Prince Caspian

[NoHall]

Anyone else seen it? What did you think?

I'm an absolute freak when it comes to these books, and I am the reigning local champ when it comes to the minutiae/trivia of the Chronicles of Narnia. Besides that, I think that Lewis' storytelling is near perfect, so whenever they stray from the dialogue at all, I flinch and go, "Huh?!"

Although I've thought both of these movies were worth the price of admission, to the entire community's surprise, I didn't buy The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe on DVD when it came out. I was too upset by the changes in the story and the nuances that were added. I think it mostly bothered me because I truly wanted to love the movie. One of Lewis' stepsons, Douglas Gresham, is involved in the production. He has been working on having quality movies made from the books for ages--I heard him speak about it when I lived in Nashville. I really wanted to see a very well done movie (which it was) made that followed the books faithfully (which it didn't.)

I'm still a big fan of the animated version that came out a million years ago...it stuck to the script...

 

[Rudyjohn]

ah, these were my son's favorite books. He never really liked the Harry Potter books because they weren't as good as these.

We saw the The Lion, the witch, etc., and didn't care for it. But I am anxious to see this one. However, the 2 Ebert and Roeper critics said that it was AWFUL!
.

 

[barefootguy]

We saw it and loved it.

I can't wait til my daughter is able to read the books. I tried reading them to her, but it's not good enough. You really need to be able to get caught up into the whole story to truly experience it.

The movie was great but can't be as good as reading the book.

I felt the same with Lord of the Rings. The movies were great, but you've got to read the books.

 

[scooterbug44]

I saw it (missed the first 10-15 minutes) and didn't think it was as good as the first one. Some cool scenes & ideas, but it felt like the 2nd Rings movie - like I was just getting fed filler/the connector for the next installment.

 

[DuneLaker]

I plan on seeing. Will compare to classic BBC version which you can purchase in a three dvd pack that includes Disc 1 - The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe; Disc 2 - Prince Caspian and The Voyage of The Dawn Treader and Disc 3 - The Silver Chair. The BBC production is dated now, but it does include a recipe for Turkish Delight.

 

[NoHall]

I plan on seeing. Will compare to classic BBC version which you can purchase in a three dvd pack that includes Disc 1 - The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe; Disc 2 - Prince Caspian and The Voyage of The Dawn Treader and Disc 3 - The Silver Chair. The BBC production is dated now, but it does include a recipe for Turkish Delight.

IF YOU DON'T WANT ANY DETAILS AT ALL, DON'T READ THIS. (minor spoilers.)

I never did really like that version, but I admit that I didn't get past the 1st one. I like that this one conveys the excitement of the story (which, to me, didn't read in the BBC version).

What puzzles me is that Lewis' storytelling skills are amazing. I think I loved the books as a child so well because I could visualize the story in my head easily. In Prince Caspian, several chapters are devoted to the dwarf Trumpkin telling the children the story of Caspian's life. Lewis says something to the effect of "This is the story he told them, without all the children's questions and interruptions." Then the book launches into flashback, which would be really easy to do in the movie. I don't understand why they changed the order of the story the way they did.

One of the things I didn't mind was the addition of some love interest in Susan's character. She also talks about getting used to the idea that she lives in England, not Narnia. It's foreshadowing--(spoiler) in one of the later books Lucy says that she is only interested in lipstick and boys and thinks it's funny how the others still talk about the games they played as children. She never returns to Narnia.

(I read an interview with J.K. Rowling criticizing the Chronicles specifically for this reason--she said that the implication was that sexual awareness will keep you out of heaven. I doubt that was Lewis' meaning--I took it to mean that you simply should not store up your treasure on earth; if the things of the temporal world are the only things that matter, then they are all you will have.)

I was glad of this change, because I remember being shocked by the sudden revelation of Susan's desertion when I was a child. But they have also added a real dark side to Peter's character that was never implied in the original books. I don't like it at all...it almost seems to me that they are saying that since he is a teenager and an eldest child he is bound to be selfish. Lewis wrote his mistakes in the story, but his Peter was a young man of good character (which is not unheard of.)

