Arts Entertainments

Prince Caspian – Our Inner Child Finds a New Hero

“Prince Caspian”, the sequel to the 2005 Disney hit “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” does not pick up where its predecessor left off, in Narnia’s exciting Golden Age, but in a time of fear and despair. . From this deep dive into the cinematic roller coaster, he offers to take us up to the skies, with many ascents and descents and a winding turn between them. In its masterful combination of fast pacing, thrilling action, dazzling special effects, and a thrilling musical score, “Prince Caspian” does not disappoint.

Back to Narnia Beach

With the next school term looming, the Pevensie children, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, sadly wait at a train station in 1941 in England. Suddenly they feel something like a sharp prick in the back and the next instant they find themselves on a seaside beach fringed by thick forest. Could they be … back in Narnia?

They soon discover that they have indeed returned to Cair Paravel, the castle where they had reigned as kings and queens. Now, however, it is in ruins and overgrown, as if a thousand years had passed. However, the Pevensies have only been out of Narnia for one year according to our calendar.

A dwarf named Trumpkin, who is rescued from two would-be executioners, tells them the bitter truth: the cruel Miraz the Telmarin now rules Narnia. Having taken the throne by murdering his own brother, King Caspian IX, Miraz now wants to kill his nephew, Prince Caspian, the true king. The Pevensies are dismayed to learn that the Telmarines have caused all the Talking Beasts to hide and that even the trees have fallen into a deep sleep.

Trumpkin tells them that Caspian seeks to claim the throne with the help of the talking beasts, the dwarves, and some giants. Though noble and brave, his soldiers are no match for Miraz’s troops. After a particularly bloody battle, Caspian has just turned to his last resort. He would sound Queen Susan’s magic horn, hoping that she would call for help from an unexpected place, as legend promised. Caspian had, in fact, sent Trumpkin ahead to Cair Paravel, not to be captured by sentinels at a Telmarine outpost, but to serve as a guide, should the horn summon the Pevensies, or even Aslan the Leon, legendary ruler of all Narnia. .

Now the two “sons of Adam” and the two “daughters of Eve” understand how and why they returned to Narnia. Once they know how desperately Caspian and the “old Narnians” need them, they willingly begin their difficult journey to join the prince in his war against Miraz. The story reaches its climax when its characters are forced to ask and answer vital questions like, “Who can we trust and why?” and “Does the achievement of a high and noble goal justify the use of desperately wicked means?”

Lewis original series

Prince caspian is actually volume four of the Chronicles of Narnia, the seven-book series by CS Lewis (1898 – 1963). Lewis was professor of medieval literature at Oxford and later at Cambridge. He was in love with classical Greco-Roman mythology, as well as the chivalry of medieval knights.

On Chronicles created a world populated by creatures such as fauns, centaurs, and dryads. Then he asked himself, “How do you think Christ would represent himself in such a world?” How else but as Aslan, the giant lion who is amazing and powerful, gentle but terrifying, close but hidden, and not at all tame? This “suppose” scheme, as he called it, explains Christian symbolism in The Chronicles in a more satisfying way than taking it as a Christian allegory of this for that.

Lessons for the teachable

The main messages of “Prince Caspian” are these:

  • You cannot determine who is right and who is wrong simply by taking a tally. True heroes must often fight as a few against an innumerable crowd.
  • Each individual in such a struggle has latent resources – their own unique talents, abilities, and abilities – to lend to the cause, and each of them, no matter how short, stupid, or weak, can make a valuable contribution.
  • The fight for the right is a team effort, which demands that we put aside all our differences and unite.
  • Winning is not everything. How you win is just as important, if not more, because it reveals the wisdom of your choices, the strength of your loyalties, and the courage of your comrades.

Minor topics include:

  • Ecology – The Telmarines are afraid of the forest, they have cut it down and cut it down until the trees hate them bitterly.
  • Racism – The Telmarines hate everyone who does not belong to their homogeneous race. Dwarves have suffered at the hands of other races, so now it is difficult for them to trust anyone, including all those who are only half dwarves. Those of “old Narnia” are accepted despite their diversity of races and species.
  • Sexism – The two girls are as vital to the result as the boys, perhaps more.

If you are willing to put your cynicism aside, to immerse yourself in an amazing world with formidable enemies and amazing allies, this movie is yours to enjoy, not just as a viewer, but as a participating hero.

Movie facts

2 hours. 24 min., PG rating. Andrew Adamson directed the film and co-wrote the script with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. Cast: Ben Barnes plays Prince Caspian. The Pevensies reprise their roles in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”: William Moseley as Peter, Anna Popplewell as Susan, Skandar Keynes as Edmund and Georgie Henley as Lucy. Peter Dinklage plays Trumpkin and Sergio Castellitto, Miraz. Liam Neeson provides the voice of Aslan. Original music by Harry Gregson-Williams, with photography by Karl Walter Lindenlaub. The castles and forests of the Czech Republic near Prague turn out to be a useful Narnia. Disney has already announced the next installment of the “Chronicles of Narnia” franchise, “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”, which is scheduled for release on May 7, 2010.

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