S8E30 – Narnia – “Narnia Month: Narnia in the 60s and 70s”, After Hours with Dr. Christin Ditchfield-Lazo

With all the Narnia books read, we now turn to the adaptations, with a little help from Lazo Major…

S8E30: “Narnia in the 60s and 70s”, After Hours with Dr. Christin Ditchfield-Lazo (Download)

Show Notes

Introduction

Chit-Chat

• Welcome back to Narnia month! Last season, we concluded the canonical Narnia books, finishing with “The Last Battle”. This season, we will be examining the various film adaptations of the series, beginning with a surviving section of the ITV 1967 live action adaptation, and a 1979 feature-length American cartoon, which was heard in the opening of this episode.
• Today, we are reunited with Lazo the Greater, Lazo Major, and Andrew’s better half, Dr. Christin Ditchfield-Lazo!
• Christin and Andrew have had a packed schedule recently, filled with speaking and teaching about Lewis. Recently, they hosted the Mere Christian’s conference at their church, where Christin spoke on “The Great Divorce” for the first time. They are also preparing to speak in Belfast, Ireland – the birthplace of Jack – at the C.S. Lewis Foundation Conference, which is currently selling tickets. The closing reception will be in the Titanic museum, which Lewis incidentally watched being built from his bedroom window.
• Along with this upcoming conference, Andrew will be having other extensive travel for the next several months. He will be in Atlanta, Georgia on June 26th with Patty Callahan – author of “Once Upon a Wardrobe” and “Becoming Mrs. Lewis” – and the C.S. Lewis Institute of Atlanta, for an evening conversation on Joy Davidman. Later that same month, he will be at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, speaking on “The Screwtape Letters”, “Mere Christianity”, and “Till We Have Faces”.

Toast

• Andrew and Matt are drinking some of the Athletic Brewing Company ESB that David sent them.
• Christin had a mug of coffee.

Discussion

01. “The Lost Live-Action Adaptation”

• We begin this special episode with the 1960s live-action adaptation made by ITV, a British network. The story is told through of Professor Kirke, who narrates the story of the Pevensie children. There were ten episodes made in total, but unfortunately, only episodes one and eight, along with the audio of episode seven, survive today. The series was well-cast, with the actors later starring in media such as The Great Escape, Dr. Who, Blake 7, Ever After, Oliver, The Pink Panther Strikes Again, and The Avengers (the English show).
• Here is the media that David was able to uncover:

Q. What do you make of the show, after watching these clips?

• Matt enjoyed the narration of Professor Kirke, who offered insight and important principles. The rest of the group agreed that it felt much like a play, especially with the use of live action, silly costumes, and over-the-top reactions.
• Another thing that Andrew appreciated was the faithfulness fo the writers to the original content. Hopefully, we pray, the new Netflix adaptations will follow suit…
• Christin and David reminisced on other theatrical adaptations – such as The Lion King – and their fascinating puppetry, and wondered whether they could be applied to the Narnia series.

02. “Warnie’s Analysis”

Q: I’ve heard a rumor that Warnie Lewis watched this, and referenced it in his diaries. Is this true?

• Warnie did in fact watch the episodes air! Here are his reviews, written in his diary.

This evening, we had the final television instalment of “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” I hope the listener response will be large enough to encourage ATV to do some of the others, for this production has been admirable both as regards acting and production. Not a jarring note in either from start to finish. How I wish Jack could have seen it.

Warren Lewis, Diary, September 10th, 1967

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Warren Lewis, Diary, July 9th, 1967

On television last night, I saw the opening instalment of Jack’s Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe, by which I was agreeably surprised. Lucy is good and looks the part, and Tumnus comes off. We got only as far as Lucy’s return from her first visit to Narnia, so one cannot yet form any opinion of the whole thing, but so far it’s very promising, and I think Jack would have been pleased with it. No hint so far of what he feared, a touch of Disneyland. Up to date, the other three children have had practically nothing to do, and have left no impression. The scenery was first rate, and there really was something of magic about the transition from the wardrobe to the dim-lit snow-covered Narnia. How I wish Jack was here to talk it over with me.

03. “Chewing the Scenery”

Q: What were your thoughts on the acting?

• Matt did not care for the Aslan character in either one of the adaptations. Unlike the 2005 Disney adaptation, which depicted him as deliberate, wise, and intentional, these older versions did not grasp his persona, and made him indistinguishable from the rest of the cast.
• Part of this might be due to the lack of CGI, and especially the anthropomorphization of the Lion. The producers are clearly drawing off of the Pauline Baynes illustration.

