You might actually like Lewis.  As an atheist I disagree with his ultimate conclusion but he is thoughtful, interesting, funny, and has insights into human nature as well as the Christian myth.

I’d love to see The Screwtape Letters made into a movie with demonic narration (the text of the letters) over the live-action situations represented.  Lewis said he wrote the book “not to speculate on demonic life but to throw light from a new angle on the lives of men.”

(By which he meant, “men and women” but that was another time.)

I’d also like to see The Space Trilogy” made into 3 movies but NOT by Steven Spielberg or George Lucas.  For one thing, the middle movie would have a green naked chick on screen most of the time.  (And captain Kirk nowhere in sight!)

What? You have a problem with green naked chicks?

Sorry, I should have rearranged that paragraph.  The middle book Perelandra has a green naked chick in it, and that’s an asset to almost any story.  I just didn’t want Spielberg or Lucas doing the movie.

I love these books, but I won’t be seeing the movie.  I have my own pictures of how things should be and I don’t think any film maker could capture what me imagination does.  I would hate to be disappointed the way I was with the Lord of the Rings.

I read the book and saw the original “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"--which sucked. I saw this trailer attached to “Revenge of the Sith” and thought, “well, well, well, they’re taking another stab at it.” I have to admit, this one looks a lot better than the original. Hopefully it will stay true to the book and manage to outperform its predecessor at the same time.

I agree with DoF’s assessment.  CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien were friends, and it’s interesting to compare Narnia and Middle Earth.

While Tolkien’s epos is of course much more detailed, it tends towards the emotional flatness of Beowulf and the Nibelungenlied, and most of the characters seem to be more embodiments of ideals than real people.  Not that I don’t love the Ring cycle- it’s the best epic I know of.

The Narnia books are much simpler, but somehow livlier and more believable.  The Christianity preached in them is pretty ecumenical- the heathen Calormenes (read “Muslims") in the last book get into Heaven too, as long as they are true of heart. Not fundie fare.

Of course, women get the short end of the stick in both series, but that’s life in Anglo Saxon epics and the Bible.  At least we have Galadriel and Lucy.

What? You have a problem with green naked chicks?

“I ain’t bein’ racist, but if the bitch is green there’s somethin’ wrong with the pussy!” Thus spaketh Eddie Murphy. 

Trailer looks good… but I’ll likely wait til this one’s on DVD (like most movies).

I almost made it through the first book, but I had to stop when I came to the realization that the really annoying children weren’t going to die horrible deaths.

One of the few books that I never finished reading.  I would put them right up there with all the god awful S.E. hinton books I had to read in public high school.

I read the books when I was 12 or 13, and never attached any r3eligious significance to them. It wasn’t until much later, when I was in my 20’s, after I started reading articles and so forth, that I saw where there could be a christian theme to these books. I don’t really see how any early teen reading these books, would ever equate them with being religious books.

I will see the movies, and probably be just as dissapointed with them as I was with the Lord of the Rings, which I read when I was 14. There were just too many important parts left out of the movies, it’s the old “how to condense 10,000,000 words into 3 hrs or less thing”. Darn near impossible. My daughter who has never read the books, and so had no preknowledge to color her views, thought the movies were wonderful.

I should mention I’ve read almost all of Lewis’ books except the Chronicles of Narnia.  Too long, never liked magical themes.

I liked the LOTR movies, but never read those books either for the same reasons.  Waited for the movie.

I read the entire Chronicles shortly after high school, and enjoyed them for the most part.  Maybe I wasn’t paying attention, but I missed the analogy to Christianity, and so when I reached the last few pages of book 7 I thought, “Oh, yuck!”

But there was a scene in one story that has always bothered me.  I can’t remember which book, it’s been too long.  But I think someone was trying to help a Prince escape from the bad guys.  During the escape a lion attacks the Prince and claws him up pretty badly.  Later Aslan explains that he was that lion and that he attacked the Prince to punish him for something he did.  At the time I thought the punishment seemed harsh and unjust--it seemed to me the Prince acted out of ignorance?  I can’t recall.  Anyone remember this scene?

--Joe

Cindy - you were disappointed with LotR? - Jeebers what more do people want! - you must have one wizz-bang imagination if you found the movie wanting!(and ive just finished the trilogy for the umpteenth time! - I just think people get a little precious with thier “sacred” books sometimes) I mean for crying out loud!;Gandalfs fall from the bridge and subsequent Balrog battle wasnt quite right? I was frankly gobsmacked with wonder watching those movies.WooHoo!

I read the entire Narnia series in summer school between 3rd and 4th grade, and I loved them.  Never realized it was trying to sound christian, but that’s because I really had no contact with religion—at the time, my mother was Pagan, and dad… well, he always describes himself as being raised Catholic, but gave it up for Lent.  *shrug*

I need to reread that series.  Its been a while.

Joe- I don’t know of any scene where Aslan claws a Prince.  He claws Eustace up in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader to help him get rid of his dragon skin, and he claws Aravis in The Horse and his Boy to teach her what her slave felt like being whipped.

