Colin Duriez quotes CMR at Church Times of London

One of my goals in founding Catholic Media Review was to provide an authentic Catholic voice in the world of media. It has been my great honor to be quoted in a London Episcopal Weekly, The Church Times by CS Lewis expert, Colin Duriez.

 Colin Duriez is the author of A Field Guide to Narnia (The History Press); The C. S. LewisChronicles (DLT); and J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis: The story of their friendship (TheHistory Press), among other books on Tolkien and the Inklings.
Despite such an impressive resume, Mr Duriez was interested in the opinion of a Roman Catholic film critic, this demonstrates the prominence of our work here at CMR. Unfortunately the articls is subscriber only, but here are the quotes Mr Duriez used from our interview.

This might suggest that the films are ambiguous about portraying the exclusiveness of Christ as Saviour. Leticia Velasquez, the founder of the blog Catholic Media Review, finds the films uneven. For her, the portrayal of Aslan is integral to a faithful representation of Lewis’s stories.

She very much approves of the lion-creator’s portrayal in both The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. But she is critical of Prince Caspian: “Some editing of the book for length, clarity of the storyline, are forgivable. However, a watering down of Aslan’s role as the Christ figure was not justified in my eyes or in that of the Christian audience. The downplay-ng of Aslan in Prince Caspian was the downfall of the film.”

Velasquez believes that the strength of the stories and characters contained in the Chronicles of Narnia will ensure that the series will survive the Hollywood treatment: “Lewis, like Dickens, has provided substantive story lines and exquisite characters, and, like Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, will survive various film interpretations and remain part of the cultural heritage.”

Gresham: Narnia is about Evangelization

Of course it is. CS Lewis, besides being an Oxford Don was also one of the 20th century's greatest Christian apologists.

Douglas Gresham, the film’s executive producer and Lewis’ adoptive son, who describes himself as a “card-carrying Narnian Christian,” told Relevant Magazine that the purpose is for readers and viewers to come to know Christ through the character of Aslan.

“When you read the Narnia Chronicles, you should be able to get to know Aslan very well throughout the seven books,” he said.  “If that happens, as it should happen and does happen, you’ll then know his new name, his different name here in this world as a result of having known him as Aslan in Narnia.”

When you defend the faith, you evangelize in one way, when you write powerful fiction you evangelize in a more subtle, yet arguably, more powerful way. Look at the Harry Potter and Twilight series,the first  has increased interest in witchcraft and the other in vampirism and biting. Recently, I was horrified to see lip gloss  commercial advertising the "just bitten" look. Philip Pullman openly admitted that his "His Dark Materials" series was to bring children toward atheism the way Lewis' Narnia brought them towards Christianity.
Guess whose movie is doing better?

Read more at Life Site News. 

Review of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Life is dreary for Lucy (Georgie Henley) — and Edmund (Skandar Keynes) at the home of their Uncle Scrubb in Cambridge. The rest of their family is in the United States where their father is working on behalf of the war effort. Meanwhile, they are tormented by their spoiled cousin Eustace (Will Poulter) who is not happy that there are there, and mocks them for their talk of Narnia, which they miss more each day. Imagine Eustace’s astonishment, when a painting of a ship in the bedroom begins to leak seawater. Soon the room is flooded and all three children are swimming up towards the ship in the painting, the Dawn Treader. Lucy and Edmund are delighted to resume their lives in Narnia, which they left only three years ago in Narnian years. They are joyfully welcomed by King Caspian (Ben Barnes) and the indomitable Reepicheep (voice by Simon Pegs).

 Eustace is still adjusting to the fact that he is aboard a ship in a magical land, and treats Reepicheep as his nemesis. The cheeky little mouse cheerfully accepts the challenge of teaching the little monster how to behave like a proper Narnian knight while Lucy and Edmund learn why Caspian has taken the Dawn Treader out to sea.