(Another spoiler alert) They also left a chunk out of Caspian that involved some of the children seeing Aslan while others didn't, and a debate over following him or not. They cut this part, which was good-sized, down to a very diluted scene. I always considered this to be the primary point of the story, and I was really bothered to see it swapped for a fabricated sideline regarding Peter's ego.

Okay...I could go on about this for a week. Love these books....

 

[DuneLaker]

NoHall: You are so right. The BBC version is well ... a BBC version. But, I still like to watch it once or twice a decade. I'll also agree with you on other points about Peter being a young man of good character. Not having quite the background as you on this, I had never heard J.K. Rowling's comments. Perhaps it might have seemed that Lewis felt that way, but he did eventually marry. I did enjoy the movie, Shadowlands, about his love affair and eventual marriage late in life. I have all these dvds. Perhaps I'll have to have a rainy day Lewis movie marathon and invite all who would like to watch. If you get bored, you can always go on the back porch and listen to waves. That never bores me.

 

[NoHall]

NoHall: You are so right. The BBC version is well ... a BBC version. But, I still like to watch it once or twice a decade. I'll also agree with you on other points about Peter being a young man of good character. Not having quite the background as you on this, I had never heard J.K. Rowling's comments. Perhaps it might have seemed that Lewis felt that way, but he did eventually marry. I did enjoy the movie, Shadowlands, about his love affair and eventual marriage late in life. I have all these dvds. Perhaps I'll have to have a rainy day Lewis movie marathon and invite all who would like to watch. If you get bored, you can always go on the back porch and listen to waves. That never bores me.

I love Shadowlands! Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger were both so good in that movie that I still imagine Lewis and his wife looking like that.

The books appeal to me because of my deep love for children's literature, but I also recommend them to people on a regular basis because of the simple presentation of theology. His description of heaven (as the "shadowlands") is the most beautiful I've ever heard. I think I've even talked about it on this board before--makes me weep with joy.

I found a book in a stack of sale books once that I really liked. It's a companion to the Narnia books by a guy named Brian Sibley, who has written quite a bit about Lewis. (He has actually written quite a bit about a lot of different authors and books.) It's called The Land of Narnia. Love it...

 

[Kase626]

I read the entire collection in elementary school, so I don't remember exactly what happened. I saw the movie yesterday, and enjoyed it immensely (And not just because Ben Barnes is one of the most gorgeous guys to walk the earth). After reading this thread, I'm gonna go back and reread Prince Caspian for the complete story.

I've always felt like a book and a movie should be looked at as two entirely different entities. They are two completely contrasting works of art; One through image, and the other through words. There are going to be differences and there are going to be similarities, but they should BOTH be appreciated for what they are, instead of what they aren't.

I understand that they should stick to the intended plot line, but when creating a movie, screenwriters have to "telescope time," as my english teacher likes to say. They have to blend a few hundred page book into a 2 hour movie, while still maintaining that magical feeling. So they have to take a few things out and rewrite a few other things to make sure that it's sensible with the story. Unfortunate, but who wants to sit in a theatre for 8 hours?

Alright... I'm done rambling. Basically, I'm just suggesting that you guys give the movie the benefit of the doubt. And just think of how many people will be interested in reading the book now that they've seen the movie!

 

[NoHall]

Sorry, Kase--I wasn't bashing the movie. I really did like it. And I do recommend it.

However...

I agree with the "telescoping time" usually. But this is a children's book. It's only 216 pages. Much simpler than the Harry Potter books, and those stayed pretty true. I just don't understand why they made the fundamental changes in characters and story. These stories are more than 50 years old. After that long, it seems like they could come up with a more authentic screenplay.

As for Ben Barnes, he looks just like a young Keanu Reeves (which is not a bad thing in my book!)

I mentioned this to my brother and he guffawed--he said that explained why he kept thinking "excellent!" with a little air guitar riff every time Caspian did something good.

And does anyone else think it's just a coincidence that young King Peter looks a lot like young Prince William of Wales?