Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Thoughts on Narnia, the movie
Michael and I went to the movie theater yesterday to see The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Both of us thought is was nicely done and fairly subtle with its symbolic messages.
The music was a bit of a disappointment to me, not quite picking up the grandeur of certain panoramic vistas or notable character themes.
The blood was kept to a minimum. Most damage was done with natural sorts of things like melting ice, or by horrifying wolves (so traditional a western cultural enemy, still.)
The swords were there, but not overtly as tools of piercing and maiming but more like tools for shows of power. The english lion was the power symbol, typically a bow to C. S. Lewis.
If I were talking to my children, if I had taken them to see this movie in their day, I would have asked -- Why was Mr.Tomnas so sorrowful? What had he done wrong that he needed Lucy's forgiveness?
I would have lead the discussion into the rules and laws of hospitality. What are these rules of behavior? And why they are so fundamental and important to the social contract of civilizations? What other stories do we have about the importance of hospitality?
Sodom and Gommorah, Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks and The Three Little Bears come to my mind.
Oh well, maybe I missed my vocation, I should have been a teacher of critical thinking, eh?
The music was a bit of a disappointment to me, not quite picking up the grandeur of certain panoramic vistas or notable character themes.
The blood was kept to a minimum. Most damage was done with natural sorts of things like melting ice, or by horrifying wolves (so traditional a western cultural enemy, still.)
The swords were there, but not overtly as tools of piercing and maiming but more like tools for shows of power. The english lion was the power symbol, typically a bow to C. S. Lewis.
If I were talking to my children, if I had taken them to see this movie in their day, I would have asked -- Why was Mr.Tomnas so sorrowful? What had he done wrong that he needed Lucy's forgiveness?
I would have lead the discussion into the rules and laws of hospitality. What are these rules of behavior? And why they are so fundamental and important to the social contract of civilizations? What other stories do we have about the importance of hospitality?
Sodom and Gommorah, Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks and The Three Little Bears come to my mind.
Oh well, maybe I missed my vocation, I should have been a teacher of critical thinking, eh?
# posted by Dornar @ 12:05 AM 
