Narnia Fans » Douglas Gresham

ChristianityTodayMovies.com recently chatted with Douglas Gresham, 62, who had just seen a rough cut of the film—which he says might be better than LWW, even though it’s adapted from what Gresham calls a “poorer” book. Gresham spoke to us by phone from his home in Malta.

What has kept you busy since The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe?

Douglas Gresham: We started thinking about Prince Caspian the day of the premiere of Lion/Witch. We had a short respite, and then really got into Prince Caspian. And we’re already in preproduction on Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

I understand you recently saw a rough cut of Caspian. Your thoughts?

Gresham: It’s a fabulous film. I’m very, very pleased. It’s a film that portrays probably even more strongly than the book the essential message of Prince Caspian, which is a return to truth and faith and honor and justice after a millennium of corruption in Narnia. I almost hate to say it, but I think it’s a better movie than The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Prince Caspian started with a poorer story than Lion/Witch, but has worked out probably to be a better movie.

Why do you think Caspian is a poorer story?

Gresham: The book doesn’t have the power of the story The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, which is based on the greatest story ever told. You can’t really top that. Prince Caspian, when you look at it from a filmmaker’s viewpoint, is a story basically about a long walk in the woods with a battle at the end. As a movie that doesn’t really work.

We had some difficulty figuring out how to make Caspian work as a film. In the book, the children arrive in Narnia, and they all sit down around the campfire and Trumpkin tells them the story of Prince Caspian—which means that the four Pevensie children vanish for half of the book. If you made it into a movie that way, your protagonists wouldn’t be in half of the film. And that just doesn’t work as a movie.

But Trumpkin’s story makes for a thrilling flashback. Are you saying you didn’t want to leave the Pevensie children while telling Caspian’s backstory?

Gresham: The problem would be that you would have two entirely separate storylines going on, in separate timescales. You’d wind up with half a movie that’s Prince Caspian’s story, and all of a sudden you’ve got the Pevensie kids crashing back into the film. We had to find some way of integrating the Pevensies and Caspian together in a way that works for the story, and I think our scriptwriters did a wonderful job managing to do that.

So do they actually meet up with Caspian earlier in the movie than in the book?

I’m not going to give too much away at this stage.

I understand. But would it be accurate to say…

Gresham: I tell you what to do. Go see the movie when it comes out. Take all your friends and take your friends’ friends. Take your enemies as well, because you’re supposed to love your enemies. Take your enemies’ friends. And then you can tell me if you think we’ve done a good job with it.

Read the rest at ChristianityTodayMovies.com

I went to the Prince Caspian Church Leader Event at my local Family Christian Store. The craziest thing happened there. I watched the DVD with about 6 or so others, and as I was watching it, someone in the video looked strangely familiar. Then, afterward, a woman turned to me and said: my husband is in the video and he hadn’t even seen it yet. Then he turned around. There, in front of me the entire time was Dr. Michael Stevens. He told me how they actually recorded the interview and other things like that. I got his contact information, and I have a feeling that we’re going to be hearing more from Dr. Stevens in the future here on NarniaFans.com! He was a very easy to talk to person and very knowledgeable about Lewis. Anyway, here’s a bit of a recap of parts of the DVD. We’ve also got some video of the event, and we’re going to try to get it online soon.

Storytelling in Prince Caspian

Douglas Gresham: C.S. Lewis’ story of Prince Caspian has inspired generations of readers around the world with its themes of courage, loyalty, faith, perseverance, compassion, and forgiveness wrapped in an epic tale of adventure. Through stories, C.S. Lewis strove to exalt his readers with the most sublime qualities of our shared humanity. With Prince Caspian as a starting point, let’s explore the way that stories, with their extraordinary ability to speak to the heart, can ennoble and enrich our souls.

Georgie Henley: The good thing about stories is that they carry you to another place which you’ve never been. It gives you a secure environment and you feel like you’re just enveloped by the book and the characters and everything that is happening. Narnia is almost our complete imagination; we can interpret however we like. C.S. Lewis says that Aslan is big but he doesn’t describe him a lot. So for people who like dark gold lions it can be dark gold, if you like white lions it can be a white lion, and he’s completely different in everybody’s imagination. That’s the beauty of all the Narnia books.

Mark Johnson: C.S. Lewis did such a wonderful job setting up the world of Narnia and the characters either within Narnia, or the characters from war-torn England and taking them into Narnia. And what he’s done, unlike a lot of writers who are very specific from what he/she is wearing to what he/she is thinking, Lewis allows you to complete it. The beauty of all the Narnian Chronicles is that, it’s like Shakespeare: The stuff of great stories are embedded in these seven books with wonderful morals and adventures and character decisions and character tests that have to be achieved along the way. Story-telling may be our most original and romantic impulse. That is, to be told a story or to tell a story. You look at the cave drawings, and they’re all about telling stories and depicting something.

Dean Wright: It’s a struggle of good against evil. It’s a story of these kids who are put into a world where they have to make a difference or really bad things can happen. And as a moviegoer, you can watch that and identify with that.

Douglas Gresham Interview Video

Dr. Michael Stevens: I know that Jack maintained that his Chronicles of Narnia were not meant to be allegorical. Do you think people make to much of what Jack is trying to say in these books?

Douglas Gresham: To start with, I think you have to realize that in the days that Jack was writing and speaking, the word ‘allegory’ meant something very different from what it means today. Allegory today is anything that might possibly symbolize or be similar to anything else. This is a corruption of the original meaning of the word. If “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” was to be an allegory of Jesus Christ for example, you would have to have the lion born into the lowest race of the creatures of that world, in terms of a carpenter’s son. He would have to live and minister for thirty years, then tortured to death and resurrected on the third day and so on and so forth for it to be an allegory. They are not allegorical works in the strictest sense of the word. And yes, people do go out of their way to try to find all kinds of hidden meanings. We seem to be a species that loves conspiracy theories: “There has to be a hidden meaning, there has to be a hidden structure.” A very nice man and a friend of mine, Michael Ward, has recently written and published a book all about how Narnian Chronicles are all based on the seven planets of the medieval astronomical system. I like Michael enormously, but I think his book is nonsense.

