Moscow, 14 May 2008 (Interfax):
C. S. Lewis, the author of The Chronicles of Narnia, utterly opposed turning these books into screenplays, saying that any such attempt would be “buffoonery or a nightmare”, for he felt that the speaking animals would take over and become the heroes of the production. Lewis thought that the very possibility that the lion Aslan, an allegory for the Saviour, could be played by a mere actor would be blasphemous, according to the newspaper Trud (Labour) on Wednesday.
However, Douglas Gresham, the foster-son of Lewis, from childhood dreamed of making a film of The Chronicles. Since he owned the copyright to the books, he had the story made into a screenplay, and supervised both films that were made based on the series. Mr Gresham hopes that young people shall see the depth and profundity of the films, that they shall open up for them a path to the truth, and, maybe, lead them onwards to the Gospel. It is interesting to note that the Disney studios, which made the film, made a bow to the opinion of C. S. Lewis. Aslan the lion is not played by an actor; he is a computer-generated animation.
The first film in Narnia cycle was The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, which appeared some three years ago, and it won an Oscar for Best Makeup. The second instalment of the series was Prince Caspian, which arrived in Russian cinemas recently.
Interfax-Religion
http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=24428 (in Russian)
