Exercise on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Dear Class,
Today after watching the film "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" think through the following points:
1. Symbolism in the film.
2. Character of Lucy.
3. Does Aslan represent Jesus?
4. The film as a fantasy.
Looking forward to your responses
Ashish Pande
sir
ReplyDeleteany link to understand the film better
like you gave in previous exercise????
Hey Atikant,
DeleteI do not have any link as such but you can refer to rotten tomatoes and IMDB
This was overall an enjoyable watch for specially those who like fantasy films. Since I count myself to be one of them I liked the movie, although I thought it was a little bit of a drag and at times a touch too childish for me.
ReplyDeleteI would like to speak on the third and fourth points mentioned here. The first of the Narnia series, had all the elements of a fantasy film, and the special effects too are world-class and well-timed. This was a book adaption, just like so many other such films - The Lord of the Rings, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Harry Potter series etc. C.S Lewis mainly intended his book for children, and so the film too retains that characteristic. The main feature of a fantasy story is that imagination is allowed a free hand. Reality does not pull you back down to earth mid-flight, although there are similarities with real events too and certain basic things such as the triumph of good over evil. This traditional doctrine is clearly palpable through all that happens in the fantasy lands; be it - Narnia, Hogwarts, The Watering Holes of Lion King or the parallel world of The Golden Compass. As children we often like to wonder that animals could talk, or if we could fly or if we could encounter mythological or fabled creatures. In "The Chronicles of Narnia", four kids stumble into an icy world at the back of a wardrobe, where they meet fauns, talking beavers, dwarves, Father Christmas etc., and help in reclaiming the kingdom of Narnia from an evil witch, with the help of the great hero Aslan - who is a lion. When they step out of the wardrobe after many years, time seems to have not moved a second from after they had last gone in it.
About the fourth point: does Aslan represent Jesus?
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, when we think of a really valiant hero, a true leader of men, such as the character of Aslan who retrieves the kingdom of Narnia from the vice-like grips of a cold, cruel queen - we may think of his qualities as similar to that of a lion (how often do we hear the phrase, "As brave as a Lion"!). Here, that sub-conscious imagining have been put to shape and we find that the savior is indeed a lion - whose deep and distinguished voice(Liam Neeson has been fantastic, as usual) and regal actions, make him seem like an ideal knight.
An obvious allusion that will come to mind about another savior of men, according to Christian beliefs, is - Jesus Christ. Just like Christ sacrificed his life for his fellow men, Aslan too sacrifices his life, for Edmund, and for Narnia. Later, just like Christ is believed to have had a resurrection, Aslan too comes back to life(according to the laws of the Deep Magic, which the White Witch had failed to understand fully) and revives the battle for the kingdom.
However, although I have no detailed knowledge about the Bible or what's there in Revelation or the Last Days, so far as I know Christ had never commended or motivated any physical warfare or lead any army. Moreover his battle(if at all it was one) was that of spreading the words of the Lord, religious messages which would better the human condition. In these areas Aslan and his efforts vary greatly from Christ, as he leads an army to fulfill a prophecy and dethrone the evil queen, for the land and people that he loved.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the wardrobe is a beautiful movie. It is a fantasy adventure movie based on a novel by C.S. Lewis of the same name. It is about the story of four kids who enter the fantasy world of Narnia and thus begins an adventurous ride for them. This movie has the elements of magic, myth, wonder, supernatural and the extraordinary.
ReplyDeleteNarnia is basically a fantasy world inhabited by centaurs, dwarfs, fauns and many other mythological and extraordinary creatures with ability to talk, walk, and behave like human beings. This world may be technologically backward but is magically advanced. The entry to this extraordinary world is through a magical wardrobe. The plot per se has powerful fantasy elements. The elements of prophecy, Witchcraft, turning living beings into stone and vice versa, resurrection of the dead, a vial which can heal any injury, entry into magical world through a wardrobe, make it a powerful fantasy which triggers the imaginative world of the audience.
One interesting feature is the time difference shown between the real world and the fantasy world of Narnia. In Narnia time passes really quickly. Lucy, Edmund, Peter and Susan spend many years in Narnia but when they return to their actual world they find that not even a single moment has passed since their departure from that place as if time stopped for them. These features make it a wonderful fantasy and an enjoyable watch.
Very good observations both Ishaan and Anubhooti.
ReplyDeleteAnubhooti: you have given a brief summary of the film but you need to give some of your observations as well. I could have easily read the summary from IMDB, wikipedia and rottentomatoes.
Ishaan: Very good analysis about the Jesus and Aslan- especially the part about resurrection of Aslan.
Thanks sir!
