Re: New "Trilogy"?
Posted: May 26, 2017 6:08 am
One other thought I had, assuming that Johnston didn't misspeak... what if they are considering linking SC, HHB and LB together with the theme of longing for Narnia and Aslan?
I've been thinking about the fact that unlike LWW and PC, the bulk of the remaining stories don't actually take place in Narnia, the country. Even in VDT, they're sailing into unknown seas on a very Narnian-looking ship, so they are carrying a piece of Narnia with them. On the other hand, in MN, Digory and Polly spent a lot of time in London and Charn and the Wood Between the Worlds. In SC, Eustace and Jill have to head out pretty quickly into inhospitable country after enjoying the wonders and comforts of Cair Paravel, and then their time in Narnia when they return is also fairly brief. Shasta doesn't arrive in Narnia until the last quarter of HHB, and after that he's in Archenland for much of the time. We do spend at least two-thirds of LB in the country of Narnia, but very quickly things go wrong in a major way and it is not the peaceful, happy place it once was.
It seems to me that audiences (prior to the end of LB) might feel like they're only getting glimpses of the wonder and beauty of Narnia, never getting the chance to really drink it in. It's similar with Aslan as well: he comes and goes, never staying for long, although we do have a rather prolonged scenes with him in MN. (Hence why his reveal in LB may have more power if LB precedes MN.) And then imagine the dismay of the audience when, after the bright, tantalizing glimpses of Narnian life in SC and HHB, a typical Narnian day quickly turns to bloodshed and horror... and Aslan is nowhere to be seen as the situation grows worse and worse.
The audience aside, the characters are also longing for Narnia and Aslan as well. In MN, Digory's longing seems primarily rooted in saving his mother, but the main characters in the other three books seem to be longing for Somewhere and/or Someone Else. In SC, Jill and Eustace feel a longing for another place and the end of the term. In HHB, Shasta experiences a powerful longing for the North. In LB, Jill longs for the happy years in Narnia that Jewel tells her about, Tirian longs to see the face of Aslan, and Emeth longs for Aslan without knowing it. So then the pay-off for all of this longing of varying shades and characters is found in Aslan's Country at the end of LB, pulling the three stories together.
I would be perfectly content if they approached the trilogy idea in this way. Just sayin', filmmakers.
I've been thinking about the fact that unlike LWW and PC, the bulk of the remaining stories don't actually take place in Narnia, the country. Even in VDT, they're sailing into unknown seas on a very Narnian-looking ship, so they are carrying a piece of Narnia with them. On the other hand, in MN, Digory and Polly spent a lot of time in London and Charn and the Wood Between the Worlds. In SC, Eustace and Jill have to head out pretty quickly into inhospitable country after enjoying the wonders and comforts of Cair Paravel, and then their time in Narnia when they return is also fairly brief. Shasta doesn't arrive in Narnia until the last quarter of HHB, and after that he's in Archenland for much of the time. We do spend at least two-thirds of LB in the country of Narnia, but very quickly things go wrong in a major way and it is not the peaceful, happy place it once was.
It seems to me that audiences (prior to the end of LB) might feel like they're only getting glimpses of the wonder and beauty of Narnia, never getting the chance to really drink it in. It's similar with Aslan as well: he comes and goes, never staying for long, although we do have a rather prolonged scenes with him in MN. (Hence why his reveal in LB may have more power if LB precedes MN.) And then imagine the dismay of the audience when, after the bright, tantalizing glimpses of Narnian life in SC and HHB, a typical Narnian day quickly turns to bloodshed and horror... and Aslan is nowhere to be seen as the situation grows worse and worse.
The audience aside, the characters are also longing for Narnia and Aslan as well. In MN, Digory's longing seems primarily rooted in saving his mother, but the main characters in the other three books seem to be longing for Somewhere and/or Someone Else. In SC, Jill and Eustace feel a longing for another place and the end of the term. In HHB, Shasta experiences a powerful longing for the North. In LB, Jill longs for the happy years in Narnia that Jewel tells her about, Tirian longs to see the face of Aslan, and Emeth longs for Aslan without knowing it. So then the pay-off for all of this longing of varying shades and characters is found in Aslan's Country at the end of LB, pulling the three stories together.
I would be perfectly content if they approached the trilogy idea in this way. Just sayin', filmmakers.