Did CS Lewis opposed screen Narnia?

[glamel]

I've read an article form the CNN, about the letter of CS Lewis, saying he opposed making a screen version of CoN.
here's the article.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/11/29/lewis.narnia.reut/index.html

what do you think?

[Ite]

I think he only said that because he thought they might have a fake looking lion or a person in a lion suit because he didn't know anything about CGI back then and how good it looks today.

[CSLewisFan]

CS Lewis was uncomfortable with the idea of live action because of how phony everything would have looked.
He however was not opposed to a cartoon version.

With the movie that is now coming out, I think he would be very pleased with.
You get the realistic live action film with incredible CGI that wouldn't of been imaginable then.

My take...

-Austin

[PrinceOfTheWest]

I just heard a radio interview with Douglas Gresham (Lewis' stepson) this morning. He's a serious Lewis champion (as stands to reason) and was totally committed to an accurate translation of Lion to the screen. I think Lewis trusts him with this translation, and I don't think he would have undertaken it if he couldn't do it justice. Yes, Tolkien and Lewis were aghast at the thought of translating their works to the screen, but I don't think that was because they detested other media (remember, Lewis gave radio talks.) The only thing that had been done at the time was Disney-style animation, and they knew that wouldn't work. The primary concerns seem to have been accuracy and aesthetics (i.e. talking animals look hokey). I think (hope) Lewis would have been proud of what the CGI folk can do.

btw, Gresham went out his way to make clear that Disney had no hand in producing this movie. Walden Media did it all; Disney is just the distribution channel.

[unleavened]

I think it's nice of him to be protective, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't care now, and I really want a movie. So bring it!

[Orangegoldandgreen]

Yeah.
And he also wanted people to hear radio ones, so they could let their imagination go wild.

[Lady_of_the_Green_Kirtle]

For the most part I agree with PrinceOfTheWest's posts. I think it would be an author's worst nightmare for their story to be put on film and made to look fake, however I don't think C.S Lewis or Tolkien if they could see today's technology with films would have any major objections to it. My Dad even said that he thinks they'd probably be more overwhelmed by the fact their stories were still so popular today that people would take the time to put them onto film :) .

[Aslan the Wise one]

I would also opposed of the Narnia books being made into moives if I lived back when CSL. Moives back then are so not what they are now.

[narniarox]

cs lewis not only opposed it because of how ridiculously corny it would have looked up until , like, the past 5 yrs but also because ( i read this somewhere i really don't remember where) he wasn't exactly a fan of the suffocating publicity being a modest man.

[PrinceOfTheWest]

I heard a fascinating interview with Douglas Gresham (Lewis' stepson and co-producer of the movie). He claimed that the special effects technology to properly translate the book to the screen hasn't existed until the last two years or so. I think he respected his stepdad's legacy enough not to want to do a poor job of translation.

[DeplorableWord]

Ya, I mean, (no offence to anyone :D ) just look at the BBC versions... a lot of the talking animals were "cartoons" in an "in- person" film!

[onlymystory]

I personally think that the BBC versions (while a decent effort) were exactly what Lewis and Tolkien were afraid of. They would have wanted a movie that recaptured the magic of Narnia or Middle Earth. Not a movie that made you laugh at it. But I think Lewis would be happy with this one. Tolkien's such a purist I don't think you could ever make him happy.

[Knight of Narnia]

He had said that he was opposed to his vision being made into a movie mainly because of the low grade special effects that were available during his day. Now with all of the technology available I think that he might have a different opinion. Or maybe not.... I am not qualified to speak for C.S. Lewis it's just my opinion.

[Narnian Princess]

He had said that he was opposed to his vision being made into a movie mainly because of the low grade special effects that were available during his day. Now with all of the technology available I think that he might have a different opinion. Or maybe not.... I am not qualified to speak for C.S. Lewis it's just my opinion.

I totally agree with you.

[devils_advocate_for_evil]

poor guy....i mean look at harry potter...UGH they were terrible they totally screwed up what happened. they left out like half the stuff...i woulda been scared if i was CS Lewis too!!

[Danny]

If Lewis was alive today and saw the movie, the look on Lucy's face when she first enters Narnia, the scene with Father Christmas, Aslan's majestic emmergence from the pavilion, the beautiful music that accompanies Peter's valiant charge against the hoards of the White Witch...

How could he dislike it?

I think, like you guys said, it was probably mainly down to the "pantomime" equivellent effects of Lewis's day.