Caspian is seeking the seven Lost Lords who disappeared during the reign of his Uncle Miraz. He has heard they fled for the Far Islands and wants to ask them to return now that he has brought peace to Narnia. What they find on the first island is most unsettling; the inhabitants are being sold into slavery to a malevolent dark mist from the Dark Isle. This mist threatens the Dawn Treader’s crew by unlocking their areas of temptation, and threatening their lives. It doesn’t take much temptation to waylay cantankerous Eustace, who easily succumbs to greed and finds himself transformed into a miserable, fire-breathing dragon. Will supercilious Eustace be able to accept help from Aslan? Will Lucy and Edmund allow their weaknesses to overcome their mission to reunite the seven swords of the Lost Lords? The Voyage of the Dawn Treader will be their greatest trial to date.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader continues the theme we encountered in Prince Caspian where Aslan is an omniscient guiding presence, like the Holy Spirit who counsels, convicts and heals the sinner overtaken by temptation. Yet Voyage of the Dawn Treader does so with more conviction than Prince Caspian, and this will delight not only Lewis fans, but the Christian audience who are experiencing the stories for the first time on screen. Lewis himself considered this to be the most spiritual of his books, and Walden Media has leaned the lesson of downplaying the spiritual underpinning of Prince Caspian which was far less popular than the smashingly successful The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. This film remains true to the idea that fortitude of Lewis’ characters lies not in their own moral perfection but their reliance on the guidance of Aslan. The Narnia series has regained its spiritual heart, and audiences will be moved by the transformation of even the scaly Eustace into a young man of courage.

This is a film which will resonate deeply with Catholic sensibilities as deeply as The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. The main complaint which Catholics had with Prince Caspian was the downplaying of Aslan’s role, cutting out much of his role, as Lucy is the only one who is guided by him.  In Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the themes of individuals capitulating to their temptations will be familiar to Catholics, as well as the image of the royal meal (another reference to the Mass?), and the heavenly lady in blue who guides Narnians to victory over evil. Could this be a reference to the Blessed Virgin? Certainly the theme of chivalry throughout the series is drawn from medieval romances of Christendom.  The final scene in which Reepacheep's views heaven as the culmination of his service for Aslan is something which will inspire Catholic audiences. The spiritual content is what lifts a pure fantasy based on Homer’s Odyessy into the realm of allegory of the Christian life.

Fantasy involves extremes of good and evil, heroes and villains. In our politically correct society, where you cannot label anyone an enemy with the possible exception of drug dealers. fantasy provides a vehicle to express the battle between good and evil in all its violent glory. Children have dire need of true heroes, and the behavior of sports figures, actors and singers are blatantly immoral, so they fail to inspire the best in children's imaginations. Children need to live out their fantasies of what they will achieve in adulthood in an imaginary perfect world, where goodness triumphs and evil meets its just end. Good literary fantasy provides this vehicle. 

An attempt to modernize the concept of womanhood in Prince Caspian was not appreciated by book fans. Lewis was aware of the masculine tendencies of modern feminism and roundly rejected them.  Narnians did not consider Lucy and Susan any less valiant than their brothers who did the lions share of the fighting. After all, they had the courage to accompany Aslan throughout his torture and death, and were rewarded by being present at his resurrection. In Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Lucy is tempted by the desire to be as beautiful as she sees her sister Susan, and Aslan tenderly reminds her that she is beautiful as herself. This is an important lesson for girls today who are bombarded with images of artificially created beauty. Voyage of the Dawn Treader will rival The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for the role of favorite film in the Narnia series. Perhaps this rivalry will be settled when The Silver Chair is released, as the success I predict for this film will certainly encourage a sequel. Walden has made a good match with 20^th Century Fox and Lewis’ nephew Doug Gresham, an advisor to The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe, roundly approves of this film and assures us that Lewis would as well.

This film is available in 3D and would be very frightening for younger children; there is a vivid sea monster and frightening, dark images. No suggestive scenes or bad language. Highly recommended for audiences seven and up. 

Review of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

We are experiencing technical difficulties on this site, for Leticia's review of TheVoyage of the Dawn Treader, go to her blog Causa Nostrae Laetitiae

LIam Neeson goes PC on Narnia

No one with any knowledge of either CS Lewis, the great Christian apologist, or his work would make such a ridiculous claim.
 Liam Neeson, the practicing Catholic who plays Aslan in the Narnia series said, "
 “Aslan symbolizes a Christ-like figure but he also symbolizes for me Mohammed, Buddha and all the great spiritual leaders and prophets over the centuries. That’s who Aslan stands for as well as a mentor figure for kids – that’s what he means for me.”
What other religious leader gave his life for a sinner, was killed and resurrected to establish his Kingdom on earth with Peter as its leader?
This point of view has been roundly denounced by those who knew Lewis. A qupte in The Telegraph confirms this.

