Knight at the Movies - ARCHIVES
Hard Edged Fantasy/Hard Edged Reality:
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
and In Cold Blood
12-7-05 Knight at the Movies/Windy City Times column
by Richard Knight, Jr.
Pity the poor movie theatre employee that’s got to put up this marquee: The Chronicles of Narnia: The
Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. And pity the theatre manager that dares shorten it to “Narnia.”
Disney will be taking no chances, I’m sure that anyone will forget that this is to be the first in a series. After all,
it's to be their bid for some of that cinematic Harry Potter lucre. Unlike Paramount, who put all their artistic
resources into last year’s beautiful but uninvolving Lemony Snickett’s Series of Unfortunate Events (it was the
most visually stunning movie of the year), Disney has hedged their bets by going with proven territory. The Narnia
books by C.S. Lewis are bona fide staples of what used to be called “junior literature” and have a devoted
following. But even with that head start, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe lacks the visual panache of
Lemony Snickett’s and doesn’t have the dark beauty of the Harry Potter’s. Worse, there is not a single moment
that takes your breath away. It’s a very carefully crafted, workmanlike fantasy to be sure – a sort of bloodless
Lord of the Rings for tweens. But even though it wasn’t nearly as magical as I would have liked (and visualized
for myself when reading the book), that doesn’t stop me from highly recommending it.
I admit that my expectations, unlike other films of this kind, were exceedingly high. The Lion, the Witch was one
of my favorite childhood books and I’ve eagerly followed every television and film version awaiting The One that
could match my imagination. Though this still hasn’t done it, it’s come close. We begin with four siblings, Peter
and Susan, Edmund and Lucy who are sent to live in the country during the London Blitz. They’re stashed at the
many roomed estate (it’s like Manderly in Rebecca) of the eccentric Professor Kirke (Jim Broadbent who makes
what is basically a cameo appearance). Sibling rivalries, boredom and the scolding of the clichéd nasty
housekeeper lead to an illicit game of hide and seek. The youngest, the perky optimistic Lucy (played by the
perfectly named Georgie Henley) jumps into a large, looming wardrobe and after pushing through the folds of the
fur coats stored there finds herself in the mythical Narnia. In Narnia, Lucy learns from her new friend, the faun Mr.
Tumnus (James McAvoy) it is always winter but never Christmas. That’s because the evil White Queen (Tilda
Swinton) has cursed the forested, rocky terrain, frozen its rivers (and her foes) and seized power.
Soon Lucy returns with the others (sensibly wearing the purloined fur coats – PETA’s not going to be happy about
that) and before long all are caught up in a looming battle between good and evil. This battle has long been
foretold in Narnia and it is the appearance of the four – the “sons of Adam” and “daughters of Eve” that signals its
beginning. The White Witch certainly isn’t going to go without a fight and relies on the dark creatures of the night
and the “deep magic” to help her while the kids have the fauns, badgers, the hunky centaurs, the eagles, and
especially Aslan the fearsome lion (voiced by Liam Neeson) to help in their defense. At first Peter and Susan resist
the call to arms (“We’re not heroes, we’re from Finchley” Susan the practical one says when faced with the
challenge) but soon, spurred on by Lucy (the heart of the story), the kids go after their destiny. Essentially, once
the foursome are in Narnia the film’s a series of adventure sequences – not unlike Disney’s much likeable In
Search of the Castaways – culminating in the battle.
The four siblings are played by actors who sport those perfect English accents, manners and milk white, freckled
complexions and big puffy Macaulay Culkin lips yet they’re not nauseatingly cute. Distinct personalities emerge
though none of them has the immediate rapport with the audience that the Harry Potter actors did (neither did the
kids in Lemony Snickett’s). It’s going to take a second film for these characters to truly connect with the
audience. Understandably, it’s the supporting fantasy figures that make the greatest impression – the bickering,
digitally created badgers (voiced by Ray Winstone and Dawn French), the sly fox (voiced by Ruperet Everett),
Philip the fey horse (voiced by Philip Steuer), Swinton as the strident, impatient nasty witch, and her much
beleaguered servant, Ginarrbrik (Kiran Shah). The exception is Neeson as Aslan – only because his voice is so
recognizable that each time the digitally created lion spoke visions of Neeson danced in my head.
