Will "Prince Caspian" be better than "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"?

I'm referring to the films, just to be clear. Of course, the answer won't be known until the "Prince Caspian" film is released next weekend. I, for one, was not entirely taken with the first movie. I didn't think it was horrible by any means, but it left me a bit cold, flat, detached. Anyhow, Christianity Today has an interview with director Andrew Adamson, and he talks about the expectations and pressure of making the film:

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was one of the top 30 movies of all time internationally. What kind of pressure does that put on you?

No additional weight that wasn't already there with this property. The beloved nature of the book—and how much import I place on staying true to it—has already put a load on me, and I feel it. Certainly following up a successful film, you feel like you have to live up to expectations. But to some degree, I went through that with Shrek, where the first one was a bit under the radar, and the second one, you had a lot more people watching you, and you didn't want to disappoint them.

With The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, so many fans of the book already had high expectations. And that's something you're very conscious of when making a film—and it's hard. There's always an adaptation process. Things do change from book to screen, and you ask, "Did I make the right changes?" The other thing I do is refer to my memory—I zero in on the things I remember from reading the book as a child. Those are the things it's important to be true to. <snip>

Do you tire of all of the nitpicking questions from the diehard fans, including me?

It's a mixed blessing. You get positive things, and you get the negative too. But it's inevitable, and you can't tackle something like this without accepting that it's going to happen—and you're not going to make everyone happy. Even if I stayed true to the book word for word, I don't believe I could make a movie that would make every fan happy. I talked to [Lord of the Rings director] Peter Jackson about this, and asked, "How true did you stay to the books?" And he said, "I'm getting credit for staying true to the books, but I changed a lot." He said you can change stuff, as long as it's good.

Christian readers are among the most devoted Narnia fans, and Lewis is revered in evangelical circles. Do you feel any sort of responsibility to the Christian audience?

I feel my responsibility to C. S. Lewis's fans is just being true to the books, and letting people take from it what they will. What you take from it depends on your belief, and how much interpretation you place upon it. I think by staying true to the book, I'm staying true to what any fan gets from the book.

Read the entire interview.

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• C.S. Lewis and the Catholic Church | by Joseph Pearce
• Remembering C.S. Lewis: Recollections of Those Who Knew Him
• Narnia and Beyond: A Guide to the Fiction of C.S. Lewis | Thomas Howard
• C.S. Lewis for the Third Millenium | by Peter Kreeft
• C.S. Lewis' Case for the Christian Faith | by Richard Purtill
• Lord of the Elves and Eldils: Fantasy and Philosophy in C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien | by Richard Purtill
• C.S. Lewis: The Man Who Created Narnia | by Michael Coren
• The Complete Chronicles of Narnia | by C.S. Lewis (single, hardcover volume)
• The Chronicles of Narnia Set | by C.S. Lewis (7-volume set, softcover in case)
• Chronicles of Narnia Set (3 tapes)
• The Life of C.S. Lewis: Through Joy and Beyond (DVD)
• Shadowlands (BBC edition; DVD)
• The Magic Never Ends (DVD)
• Literary Giants, Literary Catholics | by Joseph Pearce
• Literary Converts | by Joseph Pearce

Go here to access several Ignatius Insight articles about C. S. Lewis and various Inklings.

Comments

[SDG]

And, of course, there are really two questions: Will it be a better film? and Will it be a better adaptation? :-)

The Thomas Howard book particularly (fka C.S. Lewis: Man of Letters) is wonderful (like all Howard's stuff).

[Sandra Miesel]

I watched Narnia I last Saturday and found it clumsier than the first viewing. Some parts are very good (Lucy and Tumnus) but on the whole it's stodgy. The teaser they showed had a glimpse of Reepicheep but that voice was WRONG! And if he turns out to be smart aleck instead of courtly, I will be peeved. The trailer makes Narnia II look rather over-produced. It cost as about much to make as all three LOTR films.

[SDG]

"I watched Narnia I last Saturday and found it clumsier than the first viewing. Some parts are very good (Lucy and Tumnus) but on the whole it's stodgy."

Yes, that's more or less been my experience too. At the time I got some flak from Barbara Nicolosi for not giving it an A rating, but I think my caveats regarding the film have been borne out.

"The teaser they showed had a glimpse of Reepicheep but that voice was WRONG! And if he turns out to be smart aleck instead of courtly, I will be peeved. The trailer makes Narnia II look rather over-produced. It cost as about much to make as all three LOTR films."

Not to give too much away, I think the new film measures up very differently viewed sui generis vs. viewed as an adaptation. And plot-level revisionism functions very differently from thematic revisionism.

[Gail]

I am curious as to why they made Caspian a young man instead of a child, although I suppose it's only because that way the same actor can also star in "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader." (You'll remember that he gets married at the end of it.) The BBC films had a child for one and a young man for the other, and my kids didn't mind. I have very fond memories of my son, five at the time, riding around on his bike in shorts, a plastic helmet and sword, and a gold sequined vest from our dress-up bin charging imaginary armies as Prince Caspian.

My children and I enjoyed the first film thoroughly as a movie, although I think it failed in several respects as a good adaptation of the book. The pop-psychology reason for Edmund's being a jerk would not past muster with Lewis, I think -- he was quite clear that it was school that set him wrong. That, and just wanting to be bad. Most of all I found it infuriating that whiney Peter always wanted to go home. I laughed out loud when he wanted to send the girls back before the battle. How? The frozen river that melted spectacularly a few scenes before would have made that a bit difficult!

But still, it was far superior to most "family" movies and I have high hopes for the second being at least enjoyable. I had to suffer through the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie (see "Ask a Ninja" for a fitting review), I deserve a break!

[Carl Olson]

At the time I got some flak from Barbara Nicolosi....

A reoccurring theme for some strange reason...

[Margaret]

I really didn't care for the whole Peter-as-angst-ridden-pacifist angle in the first movie. That being said, I simply adored the little girl they cast as Lucy. At the time she was practically a doppleganger for one of my daughters. I'm hoping Lucy is still as charming in this one, and I'm curious to see if the resemblance has held up...

[Augustine II]

Whatever you do, avoid the BBC version at all costs!

[SDG]

Margaret: Right on.

Augustine II: Just a little harsh, man.