>> Watched Narnia and really enjoyed it.
>> Very little Christianity,
>
> I will take your word for it. What did you like about it?
Tilda Swinton, first and foremost! Ever since I saw her in Derek Jarman's The Last of England, I've been a fan. She has a very strange kind of otherworldly beauty, on the border between repulsive and mesmerizing.
Liza wrote:
> I thought there was actually quite a bit of Christian imagery, as
> there is in the books -- crucifixtion, even a scene where two
> female mourners attend the body, resurrection
Two female mourners attending the body would be the only element in the film unique to Christian imagery, I think. The rest -- betrayal, sacrifice, resurrection, breath of life, good triumphing over evil, etc. -- are elements found in many myths and fairy tales. So, fear not, secular LBO-talkers -- go see the film!
Doug posted:
> Financial Times - December 8, 2005
>
> All aboard for a nightmare trip to the hereafter
> By Nigel Andrews
<snip>
> Lewis sometimes denied, sometimes confirmed, that Narnia was a New
> Testament allegory.
I assure you that the film is not an allegory. The most dramatic and attractive parts of the New Testament -- Jesus confronting authorities, Jesus befriending outcasts, Jesus doubting his leadership role, Jesus wishing to escape destiny, Jesus fearing his abandonment by God, condemned criminals and foreign soldiers being spiritually superior to pious pillars of the community, etc. -- are nowhere to be found in the film. So, Aslan is stuck with being boringly good (trapped in a lion's body, even Liam Neeson can't redeem him from the poison of surplus virtue), and the kids are either also boringly good (Peter, Susan, and Lucy) or obnoxiously bratty (Edmund). That leaves the White Witch in command, and she, being Tilda Swinton, indeed dominates the film much of the time. Centaurs are sexy, and fauns are adorable, too. All in all, the film's attraction, like Christmas, is pagan rather than Christian.
The one moral lesson in the film is one that I also heartily endorse: don't snitch and turn your family and friends in for sweeties, even if it is Tilda Swinton herself who tempts you with them -- the reward of betrayal is ephemeral, swiftly revoked by the authority who in turn betrays you and puts you into prison. In the age of Bush, it is a lesson that kids of all nations ought to learn.
Yoshie Furuhashi <http://montages.blogspot.com> <http://monthlyreview.org> <http://mrzine.org>