Director Andrew Adamson (of the Shrek movies) has handed Disney what is sure to be a crowd pleaser though I’m
not sure if that crowd will include the Christian right. Though the film is being marketed to Evangelicals in the
hopes of creating another blockbuster ala Passion of the Christ, the movie itself downplays what many have
interpreted as Lewis’s Christian symbolism and it doesn’t have the creepy elitism of the Left Behind series or
Passion (a horror film disguised as epic). And what parent won’t want to take their kids to see a movie in which
their cinematic counterparts are handed swords and knives and encouraged to kill as part of their duty? Lord of
the Rings Lite indeed.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
With the success of Capote which deals with the gay southern writer’s chronicle of the Clutter family murders, In
Cold Blood, the Music Box presents a new print of Richard Brooks’ chilling 1967 movie based on Capote’s book.
Filmed in stark black and white in a plain, almost documentary style and at many of the actual locations, this has to
be one of the most disturbing movies ever made, all the more so because of Robert Blake’s mesmerizing
performance as the killer Perry Smith and his offhand counterpart expertly acted by Scott Wilson. They are
supported by John Forsythe as the detective and Paul Stewart as Jensen, Capote’s pseudo alter ego. But Jensen
isn’t supposed to really be Capote. Rather, he’s the films conscience – and its one misstep. A superlative,
atmospheric jazz score by Quincy Jones (that STILL hasn’t been released on CD) pervades the entire movie. Plays
December 9-15. www.musicboxtheatre.com
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sneak Preview: A week before out director Rob Marshall’s Memoirs of a Geisha hits theatres here, Chicago
audiences are invited to see it at a sneak preview on Sunday, December 11 at 7pm. In addition to the movie, three
of Colleen Atwood’s lavish costumes from the film will be on display. The screening will benefit film education
programs at the Gene Siskel Film Center. General admission tickets are $20. Further information at 312-846-
2800 or www.siskelfilmcenter.com
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
and In Cold Blood
12-7-05 Knight at the Movies/Windy City Times column
by Richard Knight, Jr.
Pity the poor movie theatre employee that’s got to put up this marquee: The Chronicles of Narnia: The
Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. And pity the theatre manager that dares shorten it to “Narnia.”
Disney will be taking no chances, I’m sure that anyone will forget that this is to be the first in a series. After all,
it's to be their bid for some of that cinematic Harry Potter lucre. Unlike Paramount, who put all their artistic
resources into last year’s beautiful but uninvolving Lemony Snickett’s Series of Unfortunate Events (it was the
most visually stunning movie of the year), Disney has hedged their bets by going with proven territory. The Narnia
books by C.S. Lewis are bona fide staples of what used to be called “junior literature” and have a devoted
following. But even with that head start, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe lacks the visual panache of
Lemony Snickett’s and doesn’t have the dark beauty of the Harry Potter’s. Worse, there is not a single moment
that takes your breath away. It’s a very carefully crafted, workmanlike fantasy to be sure – a sort of bloodless
Lord of the Rings for tweens. But even though it wasn’t nearly as magical as I would have liked (and visualized
for myself when reading the book), that doesn’t stop me from highly recommending it.
I admit that my expectations, unlike other films of this kind, were exceedingly high. The Lion, the Witch was one
of my favorite childhood books and I’ve eagerly followed every television and film version awaiting The One that
could match my imagination. Though this still hasn’t done it, it’s come close. We begin with four siblings, Peter
and Susan, Edmund and Lucy who are sent to live in the country during the London Blitz. They’re stashed at the
many roomed estate (it’s like Manderly in Rebecca) of the eccentric Professor Kirke (Jim Broadbent who makes
what is basically a cameo appearance). Sibling rivalries, boredom and the scolding of the clichéd nasty
housekeeper lead to an illicit game of hide and seek. The youngest, the perky optimistic Lucy (played by the
perfectly named Georgie Henley) jumps into a large, looming wardrobe and after pushing through the folds of the
fur coats stored there finds herself in the mythical Narnia. In Narnia, Lucy learns from her new friend, the faun Mr.
