Why?
What Disney (and I assume the producers of the movie) have done to the story of Prince Caspian is nothing less than betrayal. Now, I admit my feelings are strong because I just read the book a few weeks ago. However, I went to the movie expecting a few minor changes, even ridiculous ones like what Peter Jackson did to Faramir in The Return of the King.
Not only were there minor changes that are annoying to long time fans of C.S. Lewis, the whole story was changed. Beloved characters were altered. In my wife's words: if screenwriters and directors are going to use the name of a book and use the names of the characters, and then give you something totally different, it is deceptive. It is a betrayal of the author, and it is a betrayal of everyone who goes to see the movie that expects the story of Prince Caspian.
The movie was awful. It was offensive. It was lame.
First, I can understand condensing the chronology of a long book to suit the silver screen. I can also understanding altering minor details to keep them simple and focus on the main story. I cannot understand, however, why the writers/director would condense Lewis' original tale to make room for an awful fabrication that is a betrayal of Lewis' characters and stories.
The rewriting created a battle scene. The cost was Peter's character, Caspian's character, and Aslan's part in the story. After all, people only go to movies to see action and battle scenes, right? In the book, Peter and Miraz duel. There is no organized battle. In fact, the Caspian and Peter want to avoid a big battle. But Caspian is too wounded and does not have enough of his uncle's respect to fight. That's not very interesting.
Secondly, the movie stripped Peter of everything that is honorable. Adamson, the director, made Peter a shallow, self-assertive teenager with little memory of his former nobility as high king of Narnia. He isn't even consistent with the last movie! Instead of the wise and noble former High King of Narnia, we have a puerile teenager who "doesn't want to be a kid anymore." So, Peter does everything he can to prove that he is capable and a grown up. He doesn't even feel the need to wait on Aslan.
Why is it that Hollywood feels the need to strip men of character of everything admirable? They did the exact same thing in Lord of the Rings with Faramir, even with Aragorn to a lesser extent. In that story too, it led to a fabrication in the story that irritated those who knew the story! Do directors and producers feel like Americans cannot relate to someone who is wise and admirable? Is it too unrealistic for us to see a man who has a sense of moral direction and duty? Nope, we can't handle that! Instead, give us petty teenage boys who constantly argue and blame one another for their own faults! That's what we want.
Please!
Then there is the Susan/Caspian romance. Yes, just what we need, another sappy teenage love story. Hilary and I should have known what was coming when we walked into the wrong showing and saw Susan kissing Caspian at the end. We should have gotten our money back then. Or after we saw, "Based on the story by C.S. Lewis," appear at the opening title. Nothing cries unbelievable distortion more than, "based on the story..." What it should say, "We took an idea from this story and ran with it in the wrong direction."
Again, most of the movie was completely fabricated. It was a lie! It never happened!
Back when Titanic came out, a Christian company was sued for editing out the Model T sex scene and reselling the movie. The obvious charge was copyright infringement. Why is it that movie producers feel they can do the very same thing with classic works of literature? They use the same title and the same characters, but they change the story so that it says something completely different! In my opinion, it is completely unethical. I cannot imagine that Lewis would have approved of the screenplay. Were he alive, he probably would have sued Disney for defamation of character!
Most mind-blowing of all is Disney's patent disregard for those of us who grew up in Narnia. Their primary audience. I have loved these four kids and their companions in Narnia since I was a small boy. I always looked up to Peter. I wanted to be an admirable and wise leader like he was. Disney has betrayed me! They took creative liberties with the story I loved and said, "Here's Prince Caspian, just like you always wanted." But instead I find two boys and a story I rather loathe. And it makes me loathe Disney.
Their interpretation of Prince Caspian isn't even that good. Their changes to the plot don't flow well. The directing is bad. The dialogue is bad. Even the acting is bad. If I had known how bad it was going to be, I would have waited for it to come out on dvd.
It would have been helpful if our friends would have merely said, "it wasn't true to the story." All we heard were great reviews. That I don't understand.
It is high time Hollywood stops screwing with classic books and beloved characters! If you are going to market a favorite book that we have grown up on, for the consideration of your audience, give us a faithful interpretation of the story! As Iron Man and Spiderman have shown, movies based on well-known books and stories are better and more well-received when they receive a true interpretation. We want the old story, the original story, not some cock-eyed, modern day, "relevant" interpretation of the story.
Whether we are talking about comic books or classic books, The Incredible Hulk or Prince Caspian, the real movie fans, those who pay to see Iron Man twice (like me), want to see the stories and characters we love faithfully portrayed.
8 comments:
Tell me how you really feel. Actually I appreciate your review, since I was not raised on Narnia.
Amen, Trey! I almost walked out, too. I grew up LOVING Prince Caspian and felt that the writers had ripped it of all of the charm and flavour of Lewis' work. The design team also made it too dark--the Centaurs and other creatures were too much. I was raised on Pauline Baynes' illustrations and I wish that they had followed those instead of trying to recreate Gladiator or LOTR. Narnia is charming and british, not whatever this was.
Agreed: Peter was so not noble--I loved it in the book when he dictated the letter to Miraz.
Also, one of my favorite episodes in all of the books is when Cornelius takes Caspian up into the tower and tells him about the stars and about Narnia--so good.
Sigh. Disgust and disapointment. I'll stop now.
A Tertullian-esque post. It's tough for me to be outraged by movies because there's just really no way to reconcile Hollywood and Narnia. Two completely different ideals that I go in expecting to see clash. If you think that Caspian was altered, just wait for Voyage of the Dawn Treader. There's no real villain in that story (besides Edmund's sinfulness) so I'm not sure how they'll adapt it for the silver screen.
I think that would be Eustace, not Edmund.
I do have to say, Kurt, that I wasn't in the least surprised at the movie "adaptation" of Lewis's book. But I do think that if a movie is going to be so loosely associated with a dearly loved children's story it should be given a different title. This movie didn't even hold together with its precursor. If they want to make up a movie series "based on" the Chronicles of Narnia, fine, go ahead. But have the decency to give it a new name.
On another note, it really bothered me (as did the character distortion in LOTR) that Peter and Caspian were made such LOSERS in this movie. It's just sad that our culture doesn't value a godly character. We don't go to the movies expecting to see godly characters; we go looking for really good action scenes and cinematography, and maybe some pretty stunning scenery, too. How shallow.
Sigh. I'm re-reading the book now. It is so good.
i'm glad i didnt go see it ... or any other movie in the last year or so
Did you read Gene Edward Veith's column (War Games)in the latest World Magazine? He has his objections all categorized and organized, but didn't seem so upset about it though his objections are numerous.
Moms
Hey I found your blog! We saw Narnia, and I read the above- referenced World article too. I cannot disagree with your qualms, although (a) I didn't walk out on the movie and (b) I haven't read the book recently enough to have such thought-out issues. The dialogue was lame (especially Susan to Caspian re. Aslan's horn, "Save it, you might need to call me later"). Terrible. I do have to say, amputated from the film association, I love Regina Spektor, and her closing song is great. Generally, I am not as literary as Phil or you, so I am not as critical. I have ceased to expect great things from film representations, and if I go, I go treating it like another story, with some crossover.
I boycotted it - just for you.
:-]
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