The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
polycounter lvl 18
I read this book again this afternoon in anticipation of the movie, because it has been 37 years since I had it read to me. I was suprised at how much I did not remember. Which is almost all of it. So it was just like reading a new book!
Oh, bother those trippers! LMAO
Anyway I do the regular thing, google search the stuff afterward. I go to the Disney webbie for the movie and there bigger'n shit is the White Witch being pulled in her SLEDGE by a bunch of polar bears in a painting that is extremely, uncomfortably a duplicate of a Frazetta painting.
In the book it's two white reindeer and I realize that as far as story goes that it really doesn't make a damn wether it's reindeer or polar bears, but damn! why change that for no reason!
I can understand making subtle changes to the story to expedite the film story compared to the book story, but why make changes just for the hell of making them? Are the white reindeer the only thing holding the books back from becoming MEGA SMASH SUPER NOVELS?
crap. I'm just whisky venting, but I think I raise a valid point
Oh, bother those trippers! LMAO
Anyway I do the regular thing, google search the stuff afterward. I go to the Disney webbie for the movie and there bigger'n shit is the White Witch being pulled in her SLEDGE by a bunch of polar bears in a painting that is extremely, uncomfortably a duplicate of a Frazetta painting.
In the book it's two white reindeer and I realize that as far as story goes that it really doesn't make a damn wether it's reindeer or polar bears, but damn! why change that for no reason!
I can understand making subtle changes to the story to expedite the film story compared to the book story, but why make changes just for the hell of making them? Are the white reindeer the only thing holding the books back from becoming MEGA SMASH SUPER NOVELS?
crap. I'm just whisky venting, but I think I raise a valid point
Replies
heh...
Whisky fueled here also.
It's been 22 years for me. I read the books and watched the film when I was 9. I cried when the lion died, knowing not back then that he was an allegory for Jesus... sheesh, it strikes me now how unscrupulous people can be whilst seek to perpetuate and spread their views to the unknowing younger generation
I'm really looking forward to the film though I'm pretty sure it's not something I can introduce my almost 3 year old daughter to.
I spent so long looking for cupboards in creepy old houses after learning the story, I was the sort of kid who beleived in magic still, long after the stage I was meant to have given up on it.
Gaiman wrote that 'Dreams make no promises' but I never tried to blackmail them into doing so and I think even as a kid I understand there were no magic cupboards but I enjoyed imagining that there might be some kind of mental real estate where there were.
As for the reindeer / polar bear deal... well its the modern age Duke, if they can turn James Bond into a film where the yanks make fun of the brits and help em out and its more about missus bond than Mr. bond... well they can do what ere they will as its the land of do as you please for the suits.
That said, I'm really excited to see the movie, no amount of tongue in cheek cynicism is going to spoil my enjoyment of it.
r.
I damn near did just this afternoon...
knowing not back then that he was an allegory for Jesus... sheesh
heh heh He tricked ya! Still, it doesn't matter what it was, it should be filmed true to the book, wouldn't you agree?
(and btw I'm not worried about that aspect of it anyway)
I'm pretty sure it's not something I can introduce my almost 3 year old daughter to.
Right, but in a year or two you can read it to her
As for the reindeer / polar bear deal... well its the modern age Duke, if they can turn James Bond into a film
where the yanks make fun of the brits and help'em out and its more about missus bond than Mr. bond...
well they can do what ere they will as its the land of do as you please for the suits.
That was my original point, and I agree with you. There is no reason to flash things up. If it was good enough to still be a popular book
now then there is no reason to think it can be made better, just the same as if Dr. No still gets watched by me every Thanksgiving
there is no reason why every Bond flick can't be made in the same style as Dr No. Just because times have changed
doesn't mean you have to change what made something good in the first place.
That said, I'm really excited to see the movie, no amount of tongue in cheek cynicism is going to spoil my
enjoyment of it.
Me too! I am really looking forward to this. It's just the little things like the polar bears that stick in my craw
Who are you calling old!
and for those few who aren't familiar with the frazetta work...
us Frazetta fanatics are ever vigilant for this kind of thing
I read the books and watched the film when I was 9. I cried when the lion died, knowing not back then that he was an allegory for Jesus... sheesh, it strikes me now how unscrupulous people can be whilst seek to perpetuate and spread their views to the unknowing younger generation
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That's the whole point of fantasy/science fiction, isn't it? It allows us to get a new perspective on something we already know too good to notice anymore. Planet of the apes and 1984 are other good examples. Well, at least in serious literature it's like that, of course I enjoy star trek and star wars as well, atlthough I don't see any hidden message there
Just my opinion though, no need to read too much into it and move away from Duke's thread!
Oh and Duke, I agree it should be true to the book.
As for the reason people are changing things, in general, I think men are being rasied to be more like women, women raised to be more like men, we're all being told we're the same and we're all having our ethics and morals dictated to us by a book whose ideas only sound good on paper and when you put all that together, its pretty clear why everything is getting watered down because to make all these other goals palatable, society continues to require further dumbing down and simply isn't going to be capable of taking on as many differing ideas and styles, things WILL need to be homegenized further.
Of course, that's just my theory.
r.
I suppose you don't consider dystopias "science fiction", then?
the paintings are similar enough to be reminiscent, but hardly a copy. It doesn't looke like a bit of the painting was 'copied' from one to the other.... I think it looks more like an homage to frazetta, and a pretty cool one.
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could be, but I think you are being too kind to the person who decided it should be polar bears
You might try thinking about what I tried to say rather than trying to to think up an exception to the rule and disaprove what I'm saying.
1984's point was to try and wake us up, its harder to sell people harsh truths and if someone is looking to just make money they'd be better served by making a good entitled ' Everything is just wonderful' , so I beleive books like 1984 try harder than most to improve the world.
r.
I sadly have never read the book or heard the story before, it sounds like a very inspiring childhood experience.
I´m guessing that on the polarbear decision they might find the connection to santa clause SO visually striking that they can't take the risk to confuse the audience.
ror, I like the idealistic clear view you have of the concept of fantasy and/or sience fiction.
I also think 1984 sends a warning signal to improve the world we live in but also draws a strong picture of a situation where we as humans are put into totally different form of mental existance. (how we are aware of ourselves)
Your theory is a nice swift slap on the back of my head, to remind me not to let concepts forcefully dictate the thoughts because they lead towards this situation of no real identity and becoming easly formable.
So, I´m definatly now going to watch the movie when it hits our cinemas on the 8th
I saw the 9minutes long trailer a few hours ago and there is a sledge pulled by two white reindeer, but there is some sort of dwarf riding it, not the white witch. I have only read 30 pages so far, so I don't know who he might be
I do hope the movie is true to the books, because, I just have such fond memories of them.
Scott
http://webbtv.tv4.se/webtv/metafile.asx?...HqiE7ct6(zGnP8A
Contains plenty of spoilers (ofcourse)..