Chronicles of Narnia

[Trent DeWhite]

I love Aslan because of who his is supposed to portray. LoTR could never mean so much.

I'm going to respectfully disagree with you on that point.

Admittedly, The Chronicles of Narnia has more overt Biblical allusions, but that's not to say The Lord of the Rings isn't without its full share of implications and Biblical parallels. Tolkien's work, although not as explicitly Christian as Lewis', does reflect God's own creation. Tolkien said about the story of salvation that it is the "story of a larger kind which embraces all the essence of fairy-stories . . . [the story in which] the desire and aspiration of sub-creation has been raised to the fulfillment of Creation . . . this story [Eucatastrophe] is supreme; and it is true. Art has been verified. God is the Lord of angels, and of men—and of elves. Legend and History have met and fused." Having taken full year courses on both CoN and LoTR, I've seen many great things in both.

Tolkien even admitted to infusing his beliefs into LoTR. In a letter written to Robert Murray (1963), Tolkien wrote, "LOTR is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision . . . The religious element is absorbed into the story . . . chiefly grateful for having been brought up (since I was eight) in a Faith that has nourished me and taught me all the little that I know; and that I owe to my mother, who clung to her conversion and died young, largely through the hardships of poverty resulting from it."

Yes, I'm an LoTR supporter.

All that being said, I still hold CoN in the highest of regard. If it weren't for Lewis, I would not have gotten into literature as much as I have. That and my parents wanted me to take a literature course.

Ultimately, we see a fair share of Biblical truths embedded within the fantasy lands of both Narnia and Middle Earth.

[Me]

I'll have to agree with Trent on this one.

In LOTR, you just have to look a little harder for the meaning. Try comparing Gandalf to Aslan. It works out pretty well, although slightly different.

[Trent DeWhite]

In LOTR, you just have to look a little harder for the meaning. Try comparing Gandalf to Aslan. It works out pretty well, although slightly different.

Er, yeah. There certainly are many similarities between Gandalf and Aslan. They both exhibited self-sacrifice, leadership, love, compassion, etc.

NarniaWeb recently posted an interview, originally from a British movie magazine, EMPIRE:

It’s no surprise that, when first approached to play the evil queen of frostbitten fantasy-world Narnia, Tilda Swinton had reservations. After all, why would a British arthouse doyenne, best known for her work with Derek Jarman, ever imagine herself as a polar-bear whipping poster girl for a multi-million-dollar, Disney-funded fairy tale? It’s not even like she was a fan of C. S. Lewis’ book, the much loved tale of how four World War II evacuee children quest to free Narnia from the queen’s wintry curse.

"It’s a tall order to play the epitome of all evil," she confides at the production’s base in Auckland. "She’s not actually human. She’s really a cipher; she’s whatever these children need her to be, to make them capable of becoming what they need to become by the end of the tale."

"But," she adds with a smile, "I am very white!" Certainly, physically speaking, the none-more-pale Swinton’s a perfect choice, and any doubts she had about the project were soon dispelled by the sheer grandeur of the sets, from her own Great Hall, a cathedral-like cavern with massive icicle-pillars, to the snowy woodland built in an equestrian centre that matches Pinewood’s 007 sound stage for size.

Given the project’s scale, location and material, Lord of the Rings comparisons are rife. But the filmmakers themselves are keen to emphasise the distinctions. "A lot of people have described it as a cross between Rings and Harry Potter" says producer Mark Johnson. "We’ll I’ve now seen a lot of it cut together, and what’s wonderful is that it’s its own animal. I’m a big fan of those movies, but this couldn’t be more different."

[Elf of Rivendell]

Gothmog? Gorbag? Or did they really use him for the Balrog?

Gothmog is what they called that wierd deformed dude who was in charge of Pellenor fields. Balrog was CG.

Hm. The 'head' Balrog back in the First Age(or Second Age?) of Middle-earth was also named Gothmog. And the deformed dude...I always called him Porky.

[Me]

Gothmog? Gorbag? Or did they really use him for the Balrog?

Gothmog is what they called that wierd deformed dude who was in charge of Pellenor fields. Balrog was CG.

Hm. The 'head' Balrog back in the First Age(or Second Age?) of Middle-earth was also named Gothmog. And the deformed dude...I always called him Porky.

Yeah, I was sort of wierded out when I heard what they were calling this guy. I was confused for a while. I guess they just thought it was a cool name.


Trent: I know, weak comparison. Anyway, suffice it to say that I find LOTR more meaningful than TCON.

[Trent DeWhite]

Trent: I know, weak comparison. Anyway, suffice it to say that I find LOTR more meaningful than TCON.

No, you gave a legitimate comparison. Obviously, Aslan : Christ does not equal Gandalf : Christ... yet, I've found many numerous examples of Christ-like qualities in Gandalf the Grey (or White, if you prefer ).

LOTR, because of its comprehensive depth, makes it that much more meaningful. I'd disagree that it's more meaningful than TCON, as there are many significant implications in the books of both authors. Yet, I agree that one may learn more from LOTR than from TCON, simply because of its length and Tolkien's extensive use of themes and motifs.

[Me]

Yet, I agree that one may learn more from LOTR than from TCON, simply because of its length and Tolkien's extensive use of themes and motifs.

That's precisely what I was referring to, just couldn't type it properly.

[Ferder]

"A lot of people have described it as a cross between Rings and Harry Potter" says producer Mark Johnson."[/i]

That's kinda true in a way since on one hand it's an epic fantasy with big battles and monsters, while on the other hand it's about kids.
Though it's best not to compare. LOTR, HP, and Narnia are all very different, and very distinct books.

[Alleycat]

*smashes compy screen*

[Trent DeWhite]

"A lot of people have described it as a cross between Rings and Harry Potter" says producer Mark Johnson."

That's kinda true in a way since on one hand it's an epic fantasy with big battles and monsters, while on the other hand it's about kids.
Though it's best not to compare. LOTR, HP, and Narnia are all very different, and very distinct books.

Verily.

For those who have never read the books, it's an easy comparison to make. I've read LOTR and CON and are distinct differences. I can't say I've read HP, but I recognize there are notable differences between the wizardry in HP and the wizardry in LOTR.

[Catspaw]

*smashes compy screen*

May I ask why?

[Trent DeWhite]

*smashes compy screen*

May I ask why?

Unless, it pertains to CON... it's



Narnia-chroniken.de recently posted some new photos, including one of Father Christmas and Mr. Tumnus. They were scanned from a promotional flyer, which explains the low-res.







It's Kiran Shah!

[Me]

It's almost like half of the LOTR production team transferred over.

[J-man]

Here's two more pics like those..
EDIT: ok that didn't work..

[Trent DeWhite]

It's almost like half of the LOTR production team transferred over.

Heh, seriously.

Are you talking about these, J-man?

[AIOfan11]

It's almost like half of the LOTR production team transferred over.

Are there some actors in Narnia that were in LOTR? If so, that is interesting.

[Me]

Not main actors, but people like Kiran Shaw (sp?), scale doubles, stunt persons, production design, art direction, etc.

[Frank]

It's just like Trent dear to turn a wonderful CON discussion towards LOTR.

[Trent DeWhite]

I didn't start it. See the previous page.

We've got the video of the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I also have all the books in one big volume, and I love it better than LoTR.

I love Aslan because of who his is supposed to portray. LoTR could never mean so much.

[J-man]

It's almost like half of the LOTR production team transferred over.

Heh, seriously.

Are you talking about these, J-man?

Yeah.