After having read the entire book series a few days ago for the first time (yes I know I’m late to that party, but still), I watched the first film today.
First of all, can I just say how terribly sorry I am for ever doubting Tilda Swinton? I mean, when I was reading the books, I always pictured the White Witch as a woman who was sort of aggressively beautiful, especially because that’s how professor Kirke saw her when he first met her.
And that’s not Tilda Swinton; Tilda Swinton is beautiful in an androgynous way, a sort of otherworldly beauty that is not unlike David Bowie’s. There’s a certain mystery to her that feels rather deep set and content. Her beauty is not one that demands attention; it is one that merely exists, and doesn’t need anyone to admire. So I wasn’t sure at first how she would play the White Witch. To me, the white witch is a femme fatale, and as beautiful and alluring as Tilda Swinton can be, I didn't see the femme fatale in her.
Of course, that just shows how immature I am. Because a good actor can always, no matter what, make you believe them. And Tilda Swinton is, without a doubt, a good actor.
But then she appeared, in that big white fur coat, and the moment she threw her wrap over Edmund and leaned close to almost whisper to him, I knew I was completely and utterly wrong to have ever doubted her abilities to become a character. She wasn’t the White Witch I pictured in my mind, but she was the White Witch nonetheless. The coldness of her eyes while she whispered the nicest things to Edmund, the way her face didn’t move when she was murmuring pleasant things but did move when she was yelling in anger, how her eyes almost gleamed with mirth when she realized how easy Edmund would be for her to control… I can’t.
The general casting of this film was amazing. It’s so often a risk when you cast children, because kid actors are either amazing (see McKenna Grace and Saoirse Ronan), or they’re exaggerated and/or numb (I love him, but Asa Butterfield spent most of his time in The Boy with Striped Pyjamas doing nothing except stare and look cute). These actors were pretty good, especially Georgie Henley and Skander Keynes. The two older children were actually less infectious than the younger kids, but overall all four of them made for a pleasant viewing.
And I have to say, I absolutely adore the visual storytelling that is present in the beginning of the film. When the kids first enter Narnia, there’s this one frame where three of the kids are hugging and taking comfort from one and other, and Edmund is just standing there, alone, hugging himself. It’s small moments like these that help inform the audience of the inner workings of a conflict without coming outright and saying it.
Overall, I enjoyed the film. I do wish they had made Aslan more mythical, because there are other lions in the original books, but Aslan was different from them. Here, it seemed like he was the only lion and therefore distinguished by that. I wish they had made him more shiny or something (yes I realize how childish that sounds, whatever, bite me), but this was also made in 2005, so I mean I can’t really expect that much from the CGI. It was already pretty amazing and it did bring to life a lot of what I had envisioned for Narnia, so I’m satisfied.
For Narnia!
Happy Thursday!!
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