Dr. Michael Stevens: I know Jack was a classical scholar and it seems to me he was very interested in the parallels of virtues and vice. Is there a way you seem him, throughout the Chronicles, elaborating on virtues and vices and using that as a thematic element?

Douglas Gresham: To some extent, but only to some small extent. I think Jack realized quite early in his vice is in fact virtue corrupted. The devil cannot create, he can only corrupt things that God has created. And therefore, all of the vice we look at around our world today is in fact great things that God created that the devil has corrupted. I think that’s what you see in Narnia. You see the forces of evil corrupting great things. Cair Paravel was a beautiful castle; Miraz’ castle is a dark nasty place. If you take any of the true philosophies of man and corrupt them, you get evil. So it is simply a matter of comparing virtue and vice by realizing that vice is virtue corrupted.

Dr. Michael Stevens: Do you think there’s a way in which you can read Prince Caspian as a test case for the three Christian virtues of faith, hope, and love being worked out in characters’ lives. And do you think faith, hope, and love play a central thematic role throughout the Chronicles?

Douglas Gresham: Yes, I think you can because in “Prince Caspian,” we see what happens to the Telmarine people as a result of doing away with all the great things like faith, hope, and love and so forth. You wind up with a dictatorship under a cruel and merciless king, a murderer. You wind up with a dark, depressing, dreary world in which there is no joy. And when you return to the faith, which the Narnians were born to and made for, it all comes back to being what it should be. There is joy, there is happiness, there is rejoicing, there is freedom. All of these things are part of the return to faith after the many years of corruption.

Dr. Michael Stevens: So are there ways that Narnia is like our world, and the lives led in Narnia are like our lives here and now?

Douglas Gresham: Narnia is not like our world, quite deliberately, until evil gets into it. And we bring it there. In “The Magician’s Nephew,” it was Digory Kirke who brought the White Witch to Narnia. It was a pure beautiful country until Digory brought evil to it. It is very interesting, Jack’s concept in the science fiction trilogy and the Narnian Chronicles. At the time that Jack was writing these books, science fiction writers were writing they still do today, writing stories about going off into space and finding some aliens who are always evil and out to kill us and so forth. Jack turned that on its head. We go out into space to another place and we are the evil monsters, and they are the pure creatures that we should be leaving alone. I think that’s something we really need to pay attention to. In his book “Out of the Silent Planet,” this is the silent planet because we are the fallen species; we are the bad guys. And we need to learn if we ever do go out into space and meet a new alien species, chances are 50/50 that we will be the bad guys.

If you missed it, you can register for the second run of the program on April 22 at Family Christian Stores.

NarnianPrincess got the chance to have an exclusive interview with Douglas Gresham. This is a great one that addresses many of the things in Prince Caspian that you may have been wondering about, based on the trailer. There’s also a bit about Voyage of the Dawn Treader! So she’s taking the floor from here on out.

Hi NarniaFans! This is Alaina/NarnianPrincess here asking Douglas Gresham a few questions about Prince Caspian! I hope that you enjoy it, and that these are answers to things that you’ve been wondering about!

NF: Okay then, with only 90 days (huzzah!) until Caspian is released, how are things shaping up?

Douglas Gresham: There is still quite a bit of work to do but the film is looking absolutely fantastic. I am so proud of Andrew and Walter and all our team for the great job they have done on this movie.

NF: When you went to the screening last week, what was your first impression of the movie? Are you please with the overall outcome?

Douglas Gresham: I am very pleased indeed. My first impression was “Wow!”, and remember I had already seen all the “dailies” so I knew what the footage looked like. The movie has come together amazingly and beautifully well. When it ended I thought to myself “What over already?” And then checked my watch to find that it is actually still about 5 minutes longer than we need it to be. It was astonishing how fast it all went by. I can’t wait to see it again.

NF: Can you tell us who/what your cameo is in PC?

Douglas Gresham: Oh that’s easy to find out, just go and see the movie.

NF: How do you think Prince Caspian will compare to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe?

Douglas Gresham: With the Narnian movies its going to be very hard to make that kind of comparison because the stories are all so very different. It’s not like we are making sequels, each movie will be a completely unique stand-alone work. But to try, I would say that starting with a story that is not as good or as powerful as that of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” I think that our team have actually made a better movie out of it than LWW turned out to be.

NF: What is the main message that you think Jack, and you, would like us all to take away from this film?

Douglas Gresham: Prince Caspian is a story about people and indeed the entire world of Narnia, returning to truth and true faith after a millennium of corruption and a long slide away from what is real and important. It is a story about hope, courage and honesty, and it tells us that no matter how far away we drift, there is always a way back. What that way back is, you’ll have to watch the movie to find out.

NF: How’s the soundtrack? Do a lot of the same theme’s come back from LWW, or is it all new music. Do you know when the soundtrack will be released on CD?

Douglas Gresham: I am not sure when it will be released, and I’m not going to tell you anything about it except that Harry (Gregson-Williams) has done a great job with it and it will keep on getting better till the day we release the film.

NF: ~Now for some things that certain people have some reservations about. We understand if you can’t comment.

NF: There are a lot of people that have a problem with Ben being as old as he is. How do you think he has done as the uncertain boy-prince?

Douglas Gresham: Go see the movie and find out. But Ben is a superb actor (and a very nice guy) and I am very pleased with his portrayal of Caspian. I am also really looking forward to working with him again on “The Voyage of The Dawn Treader.” I don’t think anybody will be disappointed by his performance at all.

NF: Do Peter and Caspian really have a sword fight?

