What did you think of Drinian?

[Pattertwigs Pal]

We actually discussed Drinian at the Lion Party. He was nothing like what I pictured him as. Two of us at the party agreed he ought to have been younger and handsomer. I don't like the way they chose to portray him. He seemed too cold. Not that he didn't have a soft side he was quite nice to Gael. It kind of bothered me the way he stepped on Edmund. I can't quite explain it but he just didn't feel right.

[Narnian_Archer]

ChristProclamer

In the book, he is young, good looking, and a loyal, respectful follower of Caspian, not to mention a true friend.

I agree he is loyal to Caspian in the book, but I'm not sure I recall anything being said about his being young and good looking. Could you reference the sepcific line where this is mentioned?

I actually really liked Drinian...one of the only things I liked in that movie. He was just like a sea captain should be--fairly hardened because of his many voyages. Seamen, like soldiers, are fairly hardened by nature. I liked how they showed his softer side when he gave the orange to Gael (although I wish Gael hadn't been in the movie at all). He's just the sort of person you like to have around to be in charge of everything--like Orius on the LWW. And he was very loyal to Caspian.

[moo25]

It kind of bothered me the way he stepped on Edmund. I can't quite explain it but he just didn't feel right.

Yes, exactly! While the ship might be under command of Caspian, Edmund is still a King and Drinian would have more respect for royalty, surely? I don't know, but there was something about that line that really irked me.

[Ithilwen]

I liked Drinian. He certainly wasn't the Drinian from the book in any way, shape, or form. But once I ignored the fact that his name was Drinian, I really grew to like him.
I'm not sure what it was about him that I liked. I'll probably have to see the movie again and watch him more closely to find out the particulars. But he seemed very authorative, and maybe even a little mysterious in a way. (I also loved his accent. It sounded Irish to me)

The part where he kind of disrespects Edmund, I didn't really like at first. But now that I think about it, I do. It made him seem more realistic; it was the sort of thing a rough, self-confident captain would say if he were given orders he didn't particularly like from someone he didn't necessarily have to obey. Plus it reminded me of the part in the book when Drinian gets a bit upset because he doesn't like to take orders from "landsmen".

I agree he is loyal to Caspian in the book, but I'm not sure I recall anything being said about his being young and good looking. Could you reference the sepcific line where this is mentioned?

How about the Pauline Baynes' drawing? Haha Plus the fact that he seems to be a best buddy of Caspian. That makes them seem kinda the same age.


P.S. What do you mean Movie-Drinian wasn't handsome? lol


~Riella

[icarus]

but I'm not sure I recall anything being said about his being young and good looking. Could you reference the sepcific line where this is mentioned?

Here are a couple of quotes that describe Drinian as being Dark Haired and Handsome. His age can be inferred from the illustrations in the book and by the nature of his relationship with Caspian in both VDT and Silver Chair and from the fact that he is still alive in Silver Chair.

VDT, Chapter 2
"AH, there you are, Lucy," said Caspian. "We were just waiting for you. This is my captain, the Lord Drinian."

A dark-haired man went down on one knee and kissed her hand.

VDT, Chapter 4
And all the young women joined in for the same reason and also because Caspian and Drinian and the rest were so handsome

[waggawerewolf27]

Pauline Baynes' drawing shows Drinian offering Caspian his cabin and Caspian saying he will share a cabin below with Edmund and Eustace. Drinian has a short beard and is wearing a helmet of some sort.

Gary Sweet was a bit of a heartthrob some time ago when he first started in Police Rescue, and when his picture adorned the Gallipoli videocassette. In that movie, he played one of the ANZAC soldiers who died in their droves whilst storming the heights over the beaches of Gallipoli, a definining WW1 moment for both the Australian and New Zealand troops used against the Turks and for each of the three nations involved.

When he still had his hair, I used to hear women swooning over Gary Sweet, the way girls did over Gilderoy Lockhart, in Chamber of Secrets. Or maybe over Twilight's Edward Cullen, portrayed by Robert Pattinson who played Cedric Digory in GOF. Even older men look handsome when they scrub up and wear nice clothes, as in the Lone Island parade. It doesn't prove anything that Drinian was still alive when Rilian went missing, since he had already died ten years later, by the time Eustace and Jill arrived. It only matters that it wasn't Caspian who killed him, that Caspian also realised that Drinian was still his loyal friend and had not behaved dishonourably.

There is another reason to make Drinian look older than Caspian. To become an experienced and competent captain you have to learn a lot, even in Narnia, not exactly equipped with the latest navigation technology. Astronomy, mathematics, in particular geometry and trigonometry, not to mention geography, meteorology, map reading and navigation are all important. Then there are logistics, the technicalities of sailing a boat, understanding who does what on board a boat, i.e. the 'chain of command', and considerable leadership skills before a captain can command others to do what is necessary for the boat's survival.

