at least with photography," he wrote.
"Cartoons (if only Disney did not combine so much vulgarity with his genius!) would be another matter. A human, pantomime, Aslan would be, to me, blasphemy."
And if he was OK with a cartoon version, then a CGI Aslan might not even be a problem for him!
11-30-05, 01:40 AM
#2
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I think as long as the visuals are so bad that they are a detractor from the "message" of the stories, he'd be OK with it. That's without taking into account changes inherent of adaptation, however ....
11-30-05, 05:20 AM
#4
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And if he was OK with a cartoon version, then a CGI Aslan might not even be a problem for him!
).
11-30-05, 08:11 AM
#6
Originally Posted by calhoun07
I think he was imagining how it would look with the horrible special effects of his day. I am willing to bet that if he was able to see the modern interpretation, he would be forgiving for it.
And if he was OK with a cartoon version, then a CGI Aslan might not even be a problem for him!
And if he was OK with a cartoon version, then a CGI Aslan might not even be a problem for him!
But once Industrial Light and Magic proved you can use CGI to create realistic looking (and moving!) fantasy creatures in Jurassic Park, that finally opened the door for fantasy movies to actually look "real" for a change. It was WETA Digital that took ILM's pioneering work and made it possible to do what was once considered impossible: translating the Lord of the Rings into a movie version. WETA Digital is now heavily involved in the special effects for this movie, too.
11-30-05, 01:51 PM
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I don't think we have enough to protest, complain, bicker, and bitch about. I think we need to start worrying about what dead people would protest, complain, bicker and bitch about.
On a related note, do you think Lewis would approve of the newly modified SW Trilogy?
On a related note, do you think Lewis would approve of the newly modified SW Trilogy?
11-30-05, 05:24 PM
#15
Originally Posted by Groucho
But, if he were in a grave, he'd be rolling. Or moving around somewhat I imagine.
11-30-05, 11:46 PM
#16
Originally Posted by calhoun07
And if he was OK with a cartoon version, then a CGI Aslan might not even be a problem for him!
12-01-05, 02:15 AM
#17
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I read a similer version of this story and it mentioned that he wanted to avoid a human in a lion costume ala "Wizard of Oz".
If that was Lewis' only frame of reference I can understand his concerns. There is simply no way he could have envisioned what would be possible.
If that was Lewis' only frame of reference I can understand his concerns. There is simply no way he could have envisioned what would be possible.