Douglas Gresham: Heh heh, once again you’ll have to see the movie to find out.

NF: Why add a night raid scene to the film?

Douglas Gresham: Well we did have a bit of a problem with making Prince Caspian the book into Prince Caspian the movie. You see, its largely a book of walking and talking. The kids arrive in Narnia and then Trumpkin arrives and they all sit down and he tells them the story of Prince Caspian. So if we had stuck to the book half the movie would be four kids and a dwarf sitting round a camp fire talking. And then they all get up and go for a nice long walk in the woods, arrive at the other end and there’s a battle. Now this all works very well in the book, but it would make a very poor movie. What we needed to do was to find a way of making the story of Prince Caspian integral to that of the four Pevensies and carry both through the whole movie. The raid is a part of that process. Its never as easy as you think.

NF: Some were upset over the fact that Susan carries a sword and appears to fight. Any comments on why they had her do that?

Douglas Gresham: Well, knowing our Susan (and indeed our Anna too), I somehow just can’t imagine her sitting down in the grass and watching the boys have a battle against the bad guys. I don’t remember the sword though.

NF: Do you tell/show us what happens to Miraz’s son? Does he really get kidnapped by the Old Narnians?

Douglas Gresham: I don’t think this is something that you should worry about too much, there’s Global Warming remember, world-wide Recession, dental cavities and facial blemishes and all sorts of things more meritorious of anxiety than the fate of Miraz’s son. He’s a cute little fellow anyway.

NF: In the trailer Jadis appears to be reaching out to Caspian, whereas in the book they never get to the point of calling her up. Why was this changed?

Douglas Gresham: Why not? Actually, it turns out to be a very powerful scene but you’ll have to wait a see the movie to find out how and why.

NF:~Now just a tad bit about Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

NF: I was overjoyed to hear of the writers strike ending! How close are you now in the script being finished?

Douglas Gresham:Hey, the strike has only just ended, give us a chance!

NF: Have they found a Eustace yet?

Douglas Gresham: We have a number of good prospects, but we haven’t yet made a decision.

NF: Will most of the same people (except Andrew Adamson, of course) be putting this movie together?

Douglas Gresham: Obviously we will try to keep as many of our team together as we can, but there will of course be some great new faces as well.

NF: ~Thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions. I know I speak for all the NarniaFans when I say that we really appreciate it!!

Douglas Gresham: You’re very welcome.

NF: Well folks! There you have it! I hope that you’re more excited than ever to see this wonderful book be made into an awesome movie!

Douglas Gresham, C.S. Lewis’ step-son and one of the producers on Prince Caspian, has seen the film, and greatly enjoyed it. Here’s what he had to say about the film:

“Taking a break from working on Dawn Treader and other projects, I attended the test screening and I think that the team has done a fabulous job on Prince Caspian, starting with a less good story, our team has produced an even better movie than The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I must be perhaps the severest critic of all, and I like this movie very much!”

Hey, Narnia Fans! Welcome to “Behind the Wardrobe” an Interview Series with Douglas Gresham. Join me as we find out about CS Lewis, Narnia and more in this interview series.

Special thanks to Paul Martin (The Webmaster for NarniaFans) and to Mr. Douglas Gresham himself for this amazing opportunity. And an even bigger thanks to Mr. Gresham for putting up with a few of my impossible questions. Thanks for being such a great sport about it! This has been a real pleasure.

I also apologize to all our readers for my tardiness in posting this article. I had some problems with my internet connection so sending/recieving responses from Mr. Gresham was imparied.

For this week: On Prince Caspian and Beyond.

PS. To all fans who want to stay spolier free don’t worry. Aside from one slight question there are no spoilers. Mr. Gresham and I felt it best to save some surprises for all of you as if we told you everything there would be not point in either reading the book or seeing the film. Mr. Gresham did a great job of dodging a round some of those questions at that. If there is anything spoilerish, I’ve blocked it out as usual and you can highlight it.

So without further ado… let’s get on with the interview!

On Prince Caspian and beyond

-

JS: The new film was greenlit during the first films first week end in theaters. Did this surprise you?

DG: No, I was talking about it with Mark and Andrew at the Premiere of LWW. They both told me that they wanted some time off first.

JS: Time off! Didn’t they know people wanted more movies ASAP?

DG: Everybody needs a break now and then, even if they are movie makers and love what they do.

JS Did you feel you needed the time off from the project before going on to the sequels?

DG Not really, time off is something that I don’t really handle that well, I am happiest when I have the next challenge ready and waiting for me.

JS: How do you feel about Ben Barnes as Caspian?

DG: As Co-Producer I was one of those who hired him.

JS Which casting choice do you like the most?

DG: The four Pevensie children, I could not choose between them.

JS: I do agree with you on the Pevensies. Soon as I saw the cast photos on the internet I thought they looked exactly as I imagined.

DG: I always thought so too.

JS: I read that the producers decided to give Caspian and the other Telmarinians a more ethnic flavor in contrast to the Pevensies. How do you feel about this?

DG: As Co-Producer I was one of the team that considered and discussed this decision.

JS: I admit the casting for the Temarninians is a fitting idea. The names( such as Caspian, and Miraz) do have an almost exotic flavor to them.

DG: To say nothing of Sopespian and Glozelle for example.

JS: And from what I’ve seen of pictures from the film on the internet, ( such as the teaser poster) Ben Barnes fits the part of Caspian perfectly. I can’t wait to see how he acts as the part, myself. If he’s anything as good as the actors and actresses who brought the Pevenises to life I have the feeling he’s going to blow a lot of people expectations out of the water.

DG: Ben does look pretty right, but he is also a very accomplished young actor.

JS: How have the young actors from the first film grown?

DG: Upwards mostly and in Anna’s case outwards in all the right places. Naturally they are a couple of years older and thus they are growing up in every way.

