jewelry settings

Review by J. Overton "Aspiring Emotionist" : The First, The Original, The Best

These four movies are the first four books written by C.S.Lewis. No they do not have massive special effects, no they are not going to equal the massive epicness of Lord of the Rings. But they have something that the new version of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe lacks: emotions. The BBC version of the books more accuratly follows the story, and actually manages to bring the emotions in the book to life. It has a wonderful story, for either your religious or not religious aspects. If your after vibrant special effects, current hollywood standards, or a short movie, then no: The BBC version is not for you. But if your after an accurate story, envoking real human emotions and portrals of children who should be mentors and examples to your own, then this is the box set for you.

Review by Gary Fisher "><///'>" : Delicious Blend of the Real, the Near-Real and the Unreal.

Let us begin by agreeing that computer-generated images have both added to and taken from filmmaking, in ways similar to the effect performance-enhancing drugs have had on sports. We might thrill at the modern athlete who hits the ball out of the park, but we still wonder how he'd compare to Babe Ruth. This 1980s-era BBC production is in many ways superior to the more recent cinematic version of Lewis' great fantasy; in particular, a number of elements, both major and minute, which are altered or removed in the film are faithfully represented in the BBC video Chronicles. This is no unimportant detail -- the Chronicles of Narnia is first and foremost a story; anything C.S. Lewis included is probably significant and ought not to be left out or redefined at the whim of a Director. In producing these versions of four of the seven Chronicles the BBC was careful to tell the story without incautiously rewriting it. The technology of the 1980s, and the budget constraints upon the BBC, do play their own role in these productions, of course. In particular, the recent film's seamless blurring of the line between humans and talking animals is simply beyond what could be done in the BBC version. While Aslan is very nearly equally realized in both the Disney and BBC productions, and the BBC's Tumnus is in some ways superior to (though certainly not "better than") Disney's, other characters do not fare as well. Beaver and his wife are almost embarassingly silly in the BBC version, and Maugrim's transitions border on the painful. Some of the peripheral characters are portrayed by beautifully but unrealistically drawn animations, and most of the "magic" could be duplicated or bettered today by a tenth-grade film class. Nevertheless, these are matters not of substance but of presentation; the stories themselves are accurately presented in convincing settings by actors who range from highly competent to superbly skilled. Backgrounds and scenery are very well done, both interior and exterior, and distracting elements, such as those mentioned above, are kept to a minimum. The real, the nearly-real and the purely animated are delicately balanced. The 3 disk set reviewed presents four of the Chronicles: "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe;" "Prince Caspian;" "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader;" and "The Silver Chair." Also included are a fascinating film about C.S. Lewis from the BBC's "Bookworm" TV magazine, trivia games, numerous stills from the productions and, perhaps most intriguing, a detailed recipe for Turkish Delight. This set is best enjoyed by true lovers of C.S. Lewis and of the Chronicles, but those who fit that description would be glad to own it. My only true regret is that the missing Chronicles were not produced, but perhaps if this set is purchased in sufficient numbers that omission could eventually be corrected as well. I have no doubt one of the new generation of fans could someday do so; perhaps this set will start them on their way.

Review by Mark Snegg : As good as we can expect in the Shadowlands

I enjoyed these movies very much, especially the Voyage of the Dawn Treader and the Silver Chair, but I still have some reservations. I feel that the four Pevensey children were too young, and had too little screen presence and acting ability. The part of Lucy is especially miscast, which is a great pity. But the movies are very true to the books, both in letter and in spirit, and that's what matters. The simple special effects and the fur-suit animals didn't bother me. The general atmosphere is more like a high school stage play than a professional movie, but the unpretentiousness and the lack of melodrama are refreshing. There is plenty of room for the imagination to be active, which generally isn't the case in modern movies.I totally fell in love with the ship in the Dawn Treader. It's a real ship, full size (which still means small!), strikingly beautiful, and accurately built to Lewis' descriptions, except that it doesn't have oars. A better Narnian ship could hardly have been created, even by the highest budget production. The scenes with the giants in Harfang were very well done, and many underground scenes in the Silver Chair were filmed in real underground caverns. The gentle and appealing theme music evokes, for me, the real feeling of Narnia.Overall, even though these movies could have been improved by better casting and tauter scripts, and even though they seem embarassingly amateurish at times, somehow a little of the wonder and delight of the books still shines through.