• Turning from Aslan to the other characters, much like in a play, the actors tend to overdramatise to get the point across. On a screen, this makes things feel a bit forced.
• Tilda Swinton, the actress who played the White Witch in the famous 2005 adaptation, took a different route from the prior depictions, changing from a hot anger to a quiet rage. It made the character of Jadis much more chilling and calculated. Andrew had the chance to meet Swinton once and take a picture with her.

04. “Bold Choices”

Q: What were some of the bold moves that the producers made in the making of this adaptation?

• There are a few choices that cause modern listeners to raise an eyebrow.

1. There is a song in the audio-only episode, when they learn of spring arriving and winter departing.
2. When the Witch is asked what will happen if she is not allowed to sacrifice Edmund, they change the line from the original story, so that she now says “Perish in a holocaust,” rather than “Perish in blood and water.” Perhaps this is because children are too young to know what that is, and blood would be too graphic. After all, they also changed the reason why the Pevensie children were in the Professor’s home to begin with; rather than escaping the war, they are being cared for while their parents were on an archaeological expedition.
3. When Aslan is walking to the Stone Table, they make it appear as though he is startled by Susan and Lucy, rather than addressing them on his own terms.

05. “The American Animation”

Q: What was your general impression of this movie?”

• The second film discussed was an animated version released in 1979. One thing that made this adaptation interesting was that there was an English voice version, and an American voice version. In his digging, David learned that there was also a prequel planned.
• Another interesting aspect of this film is that it begins “in media res”, or “in the middle of matters”, as Lucy steps into Narnia through the Wardrobe. This is how most classical literature was done, by beginning in the center of the action, then retracing steps and recounting what has happened up until that point.
• Though well done, this was a troubled production. They lost their producer right at the start of its creation, and were up against a very tight deadline. However, it was very well received, and the voice actors went on to star in bigger roles, as previously mentioned.
• Christin, who first watched it as an adult, thoroughly enjoyed it, and found it faithful to the original story. She found it reminiscent of Frosty the Snowman, with the design choices.
• Matt was also very pleased, especially with the detail put into the animation. However, again, he had a hard time with the persona of the character Aslan.
• Andrew once played this for a high school class, and it surpassed his expectations as well. Pointing out the red, devilish appearance of Mr. Tumnus, he described the original Greek Vertunmus, a creepy shapeshifting god who uses his power to woo the goddess Ponoma in Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”.
• Sometimes the shortened deadline pokes through, particularly with the battle. It looks like a very quick sketch.

06. “Stand-Out Qualities”

• Like the previous adaptation, they made a number of unique choices.

1. The witch’s acting was very over the top, to the point of nonsensical.
2. We finally have a blonde Lucy! Looks like someone finally read the character description in the book.
3. The children were dressed as 70’s children would be.
4. Father Christmas is an off-screen presence in this movie. Rather, it is Aslan who gives the children their gifts.
5. There are no warnings about shutting oneself up inside a wardrobe; in fact, the doors shut of their own accord.
6. Edmund holds his sword in his left hand. If you know Latin, you know that the term for being left handed is “sinestre”, where we get the word “sinister”.
7. The professor had a very impressive moustache.

07. “Too Scary?”

Q: What were your thoughts on the intensity of this film?

• The scene about Narnia perishing in fire and water was terrifying for young children! The stone table scene is also very intense, though wonderfully done.
• However, even better than the death scene was the scene about his resurrection, where he played with the girls. Wherever the Lion leapt, flowers sprang from the ground, a trait from a character in Welsh mythology.
• Some adaptations omit Jadis’ death scene. Others, like the most current version, show the scene though not in graphic detail. In this version, with the age of their audience at the forefront of their minds, Jadis disappears in a puff of black smoke.
• By far, David’s favourite scene was when the children are chasing after the white stag. Complete with the music, it was a magical, perfect way to wrap things up.

Wrap Up

Concluding Thoughts

• This is a wonderful adaptation for young families, and is entertaining without including any of the modernisation of today. They discussed the uncanny valley nature of movies made recently, and the potential for Greta Gerwig to make an animated version (one can dream).

More Information

• To hear more Pints with Jack discussions like this one, David, Andrew and Christin will be at the Petoskey C. S. Lewis Festival in September, themed after “Till We Have Faces”. They will have their first live broadcast there!

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