Intriguing Detail Revealed about the Dawn Treader Storyline
In a recent interview with Examiner’s Carla Hay, Ben Barnes dropped a very intriguing tidbit about the overall The Voyage of the Dawn Treader storyline.
Let’s talk about the “Dawn Treader” movie. I know you can’t reveal any spoilers, but what’s in the movie that’s different from the book?
Barnes: They’ve stolen a couple of ideas from some of the later [“Chronicles of Narnia”] books. [It’s] a very difficult book to adapt, because it’s very episodic. It’s chapter by chapter. They go on the voyage, they go to one island, a bit more voyage, another island, a bit more voyage, another island. It’s very satisfying to read; every chapter by chapter, it’s very exciting. But it has no real through line. And so they have to kind of steal other elements to sew it all together. I think they’ve done it in a really clever, unobtrusive way.
Could this perhaps have something to do with the “unfathomable fate” we’ve heard about in the production’s written movie synopsis? It certainly seems like a strong possibility, but until we get more information, let the speculation begin!
Thanks to JadistarkilleR for the heads-up!
This is one of the reasons I love the movies so much. Aside from breathtaking visuals, the movies explore parts of the story the books simply didn't cover or handwaved. The character portrayals are richer in my opinion (with the exception of Aslan) and I like what the films have done so far. Looking forward to Edmund shining in VDT, and more King Caspian of course.
Well yeah, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.
I think i must agree to disagree. I disliked the duel quite a bit. It isn't the low point of the film, but it also isn't the high point which it could have been. I will say again that them simply hacking at each other the entire time was uninteresting. I agree that some of the use of the shield was good and when Peter blocks with his vambraces is good, neither of which are sword play. I think Peter and Miraz both would have known how to use their swords, as they did in the book, and as someone who really likes PC the book i wish the duel could have been better.
I mean other than Prince Caspian. What other movies have they made that strayed a lot from the book?
Princess Arya,
when I saw that whole nonsense about Lucy and Caspian I, literally, screamed into my hands. Not only does it totally RUIN the whole voyage of discovery and adventure, it is DISGUSTING. What would Lucy say to Susan? What would Lucy say to Ramda? etc. I can't believe they may have even THOUGHT of that… maybe when Caspian's like 3 years older than Lucy like in the book and without the Susan factor from PC but not with PC's story and especially when he's TWICE as old as Lucy is…CREEPY. Even if Caspian WAS younger, I (and I'm sure many other people)am still against it because I know CS Lewis wouldn't approve. And I don't either. telling myself to breathe right now…
DEFINATELEY!!!!!!!!! lol
It sounds more like a PG-13 rating to me (in my own personal opinion).
That's what I've been trying to work on in myself!
About Peter — fascinating. I'm not sure I thought about it in quite that light before. I think I can see what you all are saying about it strengthening him in the end. I find that I like the movie when it is not compared to the book, because it is very exciting, but when I compare it to the book it saddens me.
Here's what I have always thought:
It always seemed to me as if Peter was acting immature. Considering the very fact that he HAD been a High King, shouldn't he have been too mature to react so violently to being shoved? (Well, to use his words, it was "when they tried to make me apologize.") Shouldn't he have known what would be wiser to do in the situation? Yeah, I know he's not perfect. But as the street patrol person said, "And you! At your age!" Did Peter's first trip to Narnia really help him at all?
And what possessed Peter to say what he did before the night raid? "I think we have waited for Aslan long enough."
I do think the Peter/Caspian conflict is interesting. If the movie hadn't been so changed in the first place, I might not have disliked it so much. (Because it seems to make sense and would make a good dramatization element.)
If the extended time in England was missing from the movie we now see, does it really add much to the overall story? Would we really miss it if it had never been there and we had never known it could have existed? I suppose some people MIGHT have said, "I wish the filmmakers had elaborated on England." But would it really have made such a big deal to them that they would have given PC negative reviews?
Aunt Letty, or anyone else, what are your thoughts on any part of this? I'm basically just wondering about your take on my opinion.
I know this one was mentioned already, but how about Eragon? That one's quite changed.
I haven't read the other books, but i can think of films that i think are bad such as: The Seeker, The Water Horse, Nim's Island, and Eragon though to be honest i have no emotional connection to those films.
Prince Caspian is one of my favorite Narnia books and i read it for the first time in second grade and i think they did not do it justice. The Chronicles of Narnia are what we are discussing here and since they did such a poor job with Prince Caspian stating that Walden being involved means we should be optimistic about Voyage of the Dawn Treader is not comforting.