Tumnus (James McAvoy) it is always winter but never Christmas. That’s because the evil White Queen (Tilda
Swinton) has cursed the forested, rocky terrain, frozen its rivers (and her foes) and seized power.
Soon Lucy returns with the others (sensibly wearing the purloined fur coats – PETA’s not going to be happy about
that) and before long all are caught up in a looming battle between good and evil. This battle has long been
foretold in Narnia and it is the appearance of the four – the “sons of Adam” and “daughters of Eve” that signals its
beginning. The White Witch certainly isn’t going to go without a fight and relies on the dark creatures of the night
and the “deep magic” to help her while the kids have the fauns, badgers, the hunky centaurs, the eagles, and
especially Aslan the fearsome lion (voiced by Liam Neeson) to help in their defense. At first Peter and Susan resist
the call to arms (“We’re not heroes, we’re from Finchley” Susan the practical one says when faced with the
challenge) but soon, spurred on by Lucy (the heart of the story), the kids go after their destiny. Essentially, once
the foursome are in Narnia the film’s a series of adventure sequences – not unlike Disney’s much likeable In
Search of the Castaways – culminating in the battle.
The four siblings are played by actors who sport those perfect English accents, manners and milk white, freckled
complexions and big puffy Macaulay Culkin lips yet they’re not nauseatingly cute. Distinct personalities emerge
though none of them has the immediate rapport with the audience that the Harry Potter actors did (neither did the
kids in Lemony Snickett’s). It’s going to take a second film for these characters to truly connect with the
audience. Understandably, it’s the supporting fantasy figures that make the greatest impression – the bickering,
digitally created badgers (voiced by Ray Winstone and Dawn French), the sly fox (voiced by Ruperet Everett),
Philip the fey horse (voiced by Philip Steuer), Swinton as the strident, impatient nasty witch, and her much
beleaguered servant, Ginarrbrik (Kiran Shah). The exception is Neeson as Aslan – only because his voice is so
recognizable that each time the digitally created lion spoke visions of Neeson danced in my head.
Director Andrew Adamson (of the Shrek movies) has handed Disney what is sure to be a crowd pleaser though I’m
not sure if that crowd will include the Christian right. Though the film is being marketed to Evangelicals in the
hopes of creating another blockbuster ala Passion of the Christ, the movie itself downplays what many have
interpreted as Lewis’s Christian symbolism and it doesn’t have the creepy elitism of the Left Behind series or
Passion (a horror film disguised as epic). And what parent won’t want to take their kids to see a movie in which
their cinematic counterparts are handed swords and knives and encouraged to kill as part of their duty? Lord of
the Rings Lite indeed.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
With the success of Capote which deals with the gay southern writer’s chronicle of the Clutter family murders, In
Cold Blood, the Music Box presents a new print of Richard Brooks’ chilling 1967 movie based on Capote’s book.
Filmed in stark black and white in a plain, almost documentary style and at many of the actual locations, this has to
be one of the most disturbing movies ever made, all the more so because of Robert Blake’s mesmerizing
performance as the killer Perry Smith and his offhand counterpart expertly acted by Scott Wilson. They are
supported by John Forsythe as the detective and Paul Stewart as Jensen, Capote’s pseudo alter ego. But Jensen
isn’t supposed to really be Capote. Rather, he’s the films conscience – and its one misstep. A superlative,
atmospheric jazz score by Quincy Jones (that STILL hasn’t been released on CD) pervades the entire movie. Plays
December 9-15. www.musicboxtheatre.com
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sneak Preview: A week before out director Rob Marshall’s Memoirs of a Geisha hits theatres here, Chicago
audiences are invited to see it at a sneak preview on Sunday, December 11 at 7pm. In addition to the movie, three
of Colleen Atwood’s lavish costumes from the film will be on display. The screening will benefit film education
programs at the Gene Siskel Film Center. General admission tickets are $20. Further information at 312-846-
2800 or www.siskelfilmcenter.com
Disney rolls the dice on their own fantasy franchise, a creepy classic returns
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