LWW film is a decade old!

[Glumpuddle]

At this very moment, ten years ago today, I was sweating in a homemade fur coat, watching one of my favorite stories come to life on the big screen.

Wow. 10 years. I remember feeling like 12/9/05 would never come. And now here we are. A decade later. 3 films down, awaiting news on a 4th.

I recorded a new commentary with Rilian and GymFan. Uploading tomorrow morning.

How has the film aged for you? How many times have you seen it and when was your last viewing?

[fantasia]

When we watched it a couple weeks ago, that was the first time in years that I had seen it. It makes me sad, as much as I'm embarrassed to admit it, even though I really like it. The LWW movie will forever be tied to this site for me. I think of all the news stories that we went through, like the first time we saw pictures of the Pevensies, and the crazy fangirl invasion when it was rumored Gerald Butler would voice Aslan, etc etc.
And 10 years ago I was newly married, my husband was still in college, and I had all this time to devote to the craziness that was NarniaWeb. I was hanging out with a bunch of people I had met on the internet, in line to see the movie!
But now I am married, have kids, and do not have the time to devote to this crazy site like I used to. Even if the Silver Chair finally gets underway (which I'm praying it does!) it won't be the same. There's no going back to the Golden Age of NarniaWeb for me. I am too old! But I am thankful for the small handful of people who have stuck around that I still get to chat with on a daily basis. Those people have been many of my best friends and I would not trade this experience for anything.
Maybe someday I'll be able to sit down with my kids and enjoy the movie through their eyes as just a movie without all the baggage tied to it.

[johobbit]

I hope to watch LWW sometime over the Christmas holidays. I felt the movie was a fairly good adaptation, except for a few quibbles. And I think I'm one of the few who didn't care for Swinton's portrayal of the White Witch. Nor Neeson's voicing of Aslan, who seemed too mild-mannered, not showing the strong and majestic authority of the book. And the scene with the Professor had much to be desired. Grrr.

My favourite scenes were in the first 45 minutes or so. I still get the chills when I see the train chuffing down the tracks, the music swells, and the words appear on the screen "Based on the book by C.S. Lewis". I try to watch this version once a year, even though I prefer the BBC better ... chintzy special effects and all. I found it was much more true to the spirit of CSL.

Some of you know this already, but the opening night ten years ago, my family and I and some friends went to see the film. However, without telling a soul, I saw a viewing in the afternoon, simply because this has been such a beloved book for decades that I needed to take it in alone the first time. You should have seen the looks on my family's face when I told them just before the evening showing began that this was my second time.

Even though I didn't become active on the forum here until early 2007, before LWW was released, I checked the news page every single day in late 2004 and throughout 2005, sharing various anticipatory tidbits with my family. So thankful for this place too. It's really like a second family here. ♥

But how cool—I mean hot, gP ... a homemade fur coat!

[narnia fan 7]

I just rewatch LWW tonight, I think the film has held up pretty well over a decade the effects and makeup still look good(save for a few obvious green screen shots) all the acting is pretty good as well and overall I think it's a good film and a good adaptation.

I only have a few problems with the film,first the scene with Peter, Susan and the Professor was striped down too much for my liking it's one of my favorite scene's in the book I would have like to have seen it done better and,second is that they made the Pevensie's the main reason for spring coming back to Narnia and not Aslan.

I was nine years old when it came out and I had herd of Narnia but know almost nothing about it I was blown away when I saw it in theater and wanted to read the book as soon as we got home, so the film is kind of special too me because it's what got me to read the books so in a way it change my life.

[The Rose-Tree Dryad]

I can't believe it's already been ten years! Incredible how time flies. Although I was a little late to the party, it has been a very fun ride watching the Narnia film franchise develop alongside this great community.

I think I've seen the film about five times, all in all; with movies, I tend to like to space out my rewatchings so the film feels fresher. The last time I saw LWW was during the Watch Party in November; it was really nice to watch it again after having not seen it in a few years. The good parts seemed even better to me, although the less-than-perfect bits also stood out. I didn't remember the portrayal of Susan's character getting on my nerves so much the last time I saw the film, but having just re-read the book in preparation for the Watch Party, book!Susan and movie!Susan seemed really far removed.

As far as how the film has aged... I still quite like it. Georgie and Skandar's performances continue to be excellent, as well as James McAvoy's interpretation of Tumnus. The special effects still look good to me, although I've never had a very critical eye for that sort of thing. I feel like "Hollywood" did a fairly good job with the story. I've watched them mess up too many children's books when translating them to film, so I think we got off pretty well with LWW.

In general, though, I find that the film "breaks down" a little bit more as time goes on. As I get older and reread the books more often, I feel like I get progressively less satisfied with the film treatment, simply because the Chronicles of Narnia are layered masterpieces. The more details and subtleties I pick up on when reading the books, the more that I feel is missing from the film versions. Those near-perfect scenes like Lucy meeting Mr. Tumnus still stand out as wonderful and quintessentially Narnian, but the rest of it grows a little more hollow with the passage of time.

Like Jo, I like the earlier parts of LWW the most. Aside from botched scenes like the conversation with the Professor, the first half or so feels the closest to the spirit of the books. I think this is probably because that part of the film is so filled with wonder, but I think it's also because the character of Aslan hasn't really come into play yet. I get the sense that the screenwriters were either uncomfortable with or unaware of the fullness of his character, preferring to make him more like some sort of wise old mentor instead of the literal heart and soul of Narnia. The film loses its way on that level.

I'm looking forward to listening to the new commentary soon, and looking forward to being a part of this fandom for the next ten years! Hopefully we'll be enjoying a new film in the not-too-distant future.

[Glumpuddle]

the opening night ten years ago, my family and some friends went to see the film. However, without telling a soul, I saw a viewing in the afternoon, simply because this has been such a beloved book for decades that I needed to take it in alone the first time.

Great story! I totally relate. I remember throughout 2005, various acquiescence that knew I was a huge fan would casually say "we should see it together." I would nod and smile, but be thinking "No, that's probably not a good idea." The first viewing needed to be just me and my brother. And it was!

I saw an advanced screening on Dec 3. Disney was nice enough to give me an extra ticket so my brother could come too! (I had to turn down a VDT advance screening for this reason). I think for the first viewing, I just had to confirm that the movie wasn't terrible haha. I don't think I was able to give it a proper viewing until the midnight showing a week later.

[CorazonBandido55]

Very greatful that we have three quality productions so far. That said, this franchise is taking an awful long time to play out! Since LWW, we have seen entire franchises debut and run their full course (Twilight, Hunger Games etc.). And we are still not even halfway through the Narnian chronology. We are going to be like the Star Wars fans; it will be decades before the entire film series plays out. But I guess it could be worse. At least we know that there is still a production team that is still planning out future films. Not like those poor TRON Legacy or Percy Jackson franchise fans who are definitely left with an incomplete film series.