The Condundrums of a Young Film Maker

Sven-El

Sven-El

Well-known member
Allow me to start with this disclaimer. I enjoyed PC. Not as much as LWW, but my reasonings for that are the same as with the books. LWW is a far more magical story then PC both as a book and film.

I felt that Adamson was the right man to launch the franchise. His work with Shrek convicned me of that as he gave us the closest thing to a "true" Grimm Brothers Fairy Tale ( or dare I say it, Chaucer. Yes I said it. Read Chaucer. There are countless bist of baudy humor and fart jokes. They are hard to find as they are in Middle English).

However I do feel it is a good time for him to take a break and for some new blood to come in. My reasons are not about a displeasure for him as a director, but that judging by what he says in his interviews he is in a similar place in life that Speilberg was when he did the second instalment of the Indy franchise. Much like Speilberg at that time Adamson needs to grow.

Let me explain. Raiders was arguably lighter and a more enjoyable film than the second. Watching Radiers has always been as magical as reading or watching LWW.

In his interviews with the press, Adamson seemed like he was on a similar path as Speilberg. Temple of Doom as Speilberg wanted to put in a "serious" message about "slavery" and wanted to be ragarded as a "serious" film maker. Adamson said with PC that he wanted to send a message to his daughters ( (female impowerment, or at least that girls can do more then be vapid eye candy) in PC that we all know is contrary to Lewis' text. Basicaly he wanted to convey things he believes and feels about a certain issue.

Spielberg took time off from Indy, did Empire of the Sun, got an Oscar, and to make a long story short, grew as a film maker. Then he went back and did Last Crusade, which was just as fun as Raiders, and other "fun" films like Jurassic Park, as well as things like Shindler's List and Saving Private Ryan.

Would it be possible for Adamson, after sometime off from the franchise and growing more as a film maker, could come back for say Silver Chair or TMN and do as good a job with Silver Chair or TMN as he did with LWW? In what ways do you all think Adamson would have to grow in his craft?
 
Sven-El,

Thank you for posting this. I also enjoyed PC, and as a film, I thought it was well done. Speaking strictly from a film point of view, the movie was entertaining and enjoyable. Adamson did put a great deal of effort into the film, and there are many times during the film where you can see this being presented. I do however, think that it is time for a new director. One of the main jobs of a film director is to ensure success for their film by taking into account the different factors that can ensure a film's success or failure. While Prince Caspian's problems at the box office were caused in part by it's poorly timed release and poor marketing (neither of which are related to Adamson's job), there are other problems that do fall on Adamson. The biggest issue that I have is the way that the film was adapted from the book. I completely understand that changes are needed to make a film adaptation of a book successful, but when those changes contradict their original source material, that is when there is a problem. The Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings films did not make drastic changes from their source material that made them barely recognizable to their fanbase. Even LWW was still a very close adaptation of the book. Now, I am not criticizing the movie overall, but I feel that Adamson could have done better with adapting the novel in a way that would not alienate a large portion of the Narnia fanbase. Peter's attitude, Aslan's lack of time in the film, and Susan and Caspian's kiss genuinely bothered a great portion of the fanbase.

I do feel that Adamson is a good director, and that he does have a bright future in the movie industry, but I am not convinced that he should be the one to helm Silver Chair or others down the road if and when the time comes. I would like to see him get some more experience with different types of films, and see what he can accomplish. If his later ventures into filmmaking are successful, and he gains the experience he needs as a director, then I could see him coming back for a chance to direct a later Narnia film.
 
Yes, I think Adamson could come back and direct some more movies. It is good that he is taking a break, so he can look back on PC and see what he did wrong and try to improve on his mistakes.
 
Knight of Narnia said:
Sven-El,

Thank you for posting this. I also enjoyed PC, and as a film, I thought it was well done. Speaking strictly from a film point of view, the movie was entertaining and enjoyable. Adamson did put a great deal of effort into the film, and there are many times during the film where you can see this being presented. I do however, think that it is time for a new director. One of the main jobs of a film director is to ensure success for their film by taking into account the different factors that can ensure a film's success or failure. While Prince Caspian's problems at the box office were caused in part by it's poorly timed release and poor marketing (neither of which are related to Adamson's job), there are other problems that do fall on Adamson. The biggest issue that I have is the way that the film was adapted from the book. I completely understand that changes are needed to make a film adaptation of a book successful, but when those changes contradict their original source material, that is when there is a problem. The Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings films did not make drastic changes from their source material that made them barely recognizable to their fanbase. Even LWW was still a very close adaptation of the book. Now, I am not criticizing the movie overall, but I feel that Adamson could have done better with adapting the novel in a way that would not alienate a large portion of the Narnia fanbase. Peter's attitude, Aslan's lack of time in the film, and Susan and Caspian's kiss genuinely bothered a great portion of the fanbase.

I do feel that Adamson is a good director, and that he does have a bright future in the movie industry, but I am not convinced that he should be the one to helm Silver Chair or others down the road if and when the time comes. I would like to see him get some more experience with different types of films, and see what he can accomplish. If his later ventures into filmmaking are successful, and he gains the experience he needs as a director, then I could see him coming back for a chance to direct a later Narnia film.
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Exactly. When word reached the fan basis with the Two Towers, that Arwen would fight at Helms Deep ( which was based off of an earlier script when the studio wanted two films as opposed to three), Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and even Liv Tyler worked to rework that part of the story. Jackson was known for going back to the books yime and again ( he did have a bit more daunting task. The complete LOTR cycle is thosuands of pages long and each film would have been 48 horus long if done to faithfully). With the Hobbit, Del Toro is allowing fans to voice opinions for the movie. In order to do the final HP book "properly", they are splitting it into two films.


I agree that he could have worked better not to alinate fans. I understand trying to make Peter more relatable, but they could have done it without making him a jerk. ( the EE of Two Towers redeems Faramir considerably) the screen writers for PC said Edmund was their Han Solo. Well, then Peter should have been their Luke Skywalker. Aslan could have even been evoked more ( they did that well in LWW) Narnia with out Aslan is like Star Wars with out The Force, or LOTR with out the One Ring. The kiss could ahve been cut out entirly, or reworked to be a peck on the cheek.

Though almost for the future instalments different directors are needed to capture the different nuances of Narnia.
 
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