Yahoo News Report from VDT Set

[icarus]

NarniaFans.com reported yesterday on a new on-set video report from Yahoo News. The main focus of the news report is on the state of the Australian Film Industry, but they did some interviews with a few crew members in the studio housing the Dawn Treader vessel, and their are some pretty interesting shots of that.

However, the one very interesting bit was the details of a fight scene.... a fight scene that may sound unpleasantly familiar to some people.

Stuntman Cam McKay(sp?) worked on the latest Narnia film in a scene featuring these giant statues - "There was a bit of an ambush, so all the stunt crew were wired up between the bells and we actually slid down the ropes and started a sword fight against, obviously, Caspian and Lucy"

Bell Tower.jpg

Photo of the set - notice how the statues in the bell tower all have their hands over their ears

Not wanting to dwell too much on the past, but there was in fact a near-identical scene to this in Steven Knights discarded Dawn Treader script in which Governor Gumpas' armed slavers slide down the bell tower ropes with daggers between their teeth. As well as Caspian and Lucy, this scene also had Edmund and Cornelius, but the scene never gets as far as a full on sword fight, as they are interrupted by Gumpas (who has captured Eustace) right at the moment they draw their swords.

Im not suggesting anyone freak out about this as we've had so much evidence from the movie so far which directly contradicts and overwrites many of the scenes from that script, but i guess that with Markus and McFeeley still being amongst the credited script writers there were bound to be some elements of that Steven Knight re-write of thier script that made it into the final movie (even if Steven Knight is himself no longer a credited script writer)..... but i guess what i really wanted to say is this - i thought that idea was cheesy and stupid then, and i think its cheesy and stupid now. And this time it sounds like it develops into a full on sword fight as well, rather than just an armed stand-off. Oh well.

Thanks to NarniaFans spy Daniel for finding the video.

http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/sunrise/v ... -video-top

[Lucy P.]

Oh dear. Not very like the book is it? I do tend to take your stance on the subject though. I'm not going to wig out... yet.

I think the statues actually look very cool, holding their ears like that. This action scene could be very original, unlike some others we've had.

[ceppault]

It is an interesting video.

At the very least this does not equal the discomfort I felt when Susan was reportedly flirting with Caspian in PC; although seeing the deleted scenes did not make me uncomfortable at all. That leaked, early VDT script certainly left a lasting sore spot.

I noticed the statue heads are detached from the neck. The Dawn Treader does not seem to fit very well in that set or it may be disassembled to move it out of the way of other activities ... like Warner Roadshow Studios will have the set and ship open to visitors starting Boxing Day (December 26). "Some" pictures will be allowed. Guess we shall be watching for those?

Edit: I do believe this is unprecedented access to props and set pieces almost a full year before the release of the movie.

[daughter of the King]

Um, ooooookaaaaaay. I was expecting the Lone Islands to have some sort of fight sequence, but I never saw this one coming. It's going to look cheesy. I just know it is. Why are Caspian and Lucy even anywhere near a bell tower? And without Edmund and Eustace apparently? I am not panicking, but I have started to kiss SC goodbye. Hopefully I shall be proven wrong.

[narnialover101]

My initial reaction to this is extreme disappointment. Why do you keep hearing about events they've added to the story and not about events that actually happen in the book? It's quite disheartening. Sliding down bells doesn't exactly sound "cool" either. But I'm willing to reserve my final opinion until I actually see it in the film; a small part of me says I might like it when I see it.

I'll always be a,
NL101

[Lady Galadriel]

The discarded script, although it must have been revised several times in the next drafts of course, will most likely have some bearing on the movie, I imagine, because it was a script for the movie.

I'm not panicking yet, although maybe I should be. I guess I like the idea of a little extra action on the Lone Islands. Even though I can't help but wonder, "A fight scene against obviously Caspian and Lucy?" (I have no problem with Lucy being involved in action but I hope it's not something like, she ends up being with Caspian on the Lone Islands instead of Edmund, Eustace and Reepicheep!)

[Pattertwigs Pal]

It looks like we now know why Lucy needs a sword. Oh well, I don't have very high hopes for this movie anymore. It is getting harder and harder for me to come up with reasons that there won't be any fighting at the Lone Islands. At least I won't be blind sided with changes as I was with Prince Caspian (I didn't follow PC very much before seeing it so I wasn't prepared for the changes.) I'd much rather start expecting to be disappointed and then be pleasantly surprised if it is better than I expected rather than going it to it expecting it to be great and then come out of it disappointed.

[Liberty Hoffman]

WHOA. this is SO strange.....

I have no idea what to make of this and maybe I don't want to know anything else until I see it in the movie......

whay do they feel they need to make another fight sequence? is it because they feel they need to put in some sort of fighting just because LWW and PC had lots of battles and fighting in them? and I don't totally get what exactly is suposed to happen in this fight......

[icarus]

Why do you keep hearing about events they've added to the story and not about events that actually happen in the book? It's quite disheartening.... But I'm willing to reserve my final opinion until I actually see it in the film; a small part of me says I might like it when I see it.

