Favourite aspects of the Walden Films

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Re: Favourite aspects of the Walden Films

Post by Ariel.of.Narnia » Wed Jul 08, 2015 2:13 pm

Tumnus' music definitely impressed me. While it didn't fit Lewis' description, I did love that mysterious, haunting, beautiful tune.
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Re: Favourite aspects of the Walden Films

Post by Ajnos » Sat Aug 01, 2015 4:26 pm

I mentioned in the Summer Challenge thread that I rewatched VDT today. Having just read the book in detail, I noticed that there are a lot of scenes and quotes (or allusions to scenes and quotes) from the book that make it into the movie, but not necessarily in the right place. Here are a few examples I remember (I should have written them down while I was watching): [apologies if any of my book or movie quotes are not completely accurate; I'm quoting them from memory and I don't remember stuff word-for-word very well].

- At the beginning, when Eustace is writing in his diary, he says he wishes he could treat his relatives like he does insects (by keeping them in jars or pinning them up), we even see these jars). In the book we are simply told that the animals he likes most are beetles, especially if they are dead and pinned to a board.

- Eustace and Edmund have a tiff over the benefits of reading "fairy tales" verses "books of information" which points to Lewis' comment in more than one place that Eustace did not read the right books (he prefers books of information such as those about grain elevators and fat foreign kids doing exercises in model schools). It is noteworthy, though, that when they find out that Eustace is a dragon, Caspian says "everyone knows dragon treasure is cursed" and adds "everyone here" rather than in the book where it is stated that Eustace's ignorance was again due to reading the wrong books (possibly so as not to insult members of the audience that didn't know that).

- The slave trade on the lone islands isn't dealt with as directly as in the book, but it's practice is discovered when they see a book with names and fees. The scene at the slave market isn't quite the same either but in both cases no one wants to buy Eustace.

- Although we never see the sea-people and their underground world, Lucy twice encounters the mer-girl (not obviously a fisherdess, though she seems to have a school of fish with her the first time).

- The scene where Eustace is caught by Reep stealing water is replaced earlier on by him stealing an orange. This is then tied to the scene that does take place earlier in the book where Reep demands a duel against Eustace (and the "I am a pacifist" line makes it into the movie). In the book, the reason is because Eustace had picked him up and swung him around. In the film the duel actually happens and Reep uses it as a chance to teach Eustace some sword fighting skills, which becomes the first hint of their close relationship which develops in the film to an even greater extent than it does in the book.

- The moving of Coriakin's island to earlier in the story makes sense (especially because of how the film's new storyline develops) but it's also quite clever because this becomes the last inhabited island rather than having a few uninhabited islands then Coriakin's then a few more uninhabited (not sure if that makes sense).

- Lucy's reading of the snow spell is obviously not in the book, although it is mentioned that there were spells for causing snow and other weather phenomena. I think possibly the reason the snow spell is added (apart for the pretty effect) is to show that the book does actually work, before she gets to the final spell. In the book we know the spells work because of the spell of refreshment (which would have been difficult to depict since we don't know what the story is except that it includes a hill and a sword and a cup - showing it would have ruined it anyway) and the spell about learning what people think of you, which they could have depicted but I don't blame them for omitting. Later, when she reads the beauty spell on the Dawn Treader, the consequences are completely different: in the book the consequences are war all over Narnia's word but in the film it is that Lucy ceases to exist and Narnia is never discovered by her siblings. I think this is a clever substitution despite being completely different.

- The storm is moved to after Coriakin's island but bears similarities to the storm in the book. It lasts 14 days (in the book it is 12 or 13). Unlike in the book, the mast does not break. There is a scene where Drinian tells Caspian they only have provisions for two more weeks (hinting that they should think about turning back since it has been that long since they left land), but Caspian insists that they rather press on in the hopes of finding new land. In the film the debate of short rations takes place after the storm has broken. Drinian's threats of mutiny by the crew are a nod to threatened mutiny which takes place towards the end of the book. In both book and film, Eustace is miserable during the storm and the only one not helping out on deck. Instead he records his misery in his diary (I must add that they found an ingenious way to get the diary on board by him sticking it in his sock) which isn't explained in the book. Perhaps in the book, he simply asked for a book or paper and started a new one onboard.

- There is a scene on one of the beaches, perhaps on Dragon/Deathwater Isle where the characters looking up at the night sky comment that they have never seen these constellations before. In the book, this remark is made much nearer the end.

