The Silver Chair

The last post was less than honest in it's claim that CS Lewis did not blatantly make his books Christian books. He is right in claiming that "The book {Silver Chair} does NOT include Aslan's ending line from the film where he says that he also exists in the human world, but that the kids MUST learn his 'other name.'" What this person neglected to say, either through ignorance or dishonesty, is that the line does appear in the books, although it is at the end of "Voyage of the Dawn Treader", not "Silver Chair." While Lewis was fond of saying "What we want is not more little books about Christianity, but more little books by Christians on other subjects -- with their Christianity latent", he didn't often follow his own advice.

On the movie, it is a fairly faithful film, but was done in the late 80's released in 90, so it did not, alas, have the benefit of computer graphics. Still, it's well worth watching.

One of the most intriguing and unsettling things about the NARNIA books is the way lifelong bachelor C.S. Lewis tends to portray evil witches not as hideous crones but as stunning and sophisticated young women. Not surprisingly, the most memorable character in this film is the Emerald Witch, portrayed with subtle sensuality and aristocratic charm by regal and dark-eyed Barbara Kellerman.

Kellerman's Emerald Witch is a forceful, intelligent, and thoroughly attractive villainess. As the daughter of the White Witch brutally slain by the insufferably pompous do-gooder talking lion Aslan in the first book, the Emerald Witch is not so much a villain as passionate woman bent on revenge. Note her entrance on Ettinsmoor, riding by the side of the dazed and clearly besotted Prince Rilian. While the child actors mumble and screech about their quest, Kellerman underplays her evil intentions, popping off snappy one liners like "What do you hear, what do you say?" Only when alone with Aslan's image staring out at her from a crystal ball does she reveal her true agenda, pulling a Cagney face and sneering, "you . . . dirty cat . . . you killed my mother!" The allusion to Cagney is reinforced later, when she is cornered by Prince Rilian. Instead of dodging his sword point, she grabs the blade and drives it into her own bosom, shrieking "Top of the world, Ma!" exactly like Cagney in WHITE HEAT.

I'm not to fond of writing long reviews. I like to keep things short, so this will be a quick one.

This one is amazing! Ever since I had been watching it on VHS as a toddler and eventually watching it on DVD, I've always loved this one and I don't think I need to say that Tom Baker steals the show as Puddleglum.

Mty son (7 years old) lovs this one and all of the series. I like this one in particular, largely because of Tom Baker's brilliance.

I just have a question for anyone who has watched it.

Did anyove notice that Puddleglum says the magic word (ie f*ck)?

In the scene where he gets drunk and he is picked up by the fat lady giant, Puddleglum makes some incomprehensible protests. Among this, pretty clearly, he says the magic word. My 7 year old first noticed this and told me. I told him he must be wrong. But I watched/lisstened to the offending bit and I had to tell my son that he was right. It was one of the funniest things i've ever seen / heard.

Anyway, Tom Baker is brilliant as always and he can do no wrong in my eyes.

This is much better than the BBC's earlier forays into Narnia, partly due to the book it's based on. It's set in the bare, unpopulated wastes to Narnia's north, so the drab scenery is not a defect. Nor is the absence of extras. Puddleglum, C.S. Lewis's best Narnian creation, is played by Tom Baker, who fits the role as well as anyone on Earth. In general the acting is better in `The Silver Chair' than it was earlier on. Direction is crisper, costumes are more convincing: everything has improved. I have commented harshly on `The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe', and most of those comments apply here as well, but never to the same extent. This is actually okay television. Of course, an adaptation of the Narnia books should be much more than that.