How Dark would be too dark in the Netflix Series?
Posted: Mar 24, 2020 12:44 pm
Because of COVID-19, I have a lot more time at home than I usually do. I'm also thinking about Narnia more than I usually do. This is a bit of a novel, and might open up a bit of a philosophical discussion about the content of the novels, compared to how it might be adapted in the future. Especially when it comes to the tone.
I've been thinking about this, since the announcement of the Netflix acquisition. I know that The Chronicles of Narnia have a childlike innocence about them - which definitely shouldn't be touched. But the books do get surprisingly dark in places - starting in the Magician's Nephew, where Jadis is the last queen of Charn, a world which Aslan states is at a level of messed up that most other worlds will never see.
Jadis enters Narnia, and brings some of that darkness into Narnia from day one. Most of the books have one or two obviously dark moments, before the Last Battle retains a dark tone throughout (before the end, that is). In between, I feel like a lot of what CS Lewis implies, but does not spell out, adds not only deeper meaning, but makes me think "Wow, this would be intense if it was real life".
While I don't want the Netflix series to fabricate too much drama that wasn't already in the source materials, I also don't want it to shy away from the moments, whether implied or outright stated, that make the stories impactful. I also believe it shouldn't shy away from the lighthearted moments either (i.e. the Romp, comic relief, etc.). In my opinion, it requires both darkness and light to fully encapsulate the bigger picture CS Lewis was going for. Both make Narnia what it is. That said, I believe that instead of fabricating drama, a lot could be done to flesh the depth and subtleties that Lewis weaves through the stories - while this would make it more impactful, it might also make it darker in places than some people would be comfortable with.
So, I guess my question is, how much is too much? On one hand, I get that it was written for children, but CS Lewis even went on record stating that it's a disservice to children everywhere to shield them from the knowledge of the world being dark and scary sometimes. Is it selfish to hope that child-friendliness isn't always the priority of the series (the key word being 'always')? I mean, I obviously don't want it to be a Game of Thrones 2.0 either. What's the right balance?
What are your thoughts? Also, what are your hopes and fears about how specific scenes might be adapted?
I've been thinking about this, since the announcement of the Netflix acquisition. I know that The Chronicles of Narnia have a childlike innocence about them - which definitely shouldn't be touched. But the books do get surprisingly dark in places - starting in the Magician's Nephew, where Jadis is the last queen of Charn, a world which Aslan states is at a level of messed up that most other worlds will never see.
Jadis enters Narnia, and brings some of that darkness into Narnia from day one. Most of the books have one or two obviously dark moments, before the Last Battle retains a dark tone throughout (before the end, that is). In between, I feel like a lot of what CS Lewis implies, but does not spell out, adds not only deeper meaning, but makes me think "Wow, this would be intense if it was real life".
While I don't want the Netflix series to fabricate too much drama that wasn't already in the source materials, I also don't want it to shy away from the moments, whether implied or outright stated, that make the stories impactful. I also believe it shouldn't shy away from the lighthearted moments either (i.e. the Romp, comic relief, etc.). In my opinion, it requires both darkness and light to fully encapsulate the bigger picture CS Lewis was going for. Both make Narnia what it is. That said, I believe that instead of fabricating drama, a lot could be done to flesh the depth and subtleties that Lewis weaves through the stories - while this would make it more impactful, it might also make it darker in places than some people would be comfortable with.
So, I guess my question is, how much is too much? On one hand, I get that it was written for children, but CS Lewis even went on record stating that it's a disservice to children everywhere to shield them from the knowledge of the world being dark and scary sometimes. Is it selfish to hope that child-friendliness isn't always the priority of the series (the key word being 'always')? I mean, I obviously don't want it to be a Game of Thrones 2.0 either. What's the right balance?
What are your thoughts? Also, what are your hopes and fears about how specific scenes might be adapted?