JS: From what you’ve seen so far, can you say that Prince Caspian is even better than the first film in terms of story telling, acting and special effects?

DG: I am not about to give anything away, but we have tried very hard to make sure that it is.

JS: What’s different with this film as opposed to the last one?

DG: Start by reading the book and then you should be able to tell me.

JS: Well, I did just finish reading the book Prince Caspian, but I guess for those who haven’t read the book yet we should save them a few surprises. Wouldn’t you agree?

DG: Of course.

JS: Have you seen the rough footage of Reepicheep? How does it look?

DG: As yet I have not seen any more than pre-vis stuff an thus it is far too early to tell how he will turn out, but I have great faith in our team.

WARNING POSSIBLE SPOILERS JS: I heard rumors of Susan fighting in the film? Are these true?

DG: Wait and see the movie.END SPOILERS

JS: There is only one character that they haven’t announced who’s playing him. That of Reepicheep the mouse. Can you tell us who’s voicing him or is that kept under wraps?

DG: Well I probably know more than you do about that and if I told you, then you would probably know as much as I do.

JS: How about your role in the film? Are you allowed to talk about it, or is it also kept under wraps?

DG: I don’t talk about it but I am not sure that I am not allowed to.

JS: What can fans expect from this new film?

DG: A very enjoyable evening or two, or three or four or in some cases five or six depending on how often you see the movie.

JS: It’s been as much of a dream of mine to see the Narnian Chronicles adapted into movies as much as it has been yours. So you can definitely count on me to plan to be one of those fans to see Prince Caspian in theaters more than just one time. I have to give you all reasons to make the rest of the series!

DG: Good idea!

JS: How about future films?

DG: If you know anybody with a spare few hundred million, please send them my way so that I can get started on The Science Fiction Trilogy at once.

JS: I’ll be sure to send the first person I find with a few spare million dollars your way to have The Space Trilogy made. I want to see those too!

DG: A few spare millions won’t quite cut it, I will need a few spare hundreds of millions to make that series.

JS: Again, thank you so much for your time, Mr. Gresham.

DG: You’re very welcome.

JS: NarniaFans everywhere are already looking forward to the next film.

DG:I know, that’s why we’re making it.
Blessings all, Douglas Gresham.

Please note the following in this issue of the C.S. Lewis Society Update (10/24/07):

1. New Christianity vs. Atheism Debates
2. Next meetings of C.S. Lewis Society’s Bay Area Book Club: Miracles
3. Recent Articles Pertaining to C. S. Lewis
4. Other Events

1. New Christianity vs. Atheism Debates:

With the recent publication of Dinesh D’Souza’s acclaimed, new book, WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT CHRISTIANITY, public debates by D’Souza with prominent atheists have begun, and the atheists are not faring very well at all. The anti-theist campaigns of best-selling authors Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, and others have largely gone unchallenged in any serious and highly visible way, with most elite media coverage giving the atheist jihadists an easy ride. To their great credit, Francis Collins, John Lennox and others have admirably and effectively debated Dawkins and company, but these few confrontations have been the exception and largely invisible in mainstream culture. D’Souza and his book are hence a welcome addition to the long overdue need to set the record straight in an informed and well-mannered way.

The first debate pitted D’Souza against atheist pundit/skeptic Michael Shermer and was held Oct. 15th by the Socratic Club at Oregon State University before an audience of 1,000. Here is the video from the debate which is posted on the atheist blog, “Critical Thinking”

The second debate involved D’Souza against militantly anti-theist Christopher Hitchens, and held on Oct. 20th at King’s College in New York City. Inebriated and even drinking on stage during the debate, Hitchens’s brand of arrogant bomb-throwing faltered badly as he was the clear loser. Here is an account of the debate in the New York Observer

Here also is information on the book, WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT CHRISTIANITY, by Dinesh D’Souza

2. The next meetings of the C.S. Lewis Society Bay Area Book Club will be as follows:
http://www.lewissociety.org/bookclub.php

Book for Discussion:

MIRACLES, by C.S. Lewis:

Wednesday, October 31st, 7:30 p.m.; Meeting moderator/leader: Paul Ashby

Wednesday, November 14th, 7:30 p.m.; Meeting moderator/leader: Paul Ashby

In this truly great and profound book, written for both believer and skeptic, C.S. Lewis tackles a difficult subject: miracles. The question is easy enough–do miracles really occur? True to his style, Lewis analyzes it with the scrutinizing eye of a skeptic who has seen the light and wants to help others see it too. The scope goes far beyond miracles. In analyzing the probability of such events, Lewis examines Pantheism vs. Christianity, and the idea of a Nature that is completely independent of any outside interference (even God’s). His argument that the laws and ‘nature’ of Nature are not violated by miracles is convincing, as is his argument that miracles are, in fact, necessary. For Lewis, a miracle wrought by the Creator of mankind is really nothing extraordinary. Some miracles, such as the water being turned into wine, simply skip a step or two. Instead of water nourishing a vine that eventually produces grapes for wine, Christ merely eliminates the intermediary steps. Other miracles, such as Christ’s Resurrection, are simply a glance at what’s to come.

The meetings will be held at:

11990 Skyline Boulevard, Oakland, CA 94619 (atop the Oakland hills)
510-482-2906 phone
wine, soft drinks and other refreshments served

Here also are a number of articles that discuss MIRACLES and related issues:

“Do Miracles Occur?” by John-Erik Stig Hansen

“C. S. Lewis’ Teleological Argument,” by Houston A. Craighead:

“C. S. Lewis on Miracles” by Art Lindsley (pdf file)

“The Argument from Reason,” by Victor Reppert

“The Problem of Miracles: A Historical and Philosophical Perspective,” by William Lane Craig

“A Jurisprudential Analysis of Hume’s ‘In Principle’ Argument Against Miracles,” by Paul K. Hoffman

MIRACLES in available in paperback

MIRACLES on CD

Here also is the schedule of future Lewis Society book club meetings:
http://www.lewissociety.org/bookclub.php

Here also is information on C.S. Lewis:
http://www.lewissociety.org/aboutlewis.php

We hope that you and/or others you know will be joining with us! (Please feel free to forward this update to others.)

