Lucy with a sword?

[Glumpuddle]

Just updated this story...
http://www.narniaweb.com/2009/09/photos ... n-treader/

What's Lucy doing with a sword? It seems to me that she will have to use it at some point. I mean, if it was just there as a decoration, why wouldn't they just let her keep her dagger? The fact that they felt the need to give her a sword says something, I think.

I'm uneasy about this, just because it makes me wonder where she could possibly have a sword fight. We're already concerned about them adding "pitched battles" and other action sequences.

But, unlike Susan, I don't think the idea of Lucy fighting is in itself a bad thing. It could work if executed well. Actually, to be honest, there's something about the idea that excites me a little. I'm just nervous about them turning this into an action film, that's all.

[mm1991]

Lucy fights in Horse and His Boy and I believe it says something to the effect that Lucy actually becomes quite skilled with a sword (though I could be wrong).
I'm fine with it to that extent.
Perhaps I'm the optimist here, but just because she has a sword, doesn't necessarily mean she's going to be using it that much. Look at PC with her dagger - she might have just one, um, "shining" moment.

[Lion's Emblem]

I'm okay with the Lucy and sword images right now, a bit happy even. She may not necessarily use it in a pitched battle sense, but as a larger scale defense mechanism compared to her dagger. Perhaps, after the capture at the Lone Islands, Caspian requires all the ship's crew to carry a sword to defend themselves on all the future islands, including Lucy. I wouldn't mind seeing Lucy use her fighting skills in VDT, but I don't really want to see a large scale battle with her all gung-ho. If they really want to make a statement with VDT, I say leave out the full scale battle (the audience has already seen it in LWW and PC and changing the scene to the sea scape doesn't make any difference). VDT already has the excitement and adventure without the climatic battle sequence (it's already unique in that sense).

[coracle]

Just as long as it's not for cutting up the vegetables and slicing the bread for the meals she is preparing in the ship's galley!!!

It looks good, and seems to me to show that she is a bit older and is allowed the means to defend herself. Lucy is now nearly as old as Edmund was in LWW, and he had a sword and fought in the battle. It seems fair that she can have one for self-defence. The only other option would be to issue her with a bow and arrows, but archery was always Susan's domain.

[ellz_bellz]

Well, in the book (I have it right here in front of me), Caspian mentions to Lucy whilst on the Island of the Dufflepuds, well he says

""Well, " said Caspian at last, "let's get on with it. We must go and face them. Shake hands all round - arrow on the string, Lucy - swords out everyone else - and now for it. Perhaps they'll parley.""

So Lucy has been armed the whole time, except with a bow and arrow instead of a sword. So, like coracle said, archery is really Susan (and Jill's) domain, and it would seem quite weird to have (if SC gets made into a movie), all the females fighting with a bow and arrow.

I really do like this idea of Lucy carrying around a sword. I mean, her dagger isn't going to get her that far (as we saw in PC in her grapple with Nikabrik). Also, It was mainly Peter who stopped her from using a sword and fighting. Since Edmund's there instead, maybe he is a little less protective of her, and will let her fight. Oooooh, I can just see a very funny scene of Lucy teaching Eustace how to swordfight XD

[Gymfan15]

So Lucy has been armed the whole time, except with a bow and arrow instead of a sword. So, like coracle said, archery is really Susan (and Jill's) domain, and it would seem quite weird to have (if SC gets made into a movie), all the females fighting with a bow and arrow.

It's actually not weird or even a coincidence, really. Lewis, who firmly stated that "battles are ugly when women fight", was never keen on the idea of girls entering combat. Even after he changed his views a little and gave his female characters more of an active role in fighting (Jill and adult Lucy), they always stood in the rank of the archers. That way they could play a key role in the battle, but not be involved in any hand-to-hand combat. I think Aravis is the only female to carry a sword, and it's not even hers (she's in the disguise of a man). And maybe Jill in disguise of a Telmarine. But anyway, they're both in disguises; unless someone can correct me, no Narnian girl ever used a sword as her method of defense.

BUT. After all that. I'm not opposed to having Lucy carry a sword. I'm actually sad that she won't be able to receive the distinction of the "fighter", after Susan's carrying-on in PC. People are going to think "same old, same old", when in fact Lucy was unique in that she went to battle, and Susan stayed home.

I also agree with gP, though, that it's not the sword itself that is a bit troubling, but the idea behind it...one can only hope that she, despite her aptitude of it, does not get a chance to actually, you know, use it. In HHB, Lucy can kick tail as much as she wants. But VdT is an ADVENTURE story! Not a battle-filled "epic".

[Glumpuddle]

just because she has a sword, doesn't necessarily mean she's going to be using it that much. Look at PC with her dagger - she might have just one, um, "shining" moment.

For VDT, the filmmakers evidently felt that a dagger wasn't enough and they had to give her a sword. That very fact, I think, makes it very likley that she will use the sword. Exactly for what, and how much, I don't know.

There are two possibilities that I can see:
1. They gave Lucy a sword because they just thought it would be cool for her to have one at her side as a decoration, instead of (or in addition to) a dagger.
2. They gave Lucy a sword because they wanted her to fight at some point, and realized that a dagger wouldn't be enough.

The second possibility makes a lot more sense to me. If Lucy wasn't going to fight in VDT, they would have just let her keep her dagger instead of giving her a sword. Or, at least you'd think so.

I'm not being optimistic or pessimistic (both attitudes are logically flawed). I'm looking at the facts and coming to a conclusion. And the facts seem to imply that Lucy will fight at some point.

