Tuesday, December 20, 2005

The power of a well-told story

I finally got to see the Narnia movie over the weekend. About 30 people from my church went to a matinee showing after service on Sunday. My parents also went and helped to take care of Cora, who actually watched some of the movie quietly.

It was beautifully made, and I could tell the crew put a lot of love into it. The details were magnificent, such as the rim latches on the doors in the professor's house and the opening scene with the German air raid. As only can be expected with a movie version, it lacked the depth of the book, but in essence was true, I think.

What especially struck me afterwards was the power of a well-told story. It didn't matter that the movie lacked any semblance of modernity or that the actors spoke with British accents (although Aslan did sound kind of American). Even the special effects didn't make the movie. Rather, the friendship between Mr. Tumnus and Lucy, Peter's courage, Edmond's redemption, and Aslan's sacrifice were the pillars that made the movie nearly as timeless as the book. But then again, C.S. Lewis wasn't being entirely original, was he? Rather, he was simply re-telling the greatest story ever.

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