I love the whole story but my absolute favourite moments would be the beautiful music at the end of the world that Edmund and Eustace would never talk about afterwards and Lucy would only say "It would break your heart", why said I (The author) is it so sad". "Sad, no!!!" replied Lucy. I love the moment when they hear the music, it gives me little shivers every time I read it. My other favourite moment is when they drink the water and find it sweet. Then the sun gets bigger each day and they can't eat or sleep and all that sustains them is the drinkable light. It's so beautiful, I love thinking about it! I hope it comes across in the movie but I have no expectations of it.
tenthofthatname,
thanks for your comment about the behind-the-scenes action. I didn't know that, but it makes sense. I've been saying since the film came out that one of the things I loved about that duel was how Will Moselely really looked like a young man who has lost his cool in several of the shots. There were moments when the expression on his face looked a lot less like acting, and a lot more like what I've seen when my boys' rough-housing got a bit out of hand. I do love a good sword fight scene…
Decarus,
being disagreed with is what makes it interesting!
I think that would be nice, yes 😉
Oh my goodness yes… if they don't have the Dufflepuds…
Wow. They had better have them.
Yeah, I think you are right, Princess Arya
Okay. I was just curious as to what movies they have filmed. So do we have a good reason to be nervous? 🙂
And, I think they did do Prince Caspian a justice, but just barely. I think they could have done without a lot of the nonsense such as the Caspian/Susan romance, the horrible attitude of Peter, etc. Just my opinion, though.
Agreed. Agreed! 😀
I am perfectly fine with disagreeing, but i feel i am talking in circles. I know that i am not going to change my mind and suddenly not be disappointed with the duel.
I just think Peter and Miraz would have known how to use a sword better then just hacking at each other. They didn't in the film. It is what it is, so i agree to disagree.
I have never been a fan of the dufflepuds. They are annoying, but i guess they are supposed to be annoying. I think i know some people in real life that are very like them.
If there was an island i wouldn't mind losing it would be this one.
I'm not Aunt Letty, but I just had to put in my two cents worth. I think you make a very good point. In fact, those were my initial thoughts as well. I felt that they were trying to make the kids grow up all over again, even though they had already had fifteen years to do so. It especially bothered me that Peter was trying to be the one in charge, when in the book he tells Caspian, "I haven't come to take your place, you know, but to put you in it."
On the other hand, in the movie-makers defense, I think they did a very good job. They did need to add some emotional struggle to the movie to make it more engaging and interesting. They also did a very good job capturing Peter's reluctance to let go of what was once his kingdom, and how he has to deal with the fact that it's in trouble again. Like you said, Princess Arya, the movie itself is a masterpiece, but compared to the book, it's got a few a problems. (I was also very disappointed with Trumpkin meeting Aslan. I sooo would have loved to see Aslan pick Trumpkin up in his jaws and shake him like a rag doll. But I guess that's very difficult cinematically….oh, well). All in all, it's a very good movie–it's just missing a few elements from the book that made the book so beautiful.
Amen to that!! Can't wait to see how they do it…the new composer better do it right!!!
Thanks for sharing! I'm interested in anyone's opinions on this, really. I think I understand. I've been working on trying to be a little more understanding to them about it. About Trumpkin, hehe, I think they should have put it in CGI if nothing else! 😀
I'm very sorry you feel that way.
Personally, I loved the Dufflepuds. While they were rather annoying, they also provided a lot of comic relief to the book. Besides, if you get rid of that island, you get rid of Lucy and the magician's book and her scene with Aslan and the magician. A very beautiful and moving scene. To me, that part is almost the heart of the story, and it would completely kill the entire point of it if that were removed. Besides, I'm pretty sure they plan on doing that scene, considering that some of the earliest concept art was of Lucy in the magician's house.
My point exactly!
Aunt Letty, I must say it's very refreshing to find a true Narnia fan (one who is interested in the books and the spiritual nature of them, rather than being a fan of the movies simply because they're "cool") who's so optimistic about the movies. I completely understand the aggravation everyone must feel because the movies aren't done exactly the way we think they should be done, but I have tried very hard to keep an open mind. I think you can like the movies and still be a true fan of Narnia. 😀 Besides, as you said, we all have so many different ideas of what Narnia is "really" supposed to be like, and therefore we'll never all be completely satisfied with the way they make the movies. I think it's good to have opinions about what Narnia's really like–that's what makes it so special–but at the same time, I think we should accept the movies as someone else's interpretation of Narnia and enjoy it all the same.