DeletePoint 1. Symbolism in the film
ReplyDeleteIn 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' the ideas about good and evil are represented by the actions and the characters and settings of the film. A symbol is a person, idea or an object which has two kinds of meanings, literal and figurative. In the film, there is a lot of Christian imagery. There are symbols of good and bad and there are also references to the biblical legends. The story is about a fantastic journey of four children, Susan, Edmund, Peter and Lucy. There is a battle between the good and the bad. The four children, Aslan and some other Narnians fight against the White Witch who symbolizes evil. Aslan, in my opinion represents Jesus and the power of good.He offers his life in place of Edmund knowing that if an innocent is killed on a stone table, he/she will come back to life again. This is pretty much similar to the crucification of Jesus Christ. Towards the end of the battle Aslan breathes life back into the creatures who had been turned to stone by the White Witch. This is also reminiscent of the the Holy Spirit. Even, Aslan's mane being cut by the slaves of the white witch symbolizes the plucking out of beard of Jesus by the soldiers of Sanhedrin.
On Second and Fourth point
ReplyDeleteThe movie Chronicles of Narnia:TheLion,theWitch,and theWardrobe is a beautiful work with very captivating fantasy elements.Also,In my opinion it is the latest in the string of fantasy book adaptations brought to life.It is based on the novel of the same name by C.S Lewis.Following the domination of the "Harry Potter" movies and "The Lord of The Rings" triology it was the next most logical series which makes it watchable for both children and adults, one factor contributing to the success of the movie.The movie is a blend of the two movies i.e it stars children and talking animals and skews towards the younger crowd,much like the "Harry Potter" movies supposedly do,while at the same time is set in a fantasy land of strange creatures who meet on the battlefields to determine whether good or evil will win.It is the story about four siblings Peter,Susan,Edmund and Lucy who come to stay at an eccentric professor's house to ensure safety during World WarII.The house is very dull except for a large, ornate wardrobe discovered by young Lucy.Venturing inside of it is when she discovers a magical world called Narnia.There she meets minotaurs,griffins, unicorns, phoenixes,demons etc.There are also rhinos, cheetahs, wolves, foxes and other real world animals.The elements of prophecy, resurrection and time difference shown between the two world's show that the movie has a lot of imagination which transcends the audience into a whole new world.We can see in the end the triumph of good over evil which does not totally alienates the audience from the real world events and makes them associate with the movie and in turn also impart some real world morals.Among the characters in the movie Lucy is the most captivating of them. She is the youngest of the four Pevensie children .She is the first to open the wardrobe door and enter the magical world of Narnia and during her visit she befriends MrTumnus, a faun.Her loyalty is evident when she determines to rescue Edmund from the White Witch.Lucy's strong belief in Aslan causes her to have a special bond with him.
Character of Lucy
ReplyDeleteLucy is the youngest of the four children in the movie. but in many ways she is the most important. She is the first one to find her way into the world of Narnia – the gateway through the wardrobe. In Narnia, Lucy immediately meets the faun Mr.Tumnus and returns with him to his cave. Since Lucy knows nothing of the strange Faun, she is very innocent and trusting to accompany him back to his cave. Lucy frequently demonstrates her instinctive good judgment. She can tell immediately that Mr. Tumnus is a kind friend, and even when he confesses that he was intending to kidnap her, she feels certain that he will not harm her in any way. Lucy tells her siblings of the adventures but they do not believe her. At that situation she portray the character of a very honest child, who will not lie, even to make herself more comfortable. In the story Lucy represents the virtues of honesty and conviction. She does not yield to the pressure of her siblings to recant her story and she insists that they try and save Mr. Tumnus from the White Witch. No matter how frightening the situation is Lucy, stands firm. When she senses that Aslan is in danger, Lucy decides to accompany him into the danger and she remains near him even when horrible beasts pass just beyond her hiding spot. Even at the end of the story, when she is confronted by a large giant, Lucy is plucky enough to offer him her handkerchief. Although she is the youngest child, Lucy is very courageous and as a Queen she becomes known as, ‘’Lucy the Valiant’’.
The Chronicles of Narnia is a great example of a fantasy adventure movie. This movie directed by one of my favorite fantasy and animation diectors in Andy Adamson, who also made, the Shrek series, is an adaptation of the epic novel by the same name written by C.S. Lewis.
ReplyDeleteThe way the movie blends real life characters, in present day, into a fantasy world, is shown beautifully. The film is loaded with symbolism and the clearest one is that of Aslan. Aslan represents Christ, and in Turkish it actually means Jesus. Aslan, voice given by Liam Neeson, is similar to Jesus in terms of his self sacrifice for Edmund, who had betrayed him, something Jesus also did for his betrayer. Aslan and Jesus are also similar in terms of their birth as they both were children of a superior powerful being.