- Oh, I also noticed that a lot of bad!Eustace's dialogue, although not directly from the book, is very well expressed in the vein of his characterisation in the book. Things like: "I have an iron constitution"; "Mother says I have an acute disposition due to my intelligence" and "I won the school hygiene award two years in a row."

- Reep, on his being kind to dragon!Eustace that first night on the beach says "I bet this morning you didn't even believe in dragons". In the book Eustace didn't even really know what a dragon was.

Those are all the points I can remember for now. I'm sure there were more, but those will do. :D
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Re: Favourite aspects of the Walden Films

Post by Ariel.of.Narnia » Wed Aug 05, 2015 2:51 am

Very nice, Ajjie. I've enjoyed these myself. :)
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Re: Favourite aspects of the Walden Films

Post by pirlo » Tue Jan 22, 2019 3:27 pm

I really liked it!
Hey man, check for yourself this 2019 austrian grand prix. You may find some interesting info there. Isn't it great? I'm always looking for it.
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Re: Favourite aspects of the Walden Films

Post by hobbit_of_narnia » Wed Jan 23, 2019 3:10 am

@Ajjie: Oooh, good points! I loved reading this. (When I first watched the movie, I was just relieved that they kept the part where Aslan says that He has a different name in our world. :P Also I might have mentioned this before, but the Dark Island disappearing was actually in...I think the British version of the book? Just not the American version. Or maybe it was vice-versa. Though they didn't get it go away by stabbing the sea serpent in the mouth...)
I always figured that they included the snow spell as a callback to Lucy first discovering Narnia, when it was winter. I dunno. :lol: Also sort of to prove that the spells actually worked...
Didn't it say in the VODT book that he had originally used the little book to keep track of his marks ["I got such-and-such, what did you get?" or something like that], but he realized there would be no chance or reason to do that on the Dawn Treader so he started using it as a diary? I don't remember exactly; I think I need to reread the book.)
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Re: Favourite aspects of the Walden Films

Post by Ariel.of.Narnia » Wed Jan 23, 2019 4:45 am

@Hobbit: I don't know which edition of the book has Dark Island disappearing, but I know Focus on the Family used it.
And you're right about Eustace's notebook. He kept note of his school marks, not because he actually cared, but so he could compare with others. On the ship, he converted it to a diary. Though now that I think of it, why was he carrying his school marks notebook around during the summer...?
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Re: Favourite aspects of the Walden Films

Post by hobbit_of_narnia » Wed Jan 23, 2019 4:52 am

:lol: I have no idea why he'd be carrying it around during the summer either, but it strikes me as a very pre-VODT-Eustace thing to do.
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Re: Favourite aspects of the Walden Films

Post by Ariel.of.Narnia » Thu Jan 24, 2019 4:24 am

Eustace: “My world geography marks are at a 95% average. What are yours, Edmund?”
Edmund: “I don’t remember.”
Eustace: “Pft. Typical. You just don’t want to admit I’m more knowledgeable than you.”
Edmund: “I literally don’t care.”
Eustace: “You can’t fool me. So come on, what was your mark?”
Edmund: “You realize nobody else in the whole of England remembers this sort of thing halfway into the summer, right?”
Eustace: “I keep it in this notebook, see? That way I’ll never forget. By the way, how was your arithmetic this term? Did you know I got an award in my class?”
Edmund: *takes his chance to hightail it to Lucy’s room*

:P
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Re: Favourite aspects of the Walden Films

Post by HermitoftheNorthernMarch » Fri Jan 25, 2019 7:14 pm

Hobbit, it is the American version of the Dawn Treader (that is no longer in print) where they merely escape the Dark Island. I don't have a copy but if you see an old DT in a library or somewhere it is worth reading the end of the chapter to see the differences.

I have an American version of LWW and there is more changed than just Maugrim's name to Fenris Ulf and the firestones of the secret hill changed to the World Ash Tree, but if I remember correctly the other changes are really re-wordings. I wrote them all down in a notebook somewhere once, but I don't know where it is.

Ariel, Eustace and Edmund's conversation is funny. Thanks for making me laugh!
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Re: Favourite aspects of the Walden Films

Post by hobbit_of_narnia » Sat Jan 26, 2019 1:08 am

@Ariel : :lol: :lol:
@Hermit: Yeah, my dad had an old copy of the American editions. They were actually the only version I'd read until I was like 15 years old...I almost had them memorized so I noticed all the little changes the first time I read the other version.
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