Aunt Letty and tenthofthatname, I must say that you both pinpointed my feelings on the duel exactly. Decarus makes a good point, though, that they could have shown a bit more knowledge in swordsmanship. On the other hand, many of us these days only know of duels through movies, so what we percieve to be real and convincing may not be real at all. I think it's cool that you've seen demonstrations of real duels, Aunt Letty. I think you're very lucky in that aspect. I always felt that duels in movies were rather unrealistic in that they only used their swords and were always curteous to each other. I rather imagine several people breaking the rules of chivalry now and again to get advantage over their opponent, like when Peter turns to leave Miraz after punching his wounded leg and Miraz jumps at the opportunity to stab him in the back. Although, I must say that the Westley/Inigo Montoyez duel, as mentioned earlier, was also very realistic as well. I watched a behind the scenes feature for The Princess Bride, and the movie makers mentioned that they brought in a swords/fencing master to help them come up with the moves and the duel, and they tried to keep it as real as possible. That duel felt real to me, even though it was choreographed, because it was a fight between two masters of an art, neither of whom had any personal issue against the other. Peter and Miraz, however, are fighting each other for very personal reasons, and I think that's what makes the fight become so up-close and personal, which is what made it feel real to me.
Yes, that's why we're all coming back to an old story again and again, as an excuse to write comments and give ourselves the feeling of being involved. It's kind of funny how this comment area has turned into a discussion board…it's almost like being in the forum without being a member. 😀 I like it.
Yes… especially because there are no new stories to comment on. I hope something happens soon!
Just a comment on what you said, Fire Fairy….
I think that when two guys have a duel, the reason they are courteous of each other is to show their own respect and honor.
I think that whoever wrote the summary was in a state of confusion themselves so it came across rather higglety-pigglety. I never read the original leaked script but if that was what it was like……I'm PLEASED I DIDN'T! Aside from majors, the minor details of that summary seemed to sit along with the news of filming. We already know there is a scene with Eustace Dragon landing on the ship and that Lucy wields a sword. The unsettling parts are the fact that Aslan himself is never mentioned, and the rubbish about the knife and the blue star is somewhat disquieting. Also why would Edmund be annoyed that his father is coming back to England and he isn't there to welcome him, however long you spend in Narnia, you always get back at the exact same moment you left our world!!!! That didn't make any sense at all.
Yeah, I agree. I think Jesus used Aslan to draw me closer to Him.
Ok, this has become just about the geekiest conversation I've ever had, but I still have to ask why some have said that it looked as though Peter and Miraz didn't know how to use their swords? I'm curious what you saw that didn't look right? What did I miss?
Well, sure they're supposed to be annoying. That's what makes Coriakin's backstory so interesting. And his reply to Aslan's question so poignant. Coriakin wouldn't be half so interesting a character without the dufflepuds as a sort of foil. Besides, it's fun to say; dufflepud. dufflepud. dufflepud…
*Laughs* Aunt Letty, you crack me up sometimes. Now when I'm bored, I'll start saying "dufflepud" over and over. I like your point about how Coriakin's character is backed up by the dufflepuds (dufflepud…dufflepud…). I've almost always been intrigued by his love for them, even though they ultimately drove them up the wall. Maybe it's C.S. Lewis's way of giving children a sneak peak into the life of parenthood? I really don't think Coriakin would even be worth much as a character in the story if he didn't portray how he had grown from his punishment. Even though he was being punished, it was almost as if he was beginning to enjoy his assignment. Perhaps there's a lesson to learn from that?
Princess Arya,
Sorry, I hadn't realized that these older discussion threads were still active. I appreciated what you said about Peter's reaction to being shoved. That really bugged me the first time I saw the film, for the same reasons you cited. I thought he should have been above such prideful posturing. Especially since he says a few minutes later, "Well, I wasn't always" ( a kid). I guess maybe they thought it a good way to demonstrate just how unnerved and on edge he is over his situation. It must be devastating to go from being the High King, responsible for the well being of an entire "people" (ahem.) to being a teenager with little to no control over even his own life. I love these stories, and of course they're not supposed to be realistic, but honestly, I've often thought that after all the back and forth these kids have experienced, they ought to be completely barking.
The comments on here continue to grow so they must still be active 😉
You have very good points to make, Aunt Letty!
Everyone: do you think that we really should be using our comments here to make a discussion board? Should we be using the forum instead…? (Not that I have a problem personally… I just don't want to make problems for the administrators.)
Everyone: do you think that we really should be using our comments here to make a discussion board? Should we be using the forum instead…? (Not that I have a problem personally… I just don’t want to make problems for the administrators.)
Good point, Fire Fairy. Music is probably the only hope they have of conveying what those elements mean emotionally and spiritually.
Is there a way to find out if this is a problem for anyone who works on the site? I wouldn't want to be creating a problem, either.
The only thing is, I'm not a member, so I can't use the forum. I would be a member, except I'm afraid of getting too addicted to this and wasting so much more time here than I already am. :-S I'm glad we're doing it here, but if it does cause problems, I'll be happy to stop (okay, maybe not happy, but I'll do it without complaint).
Yeah, I'm in the same position, Fire Fairy 😛 As long as the people running the site don't have a problem with it, this is lovely.
