The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

willoweyes · 12-22-2005, 09:10 AM

If you are in any way associated with children, you might be compelled to take in "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe" this holiday season. I was. Surprisingly, I found the experience more intellectually stimulating than expected. Some thoughts:
1. The Witch was more courageous than the Lion. She faced death like a lioness--he faced a sham death from which he knew he would arise.
2. The Lion was self-absorbled, heavy, and frankly a downer to hang with. (contrast with Sabatini's hero: "He was born with the gift of laughter, and a sense that the world was mad.")
3. The Witch would have gladly loved the Lion, if only he would have taken her in. The trope of destroying something external-Evil, is so un Christ-like.
4. The boy Edmond was tricked in his betrayal, and robbed of his repentance.

I found it remarkable that this film is being touted as a great Christian epic.

In reading about C. S. Lewis, I learned that his beloved mother "deserted" him by dying when the boy was ten. Similarly, in a Harper's discussion of the director Lars Von Trier, I read that Von Trier considers all women "betrayers" because his mother played some necessary trick on him--which he continues to wave about like a bannered coat of arms. These men have never grown past their infantile demand for the world to be how they want it to be.

The Witch is doing God's work--we are still waiting for the Lion to grow up.

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12-22-2005, 09:10 AM	#1
willoweyes Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 1,537	If you are in any way associated with children, you might be compelled to take in "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe" this holiday season. I was. Surprisingly, I found the experience more intellectually stimulating than expected. Some thoughts: 1. The Witch was more courageous than the Lion. She faced death like a lioness--he faced a sham death from which he knew he would arise. 2. The Lion was self-absorbled, heavy, and frankly a downer to hang with. (contrast with Sabatini's hero: "He was born with the gift of laughter, and a sense that the world was mad.") 3. The Witch would have gladly loved the Lion, if only he would have taken her in. The trope of destroying something external-Evil, is so un Christ-like. 4. The boy Edmond was tricked in his betrayal, and robbed of his repentance. I found it remarkable that this film is being touted as a great Christian epic. In reading about C. S. Lewis, I learned that his beloved mother "deserted" him by dying when the boy was ten. Similarly, in a Harper's discussion of the director Lars Von Trier, I read that Von Trier considers all women "betrayers" because his mother played some necessary trick on him--which he continues to wave about like a bannered coat of arms. These men have never grown past their infantile demand for the world to be how they want it to be. The Witch is doing God's work--we are still waiting for the Lion to grow up.