“The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” will open in theaters Friday. And though this movie-based-on-the-book may not be anticipated in quite the same I-just-might-die-if-I-don’t-see-it-on-the-first-night kind of way as it was for its recent brethren (ahem, Harry and Frodo), it’s nonetheless quite exciting for “Narnia” lovers everywhere.
For those who haven’t read all seven of the “Narnia” books in the series, here are seven things you might want to know to sound smart.
1. The most important thing to know: author C.S. Lewis was a famous atheist-turned-Christian, and “The Chronicles of Narnia” – particularly the best-known “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” – are widely considered an allegory portraying themes of God, crucifixion and resurrection.
2. There’s a reason you’d want to keep your “Narnia” books on the shelf next to the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were pals and met regularly at a British pub as part of a writers group that spawned both classics.
3. The seven “Narnia” books were originally released in nonchronological order, with the book depicting the creation of Narnia, “The Magician’s Nephew,” coming in as Book 6. The series was later re-released in chronological order, but diehard fans say it’s not the best way to read them.
4. If the movie is a hit, there is likely to be a collective clambering to take the six other books onto the silver screen; still, there are some who believe that won’t happen because of descriptions in the book “The Horse and His Boy” of a country neighboring Narnia that some consider to be anti-Arab.
5. Skandar Keynes, the boy who plays Edmund, auditioned for the possibly career-making role without his parents’ permission. They’d left on a trip to Japan, leaving Skandar in the care of his grandfather and with explicit instructions for him not to audition for any roles while they were gone. However, the casting director conspired with Skandar and the head of his school to coax Grandpa into agreeing to the tryout.
6. The film was shot chronologically for many reasons, not the least of which was that it starred four growing kids. During filming, William Moseley (Peter) grew about 3 inches, Anna Popplewell (Susan) grew half an inch, Skandar skyrocketed 5 1/2 inches (plus a voice change), and Georgie Henley (Lucy) grew 4 inches.
7. The wardrobe used in the movie was specially carved with elements of the Narnia mythology as played out in the book “The Magician’s Nephew,” including references to The Wood Between the Worlds, Fledge the winged horse and the first sunrise.
Sources: Paul Martin, webmaster for www.narniafans.com 😉 ; “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion,” and Bee news services.