3. A Sampling of Recent Articles Pertaining to C. S. Lewis:

“My Stepdad, C.S. Lewis,” by Douglas Gresham (Guardian Unlimited)

“3 Plays Showcase Britain’s Brand of Sentimentality,” by Matt Wolf (International Herald Tribune)

“C.S. Lewis vs. Sigmund Freud,” by Eric Schansberg (Acton Institute)

“Prisons Agree to Return Religious Materials to Chapel Libraries,” by Katherine T. Phan (Christian Post)

“Shadowlands: A Magnificent Portrait or Late-flowering Love and Loss,” by Charles Spencer (London Telegraph)

“The Wood Between the Worlds,” by Michael Parson (London Times)

“Harry Potter Author Reveals Books’ Christian Allegory, Her Struggling Faith,” by Elena Garcia (Christian Post)

“Britney Spears Can Read” [at least Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe] (Hollywood Gossip)

4. Other Events:
http://www.lewissociety.org/events.php

“C.S. Lewis: Man and His Work: A 21st Century Legacy”
Sponsored by L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC
October 26-27, 2007
http://www.sebts.edu/CSLewis/

“C.S. Lewis Festival: To Narnia and the North”
Petoskey, MI
October 26-28, 2007
November 3, 2007
http://www.cslewisfestival.org/

“C.S. Lewis Conference”
Sponsored by Hope Lutheran Church
Atascadero, CA
January 25-27, 2008
(More details to follow)

“Sixth Frances Ewbank Colloquium on C.S. Lewis & Friends”
Sponsored by Taylor University, Upland, IN
May 29-June 1, 2008
http://www.taylor.edu/academics/supportservices/cslewis/colloquium/

“Charles Williams and His Contemporaries”
Sponsored by The Charles Williams Society
Sr. Hilda’s College, Oxford, England
July 4-6, 2008
http://www.geocities.com/charles_wms_soc/events.html

David J. Theroux is the Founder and President of the C.S. Lewis Society of California and The Independent Institute in Oakland, Calif.

Hey, Narnia Fans! Welcome to “Behind the Wardrobe” an Interview Series with Douglas Gresham. Join me as we find out about CS Lewis, Narnia and more in this interview series.

Special thanks to Paul Martin (The Webmaster for NarniaFans) and to Mr. Douglas Gresham himself for this amazing opportunity. And an even bigger thanks to Mr. Gresham for putting up with a few of my impossible questions. Thanks for being such a great sport about it!

For this week: On The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe .

On The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe-

JS: The first Narnia movie did extraordinarily well at the box office, and exceeded many people’s expectations . What was your reaction to this?

DG: I expected it.

JS: So then it was really no surprise to you when The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe ended up being one of the top grossing films of 2005 along with the likes of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith , Batman Begins, or Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire?

DG: Not at all, what surprises me is that those other movies did so well.

JS: I as a fan thought it was pretty neat that the first time outing for the Narnian film franchise did do as well as such films with a pre-established fan basis, such as Star Wars, Batman, or Harry Potter.

DG: We are all very happy about it too, but of course this success means that we have to make our next movie even better.

JS: Do you think Jack would have been pleased with the film? If so, in what ways?

DG: I certainly hope so otherwise I wasted five years of my life. I think he would have loved the realism we brought to unreal estates and characters. I also think he would appreciate our faithfulness to his book.

JS: Where you pleased with the film?

DG: As a producer of it, if I hadn’t, I would only have had myself to blame.

JS: What do you think led to The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe being done so well in terms of acting and quality of the production?

DG: Thousands of things, Philip Anschutz, Mark Johnson, Phil Steuer, Perry Moore, Marcus and McFeely, Andrew Adamson, KC Hodenfield, Roger Ford, Don McAlpine, Howard Berger, William Mosely, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, Isis Mussenden and —but I think you should be beginning to get the idea. Had I the time and you the space I would name every single member of all the teams that put the movie together from the very first to the very last in no particular order. The folks who cleaned the toilets, serviced the generators, drove the trucks and did a myriad of tasks that the public never even think of, all contributed to how well the movie was made. Each and every one of them was indispensable, and I owe them my heartfelt gratitude and admiration.

JS: Of any one in the film, who do you think gave the best performance?

DG: I did. How on Earth could I single out anyone else?

JS:So would you say the film was more of an ensemble piece?

DG: I think the nature of the story makes it imperative that the film be a team effort not only among the cast, but also with all the invisible members of the team, those amazing guys who do the CGI for example, and everyone else involved. I think that it is important that the star of the movie is in fact the story itself and that no one performance eclipses that.

JS: I felt in terms of casting one stroke of genius was that none of the actors were “major names” ( ie No Michelle Pheiffer as Jadis, or James Earl Jones as Aslan or Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff as Susan and Lucy).

DG: Yes, I agree with you.

JS: Adamson did a marvelous job directing the film. A lot of things he did had always been things I would have done if I made the film. (Such as opening with the air raid on London, haveing Peter and Edmund wear armor into battle, and even the relationships with the children.) He also did a great job making people who weren’t fans of the book interested in what was happening in the story and care for the characters.

DG: Yes indeed. Human beings are made for relationships, firstly a relationship with God and to achieve a good relationship with God we must guard and develop our relationships with our fellow human beings.

JS: In terms of the children, (and even Adamsons direction) they were perfect in the roles. They actually seamed like real life siblings!

DG: And I think that you will find that they actually feel very like siblings in real life. We are so fortunate to have found four really good young actors who are not only that but also very nice people. As the making of the film progressed it soon became evident that a strong bond was developing between the four children and that in turn came through onto the screen.