I'd agree very much on both points i'd have to say. I do kind of accept the need for the addition of certain action set-pieces to maintain the pace and flow of the movie, so in a way it does all depend on context of the scene as to whether such a thing would work or not. Perhaps it might work quite well.

However, in this situation it is very hard to judge such news whilst having the context of that Stephen Knight script in the back of my mind. Though even if i had no knowledge of that script, i would still assume it was related to the Lone Islands, and thus Governor Gumpas, and for me that still brings lots of problems.....

The introduction to Gumpas' character in the book is one of the more memorable scenes - Gumpas sat behind his big desk with his paperwork, and strict regulations about having "No interviews without appointments except between nine and ten p.m. on second Saturdays.". He is lazy and corrupt and hides behind his own strict bureaucracy. His guards outside are also scruffy, lazy and drunk on the job.

Yet the introduction to Gumpas described in that script features Gumpas' men sliding down from bell ropes in the ceiling like ninja assassins, before Gumpas enters holding Eustace at knife point and spouting menacing lines like a James Bond supervillain. It is almost the complete opposite to everything Gumpas' character was about in the book.

Maybe they have just retained the general concept of "bell rope sliding" and transplanted it to some other situation on the lone islands one not associated with Governor Gumpas directly - like i said before, most of the wider context for that scene has gone waaaaay out the window long ago, so its near certain it has changed considerably - though even then i would still be very concerned about how the scene would reflect upon the general idea of what the lone islands are all about - the idea that the whole island is a place which has become complacent in its own petty self-appointed authority and as such has fallen into this state of slothfulness and corruption - i'm not entirely sure bell-rope sliding swordsman could ever fit into that context.

[Bookwyrm]

I think I could probably handle a fight scene in Lone Islands, depending upon how it was handled. Unfortunately, it sounds like it's moving into a very stereotypical action movie mode. Not pleased. But Lucy fighting sounds kinda awesome to me.

It does worry me that we've heard of lots of new material, but very little book material. What book material we have heard about has been altered into more action-y EPIC!!!!!1!! material. I'm starting to really doubt that this movie will be good.

[Eustace]

Why does he say,''obviously, Caspian and Lucy." Where were Edmund and Eustace at this time? I was thinking the ambush might be Pug and the pirates, but if so, does this mean that Edmund and Eustace aren't captured?

[coracle]

I noticed the statue heads are detached from the neck.

No, I think they are leaning forward away from the bells' noise and covering their ears to lessen the sound. (you're not thinking of those firey guys in Labyrinth are you, who could not merely take theirs off, but throw them as well!?)

[Pattertwigs Pal]

Why does he say,''obviously, Caspian and Lucy." Where were Edmund and Eustace at this time? I was thinking the ambush might be Pug and the pirates, but if so, does this mean that Edmund and Eustace aren't captured?

I'm not sure why he says that, but it was reported on Skandar's site that he was filming in a dungeon so we can be hopeful that that means he is captured on the Lone Islands.
Has it been confirmed that this takes place at the Lone Islands? I know in the book that would be the most logical place for a bell tower, but we don't know what changes they have made to other islands. If it is on the Lone Islands, why do they have statues of kings? (At least I assume that they are kings since they are wearing crowns.) I know the Lone Islands are under Narnia's power, but I have always considered them more on their own than being closely linked with Narnia. I mean I don't see the Lone Islanders being that attached to Narnia that they would make statues of the kings. At least not any time in it's recent history. It had been about 150 years since Narnia received tribune from the Lone Islands according to Caspian. I imagine they weren't on close terms before that either because there must be some reason why they stopped paying tribune. If the statues are from a time when Narnia and the Lone Islands had a closer relationship, I wonder why they kept them in such good shape. I'm probably thinking way too hard.

[greenleaf23]

My initial reaction to this is extreme disappointment. Why do you keep hearing about events they've added to the story and not about events that actually happen in the book? It's quite disheartening.

I agree, I just wish they'd realize that the movie might work better in many parts if they'd just stick to the book, instead of trying to change things.

What I'm wondering is where the bells come in...if it happens at the Lone Islands, the only place I can see the bells being is with Gumpus. It would probably make the most sense to have it be Pug...but then why would there be statues and bells? And where else and on what other island would it make sense to have statues and bells? Although I guess if they changed things we don't really know where else it would fit.

[icarus]

There are a couple of new photos from the new movieworld tour on flickr if anyone wants a better look at the "Bell Tower" set, as the latest set report from myartismylife confirmed it to be

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45742025@N ... 4/sizes/l/

[Lucy P.]

Oh thank you icarus!

This gets curiouser and curiouser...

Why is the Treader's prow in the picture? Perhaps the room with the kings is a loading dock?
Oh wait, it's a movieworld tour, I see. I still wonder how Lucy and Caspian get to that room and why they're there. Guess I'll have to wait.