You guys may be right. I would use the forum but I don't want to give out too much info.
I completely agree that they are supposed to be annoying and reading it is bearable, but somehow seeing it sounds extremely annoying. The thought of loud jumping agreeing crowds at least they will be invisible. I hope they don't have some sort of invisible fight with them.
I think the most interesting thing about this island is when Lucy looks in the book and she listens to her friends and then Aslan comes and she asks if they would have gone on being good friends if she hadn't listened and how Lucy had ruined that potential through listening and Aslan said no one is ever told what would have happened. Though they ruined that line in PC so i would think they will most likely ruin it in VotDT.
Oh dear, I hope this discussion here doesn't turn out to be a troublesome thing for anyone. I hope we don't get banished to the forums, because I just went and looked at some of the forums, just out of curiosity…and I much prefer the level of discourse happening here. Maybe I just picked the wrong ones to sample?
I certainly understand what you are saying though on occasion the forums are not too bad.
Yeah, me too, SusanStorm. Every time I feel down or something spiritually I watch Narnia again and it's a good reminder 🙂
This is amazing…we have more than 400 comments on one story!! of course, the fact that there hasn't been any news for forever (seems like) makes that plausible. But still…>400! that's mind-boggling. You know, if everyone that's ever commented on this site saw VDT once for every time they commented in theaters next year, I'd bet that we'd have Disney throwing a fit for turning down such a great (and money-making, since that's pretty much all they care about)franchise. We,(the fans) and Fox will probably just laugh and then…drum roll please!! On to SC!! Wow, i've just painted the scenario that I've been dreaming about ever since PC 🙂
Nice concept, King Skandar. I know I certainly did my part to up the box office take on PC. I went back and saw it seven more times. In the first-run theater, not the cheapseat second run theater. And I don't do that!
Wow, Aunt Letty. That's dedication!! I'm planning to do something like that for VDT; I have a feeling its going to do well. Hopefully they'll really make it a family movie and try to remind moviegoers of LWW in that sense. But yeah, kudos to Aunt Letty!! thats amazing
Amazing or embarrassing. Not sure what to call it.
Where'd everyone go? To the forums? Or are we done with our discussion?
I saw it quite a few times. I don't know about seven, but i actually just don't remember. Don't be embarrassed. We are all Narnia fanatics here.
I'm still here… but did everyone else leave for the forums? Oh dear. I believe we need to come up with a new, engaging topic here 😛
The pressure of trying to think of something good to discuss – what about Lucy's character development in this book She has lots of learning experiences – 'eavesdropping on her friend, resisting the beautifying spell, keeping faith that Aslan would save them from the island of dreams, leaving Narnia to grow closer to her own world…
"But between them and the foot of the sky there was something so white on the green grass that even with their eagle eyes they could hardly look at it. They came on and saw it was a Lamb.
'Come and have breakfast.' said the Lamb in its milky sweet voice.
Then they noticed for the first time that there was a fire lit on the grass and fish roasting on it. They sat down and ate the fish, hungry now for the first time in days. And it was the most delicious food they had ever tasted."
I love this part sooo much. I love how Jack makes Aslan into the form of a lamb especially, symbolizing Christ the Sacrificial Lamb. And how they eat the fish! It's directly from the Bible. Then later on:
"'It isn't Narnia, you know," sobbed Lucy. 'It's you. We shan't ever meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?'
'But you shall meet me, dear one.' said Aslan.
'Are–are you there too, Sir?' said Edmund.
'I am.' said Aslan. 'But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.'"
Wow. What a wonderful way to (almost) end VDT.
Yes It explains what Peter said when it was his last time about it not being how he thought it was – we weren't told at that point what Aslan had told him and Susan but the message is very clear here – it is a lovely scene – especially what Lucy says about it not being Narnia – i think thats what makes Lucy such a lovely character, her pure belief in Aslan – she never wavers even when trying to escape from the Island of dreams
Wow…I love that scene in the book. It is so powerful and lovely! It gives me warm fuzzy feelings every time I read it! It is almost like Jesus is talking to me through it! 😀
Hi guys!
Thanks for bringing this part up. I do so love that scene. If you think about it, Aslan's statement succinctly delivers us Lewis' purpose in telling these stories, doesn't it? "the very reason you were brought to Narnia,…that you might know me better…"
Lovely.
That's wonderful! I read it recently as well, and I felt the same way 😀 I'm so glad that there are fans on here who appreciate what Jack was trying to communicate through the Narnia books!
I'm curious, if you don't mind sharing, what was going on in your life when you discovered these books? How did you come by them, and what was your reaction to them? Did you read them all at once in one sitting, in place of homework, or maybe your grandpa read them to you over several summers?