JS: How was it to have the cameo as the radio announcer?

DG: Fun, but not as much fun as my cameo in Prince Caspian. >:-}

JS: Did you approve the changes made to the film from the book?

DG: Again, I am a Co-Producer which means that I am one of the team that makes those decisions.

JS: I have to admit one of my favorite things in the film was the design of the wardrobe. Many fans of the book noted that etched onto it were scenes depicting the events of The Magician’s Nephew. Was this your suggestion?

DG: No, I think that came from Andrew or it may have been Roger, I am not sure.

JS: What was your favorite scene in the film?

DG: All of them.

JS: I take it as co-producer you got to be onset?

DG: Yes, of course. My ancillary duties meant that I could not spend as much time as I would have liked to on set, but I did spend quite a lot of time there.

JS: Seeing it on film was great , but to actually see it (come to life), well that had to be amazing!

DG: To me it was both exciting and hugely gratifying. After all it is not a gift given to many people to watch an almost life-long dream come true.

JS: I know when I saw the film it actually seemed like the Narnia I saw in my imagination.

DG: I am so glad that you say that, it means that we got it right.

That’s it for this week. Come back next week when wrap up the interview series with part six, in which we’ll get some special ( and spoiler free) sneak peeks into the next installment of the series Prince Caspian

Hey, Narnia Fans! Welcome to “Behind the Wardrobe” an Interview Series with Douglas Gresham. Join me as we find out about CS Lewis, Narnia and more in this interview series.

Special thanks to Paul Martin (The Webmaster for NarniaFans) and to Mr. Douglas Gresham himself for this amazing opportunity. And an even bigger thanks to Mr. Gresham for putting up with a few of my impossible questions. Thanks for being such a great sport about it!

For this week: On The Narnia Film Project.

JS: Why did it take so long for films of Narnia to be made?

DG: My theory? The Holy Spirit of God held them off until the time was right.

JS: Do you think the film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter series helped Hollywood realized there was an opening for Narnia?

DG: Not really, we had a film deal in place long before they ever started on those two projects, It came to nothing in the end, but we had to wait until the
rights were free before we could move on.

JS: The time certainly was right for the Narnia films in terms of the technology to bring them to life as well as the fact that general film going audiences (beyond just the fans of Jack’s books) wanting more fantasy films. That was pretty much what you were waiting for, correct?

DG: No not really, I had already been trying to get good films made for many years before we actually got the first one done. It was in fact the Holy Spirit of God that held things up all those years until the time was absolutely right for LWW to appear before the public. It is true enough that we could not have made the movie that we did as little as a year earlier than we did, and indeed our teams pushed the available technology right to the edges of its performance envelope in making the movie. It is also true that to some extent Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings series and the advent of J.K.Rowlings work did call attention to fantasy in film, but this was a market that I had already seen to be existent years before. In fact years before Peter made LOTR, and years before Rowlings even wrote her first book! I was all fired up and enthusiastic long before the time was right, and God had to yank my reins pretty hard to slow things down. For me, to be told to just shut up and wait, is one of His hardest instructions to obey.:-)

JS: Yes, I’m familiar with the early ideas for the Narnia film (the modernized version set in LA, with Edmund being tempted with a burger and milk shake instead of Turkish Delight). I take it that it is a case of “the less that is said about it”, the better?

DG: Absolutely. Looking back now though, it is rather gratifying to have been proven to be right to stick to my guns, through considerable pressure, on how the LWW movie should be written and made.

JS: Though I must say I don’t think that version could have even been done. Mostly for their reason all the names are too British to pass off as American. (I’ve never meet any one in the states with the name Edmund, Digory or Eustace)

DG: Interestingly, the US is the only place today where I do occasionally run into such names, the exception being Digory, but just wait till we make The Magician’s Nephew.

JS: Have you ever seen the old BBC mini-series versions of the Narnia books?

DG:Yes.

JS:What is your opinion on them(and please be honest)?

DG:With the budget they had and the technology available at the time they did a pretty good job other than the monumental miscasting of one or two of the characters.

JS:Why did they never do the other three books in the series?

DG: I have no idea.

JS: I’ve heard rumors they didn’t do The Last Battle or The Magician’s Nephew as of the seven books they were the most “Christian”. Are the rumors this true?

DG: Obviously not because they aren’t.

JS: I know that both Jack and Tolkien had very low opinions of what Disney had done with various fairy tales. … How do you think Jack would have felt about Disney releasing the new films?

DG: To straighten things out, Disney is the Distributor of the films, and they have actually (so far anyway) been extraordinarily good to work with. Disney have the best distribution network in the world and they are good at it, so I hope Jack would have no qualms about them distributing the movies.

JS: On the note of Disney, what are your feelings on seeing Aslan next to such characters as Mickey Mouse and Kermit the Frog on Disney websites and at stores?

DG: I don’t really feel anything about it as I have never seen it. I think Jack would have rather like Kermit, I know I do.

JS:I know a lot of fans were concerned about Disney releasing the films, primarily that the themes would stay intact, do you think their concerns were valid?

DG: As I said above Disney only distribute the films. A lot of people got their knickers in a knot over it all but you tell me, were their concerns valid (I am presuming that you have seen the movie)?

JS: I did see the movie of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. I don’t think the concerns were valid. Just a case of reading way to much on the internet. I had the feeling though that the films would be accurate to the books and contain the same imagery and themes simply because it would have been impossible to tell the Narnia stories with out those aspects. ( That and you were co-producing and serving as creative consultant. I didn’t think you’d let them work around those parts).

DG: Part of my responsibility is to try to ensure that no matter how much the stories are changed to fit into film format (and major changes can be vital) the essential theme of the original book always remains the theme of the movie.

JS: How did you feel about Disney releasing them? Were you concerned at all about it?

DG: I had a good talk with Dick Cook and Mark Zoradi about it and decided that it was the right thing to do.