"Walter Hooper, Lewis’ former secretary and a trustee of his estate, said that C.S. Lewis would have been outraged by the claim.

“It is nothing whatever to do with Islam,” Hooper told the Telegraph. “Lewis would have simply denied that.He wrote that the ‘whole Narnian story is about Christ.’ Lewis could not have been clearer"

Stop playing games with Lewis' intention, with your brand of moral relativism, Mr Neeson, and stick to acting!
I will post my review of "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" here at mignight on Friday, opening day.
HT EWTN News
Read the entire story on Planet Catholic. 

I've just seen Voyage of the Dawn Treader

And I can't tell you a thing about it till it opens December 10.
Except this; make plans to see it with your family, its not to be missed.

The Chronicles of Narnia, Voyage of the Dawn Treader official trailer

The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader Official Teaser Trailer

Two days to Narnia

On Thursday, at 3:00 AM EST, I will publish the trailer of the latest Narnia film, "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" here on Catholic Media Review.
This site has been chosen to be one of the first in the world to reveal the trailer, which will be on TV and as a trailer before "Toy Story 3" on Friday June 18.
Don't miss the chance to be the first one to see the magnificent trailer, with an added surprise at the end. . .

Coming soon. . .Trailer for Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Those of you who are The Chronicles of Narnia fans,  we know that you have been anxioulsy awaiting the release of the next film of the series; "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" which is coming to the big screen next December.

The rest of the world will catch the first glimpse of the film as the trailer is aired before Toy Story III when it is released on June 18.

However, Catholic Media Review has Hollywood contacts who have scored us a copy of the trailer. . 
Stay tuned, and be the first of your friends to see the trailer of the next film inCS Lewis' beloved series.

Some Reflection on the Battle Theme of Prince Caspian

Peter Pevensie has grown physically since his last foray into Narnia, yet he still carries the schoolboy swagger that causes trouble for him in school in London, and on the battlefield of Narnia. He has forgotten that he was no king until crowned by Aslan, whose death and resurrection made the stunning victory over the White Witch possible. Prince Caspian who has never known Aslan personally, does not know how to rely on his power, and is driven by a sense of revenge and a desire for justice. It takes young Lucy whose faith has kept her heart open to Aslan, to remind the young men from whence their power comes, and turn tragedy into triumph.
How often in Western Society, we are full of the pride of our technical, economic, and military capabilities, and are tricked by the enemy into feeling that we have outgrown our need for God. We look down upon less educated, poorer nations like the Philippines where their Catholic faith is still vibrant, certain we have little to learn from them. We are wrong, according to the author of “Prince Caspian”. We are sowing the seeds of our own decline.

CS Lewis lived in the century of the fiercest persecution of Christians in the history of the world, and Prince Caspian is centered on a battle. What kind of battle is he suggesting? A battle for freedom from oppression in which Aslan, or Christ guides us, and the pure of heart are leaders. The oppression is a spiritual one; we have enslaved ourselves to our own pride, materialism and secularism. Perhaps this allegory should be seen as an indictment of our culture where religion is relegated to the realm of innocuous hobbies, in an attempt to dissuade us from entering the fray. The beauty of society is dimmed as our lack of faith allows evil to creep in, one court ruling at a time. This is a dramatic representation of the facts presented in "Expelled".

