Narnia Magic By Hasan Suroor http://www.hindu.com/mag/2005/12/18/stories/2005121800250500.htm
Is Disney's "The Chronicles of Narnia" an innocuous adventure story or a thinly veiled religious propaganda in the garb of fiction? EVEN as millions of children around the world are enjoying "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe", the film based on C.S. Lewis's eponymous work, conservative Christian groups and their secular baiters are locked in a war of words over its "message". The £75-million Disney production, released in Britain last week to coincide with Christmas festivities after creating waves in the U.S., has provoked a row on both sides of the Atlantic amid accusations that its producers are deliberately promoting it as a religious movie in the hope of cashing in on the runaway success of their previous film with a religious theme, Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ". Marketing Reports indicate that in the U.S., it is being heavily marketed in the "Bible belt" with the active support of Republican church groups. Children are being reportedly offered "Narnia Bible" study courses due to the interest aroused by the film. The Governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, who also happens to be U.S. President George W. Bush's brother, has floated a programme to promote Lewis's original book. Secular organisations have protested saying that the programme amounts to official endorsement and is in breach of the U.S. Constitution. In Britain, too, critics have attacked attempts to push the film's "Christian" message with the help of evangelical media outlets. In a scathing article in The Guardian, its columnist Polly Toynbee listed the organisations engaged in spreading the movie's theological theme in churches across the country. "Disney... has appointed Outreach, an evangelical publisher, to promote the Christian message behind the movie in churches. The Christian radio station Premier is urging churches to hold services on the theme of `The Gospel According to Narnia'. Even the Methodists have written a special Narnia-themed service. And a Kent parish is giving away £10,000 worth of film tickets to single parent families," she said. Among those who have questioned claims that the Narnia tales are religious fables is Lewis's stepson Douglas Gresham. "Churches in Britain and the U.S. are promoting the film as a Christian film, but it's not... and the Narnia books aren't Christian novels," he has been reported saying. The storyline The books are built around the adventures of four children who hide in a wardrobe only to find themselves thrust into a dark world called Narnia where they get caught up in a battle between good and evil. At the heart of the controversy is the interpretation of the character Aslan, a noble lion that makes a personal sacrifice to save them from the forces of evil. Christians say that Lewis intended Aslan to be a symbol of the supreme sacrifice made by Jesus Christ and the whole story has a Christian subtext running through it. They point out that in an unpublished letter the author wrote to a child in 1961 he declared that the "the whole Narnian story is about Christ". Lewis' letter The letter, which mysteriously surfaced on the eve of the film's release in Britain and was published in The Sunday Times, said: "Supposing there really was a world like Narnia... . and supposing Christ wanted to go into that world and save it... what might have happened... The stories (in Narnia) are my answer. Since Narnia is a world of talking beasts, I thought he would become a talking beast there as he became a man here. I pictured him becoming a lion there because (a) the lion is supposed to be the king of beasts; and (b) Christ is called the `lion of Judah' in the Bible." But for Lewis's young fans, who are flocking to see the film that by all accounts is extremely well-made, the controversy is simply so much storm in a tea cup got up by quarrelsome adults to spoil their party. As one teenaged girl, queuing outside a London theatre, remarked: "For Christ's sake, let's enjoy the magic of Narnia, and to hell with all the subtexts." __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Know an art & music fan? Make a donation in their honor this holiday season! http://us.click.yahoo.com/.6dcNC/.VHMAA/Zx0JAA/uTGrlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -- This is ZESTGlobal. Post articles on international affairs to [email protected] If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTGlobal by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTGlobal/join/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTGlobal/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
