The feature film, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, directed by Andrew Adamson is a fantasy film which relates the adventures of the four Pevensie children in a mystical land. The film explores the Christian theme of sacrifice and the ideals of family love, loyalty and the triumph of good over evil. Aslan, Peter and Edmund Pevensie function to develop these themes. Through the filmic language used to construct the characters Adamson reveals the importance of being brave, unselfish and loving.
Edmund is characterised as a selfish and disloyal boy who must learn how to be a better person. Adamson shows the viewers exactly how disloyal Edmund is in the scene where he is first confronted by the White Witch. He is tempted by the Turkish delights and the fact that he may become the prince of Narnia. However, in return, he had to bring his siblings to the Ice Castle. Around the White Witch, Edmund is seen as weak, vulnerable and easily manipulated as he is easily tempted by the ‘sweeties’ (Turkish Delights). Adamson showed Edmund’s flaws by shooting him from a high camera angle and closing in on him. This assists in making him look weak and vulnerable while he is eating the ‘sweeties’. In the scene where Edmund and Mr Tumnus are held prisoners by the White Witch in the dungeon, only then does Edmund realise what he is doing. Adamson uses close-ups to help indentify the character’s emotions through facial expressions. He uses this to show the sadness and disappointment in Mr Tumnus’s faces when hears that it was Edmund (the lovely Lucy’s brother) who betrayed him and lead him to his death (Mr Tumnus didn’t die, he was turned to stone and returned to normal by Aslan). It is after this that Edmund changes to...
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...the other hand, Aslan’s army is filled with mythological heroes like centaurs. Peter’s shield has the St. George dragon imprinted on it which shows Christian faith. Peter also rides a unicorn which is seen as a graceful and mystical creature which symbolises purity, magic and awe. When Aslan appears on the mountain overlooking the battle scene, he is backlit by the bright sky. This reveals him as a bright and noble creature. Viewers can identify Aslan’s army with good, and Jadis’ army with evil in this way.
Narnia, directed by Andrew Adamson explores the Christian theme of sacrifice as well the motifs of loyalty, family love and the triumph of good over evil. Aslan, Peter and Edmund act a part in developing these themes. Adamson used filmic language to construct the characters and themes in the film, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
Film analysis with a critical eye can give the viewer how animation giant Disney uses literary element to relay key messages to the audience. Walt Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog” is a perfect example how different literary theories like ‘the Marxist theory’ and ‘Archetypal theory’ can be embedded in the simplest of the fairy tales. The different literary elements in the movie, shows a person how characters like ‘the banker’ and the setting of the houses helps to portray the socio-economic differences in New Orleans at that time. Applying ‘the Marxist theory’ and ‘the Archetypal theory’ to the plot, characters and the setting, shows how movies can be a medium to confront social issues and to prove that all fairy tales are of the same base.
C.S Lewis is the author of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Warrdrobe. Lewis was born on November 29, 1898, in Belfast, Ireland. He was born Clive Staples Lewis to Flora August Hamilton Lewis and Albert J. Lewis. Lewis’s mother passed away when he was on ten years old. After his mother died he went on to get his pre-college education at boarding schools and he also received help from a tutor. Lewis served in World War I with the English Army, but unfortunately was sent home when he was wounded. Lewis was a graduate of Oxford University with a focus on classic philosophy and literature. As a child, he was disappointed with the Christian faith, but when he became older he found himself embracing Christianity. During World War II, he gave popular radio broadcasts on Christianity and they won many converts. Lewis’ speeches were collected in Mere Christianity. In the year of 1954, C.S. Lewis joined the staff of Cambridge University as a literature professor. He met an English teacher by the name of Joy Gresham and in 1956 they married each other and became a happily married family. The two were joyful during their marriage; unfortunately in 1960, the wife became ill with cancer died. Lewis began publishing his works in the mid- 1920s. Lewis started to publish The Chronicles of Narnia during the 1950s. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was the first in the seven book series to be released. This was the story of four siblings who discovered a wardrobe with a magical land in the back of it (“Clives…”). In The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Lewis describes Aslan, Edmund, and Lucy.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "Aslan in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 5 Mar. 2014.
seemingly have no problem at all? During his time with the Witch, Edmund begins to realize he does not
He shows these traits when Aslan asks him to retrieve a golden apple to repeal the witch from entering Narnia. While he is on this quest, by himself, he is tempted to give the magical golden apple to his mother to save her from the disease she is dying from.
In conclusion, C.S Lewis symbolizes good and evil into his characters. The good one would be Aslan and the bad one would be the White Witch. They embody their role with characterization. This can be shown with the description of the two characters. Aslan is pure of heart and powerful and the Witch is cruel and terrifying. Also, their actions are key facts to demonstrate their chosen side. Aslan is always doing beneficial action for others, instead of the Witch that wants more and more power, willing to destroy life to achieve her goals. Through this book, the two opposite characters are really well explained and analysed.
es indeed, animation is fun for children, but it also expresses important ideas for people of all ages. In some ways, ‘Shrek’ is your classic fairy tale for example, it has a hero, a beautiful Princess, and a dastardly villain. But unlike the traditional fairy tales, the hero is an ugly, ill-tempered ogre, the Princess is not all she appears to be, and the villain has some obvious shortcomings. The award-winning animated film, ‘Shrek’, is directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, the viewers learn that being a good person is more important than just being good-looking. It also shows that true friends help each other in difficult situations and that women can be equally as strong characters as men. These ideas are portrayed through characters such as Shrek, Princess Fiona and Donkey. The directors use camera angles and dialogue to express their ideas.