JS: What did you think about the merchandise?

DG: Well as co-producer it was (and is) one of the things I am in charge of so I really had better not comment other than to say that I think our team did a pretty good job.

JS: I do think the merchandising was handled well. Not too much, and not to little. I was quiet glad to finally have Narnia action figures to reenact my favorite parts with (or just to display Aslan next to my Gandalf from LOTR on the top of my book shelf where I keep my books by JRR Tolkein and CS Lewis.) I must commend you all for handling it so well.

DG: Thank you, but I was disappointed at how the merchandise was distributed and marketed and have to accept that I was something of a neophyte at that stage (to be perfectly honest I had very little knowledge of what I was doing) but I have learnt a lot and I hope to do better with Prince Caspian.

JS: What’s your opinion of having Narnia characters and various things about the world at Disney theme parks?

DG: As that is another of my areas of responsibility I am obviously for it.

JS: Filmgoers and fans compared the Narnia films with the Lord of the Rings adaptations in terms of quality, do you think this was a fair comparison?

DG: I think we did better than they did—obviously. But really that is a bit like comparing bulldogs with ballerinas.

JS: It’s been confirmed that all seven books will become films. What’s your opinion on this?

DG: That really is a silly question, almost everybody knows that my ambition has been for a long time to make all seven Narnian Chronicles, Jack’s Science Fiction Trilogy and Till we Have Faces into great movies.

JS: I knew full well you wanted to do all seven Narnian Chronicles as films, I’ve only just heard about Screwtape, but I never knew anything about wanting to do the Space Trilogy or Till We Have Faces as movies! ( Note to readers: this is what happens when you trust in WIKIPEDIA.) That’s awesome! I take it you have no word on how those projects are going yet?

DG: Screwtape is in pre-production and we have a very talented young writer wrestling manfully with the screenplay (a very difficult one to write). We have the core of the team in place and are progressing slowly. The Cosmic Trilogy and Till We Have Faces are as yet merely dreams and hopes in my mind, but if you know anybody who has a few hundred million dollars to spare and a real desire to make some great films, please give him or her my email address.

JS: Wait. What about The Great Divorce or Pilgrim’s Regress. Are there any intentions with those ones for film adaptations?

DG: I have had some talks about The Great Divorce, but nothing has come of that yet, and Pilgrim’s Regress is way down on the priority list.

JS: I guess I (and some other NarniaFans as well) will have to reserve spaces on DVD shelves to put the films inspired by Jack’s novels next to the LOTR Extended Editions!

DG: Its a nice thought.

Come back next week when we discuss the film of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe!

Hey, Narnia Fans! Welcome to “Behind the Wardrobe” an Interview Series with Douglas Gresham. Join me as we find out about CS Lewis, Narnia and more in this interview series.

Special thanks to Paul Martin (The Webmaster for NarniaFans) and to Mr. Douglas Gresham himself for this amazing opportunity. And an even bigger thanks to Mr. Gresham for putting up with a few of my impossible questions. Thanks for being such a great sport about it!

For this week: On Jack’s Life, “The Dark Tower”, and other matters.

JS: I read your book,Jack’s Life. I have to admit it was one of the best biographies I’ve read about him.

DG: Thank you.

JS: I felt at times while reading it that I was reading on of Jack’s own stories as it felt a lot like one in terms of how you wrote it. Was that your intention?

DG: Not at all, but it is a very fine compliment and I thank you for it.

JS: I’m assuming you used secondary sources to get the information on his childhood and everything up to the point of his meeting with your mother. What sources did you use?
DG: The Hooper/Green Biography, The George Sayer Biography, and the Companion and Guide by Hooper, but mostly merely to check dates and details for accuracy.

JS: How come no one has yet to make a “good” bio-pic on CS Lewis, meaning a film that accurately portrays his life?

DG: How do you accurately portray 65 years in less than 65 years? But I think that someone sooner or later will attempt to do so and when they do I hope I am still around to help.

JS: I read one of Jack’s short stories ” The Dark Tower”. Are you familiar with it?

DG: Of course.

JS: There is a huge controversy about that story as there is some debate as to whether or not it is a “true” Lewis tale. Do you think it was?

DG: Of course it was. The whole controversy thing was engineered for very personal reasons by a lady who is now dead. Her fanciful theories have been pretty thoroughly discredited.

JS: Do you ever remember him talking about it?

DG: “The Dark Tower”? No, but another of her targets, “The Man Born Blind” (originally working titled “Light”) Jack read to me when I was but a lad.

JS: I have read “A Man Born Blind” as well as the rest of Jack’s short stories and that they would make great made-for-TV movies ( or episodes of a TV show like The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits). Have you ever given much thought into having those adapted from stories to the screen? I know I’d enjoy them!

DG: I haven’t actually thought of that, partly I suppose because I am not exactly short of projects already.

JS: Another one of his short stories that intrigued me as “After Ten Years”, a fragments of a novel about the journey of Menelaus and Helen of Troy. Why didn’t he finish it?

DG: He died first.

JS: Do you think it needs to be?

DG: Not unless Jack comes back to do it.

JS: So, I take it if a currently living author were to approach you asking if they could complete “After Ten Years” or even “The Dark Tower”, you would decline the offer?

DG: Absolutely.

JS: A bit of a trend in Christian fiction is for writers to do a book “in the style” of The Screwtape Letters (meaning a correspondence between a senior devil and a more inexperienced tempter) such as Randy Alcorn’s Lord Foulgrin’s Letters. Are you familiar with that book or any others like it?

DG: I am actually a fan of Randy Alcorn’s work, but I haven’t as yet read that particular one. The Screwtape styled books I have read I have not found to be particularly encouraging.

JS: One book I have in my library is a comic book adaptation of The Screwtape Letters that was put out by Marvel Comics and Thomas Nelson back in 1994 ( they had done similar with Bunyans’ Pilgrim’s Progress and Charles Sheldon’s In His Steps). Did you serve as a consultant for it?