Pope Benedict recently said, at a meeting at the Pontifical Council for Culture,

"the secularization that is present in cultures as an arrangement of the world
and of humanity without reference to Transcendence is today invading every
aspect of daily life, and is developing a mentality in which God is effectively
absent, in whole or in part, from human existence, and understanding. . .It
deeply undermines the Christian faith from within, and in consequence undermines
the lifestyle and daily behavior of believers.
They live in the world and are often not affected, if not determined by the culture of the image that imposes contradictory role modes and impulses in the practical denial of God: there is no longer any need for God, for thinking of Him and returning to Him.
And furthermore, the predominant hedonistic and consumerist mentality fosters,
among both faithful and pastors, a tendency towards superficiality and
egocentrism. . .there is a risk of falling into spiritual atrophy and into an
emptiness of heart, sometimes characterized by surrogate forms of religious
membership and vague spiritualism. (Caspian resorting to witchcraft in the film)

It is clearly more urgent than ever to react to this trend, through recalling the lofty values of existence, which give meaning to life and can calm the disquiet of the human heart in it’s search for happiness: the dignity of the human person and it’s freedom, the equality among men, the meaning of life and death, and of that which awaits us after the conclusion of earthly existence. ”
March 9, 2008
HT Spero News.

Both CS Lewis and the Holy Father say we must not forget that we are merely pilgrims on earth, that heaven is our home, meanwhile, we must take up our swords, and plunge ourselves into the culture wars.

“put on the armor of Christ that you may be able to stand against the deceits of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places.” St. Paul in Ephesians 6:11-12 DR

As Aslan gently reprimands Lucy for taking so long to seek his help out of fear of the opinion of others, one must ask; what’s holding me back?

"Prince Caspian": Leticia's review

Prince Caspian: Resident of a Darkened World
PG 2 hours 20 minutes
The four Pevensie children found everyday life in London tiresome following the high adventure of defeating the White Witch and establishing the Golden Age of the Kingdom of Narnia with the help of Aslan(voice by Liam Neeson), the lion. Their reign in peaceful Narnia had come to an abrupt end as they re-entered the wardrobe and tumbled back into wartime England of the 1940’s. Peter (William Moseley), once High King Peter the Magnificent, especially, seems to be in constant conflict with his schoolmates. The four long for the land where they spent so many happy years, when, in of all places the London Underground, they feel themselves pulled back into Narnia. A beach of unearthly beauty appears in front of them and at first they were overwhelmed with joy and release at being back in their true home.
But this wasn’t the Narnia they remembered; no longer did the water sing, the trees dance and the animals speak. There was a savagery and oppression in Narnia, and soon the children discovered the secret; they had returned to Narnia centuries after their reign and their beloved homeland is in dire need of their help. Prince Caspian(Ben Barnes), the heir to the throne of Telmar, a fugitive from his uncle King Miraz(Sergio Castellitto) who wanted the throne for his newborn son, had summoned the Pevensie children with Susan’s magic horn.
In the dark kingdom of Telmar on the other side of the river, the inhabitants had long considered the story of Aslan’s salvation of Narnia, and the brave deeds of its Kings and Queens, fairy tales for children and the simple-minded. Prince Caspian whose parents were dead, was forbidden by King Miraz to learn of such things, yet his wise and gentle Professor (Vincent Grass) had secretly told him the truth. The young Prince hardly dared believe in such nobility, living as he did in a kingdom of darkness, ruled by his uncle, a violent usurper to the throne.
Prince Caspian and King Peter form an alliance which is fraught with tension, caused by Caspian’s’ desire for revenge, and Peter’s pride. Lucy(Georgie Henley), however, has seen Aslan who wants to lead them. Would the proud and impetuous princes heed the faith of a child?
“Prince Caspian” was written by CS Lewis in 1951, as Europe, recoiling from the savagery of World War II, was dismayed to find the nations liberated by the Allies from Nazis under a new oppressor; the Soviet Communists. The Cold War snuffed the glow of the Allied victory and overshadowed the ensuing decades with the specter of international nuclear war. Lewis, who died in 1967, never lived to see the break up of the Soviet Empire, and one wonders if, by using the name ‘Caspian’, he meant to evoke the Caspian Sea, which borders Russia, and the rejection and oppression of religious belief in Telmar, the atheistic dogmatism of Communism. Director/Producer/Screenwriter Andrew Adamson seemed to imply this by having the swarthy Telmarines speak with Eastern European accents, and cloaking their Kingdom in darkness, suggesting an evil empire. Telmarine-oppressed Narnia, though brighter than Telmar, reflects little of its former glory, even the animals are no longer civilized. As Narnian Trumpkin (Peter Dinklage) explains the change, “If you are treated like a dumb animal, that is what you become”.
Prince Caspian speaks powerfully of bravery, self-sacrifice, and the importance of remembering one’s cultural heritage as a means of comprehending the present. Pride is seen as a vice, which forgets faith, yet violence itself is not eschewed, as Caspian and the Pevensies defend the rights of the oppressed. The heroes of Narnia are no lambs, after all they are led by a lion.
Spectacular natural scenery seen in powerful aerial shots combined by the familiar lyrical musical themes from “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”, effectively transport the audience into another world. A teenage girl who attended the movie with me, said, “it’s depressing to come out of this movie because you have to leave Narnia and face reality”. Like the Pevensie children, you find that the longing for Narnia remains a part of you.
Recommended for children ten and up. Some frightening though unbloody battle scenes, a noisy though non-graphic birth scene, one kiss on the mouth, and a disturbing scene of delving into the occult may frighten younger children.
12/2008 UPDATE: I had an opportunity to interview William Mosely the actor who played Peter Pevensie, last month, in Hollywood. He's taking a photography course in London, and snapped the photo in the blog header out the hotel window after I commented on what a great theme it would create for CMR.