But again, I don't think Lucy fighting is necessary a bad thing. I think it could be good.

[Pattertwigs Pal]

So Lucy has been armed the whole time, except with a bow and arrow instead of a sword. So, like coracle said, archery is really Susan (and Jill's) domain, and it would seem quite weird to have (if SC gets made into a movie), all the females fighting with a bow and arrow.

It's actually not weird or even a coincidence, really. Lewis, who firmly stated that "battles are ugly when women fight", was never keen on the idea of girls entering combat. Even after he changed his views a little and gave his female characters more of an active role in fighting (Jill and adult Lucy), they always stood in the rank of the archers. That way they could play a key role in the battle, but not be involved in any hand-to-hand combat. I think Aravis is the only female to carry a sword, and it's not even hers (she's in the disguise of a man). And maybe Jill in disguise of a Telmarine. But anyway, they're both in disguises; unless someone can correct me, no Narnian girl ever used a sword as her method of defense.

Technically, Jill didn't use a bow and arrow until LB unless Puddleglum or Eustace let her borrow theirs. She had a knife. In LB she was not strong enough to carry any of the swords but she had a long knife that might work as a sword. Aravis tried to draw her sword when Aslan attacked her. At that point she must not have been disguised as a man because she was smuggled out of Tashbaan dressed as a slave girl. I doubt their was room for her brother's armor in the saddle bags with the food and water. I suppose her sword was attached along the side of the saddle or something.
As for Lucy, I hope it is that they just decided to arm her with a sword instead of a bow and arrows and not because she is going to be any huge battles. (I don't want any huge battles at all).
I think it is likely that they decided to give Lucy a sword instead of a bow and arrows. Her dagger would have been left in Narnia. I don't see what point there would be for Caspian to bring it along. In the book, she was given a bow and arrows but never did more that put an arrow on the string, so she might just draw her sword a couple of times.

[Eustace]

I am not really okay with Lucy having a sword although I guess there is nothing really wrong with that, it's just why give her a sword unless she uses in the movie one time? So, that means they would add a battle mostly likely for her to fight in . That's why I have a problem with it.

[pogginfan]

I'm actually not too surprised at her having a sword. In the book, I believe she carries a bow and arrow most of the time. And I can see the filmmakers wanting to distinguish her from Susan a bit more, so they give her a sword instead.
I'm going to say it's just taking the place of her bow and arrow that's in the book, and she's not really going to fight a lot. She'll probably fight the sea serpent and pull it out a few times, but other than that I don't think she'll seriously be using it.
The thought of Lucy with a sword...does kinda make me laugh.
But, the bottom line is I'm really not against it as long as she doesn't go 'all out'.

[Glumpuddle]

I hope this doesn't turn into a discussion about women fighting in Narnia. For me at least, that's not the issue at all. I don't think it's out of character for Lucy to fight, and she did fight in HHB.

With Susan, it was just so out of character, and that's why it really bothered me. It wasn't even executed well. IF Susan DID fight, that is certainly not how she would do it! It was way to aggressive and Legolasy.

[Draugrín]

I am thrilled that Lucy may be getting the chance to really be Lucy the Valiant. Her little "scuffle" with Nikabrik in PC came across as completely pathetic-she barely struggled, and that was extremely out of her character.

I've always thought that it was a natural extension of participating in combat for Lucy to carry a sword. Archers can only stay out of things for so long, and once they're out of arrows....what? They would need a back-up weapon.
Also, it may have been part of the contract that Georgie gets to have a more physically active role. Actors do negotiate for things like that.

[Pattertwigs Pal]

I don't think it's out of character for Lucy to fight, and she did fight in HHB.

With Susan, it was just so out of character, and that's why it really bothered me. It wasn't even executed well. IF Susan DID fight, that is certainly not how she would do it! It was way to aggressive and Legolasy.

It isn't out of character for Lucy to fight. I would not have minded if she had fought in PC. (In fact, I was glad she got to get into the fight a little bit inside the How since they had changed the timing of it anyway.) Although the book Susan clearly does not like killing things, she and Lucy both had bows and arrows and were wearing mail shirts and helmets so if they needed to they were prepared to fight if necessary. I think if Susan could avoid it though she would have. It certainly wasn’t done well. She appeared to be enjoying it too much and she should not have been aggressive at all rather pale and more mechanical.

[bkey]

New pictures from this blog: http://kerriegurney.blogspot.com/2009/0 ... wn_21.html , show that a battle scene was filmed, and there is a picture of Lucy with the sword, which basically explains why she needs it.

[Draugrín]

wow, that is a perfect sword for Lucy! It reminds me a bit of Sting...

[Movie Aristotle]

I am thrilled that Lucy may be getting the chance to really be Lucy the Valiant. Her little "scuffle" with Nikabrik in PC came across as completely pathetic-she barely struggled, and that was extremely out of her character.

Really? I was overjoyed to see Lucy get into the fight with Nikabrik because I knew she was the Pevensie girl who was the fighter. I don't think "pathetic" is the word for the fight. "Quick" is more like it. After all, the scene really isn't supposed to be about Lucy fighting -she wasn't even in that scene in the book! The scene was about defeating Nikabrik and his minions. Having Trumpkin save Lucy is a good way to deepen their relationship and keep the movie like the book at the same time.

If they are going to add more battles, which they almost inevitably will, I'm glad to think that Lucy will be joining the fight. I just prefer the bow and arrows and dagger to a sword.