Review by K. M. Brondum "garadiavolo" : Why it's better than the new movie

Yes, the visual effects are primitive, but the production is so thoughtful and earnest that it hardly matters. I mean the BBC in the late '80's didn't have the technology for good visual effects. What did you expect? Also, what's not to like about the casting? The only character I can think of who was arguably better cast in the new movie was Lucy, but BOTH Lucys were extraordinary child actresses. There are people saying Lucy doesn't look the part in this adaptation... true, she's not movie-star cute, but does she have to be? I think she looks a little too grown up, but she acts the part so well you almost don't notice. The other children are superbly cast. They chose a perfect Susan, better cast than the Susan in the new version (although she wasn't bad). Peter is also a lot better in this... I don't think the 2005 filmmakers got a handle on his quite uniquely British character. But enough of defending this TV adaptation. The makers of the new movie should be the ones on the defensive. There are aspects of this series that the new movie can't even come near. The acting is brilliant and nuanced; all the more impressive coming from children. The White Witch may have over-acted a bit in this TV version, but Tilda Swinton has such a pared-down part in the new movie, it's hard to argue with any certainty that her understated performance was any better. The pacing is perfect in the BBC version. You don't see any of the maudlin crap that Disney puts into the new version, like the ten-minute scene of the kids boarding the train in London and crying as they leave their mummy. It's faithful to the books, not omitting or (what's more annoying) ADDING anything in the plot. At over two hours, the Disney movie could have included most of the book's dialog and dispensed with the overdone, overlong CGI battle scenes, and with adding its own minor characters (ex: the fox). The music in this adaptation is also SUPERB. It's some of the best theme music I've ever heard for a small- or big-screen production. You can say the battle scenes were more believeable in the new one, and that the witch's CGI army beats the embarrassing cut-and-paste animations, and costumed actor animals seen in the BBC adaptation. But NOWHERE does the movie create the level of suspense you see in Peter's fight with the wolf in the BBC adaptation. Yes, the wolf was obviously an actor in a costume. But seeing him toss Peter around, and with Peter looking like he was really getting hurt and genuinely scared, it was an incredibly frightening and well-directed scene. Also, I have nothing bad to say about Liam Neeson, but I couldn't bring myself to believe an Aslan with an American accent in the new version. Neeson has been in the U.S. a long time, and he does an American accent better than an Englih one. I guess the filmmakers thought it would be too ridiculous to have an Irish-sounding Aslan, so they directed him to sound American, and frankly, it doesnt' work. Ronald Pickup's voice makes much more sense for this part. I suppose if you didn't know what to expect, the shoddy special effects in this version might ruin it for you. But if you appreciate the ways this adaptation beats the movie, you'll be able to see past the visual effects, and you'll be glad you took the time. Makes me wish the BBC directors had just had the same CGI technology to use when they made this... with better visuals, it would be perfect.

Review by Trekkintheplains "Take a sad song and make it... : So HAPPY to See these in their Entirety

Rather than the cartoons of Snow White, Cinderella, Pinnochio, Peter Pan, Bambi and so on, I was a resident of the land of Narnia when I was a kid. And not because my family is ultra-religious either. In fact, we never really picked up on the biblical parallels until we read about them on this website! What we saw was a basic battle between good and evil and a great group of kids who had to conquer their shortcomings to become the best people they could be. They faced adversity and had to stand on their own against even their own friends and siblings to do what was right. And in the end, they triumphed! For me, this series contributed much more to my sense of self, my take on right and wrong, and my maturity than any Disney cartoons ever could have! I first saw these movies on Public tv, PBS, when I was maybe 4 or 5 years old and my Mom had the foresight to record them to video tape for me. Over the years, I watched the tapes so much that they were really beginning to have poor quality, plus some pieces of the movies were missing. That's why I was delighted when these came out on DVD! Even at 20 years old, I still like to revisit my childhood for a time and I hope to share them with my children when the time comes, that being when I become a Mom. I think my favorite would be The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the adventures are so varied and the ship is just beautiful! I love to see Eustace's transformation and all the islands they visit have so many different things and people to discover. Like Deathwater Island, the Island of the Dufflepuds and of course the Silver Sea and the underwater Warrior Sea People. This part of the film also leaves the least out. It includes most of the adventures from the book and allows time for plot development. I was disappointed that Prince Caspian is really that short, I wish they had made it longer. My main complain is, why aren't The Magician's Nephew, The Horse and His Boy and The Last Battle included? Why weren't these books made into films? However, I have even more compliments for this particular set. The actor who plays Puddleglum is FANTASTIC! I remember watching him in Dr. Who as well, do any of you remember K-9 the robotic dog? lol But honestly, he does do a superb job in being a wet blanket! There are a few cheesy effects in this set, like the scene where Prince Rilian kills the serpent witch, it's SO obviously a dummy. Also, some of the cartoons are a little lacking in imagination. But, I do know that these are BBC films and that there was no such thing as complicated computer animation in the early 80's. Back then, we had black screens with green writing on them and dot matrix printers! I remember using those things in grade school. But anyways, all in all this is a great set! I'm so happy to be able to preserve some of my favorite movies from childhood on DVD and see them whole and clear again after all these years! The story is timeless, engaging and non-denominational! BUY THIS SET, you will NOT be disappointed! Also recommended are Rigoletto, The Rogue Stallion, Black Beauty and The Black Stallion (guess I don't really like cartoons!) Enjoy!!!