DG: To be honest, I actually don’t remember.

JS: Is there the possibility Narnia Fans could ever see graphic novels ( or comic books)of all seven Narnian Chronicles and the Space Trilogy? Again, it is something many fans would enjoy. Would you encourage or endorse such a project?

DG: That would depend very much on the quality and standards of the project concerned.

JS: One of my friends wants to try and get his four year old brother into reading by reading him the Narnian Chronicles, however the lack of pictures doesn’t interest his brother. I recommended The World of Narnia series by Deborah Maze ( the four volume series based on TL,TW,TW ) as a good introduction. ( He didn’t want to use the movie story books as he felt then he may as well show him the movie). Are there any other children’s books based on Narnia that you’d recommend as a means of introducing younger readers to the world of Narnia, and thus perhaps get them more interested in reading at a younger age?

DG: He could try The Giant’s Surprise by Hyawin Oram. But the Chronicles themselves would be best read as bedtime stories one chapter at a time when he is a bit older. Four is probably a little too young for them.

JS: I’ve heard that there is a film version of The Screwtape Letters in the works. Is this true?

DG: Yes. I am one of the Producers.

JS: How are they going to adapt it into a film ( if they are in fact > doing this)? The book is largely a collection of letters!

DG: We are working that out right now.

Come back next week when we discuss the Narnia Film project!

Hey, Narnia Fans! Welcome to “Behind the Wardrobe” an Interview Series with Douglas Gresham. Join me as we find out about CS Lewis, Narnia and more in this interview series.

Special thanks to Paul Martin (The Webmaster for NarniaFans) and to Mr. Douglas Gresham himself for this amazing opportunity. And an even bigger thanks to Mr. Gresham for putting up with a few of my impossible questions. Thanks for being such a great sport about it!

For this week: On The Shadowlands…

JS: What was your opinion of the play The Shadowlands?

DG: I think it a wonderful play, but then I am biased. I have been a consultant to Shadowlands in all its varying inceptions ever since Brian Sibley and Norman Stone first wrote the concept script about 20 odd years ago. Incidentally the play is being revived and will shortly open again in London’s West End. I don’t know though whether there are any plans to move the production to America though.

JS: How did you feel about how they portrayed Jack?

DG: I have seen so many productions in which the portrayals always depended on the actor playing the role that it is hard to remember a specific portrayal. The play itself portrays not C.S.Lewis, nor Jack, but a fictional character based on him. Remember that Shadowlands is not supposed to be an Historical documentary, but is a very beautiful love story based on real events in the lives of some real people.

JS:Thank you for the clarification that The Shadowlands is not a historical documentary. In a class I took in college it was, more or less, portrayed as a historical documentary to us.

DG: It was never intended to be so, and I would have though that it is pretty obvious. After all there are only four characters based on real people in the whole movie, all the rest are entirely fictional.

JS: Have most people mistaken the play for a historical documentary?

DG: I don’t think so, I haven’t come across too many folk who have.

JS: Notably one of the major differences was the absence of your brother David. How did you feel about this change?

DG: This change was made for very straightforward theatrical and dramatic reasons and so when I fully understood the reasons I had no problem with it.

JS: Would you be able to elaborate a bit on what the theatrical and dramatic reasons for the exclusion of your brother from the play were?

DG: It is very simple really, first, if you have two children each reacting differently to the same situations, you automatically have two subplots. In the first TV version of Shadowlands this was done, and on studying it later, it was discovered that having the two subplots actually detracted from the main theme of the piece rather than complementing it, so it was decided to drop one child for the Stage play version. Also contributing to that decision was the fact that for stage work each child character has to be played by two child actors as there are legal restrictions on how many performances a child actor may make without a break. This was seen to work very well and thus for Dick Attenborough’s version the one child policy was adhered to.

JS: How about some of the other changes they made to the story? For example Lewis driving, your character asking for Jack to sign a copy of Magician’s Nephew, of Jack as a Roman Catholic.

DG: As far as I know Jack was never portrayed as a Roman Catholic, but as for the rest I didn’t care hoot.

JS: How did you feel about Anthony Hopkins’s and Debra Winger’s portrayals of Jack and Joy in the film version?

DG: Tony was faithfully presenting the role he found in the screenplay, and not trying to be C.S.Lewis or Jack, and I think that is a pity because I think Tony could have portrayed the real Jack very well indeed. Debra on the other hand was superb as my mother. However if one is going to talk about the film, one has to say that Dick Attenborough is one of the finest directors ever to walk the planet (and one of the finest English Gentlemen as well) , and his fine touch and gentle hand made what I consider to be a classic movie with which I am very proud to have been associated.

JS: How well did Joseph Mazzello do at portraying you in the film?

DG: Very well indeed, but as I told him on set one day, for him it was easy, after all he had a script to follow, I had to ad-lib the whole thing.

JS: The funny thing for me with the film of “The Shadowlands” is that I forever associated both director Richard Attenborough and Joseph Mazzello with their roles as John Hammond and Tim Murphy in Steven Speilberg’s Jurassic Park.

DG: Knowing them both personally made a big difference I suppose.

JS: Though it could be worse. I even had a friend who had a hard time watching the film as she associated Anthony Hopkins with Hannibal Lecter!

DG: I think that a lot of people had that reaction to him in Remains of the Day rather than in Shadowlands, but I know what you mean.

JS: Have you ever considered playing Jack in a production of The Shadowlands?

DG: I really don’t think I could do it justice (the role I mean), I am too emotionally involved in the whole thing.

That’s it for this weeks installment. Come back next week when we discuss Douglas’s book Jack’s Life , CS Lewis’s unfinished novels “The Dark Tower” and “After Ten Years”, the film of The Screwtape Letters and some other matters.