The Chronicles of Narnia

The Chronicles of Narnia, in my opinion, are perfect for film adaptations. The Harry Potter purists complain that so many of their favorite scenes are cut from the films -- that situation can't really happen with Narnia. The books are short enough to easily and wholly fill a two-hour movie. And, judging by the DVD sales of the first movie, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and assuming the next, Prince Caspian, maintains that momentum, we can look forward to the entire seven-book series on the big screen.

I want to focus on the second book that C.S. Lewis wrote -- the fourth book chronologically -- Prince Caspian. After the events of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the Pevensie children (Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy) find themselves whisked away from a train station and into the land of Narnia. They have been called by Susan's old horn -- a gift from Father Christmas that promises to call help whenever it is blown -- to save young Prince Caspian, whose wicked uncle murdered Caspian's father and took the throne by force.

This book begins with a very cool post-apocalyptic feel -- lacking the traditional cyber-punk setting, of course. The children find themselves in the ruins of the castle where once they had reigned as Kings and Queens of Narnia. They don't recognize it at first, because it appears that centuries have gone by since this castle was inhabited. They soon come to understand that time flows very differently in Narnia, and though not much time at all may pass in their world, whole kingdoms could rise and fall in Narnia. The idea that time could flow differently in different places was an idea that fascinated Lewis (a fact pointed out in the new Prince Caspian edition of the complete Chronicles of Narnia). And it works well to create a sense of separation from the events of the previous story.

The movies are following the order that the books were released -- not the chronological order found in some editions of the complete Chronicles. There are purists who might argue against this -- citing claims that Lewis preferred the books, ultimately, to be read in chronological order -- but I think this is an ideal way to present the story of Narnia.

Rereading Prince Caspian for the first time in many, many years was a great experience, and has gotten me excited for the film. The first chunk of the book is a flashback, as a dwarf recounts for the newly arrived Pevensies the story of Caspian's flight from his wicked uncle. According to Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, two of the screenwriters, the film will weave the Pevensies' story and Caspian's story together, giving the children a greater role in the overall story (they only really do anything important towards the end of the book, which, as the writers put it, "is perfectly entertaining to read, [but] makes for a strangely structured movie where your favorite characters are absent for long stretches of time." (Creators' blog, Disney.go.com)

Also, they seem to be taking a more realistic approach to the characters than Lewis. "Another intriguing thing for us in revisiting these characters has been exploring the effects their experiences in the first film might've had on them. It's an area Lewis leaves mostly untouched. He memorably examines what it would be like for a 1940's schoolkid to become King of Narnia. However, he doesn't much consider what it would be like for a King of Narnia to return to being a 1940's schoolkid." (Creators' blog, Disney.go.com)

Lewis' writing is sparse, though poetic and a joy to read, and any expansion the developers of the film can bring will be welcome as far as I'm concerned. We can look forward to the results this May. And then? As Markus and McFeely put it: "What's next? It's hard to say. Who can know the future? Perhaps a nice, long ocean voyage…"