I know CS Lewis wasn’t a Jehovah’s Witness, but in my agonistic agnosticism, such differences as are said to exist between religious beliefs matter little. When watching the film, I was found myself sneering at Aslan’s death.
Mette on the other hand, ignorant of who CS Lewis was and having never read the book, was completely taken aback by the lions self sacrifice and shed a tear or two, so I guess I’m just jaded and old.
The film was a decent adaptation and the only detail I thought they’d gotten wrong was the casting of Jadis. Tilda Swinton is a good actress and I’ve enjoyed her performances since I first saw her in ‘Orlando’, but she doesn’t have the stature and over powering beauty of the White Witch. Jadis, when she is first described in ‘The Magicians Nephew’ as “very tall (but every figure in that room was taller than the people of our world), with a look of such fierceness and pride that it took your breath away. Yet she was beautiful too. Digory said he had never in all his life known a woman so beautiful.”
No matter how much I suspend my disbelief; I simply can’t reconcile that description with Tilda Swinton who has a much more ephemeral quality about her. Jadis is proud, magnificently so, arrogant and overwhelming. Swinton just about manages to be 'pantomime creepy'. Sort of like Bowie in 'Labyrinth'.
I loved the minotaur’s though. They were very well done.
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4 comments:
I enjoyed the film too Moif. Interesting how you are one of the few people who actually knew that the White Witch was Jadis. Most of those who saw the film have either never read more than LWW or even got that far.
Agree though that Jadis never had the presence that you'd expect.
I liked the actress who played Jadis. Although I seem to remember that in the book she was described as a brunette, I thought Tilda had a very cold sort of beauty that came across well. I really enjoyed the movie altogether. I really liked Tumnus especially. I always hated Tumnus in the book, and somehow just couldn't seem to have much sympathy for him. But I really felt a connection with the movie version of him. Part of this, I'm sure is because the actor looked almost exactly like #2. So much so that everyone I went to the film with caught the resemblance, and I was with about eight people. So everytime I looked into Tumnus' puppy dog eyes, it was like looking at #2. How could I not love him?
I liked the actress who played the witch too. I thought she was beautifully evil. She was my favorite part and I loved her in the end battle wearing the lion's mane.
I also was not bothered with the religious overtones of the story and felt they were not as obvious or as indoctrinating as many I am sure hoped they would be. I felt it was more in line with for god and country kind of bravado than it was Jehova Watchtower.
What I did not like was how much it dragged on...much too long for a children's movie. Not that I would let my children watch it, as I also thought it was too frightening.
#2 has big ears then?
=)
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