A seventeen-year old king might be old enough to inherit a throne. But that does not mean he is old enough to captain a ship competently. Book and film Caspian understands this, which is why he has employed Drinian to captain the Dawn Treader on his behalf. And yes, book Drinian didn't like to take orders from landsmen.

[some_odd_girl]

My dad (who hasn't read the books) commented that he "kept thinking the captain was gonna do something bad". So I would say they really didn't portray him entirely true to the books... but I can't comment on it too fully because I really need to read it again!

[Lady Galadriel]

Drinian wasn't at all what I always imagined him to look like, but neither are other Narnia characters. Caspian is supposed to be golden-headed, but while it would be nice to have a golden-headed Caspian, I also thought Ben Barnes was a great actor in VDT. So, returning to the subject of Drinian, I thought he was fairly in character (barring a few scenes). Even with those scenes, I thought he seemed very much like an experienced old sea captain.

I didn't like the part where he blatantly told Edmund he takes orders from Caspian. Like someone else said earlier (and I agree with them), while the ship may be under Caspian's command, Edmund is still royalty and really should be respected.

[eustacegirl]

I wish Drinian still had hair. Still, I found him amuzing. I liked when he knocked Rhoop.

[Trufflehunter]

what is this 'mutiny scene'?!? I can't understand what we're talking about with that! haha

But, i liked Gary Sweet's portrayal of Drinian, overall. Drinian was never a stand-out character to me in the book, so it's still hard for me to pick out what kind of a character i thought he was.

[ChristProclamer]

Thank you, Icarus, for posting those quotes. It was the one from chapter 4 that I was thinking of, although the way Drinian kind of teases Caspian throughout the story also made me infer that he was young.

And I think the 'mutiny scene' we're referencing, Trufflehunter, is one that was filmed, but cut from the final movie. In it, the sailors apparently complain that they want to go no further, etc, and try to sail back to Narnia until Caspian, Rynelf, and I guess Drinian as well, persuade them to keep going. Since no one has seen the scene, it's hard to say what happens, but basically Drinian sticks up for Caspian contrary the the desires and well-being of his entire crew.

Funny how many of you are agog about Drinian's baldness; it really didn't bother me.

[Brisa]

The baldness irritated me because it was so obviously done with electric clippers. Which don't exist in Narnia.

That's how it seemed to me, anyhow

[eustacegirl]

How can you tell it was done with electric clippers? Isn't he bald naturally?

[waggawerewolf27]

As far as I can ascertain, the man went baldy and decided to own the baldiness rather than fake it with a toupee.

Another thing about Gary Sweet as Drinian, he has a genuinely Aussie Strine accent. That isn't just a piratical growl he talks in. When he says words like 'mind', or 'kind', you get the picture. The dipthongs, elisions and pronunciation rattle around in his diction. Sort of... 'moyind'. I'm not saying this lightly. I speak the same way.

[daughter of the King]

Perhaps I am weird, but I thought Drinian was actually pretty close to how I imagined him (except for having no hair, but Gary Sweet pulls off the no-hair look very well).

On his age: He seemed about the right age to me. In the book he couldn't have been close to Caspian's age because Caspian is at most 18. As captain on a long voyage into the unknown Drinian would have to have had several years of experience under his belt.

On the stepping on Edmund: It was Edmund's fault. Edmund should have asked Caspian what he thought instead of trying to prompt Drinian. Besides, Drinian doesn't like taking orders from landsmen anyway.

Also, the Australian accent suits him perfectly because I doubt Drinian was a Telmarine in the book. They had only three years to prepare for the voyage and no one in Narnia would have had enough experience to captain the ship.

[Edmundsdefender]

To be perfectly honest, I didn't like Drinian at all. For one thing, in the book Drinian was a younger, merry, likable, and noble captain who would sail the Dawn Treader anywhere Caspian ordered. (See some of the quotes from the book that icarus quoted above) In the movie, none of that is captured. Drinian seemed perpetually grumpy, pessimistic, and unwilling to sail anywhere. It made me wonder why on earth he was captain of the ship if he was so grudgingly taking Caspian where he wanted to go. I was also bothered by the scene when Drinian tells Edmund he only takes orders from Caspian. Drinian, like the rest of the Narnians, would have recognized Edmund's authority as one of her four sovereigns and never would have questioned it. I know some people are saying it was because he didn't take orders from land people, but in the book Drinian does listen to Edmund and Lucy and has great respect for both of them. He didn't even seem to have much respect for Caspian in the movie except that he was obliged to take orders from him because Caspian was the king who hired him.