cleolinda | (no subject)

Okay, so I ran across my old Hague-illustrated hardback copy of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and curled up to reread it. It's a quick read and didn't take long, but I was surprised by how much I'd forgotten about it. I used to sit down with all my Narnia books and all my L.M. Montgomery books and my Louisa May Alcott books each summer and read them all over the course of a couple of weeks. This would usually be late July, for some reason--when I was really deep into the summer and the hours were getting long and drowsy and pleasant. Maybe early August. But I did that mostly when I was in elementary and middle school--I probably haven't read any of the Narnia books in about ten years. I'm not even really sure where the other six are, sadly.

Anyhoo, my point is that this is the first time I've read the book with the movie in mind--and I can still turn the movie visuals off, so to speak; I think Book!Jadis will always have dark hair to me, if only because I saw the awesome '70s animated version so! many! times!. In fact, I think I was reading the book with the cartoon's voices in my head, and I haven't seen that in about 15 years, I don't think. But I have a huge collection of stills at this point--probably just about every image that's been released--and I started noticing things in the book that I remembered from the stills, rather than the other way around. So here's a little photo essay on why I'm excited about how faithful the movie ~~to which I have Thursday midnight tickets eeeeeeeeeee~~ looks. I mean, I'm sure there will be changes and additions and what-not, but it looks like they're being very faithful in spirit:

(All pictures from Narniaweb and Outnow.)

"'It's only just round the corner," said the Faun, 'and there'll be a roaring fire--and toast--and sardines--and cake.' 'If you will take my arm, Daughter of Eve,' said Mr. Tumnus, 'I shall be able to hold the umbrella over both of us.'"

"He looked round him again and decided he did not much like this place, and had almost made up his mind to go home, when he heard, very far off in the wood, a sound of bells. He listened and the sound came nearer and nearer and at last there swept into sight a sledge drawn by two reindeer."

"'My poor child,' she said in quite a different voice, 'how cold you look! Come and sit with me here on the sledge and I will put my mantle around you and we will talk."

"'But I don't even know the way back to my own country,' pleaded Edmund.' 'That's easy,' answered the Queen. 'Do you see that lamp? Straight on, beyond that, is the way to the World of Men. And now look the other way--and tell me if you can see two little hills rising above the trees."

"'Down at Cair Paravel there are four thrones and it's a saying in Narnia time out of mind that when two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve sit in those four thrones, then it will be the end not only of the White Witch's reign but of her life, and that is why we had to be so cautious as we came along, for if she knew about you four, your lives wouldn't be worth a shake of my whiskers!"

"Just as Mr. Beaver had been repeating the rhyme about Adam's flesh and Adam's bone Edmund had been very quietly turning the door handle..."

"Even though he knew it was only a stone giant and not a live one, Edmund did not like going past it."

"Peter was silent and solemn as he received these gifts for he felt they were a very serious kind of present."

"And once more Peter said nothing, for at that moment a strange noise woke the silence suddenly. It was like a bugle, but richer. 'It is your sister's horn,' said Aslan to Peter in a low voice."

"Then, after a bit, Susan came down from the tree. She and Peter felt pretty shaky when they met and I won't say there wasn't kissing and crying on both sides. But in Narnia no one thinks any the worse of you for that."

"'Rise up, Sir Peter Fenris-Bane. And whatever happens, never forget to wipe your sword."

"Lucy and Susan held their breaths waiting for Aslan's roar and his spring upon his enemies. But it never came."

"'Oh, how can they?' said Lucy, tears streaming down her cheeks. 'The brutes, the brutes!' for now that the first shock was over the shorn face of Aslan looked to her braver, and more beautiful, and more patient than ever. 'The cowards! The cowards!' sobbed Susan. 'Are they still afraid of him, even now?'"

"And now, who has won? Fool, did you think that by all this you would save the human traitor? Now I will kill you instead of him as our pact was and so the Deep Magic will be appeased. But when you are dead what will prevent me from killing him as well? And who will take him out of my hand then? Understand that you have given me Narnia forever, you have lost your own life and you have not saved his. In that knowledge, despair and die."

"And through the Eastern door, which was wide open, came the voices of the mermen and the mermaids swimming close to the castle steps and singing in honour of their new Kings and Queens."

"So these two Kings and two Queens rode a-hunting with horns and hounds in the Western Woods to follow the White Stag."

I don't know why that last part in particular makes me so happy.

Page 1 of 2 << [1] [2] >>

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

kauricat.livejournal.com

Those look awesome! I'm much more excited to see it now.

From:

crypticidentity.livejournal.com

Wow, that's awesome. I mean, really, that's cool, how you found the parts in the movie and the match up with the parts in the book. I can't wait for the movie; the books are so amazing.

(...first comment? I doubt it)

From:

crypticidentity.livejournal.com

GAH. Almost.

Classy dame, sparkle consultant, gothic enthusiast, sporadic recapper.

(no subject)

Links

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags