Film: Narnia
World before the story –
“The story of Narnia takes place during World War 2 when children were sent to the countryside to avoid the
night-time bombings from the Nazi German opposition. This was considered an
evacuation order by the military and mothers with very small infants (e.g.
babies that couldn’t eat solid food) were also sent with their children. This
action first took effect on the 1st of
September 1939 which was also the day that Germany invaded Poland and two days
before the British declaration of war. There were over 1.5 million evacuees
that were sent to rural locations that were considered safe.“
Character/ Characters –
The main characters in the film include
“Edmund Pevensie”, “Lucy Pevensie”, “Peter Pevensie” and “Susan Pevensie”. All
of these characters are brothers and sisters in a single family and have been
sent to the countryside to avoid being injured in any possible destruction of the larger cities.
Lucy Pevensie is the youngest of the four heroes and
is the first to discover the
power of the wardrobe in the movie. Later she uses a short sword during the
climax of the movie.
Edmund Pevensie is the second youngest and is the only one of the heroes that is manipulated by the White Witch. He uses a long sword and also a short sword during the climax of the movie.
Peter Pevensie is the oldest of the group and is the
most skeptical of Narnia's existence until they enter. During the climax he is seen
using a longsword/ broad sword.
Susan Pevensie is the second oldest of the four heroes and uses a bow during the climax of the movie.
Character theory –
Hero/heroes –
Characters/ a character who has a target to achieve and carries the events
through the story. The
hero(es) in
Narnia are considered to be the Pevensie family.
Villain –
Attempts to stop the hero and holds sinister motivations. The villain of Narnia
is shown to be the ice queen otherwise known as “The White Witch of Narnia”
Helper –
Helps the hero. There are multiple helpers in Narnia, however the most
prominent helpers include: Aslan, Mr. Trumnus and at one point even Santa Claus.
Donor – Gives advice to the hero. In Narnia
the donor could be seen as any of the helpers due to the fact that they give
advice to each of the heroes at some point in the movie. This includes: Aslan,
Mr. Trumnus and
Santa Claus.
False hero – Betrays the hero/ deceives the hero with
false advice. In Narnia the ice queen gives false advice to one of the heroes,
attempting to sway them to her side.
Dispatcher –
Sends hero on their quest.
Princess –
Character to be rescued.
Father – Rewards the hero.
A Diagram that shows the built up antisipation through the use of the red line and the order of events that take place in the story can be seen bellow.
Beginning/ Inciting Incident –
During the beginning of the film the Pevensie family
are sent from their home in the city to the countryside at the beginning of World War 2 to avoid the German bombings during the war.
They are then sent to the home of Digory
Kirke who is a professor that lives in the rural countryside of England with
his housemaid.
The housemaid is incredibly strict and
this makes the children rather unhappy.
Plot point 1 –
“The children explore the house on a rainy
day and Lucy, the youngest, finds an enormous wardrobe. Lucy steps inside and
finds herself in a strange, snowy wood. Lucy
then meets Faun Tumnus who
is very surprised to meet a human girl. Tumnus tells Lucy that she has entered another
world called Narnia. Tumnus and
Lucy then share a cup of tea as Tumnus tears up and confesses to being a servant
of the evil white witch who has enchanted Narnia in a never-ending Winter with
no Christmas. Tumnus
explains that he has been enlisted to capture humans. Lucy implores Tumnus to
release her and he agrees.
Lucy exits Narnia and eagerly tells her
siblings about her adventure in the wardrobe. They do not believe her, however.
Lucy's siblings insist that Lucy was only gone for seconds and not for hours as
she claims. When the Pevensie
children look in the back of the wardrobe they see that it is an ordinary piece
of furniture. Edmund teases Lucy mercilessly about her imaginary country until
one day when he sees her vanishing into the wardrobe. Edmund follows Lucy and
finds himself in Narnia as well. He does not see Lucy, and instead meets the
White Witch that Tumnus told
Lucy about. The Witch Witch
introduces herself to Edmund as the Queen of Narnia. The Witch feeds Edmund
enchanted Turkish Delight, which gives Edmund an insatiable desire for the
dessert. The Witch uses Edmund's greed and gluttony to convince him to bring his siblings to meet her.“
Plot point 2 –
“On
the way back to the lamppost, the border between Narnia and our world, Edmund
meets Lucy. Lucy tells Edmund about the White Witch. Edmund denies any
connection between the Witch and the Queen. All Edmund can think about is his
desire for the Turkish Delight. Lucy and Edmund return to Peter and Susan, back in their own world. Lucy
relies on Edmund to support her story about Narnia, but Edmund spitefully tells
Peter and Susan that it is a silly story. Peter and Susan are worried that Lucy
is insane so they talk to Professor Kirke. The Professor shocks Peter and Susan
by arguing that Lucy is telling the truth.“
“One day the children hide in the wardrobe to
avoid the housekeeper and some houseguests. Suddenly all four Pevensie
children find themselves in Narnia. Lucy leads them to Tumnus's
home, but a note informs them that Tumnus has been arrested on charges of treason.
Lucy realized that this means the Witch knows that Tumnus
spared Lucy's life, and that the Witch has captured Tumnus.
Lucy implores her siblings to help her rescue Tumnus from the Witch. Guided by a friendly
robin, the children wander into the woods, and meet Mr. Beaver. Mr. Beaver
brings them back to his home, where he explains that the children cannot do
anything to save Tumnus. The
only thing the children can do is join Mr. Beaver on a journey to see Aslan, a
lion. Aslan appears to be a king or God figure in Narnia. The children are all
pleasantly enchanted by the name Aslan, except for Edmund, who is horrified by
the sound of it. Mr. Beaver, Peter, Susan, and Lucy plot to meet Aslan at the
Stone Table the following day, but they soon notice that Edmund has
disappeared. Meanwhile, Edmund searches for the White Witch to warn her of
Aslan's arrival and of the Beavers' plan. The Witch is enraged to hear that
Aslan is in Narnia and immediately begins plotting to kill the children. The
Witch wants to avoid an ancient prophecy that says that four humans will
someday reign over Narnia and overthrow her evil regime.“
Midpoint –
The children and the Beavers, meanwhile,
rush to reach the Stone Table before the Witch. As they travel, wonderful
seasonal changes occur. First they meet Santa Claus, or Father Christmas, who
explains that the Witch's spell of "always winter and never
Christmas" has ended. The enchanted Winter snow melts and the children see
signs of Spring. Simultaneously, the Witch drags Edmund toward the Stone Table
and treats him very poorly. Once Spring arrives, the Witch cannot use her
sledge anymore, so she cannot reach the Stone Table before the children. When
the other three Pevensies meet
Aslan, they are over awed by him, but they quickly grow more comfortable in his
presence. They love him immediately, despite their fear. Aslan promises to do
all that he can to save Edmund. He takes Peter aside to show him the castle
where he will be king. As they are talking, they hear Susan blowing the magic
horn that Father Christmas gave her to her, signaling that she is in danger.
Aslan sends Peter to help her. Arriving on the scene, Peter sees a wolf
attacking Susan, and stabs it to death with the sword given him by Father
Christmas. Aslan sees another wolf vanishing into a thicket, and sends his
followers to trail it, hoping it will lead them to the Witch.
Low point –
“The
Witch is preparing to kill Edmund as the rescue party arrives. Aslan and his
followers rescue Edmund, but are unable to find the Witch, who disguises
herself as part of the landscape. Edmund is happy to see his siblings, as he
has accepted that the Witch is evil. The next day, the Witch and Aslan speak
and the Witch demands Edmund's life because she says that Edmund is a traitor.
The Witch says that according to the Deep Magic of Narnia, a traitor life's is
forfeit to the Witch. Aslan does not deny this, and he secretly reaches a
compromise with her. The Witch appears very pleased, while Aslan seems pensive
and depressed.
The
following night, Susan and Lucy observe Aslan grow increasingly gloomy and sad.
The sisters are unable to sleep, and they notice that Aslan has disappeared.
Susan and Lucy leave the pavilion to search for Aslan. When they find Aslan, he
tells them they can stay until he tells them they must leave. Together, Aslan,
Susan, and Lucy walk to the Stone Table, where Aslan tells them to leave. Susan
and Lucy hide behind some bushes and watch the Witch and a horde of her
followers torment, humiliate, and finally kill Aslan. The Witch explains that
Aslan sacrificed his life for Edmund.“
Climax –
“Susan
and Lucy stay with Aslan's dead body all night. In the morning, they hear a
great cracking noise, and are astounded to see the Stone Table broken. Aslan
has disappeared. Suddenly Susan and Lucy hear Aslan's voice from behind him.
Aslan has risen from the dead. Aslan carries the girls to the Witch's castle,
where they free all the prisoners who have been turned to stone. Aslan, Susan,
and Lucy charge join the battle between Peter's army and the Witch's troops.
Peter and his troops are exhausted. Fortunately, Aslan swiftly kills the Witch
and Peter's army then defeats the Witch's followers.
Aslan
knights Edmund, who has atoned for his sin of siding with the Witch. The
children ascend to the thrones at Cair Paravel, the castle in Narnia. Aslan
subsequently disappears.“
Resolution –
“The children eventually become adults and
reign over Narnia for many years. One day, in a hunt for a magical white stag,
they arrive at the lamppost that had marked the border between Narnia and our
world. The Pevensies
tumble back out of the wardrobe to our world. No time has passed, and they
return to Professor Kirke's house as children.“
End –
“The foursome tells Professor Kirke about
their adventure, and the Professor assures them that they will return to Narnia
again some day.
“
