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THE LION THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE
The Chronicles of Narnia
Review by Michael Jacobson
Stars:
Richard Dempsey, Sophie Cook, Jonathan R. Scott, Sophie Wilcox, Barbara
Kellerman
Director: Marilyn Fox
Audio: Dolby Mono
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Studio: Home Vision Entertainment
Features: See Review
Length: 169 Minutes
Release Date: August 27, 2002
I
never read The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but I do understand what
concerns fans of the books had about the movie adaptation.
I've always had similar reservations about The Chronicles of Narnia by
C. S. Lewis. Those were the stories
that captured my imagination growing up, and they created worlds in my mind that
I don't believe any filmmaker could ever properly visualize.
In
the late 80s, the BBC aired a series of made-for-television movies based on the
first four books in the series, and now, thanks to Home Vision Entertainment,
they are finding their way to DVD. I
had never seen them before, but I approached The Lion The Witch and the
Wardrobe with my usual hesitancy.
The
teleplay is faithful to the novel in spirit, but as I suspected (or feared), no
match for Lewis's magical spells that leapt from his pages to our minds so
effortlessly. I think it's a
program that older kids will enjoy, probably more so if they haven't read the
original books. Adults and die hard
fans of the novel might find the length and lack of visual muscularity a bit
tedious. For myself, I enjoyed the
presentation for what it was. The
fact that I yearned for something more was my problem; it may or may not be
yours.
It
re-creates the original opening novel in the series and tells the tale of four
young British siblings, Peter (Dempsey), Susan (Cook), Edmund (Scott), and Lucy
(Wilcox). Sent from London to the
country in the early 40s to escape the Nazi bombings, they find an enchanted
adventure waiting for them in the form of an old wardrobe that magically leads
to another world: the land of
Narnia.
But
all is not well there. An evil
witch (Kellerman), who had declared herself queen, put a bleak spell on Narnia,
making it always winter and never Christmas.
But there is reason to hope her reign is coming to an end.
The arrival of the four children coincide with an old prophecy about two
Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve becoming rulers of the land.
And, it is whispered that Aslan is returning.
Aslan
is the lion of the story, and an all-powerful and nearly godlike being.
His purity of heart allows for him to make the ultimate sacrifice, which
eventually ensures that good will conquer evil.
In
life, C. S. Lewis was also a noted Christian theologian (a layman, in his own
words), and The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe is a fantasy filled with
Christian ideas for those who are paying attention…at the heart of the story
is an innocent sentient who is put to death to pay the price for a wayward
individual, but returns to life to vanquish evil. For those who aren't paying attention, the story is rich,
absorbing and rewarding simply in its own right.
I'm
guessing the budgets weren't particularly big for these films.
Narnia is created mostly by snow and woods.
The Beaver couple are so badly costumed as to be almost vaudevillian.
And Aslan is little more than a big Muppet…hardly the omnipotent being
of our memory. Then again, no
physical representation of Aslan might have been satisfactory…even a well
trained real lion would have fallen short with all my imagination ascribed to
him.
The
cast ranges from good to very good, with my favorite turns being Barbara
Kellerman's hammy portrayal of the witch, and young Richard Dempsey's
earnest turn as Peter. The running
time is long, but it is a necessary commodity in order to capture the essence of
the novel with some degree of faithfulness.
Ultimately,
it's for the kids, and I don't see why most older kids wouldn't enjoy what
this presentation has to offer. For
fans, expectations are high, and some disappointment is inevitable.
But overall, with limited resources and an honest, if lacking attempt at
preserving the spirit of the original novel, it's an offering that might just
merit a look anyway.
Video
**1/2
The
Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe was originally shot on video for television, and as
such, there are limitations inherent in the transfer. In some scenes, colors and detail are strong, in others, they
are softer and murkier. Some
visible video “noise” is apparent from time to time, especially during
darker sequences, but nothing much could be done about it…again, fault the
source material. There's nothing
about it that would warrant avoiding the title, to be sure, but it won't be
one of your reference discs.
Audio
**
The
mono soundtrack is perfectly fine…most of the audio is derived from dialogue
and occasional musical cues. They
all come across with clarity, so no complaints.
Dynamic range and openness is limited, so no real praises, either.
Features
***
Believe
it or not, I think my favorite feature with this title is one that isn't on
the disc itself…a recipe card for Turkish Delight!
(Guess what I'm gonna be begging my mum to make this Christmas…).
But the disc includes a nice little interactive trivia game for the kids,
an excerpt on C. S. Lewis from Bookworm, and a stills gallery.
Summary: