The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe

The third adaptation of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" brought with it for the first time another adaptation from the seven-part "The Chronicles of Narnia" series. It was preceded by an animated film (1979) and a 10-part black-and-white series (1967). The merging of "Prince Caspian" and "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" followed, as the introduction to the so-called Caspian Trilogy, ensuring that "The Silver Chair" was included at the end. This closed the chapter of "The Chronicles of Narnia" for fifteen long years. In 2003, the entire BBC anabasis was released in a collector's edition DVD with interesting bonus features. The Pevensie foursome of Richard Dempsey, Sophie Cook, Jonathan R. Scott and Sophie Wilcox reminisced about filming and talked about their lives now. From today's perspective, I was very amused by old promos from shows like Breakfast News and Blue Peter, which make it clear how quickly all three series were filmed and that they met with an absolutely positive reception. Although the BBC's equally absolute TV solutions have now been eclipsed by contemporary blockbusters, it is possible to go through the perhaps surprisingly detailed set designs, costumes, and overall production design, which were certainly not bad for their time. The only thing that I personally miss is the fact that the remaining books - "The Horse and His Boy", "The Magician's Nephew," and "The Last Battle" - have not been made into films. (03.02.2009)