The youngest Pevensie brother, Edmund, is the mischievous child among his siblings in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He is a representation of the possibility of what can go wrong when a child is not properly taught and does not follow set boundaries. Edmund’s subversion of set standards is the cause of a great deal of the troubles the Pevensies face in Narnia. For example, when he goes to the White Witch’s castle instead of listening to the others when they say Aslan is the true leader. In order to redeem himself, he must first be renewed and return to an earlier state. He is not allowed to stay indignant, but is reformed when he learns that Aslan is really the true ruler, and Jadis is not. He is allowed to do so because of his status as a child who is still developing. Edmund’s corruption and later redemption show that he is not really wicked, but has an innate goodness.
Throughout The Hobbit by J.R.R tolkien, themes are portrayed and are necessary for the story line. The three main themes in the novel are the prevalence of greed, how Bilbo changes throughout the story and transforms into a hero and the conflict between good and evil. Greed can change anybody, no matter how heroic or brave they are. In the beginning bilbo is portrayed as quiet hobbit that likes to stay home but that all changes with a knock on the door.
“Not only was resurrected from death, but gives life back to the witch’s statues; he represents the good and is quite clearly a figure of Christ” (Source B). Aslan, a mighty lion was a symbol for Jesus Christ, there were many ways that C.S. Lewis uses Aslan to symbolize Jesus, including: Aslan’s death for others, his resurrection, how he brings others back to life as stated above. “The most important character in Narnia is Aslan. Aslan founded and rules the kingdom” (Source G). Just like Jesus Christ founded and rules over the world, Aslan rules over Narnia. Throughout the book Aslan’s name has a certain glow to it that is unlike other names.
Fiction has always been used as a way to relay different types of messages throughout time. In many cases authors use fiction to make political commentary, use stories to bring out the major flaws that society has, as well as a way to spread different types of beliefs or ideals. C.S. Lewis’s used his work, “The Chronicles of Narnia”, to reiterate the messages of the Bible to those who might have gotten lost during their lifetime. Though his whole series was full of connections the book that have the most prevalent connections are The Magician’s Nephew and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. In both there are places that are very similar to and very different books in the Bible. Taking into context when Lewis wrote this series is extremely important to see what some of his motivations might have been. These stories were started soon after World War II had ended. These stories were a way to teach the next generation some of the morals that the Bible was teaching. By creating these fantastical stories Lewis was able to make connections to help bridge the learning gap between the two generations. Also by using children as a target audience Lewis was able to remind adults as well, instead of being ignored because of the recent war. Lewis was able to address these lessons and morals in a way that both taught the children the way of the Bible, as well as to put a new spin on old tales so that adults were able to come back to religion, after losing some faith during the brutal war.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Quotes." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web.03 May 2011.
J.R.R Tolkien’s work of fiction The Lord of the Rings, have with the advent of Peter Jackson’s film adaptation brought the series to newfound heights of fame. As with many works of it’s kind, The Lord of the Rings depicts a battle between good and evil, with the main characters in the books striving to thwart evil’s plan. In many other works, the author’s personal belief system or worldview drives the narrative, with the message being paramount and the characters the vehicles of conveyance for the point of the story. C.S Lewis, a friend and contemporary of Tolkien’s, is a prime example of this. Lewis’ popular series The Chronicles of Narnia is an allegorical work, teaching Christian principles through the use of fiction. While raised as a Catholic himself, Tolkien does not explicitly promote his religious background, nor does he engage in allegory. However, Tolkien’s views of morality can be found throughout the work, specifically in the way in which evil is portrayed, the use of power and moral freedom of choice. Randel Helms writes in his book, Tolkien’s World, “Tolkien’s particular myth parallels his Christianity, … positioning a malevolent and corrupting outside influence, spiritual and probably eternal, against which man is doomed to fight, but which he has no hope of conquering” (67).
The Chronicles of Narnia are veritably the most popular writings of C.S. Lewis. They are known as children’s fantasy literature, and have found favor in older students and adults alike, even many Christian theologians enjoy these stories from Lewis; for there are many spiritual truths that one can gleam from them, if familiar with the Bible. However, having said this, it is noteworthy to say that Lewis did not scribe these Chronicles for allegorical didactics of the Christian faith, but wrote them in such a well-knit fashion that young readers might understand Christian doctrine through captivating fantasy and thus gain an appreciation for it. With this in mind, and in the interest of this assignment, the purpose of this paper is an attempt to analyze one of the many doctrines of the Christian faith from The Lion, The Witch, And, The Wardrobe (LWW), namely, temptation and how Lewis illustrates it through an individual character, Edmund.
Children's films tend to be didactic in the sense that they teach children, as well as adults, life lessons. JK Rowling's Harry Potter film series can be viewed as coming of age films as the characters grow from their mistakes. Most coming of age films are seen differently by adults and children; the moral changes as you get older. The Harry Potter film series utilizes fantasy to communicate multiple messages to its viewers. The characters of Harry, Ron, and Hermione are used to get messages across because they are easier to relate to. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, these characters begin to learn about the importance of love, friendship, courage, principles, and determination which help them grow into mature adults.