The producers and writers behind \u201cThe Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian\u201d say the same thing when describing the challenge they faced bringing the novel to the screen.<\/p>\n\n
The problem, all agree, is that the second book in the classic seven-book fantasy series by C.S. Lewis is not structured like a movie.<\/p>\n\n
The book\u2019s plot looks like this: The royal children from \u201cThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe\u201d are whisked back to the magical land of Narnia, where they meet a grumpy dwarf, who tells them a long, sad story that doesn\u2019t involve them about a prince they\u2019ve never heard of named Caspian. So Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie decide to help, which leads to a long, long walk in the woods that eventually brings them to Caspian. Then there is a battle. The End.<\/p>\n\n
That doesn\u2019t exactly scream, \u201cSummer movie!\u201d<\/p>\n\n
\u201cThrough the magic of C.S. Lewis, that all works quite well on the printed page,\u201d said co-producer Douglas Gresham. \u201cHowever, it\u2019s almost impossible to make that plot work on the screen. \u2026 In terms of its story and message, I would say that \u2018Prince Caspian\u2019 is impoverished, in comparison with \u2018The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.\u2019 But while it may be poorer, as a story, I believe we have been able to make it into a better movie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
To do that, the team assembled by Disney and Walden Media decided to radically restructure the plot, including adding a second act that is not in the novel. That is sure to cause concern among legions of Lewis loyalists, which is a large crowd since sales of \u201cThe Chronicles of Narnia\u201d have topped 100 million. The movie version of \u201cThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe\u201d grossed $748 million at the global box office.<\/p>\n\n
In this case, it truly helps to know that Gresham \u2014 in addition to being a producer \u2014 is also Lewis\u2019 stepson and has been on a 30-year quest to turn the Narnia novels into full-scale motion pictures. Needless to say, he has played a strategic role in talks about artistic changes in Narnia.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cIt would be hard to find someone who knows these stories better than I do or cares more about them,\u201d said Gresham, whose mother, poet Joy Davidman Gresham, met and married C.S. \u201cJack\u201d Lewis during the years when the Chronicles were published. \u201cThe Narnia stories are a big part of Jack\u2019s legacy and, believe me, I am aware of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
This has been a joy and a burden. Parts of \u201cPrince Caspian\u201d were filmed in the Czech Republic and, while in Prague, Gresham was introduced to the American ambassador. He wryly notes that, when the ambassador inquired about Gresham\u2019s role in the project, producer Mark Johnson had a simple reply: \u201cOh, he\u2019s to blame.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
The key, said Johnson, is whether the messages in these books remain intact.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cThe themes are the most important things,\u201d he said, during press events in New York. \u201cYou have to say, \u2018What is this movie about?\u2019 The first one was about a certain kind of faith and this one is about losing faith and then regaining it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
On one level, explained Gresham, \u201cPrince Caspian\u201d remains an adventure story about how the kings and queens from Narnia\u2019s golden age return to a troubled land and fight to restore \u201ctruth, justice, honor, glory and a sense of personal commitment and responsibility\u201d during troubled times. However, the Pevensie children also struggle to believe that Aslan \u2014 the Christ figure in Narnia \u2014 will return and guide them.<\/p>\n\n
The High King Peter, in particular, struggles with the \u201csin of pride\u201d and his desire to prove he is still in command, said Gresham. This leads to a new twist in the plot, linked to an assault on the castle of the evil King Miraz.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cIf anything, this theme that Peter has to regain his faith in Aslan is stronger in the movie than it was in the book,\u201d he said. To state this in terms that Narnia lovers will understand, if the younger King Edmund had to face his sins in \u201cThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,\u201d then Peter faces a similar crisis in the new movie.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cThis is something we all have to deal with in life,\u201d said Gresham. \u201cWe all have to realize that no matter how far we stray, there\u2019s only one way to come back.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The producers and writers behind \u201cThe Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian\u201d say the same thing when describing the challenge they faced bringing the novel to the screen. The problem, all agree, is that the second book in the classic seven-book fantasy series by C.S. Lewis is not structured like a movie. The book\u2019s plot looks […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":610,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[149,192,304,431,583,913],"class_list":["post-1491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-cs-lewis","tag-christian-fiction","tag-douglas-gresham","tag-hollywood","tag-narnia","tag-walden-media"],"yoast_head":"\n