Prince Caspian: Temporal, but not Eternal Restoration

Whenever major movie companies make the effort to produce classic literature, especially literature based on a Christian worldview, believers ought to support those efforts with their box office dollars. That’s why I encourage readers to see Prince Caspian, the latest Chronicles of Narnia production by Disney and Walden Media.

But if older children have not yet read the book or parents have not yet read the book to younger children, I urge: Read the book first!

In this way, both the book and the movie can be received and appreciated on their own. Children can discover the enchantment of Narnia as the people and events unfold in their imagination. Families can enjoy an exciting movie together. Parents and children can then discuss points where the movie departs from the book and how those departures may change meaning.

Parents should be aware that the movie contains some intense moments (one sad and one frightening) that may disturb very young children. Although the film takes great poetic license with the book’s plot, families can enjoy this exciting film of the triumph of good over evil in the land of Narnia.

Since over a fourth of the pages in Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis consist of Trumpkin’s narrative about Caspian to the Pevensie children, I was fully prepared for radical reorganization. And since movie makers generally focus on action, I expected additional action scenes. Reorganization comes from portraying events of the story in chronological order, switching between Caspian’s story and that of the Pevensies; a technique that seems natural and effective. Additional action comes in an attack on Miraz’s castle and Susan’s prominent role in fighting scenes, neither of which exist in the book and both of which seem contrived and unnecessary.

The rationale behind this additional action may be related to marketing efforts. Watching the movie, I could envision warrior Susan action figures being plucked off toy store shelves. And I was sure a video game was in the works since sections of the single combat scene between Peter and Miraz looked like computer-generated clips from a fighting game. Checking online, I find that Disney is, indeed, marketing a fighting Susan figure as well as a Prince Caspian video game.

Since movie makers are always looking for scenes with visual impact and humorous dialogue, it is puzzling why one priceless section of the book was not fully incorporated: when the Pevensies prove their worth to Trumpkin (who thinks children are of no help). The children’s progressive demonstrations of skill and the dwarf’s reactions are hilarious. Both dialogue and action would have transferred marvelously to the big screen. But the movie reduces the scene down to merely swordplay between the dwarf and Edmund. This is one spot where accurate action could easily have been added. But movie makers chose instead to add other action elements.

While I anticipated some plot embellishments, I was disappointed in plot engineering that changes important aspects of meaning.

Pre-release hype was full of commentary about how the Prince Caspian movie may have more departures from the original story than The Lion, the Witch and Wardrobe movie, but how producers worked hard to retain the spirit of the book.

They may have attempted to retain the spirit of the book, but what they’ve depicted is far more the spirit of the age.

Movie producers seemed more concerned about exploring character psychology than remaining faithful to the story. It’s as if a bunch of Generation Xers brainstormed together and assigned their own angst to these WWII era characters.

The movie focuses on a modern psychology of adjustment that not only doesn’t occur in the book, but also is completely opposed to what is portrayed in the books.

An important part of the Chronicles of Narnia stories, as written by Lewis, is that the children learn how to live more righteously and nobly while in Narnia and this positively affects the way they live after their return to England.

The movie is characterized by the completely inaccurate adjustment complexes of Peter and Susan. The beginning scenes in England portray Susan as a lonely and maladjusted recluse while Peter has turned into a bully and brawler who’s “tired of being treated like a kid” and thinks he shouldn’t have to put up with insolence from anyone. This theme continues in Peter vying for power with Caspian, which creates a definite strain on their relationship. Relationships are further complicated by Peter’s bad battle decisions and a budding romance between Caspian and Susan. The adjustment theme carries through to the end, when Aslan is about return the children to England and says that Peter and Susan must learn to live in their own world.

These “adjustment complexes” are significant departures from the original. Peter behaves nobly in the book, calling Caspian by his proper title, “King Caspian.” On meeting Caspian, Peter says, “I haven’t come to take your place, you know, but to put you into it.” Hardly the words of someone vying for power! Peter isn’t perfect in the book, but his battle decisions are a far cry from those depicted in the movie. There is no hint of romance between Caspian and Susan in the book. And Susan is hardly a shrinking violet recluse in England. In fact, the reader of all seven Narnia books will eventually learn that Susan’s problems in England are quite the opposite.