Frumpa, I’m with you about the LotR films.  Of course it’s an impossible task to condense the trilogy to a few hours in the movie theater.  They had to cut a lot.  And in doing so, they necessarily altered the story quite a bit.  But they managed to do an amazingly good job.  Yes, Frodo’s dream of Gandalf’s fall with the Balrog was not in the book.  But it was very cool.  And Arwen actually got to do something in the film other than be decorative.  The only change I thought was not in character was making Faramir so menacing, dragging Frodo and Sam off with him.

...and he claws Aravis in The Horse and his Boy to teach her what her slave felt like being whipped.

Ah yes!  That’s the one!  I looked on the ‘net to see what had happened.  Aravis was arranged to be married and didn’t want to go through with it, so she slipped her maid a sleeping potion so she could escape.  The next day the maid was whipped for letting Aravis get away.  Thus, Aslan clawed Aravis to teach a lesson, to see how it felt to be whipped.

I guess I’d have to read the book again to see why I felt (as a 20 year old in 1985) that this seemed harsh and cruel.  Perhaps it’s just too “eye for an eye” (Old Testament), as opposed to WWJD (and isn’t Aslan a parallel to Jesus Christ?).  I doubt he would’ve taken a whip to Aravis.

But this begs the question familiar to most atheists:  if Aslan is all powerful, all knowing, blah blah blah, why is he permitting evil to exist in Narnia, why does he let people suffer in despair, then punish them for acting under compulsion, etc. etc.?

--Joe

Hehe, nobody ever said religion is rational!  I also read the Chronicles way back around 1980 or so.  I was able to catch the Christian symbolism, but it wasn’t too offputting at the time.  It might be a different matter now, especially with the Fundies trying to warp the US sociopolitical fabric to their own ends.  It seems that some of the Western “good vs evil” books tend to lean a little toward the Christian mythos which is probably why I have been reading more of “gray vs gray” type fiction lately.  Cthulhu for President 2008!!!

From the reports (at least early ones), the “overt” Christian references in the Narnia series are due to be Disneyfied out of existence, leaving a nice special effects fest and harmless fantasy adventure.  So don’t worry about being preached at ...

A pity, because I always found some of the religious themes—the Christ-like sacrifice of Aslan in the first (TLTWatW) book in particular—nicely done and refreshingly presented from a different perspective.  I’ve also found the non-staid nature of Aslan—“he’s not a *tame* lion”—to be refreshing as well.

Yeah, the kids can be annoying, but the books are written for kids, so ...

Besides being interested in the movie; after all that’s been said here, I’ll probably be stopping by the library to check out the books...I’m a big kid now - I can handle them.

i could have swore that this had been started at some time.. eghem.. the lion the witch and the wardrobe flick on pbs ages ago..  i enjoyed all of the books around the 5th grade.. never read any c.s.lewis after.. the chronicles of narnia was a christian rag?!?! wtf.
I still like em.

run into but out of that onion or whatever they meant by sweet water at the end..

The trouble with being a voracious reader is that sometimes it’s difficult to remember whether one book or another is among the tens of thousands I’ve read… especially it’s been put on film.  I’m pretty sure I read LW&W in grade school (a LONG time ago), but I also recall seeing an animated version at some point so I can’t be absolutely certain.

Like most movies - I’m sure to see this one… on DVD

I quite clearly remember reading The Screwtape Letters though; I believe I was 14, and I read it over a weekend while visiting with my Dad, whose bookshelves had all sorts of interesting fare.  It’d be pretty damned cool to see THAT on film!

Many of my favorite books have been made into movies and I’ve been okay with them.  The Harry Potter movies have been cute and Born On The Fourth Of July was excellent, but sometimes when you just fall in love with a book or character seeing someone elses version of it is a disappointment.

I loved the books as a kid (now 42 yrs old)..I have a question..anyone of you out there saved? I’m sure the guy who didn’t want to be “preached at” obviously isn’t..i was a non-believer, atheist or whatever term works for you but by the grace of God His Mercy on me changed my life forever (that’s eternal life, not temporal)I had gone through years of partying, whoring you nmae it, I was in it or all over it..then years later had gotten married because we were expecting a child..didn’t even love the woman..just thought it was the right thing to do..well..2 kids and then a divorce 7 years later left me pretty screwed up and when I cried out to God He heard and took that pain and misery and gave me such peace and Joy..God is better than ANY drug or orgasm we could possibly fathom in our little feeble minds..God is truly amazing ..and for you atheists..He’s real and very much alive quite contrary to Nietzsche’s pathetic parable…

Andrew

Sure Andrew, he’s real.

And so is Santa Claus. and the Easter Bunny.

Give me a break.....

KPatrickGlover,

I’m really sorry you feel or think that way..pity

Funny thing is, Andrew, I was thinking the same thing about you.

If belief in a sky fairy works for you then more power to you, but some of us have tried that already and decided there wasn’t anything there to believe in.