18
LIFE & FAITH
“Someday you will be
old enough to start reading
(watching) fairy tales
again”
— Preface to “The Lion, The
Witch and the Wardrobe”
(Warning: This article contains
spoilers for those not familiar with
the plot)
THE CHRONICLES OF
NARNIA – THE LION, THE
WITCH AND THE
WARDROBE (“Narnia”), the
film adaptation of C. S. Lewis’
book “The Lion, the Witch and
the Wardrobe”, will appeal to
more than just Christians. It is a
fantasy adventure of four
children who discover Narnia, a
magical world filled with talking
animals and mythical fauns and
centaurs. Unfortunately, Narnia is
under the spell of the evil White
Witch, who has cursed Narnia
with perpetual winter “but never
Christmas”. The children battle
the Witch to free Narnia forever
from her spell with the help of
Aslan, the noble and mighty lion.
Lewis’ imaginary world of
Narnia has taken more than half a
century since the publication of
“The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe” in 1950 to come to the
big screen. One reason may be
that only today’s film technology
and Computer-Generated
Imagery makes possible a
realistic portrayal of Narnia and
her inhabitants. Another possible
reason is the commercial viability
of Christian-theme movies
following the enormous success
of Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of
the Christ”.
Though “Narnia” does not
include everything in the book,
and there are even slight changes
from it, it is a faithful adaptation
and fans of C. S. Lewis will not
be disappointed.
While cherished as a fairy tale
with mythic motifs on one level,
a deeper perspective reveals
beautiful Christian allegories.
Aslan is a Christ figure (Aslan
means lion in Turkish; the Lion
of Judah in Rev 5:5 is Jesus): He
willingly lays down his life to
save others amidst the mocking
and jeering of his foes; then he
resurrects and breathes a new
spirit of life into creatures cast
into stone by the Witch; and he
eventually destroys the Witch to
save Narnia and all in it.
The paschal mystery
expressed metaphorically will be
obvious for anyone familiar with
the Christian faith. Not only is
Christmas experienced in Narnia
but Lent, Easter and Pentecost as
well.
One of the children, Edmund,
who succumbs to the
Witch’s temptation and
betrays his siblings,
and on whose account
Aslan sacrifices his
life, can be viewed as
representing fallen
humanity. The film
shows the beauty of Edmund’s
transformation after being
redeemed. Although we do not
hear him say “I’m sorry”, his
repentance is shown in his facial
and bodily espressions. The
forgiveness of his siblings is also
well illustrated in their emotive
actions. Reconciled and united as
a family, the children display
fraternal love triumphing over
past disagreements and conflicts.
In Lucy, the youngest child,
we are reminded of the words of
Jesus in Matthew 18:3, that we
must change and become like
children to enter the Kingdom of
Heaven. In her innocence, purity,
and great sense of wonder, Lucy
is the first to enter the magical
world of Narnia. Although deeply
hurt by Edmund’s duplicity, she
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nevertheless spontaneously hugs
him in the scene showing their
reconciliation. Through Lucy, we
learn how to be child-like again.
Other biblical parallels
include the stone table which
breaks into two, akin to the torn
veil in Matthew 27:51; and
Aslan’s first appearance to the
girls after his ‘resurrection,’
resembles the Gospel accounts of
Jesus’ resurrection appearance to
the women. Audiences may also
appreciate the screenplay’s
references to biblical lines not
found in the book: “Behold the
great lion,” (cf John 19:5)
exclaimed by the Witch at the
sacrificial scene, and “It is
finished,” (cf John 19:30)
declared by Aslan, after his
triumph over the evil Witch.
Although some Christians
may object to having Father
Christmas in the story, his
presence heralds the arrival of
Aslan (since Narnia did not
experience Christmas until Aslan
arrives). As we listen to the
jingling bells of Santa’s sleigh,
bells may also be ringing in our
heads to remind us that Jesus too
had a precursor, John the Baptist.
Father Christmas in Narnia
emphasises to the children that
his gifts are mere tools, in
contrast to the gift of Aslan – his
life. A point of
reflection that makes
this movie a wonderful
Christmas film is to
realise that, indeed, all
we receive this
Christmas are mere
tools (to build the
Kingdom of God)
compared to the true Gift of Jesus
himself.
As winter melts in Narnia
with the arrival of Aslan, and the
beauty of spring ravish
audiences’ eyes, the verse from
By Paula Doyle
LOS ANGELES – C. S. Lewis,
popularly known as the 20th
century’s “apostle to the skeptics”
and author of 38 books that have
sold more than 100 million
copies worldwide, was a humble
man who never thought highly of
his own skills, according to his
stepson.
Douglas Gresham, whose
divorced mother married
bachelor Lewis in 1956, shared
insights about his stepfather
during a Nov 14 panel discussion
following a screening of “C. S.
Lewis: Beyond Narnia,” a one-
hour television programme.
The docudrama’s television
premiere was to coincide with the
highly anticipated theatrical
release of Walt Disney Pictures’
“The Chronicles of Narnia: The
Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe,” based on the book of
the same name penned by Lewis.
Song of Songs 2:11 could come
to mind: “the winter is past….the
flowers appear… ‘tis the season
of songs”. This is a splendid
allegory of Christmas joy and
hope brought forth with the
arrival of Jesus into the world and
into our hearts.
Finally, the White Witch
clearly symbolises the devil. She
and her brood of vipers are
defeated in the final battle scene.
Pacifists may object to the rather
long battle sequence in the film
which took only two pages in the
book. However being a Disney
film, there are no gory scenes and
all killing is implied rather than
graphically depicted. Ultimately,
the battle could serve as a
metaphor for the ongoing battle
within each of us, to overcome
evil and the temptations of the
devil (selfishness, greed, etc)
with love, sacrifice and courage.
“Impossible!” some may say,
just like Susan does when she
first stumbles into Narnia and is
repeated by the Witch when she
sees the “resurrected” Aslan. But,
“with God, all things are
possible.” (Luke 1:37). As it
happens in Narnia with the power
of Aslan, we, too, with the grace
of God, can win the battle over
evil.
While adults may be able to
appreciate enriching faith
parallels from the film, it is not
necessary to impart to young
children the spiritual aspects of
the story yet. It may be wiser to
just let them enjoy and
experience the story for
themselves first, and discover the
richness of the allegories later, as
their faith matures. ■
(Here’s a tip: Stay in your seat after
the credits roll. You will get to watch
an extra scene and discover why
Professor Kirke never doubted Lucy.)
“Beyond Narnia” explores
Lewis’ personal life and spiritual
struggles, including his journey
from atheism to Christianity and
his crisis of faith following the
death of his wife, Joy, from
cancer in 1960.
Gresham disputed the myth
that Lewis, an Oxford don, was
an introverted professor-type
uncomfortable around children.
“He was a fascinating
conversationalist and very witty
man,” said Gresham, who
travelled to England from
America as a boy of eight to meet
Lewis with his mother and older
brother, David, in 1952. He said
he never resented his stepfather’s
relationship with his mother, a
poet who converted from
Judaism to Christianity after
being influenced by Lewis’
writings.
In Lewis’ personal life,
according to Gresham, he
exhibited qualities of chivalry,