A Few Good Books

Just in case your children are subjected to a Scholastic book fair, there are some good choices out there. Rick Yancey's Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp, C. S. Lewis's Prince Caspian, and Rick Riordan's The Titan's Curse were some that I recently spotted on the list.
Here's my take on few newly published winners...

Hattie Big Sky, by Kirby Larson, is the story of a sixteen year old orphan girl. Just when she is about to be forced to drop out of high school to work as a maid in an Iowa boarding house, Hattie receives a cryptic letter asking her if she will accept her now deceased uncle's homestead claim in Montana. Upon arrival in Vida, Montana, she discovers that she must now lay several miles of fence line, and cultivate 40 acres of crops before the land is hers. Hattie's struggles with forces of nature are interwoven with the anti-German sentiment her neighbors are facing as a result of the on-going first World War. Hattie is a wonderful, resourceful, and intrepid heroine. This novel is a Caudill Award nominee and a Newbery Honor Book. Highly Recommended.

Penny from Heaven, by Jennifer L. Holm, takes place in New Jersey, shortly after the second World War. Penny lives with her widowed, Protestant mother and grandparents, and spends most of her free time with the Italian, Catholic side of her family. The story follows Penny throughout the summer of 1953, during which her mother starts dating the milkman, her arm is nearly severed in a wringer washer accident, and she learns of the Italian American internment camp where her father died. This humorous, summertime story is also a Caudill Award nominee and a Newbery Honor Book. Highly Recommended.

Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters, by Lesley M. M. Blume, takes place in modern day Manhattan. Cornelia is the daughter of two brilliant pianists, Lucy Englehart, and her father, whom she has never met. Her mother is frequently absent for long periods of time, touring the world with her music. Lonely Cornelia locks herself away in a world of books, baffling grown ups with her immense vocabulary. When the famous author, Virginia Somerset, moves into the apartment next door, Cornelia finds a friend who speaks her language. Virginia shares the adventures she had in the 1950s when she traveled the world with her three equally vivacious sisters. These tales carry Cornelia from Morocco, to Paris, where the sisters encountered Pablo Picasso, to England, where Her Majesty has them thrown out of the Crufts Dog Show, to India, where they encounter true poverty and charity. Cornelia learns from Virginia how to turn vocabulary words into magical tales to be shared with friends and family.
Please note that Cornelia's father is described as a playboy, and she overhears her mother referring to his most recent in a string of marriages. However, these attributes are appropriately portrayed as unfortunate events in Cornelia's and her mother's lives. Highly Recommended.

Movie Trailer: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

The second Narnia film comes to theaters May 18th.

Visit the official site

Click here for more movie trailers

Screenwriters: Andrew Adamson (Shrek), Christopher Markus (The Life & Death of Peter Sellers)
Director: Andrew Adamson (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe)
Actors: Liam Neeson (Batman Begins), Ben Barnes (Stardust), Warwick Davis (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), Peter Dinklage (Find Me Guilty)