Not only are these departures almost opposite the original, but they also demonstrate the radical difference between the perspective of movie producers and that of C.S. Lewis. Lewis wrote from a Christian worldview that assumed improved sanctification as the natural result of more intimate contact with Christ (represented in Narnia by the Christ-like figure of Aslan). In direct opposition, movie producers have injected personal deterioration as a consequence of visiting Narnia.

The difference in worldview is particularly apparent when considering the allegorical elements of Prince Caspian. Although allegorical elements are not as obvious in Prince Caspian as in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, they have disappeared almost completely from the movie.

A meaningful part of the book is the section in which Lucy is the only one who can see Aslan and must convince the others to follow him, or else follow him alone. It is a trial of faith for her, and the others are able to see Aslan only as their faith becomes stronger. A bit of this allegorical sense comes across in the movie, but a great deal of the significance is lost.

The primary theme of the book is acutely absent from the movie. The fact that the tales about Aslan and Old Narnia are no longer believed by most inhabitants of Narnia represents a country that has lost its Christian moorings. Lewis himself identified the theme of Prince Caspian as “restoration of the true religion after a corruption.”

The real story of Prince Caspian isn’t primarily about restoring the rightful king, but about restoring the right faith. The movie, Prince Caspian, focuses on restoration of the temporal and completely misses restoration of the eternal.

Flood Update

On Sunday afternoon, our son-in-law took us up in a plane to look at some of the local flooding. The picture below shows the dam located about a half mile from our home. Two of the flood gates are open and water is boiling out at an astounding 100,000 cubic-feet-per-second.The entire Des Moines River bottom below the dam is flooded. From the air, the dam looks like a bridge across a huge lake. Directly downstream from our house is a farm place entirely surrounded by muddy water.The south branch of the Skunk River is out of its banks north and east of Pella. The picture below shows some of the Skunk River flooding in the foreground, but the body of water in the left background is the flooded Des Moines River.
The picture below shows a section of the road between Pella and Peoria. Traffic is still going through (vehicles are visible if you look closely), but the river has become a lake.

My sister and her husband have about 120 acres of newly planted farm ground under Skunk River water. According to various news reports, about 16% of Iowa's 25 million acres are under water.

The Associated Press reports that around 36,000 people in 11 Iowa counties were displaced by flooding. About 25,000 of those people were in Cedar Rapids alone, where more than 400 city blocks were covered by waters from the Cedar River.

In God's providence, we've had no rain for the last few days and water levels are beginning to drop across the state.

My son's family in Cedar Rapids is now permitted to take showers on odd-numbered days. The water level in the city has dropped ten feet. Officials anticipate it will drop the additional nine feet to bring it below flood stage by Saturday (four more days).

As the water recedes in Cedar Rapids, it is becoming apparent that the basements of many homes and businesses have collapsed or are about to collapse. Recovery for many homeowners will mean more than gutting the house and starting over from a bare frame. It may mean starting over from the very foundation.

May the recent severe weather and catastrophic flooding bring many people to start over on the firm foundation of God's Word. May many hearts be touched by an awareness of God's power and an acknowledgement of His sovereignty.

The Flood

Yesterday I prayed a lot while I watched live footage of Cedar Rapids flooding on the Channel 9 website and anxiously waited to hear from my son who was working feverishly with other company management personnel to remove computer server equipment from their downtown Cedar Rapids office before flood waters reached the building.

Shortly after they left the area, the street they used to get out was under water. As my son crawled through clogged traffic toward home, he called me to tell me what he was seeing.

"There is basically no downtown," he said. "For the last half hour, it's been a lake on both sides of the interstate with just the tall buildings and trees sticking up out of the water. You know the Dairy Queen on First Avenue? Well, it's completely under water."

Today's Cedar Rapids Gazette tells the same story: the city is "No longer an island." It is a lake.

Although the infamous flood of 1993 caused unprecedented damage and is known as the worst Midwestern flood in modern history, the flooding now in Cedar Rapids far exceeds 1993. The Cedar River's 1993 crest was 19.27 feet. Early this morning the Cedar River was at 30.9 feet and is expected to crest today at about 32 feet. That's almost thirteen feet above the crest of 1993!

The devastation is unbelievable. About 100 city blocks are under water. About 8,000 people have been evacuated from almost 4,000 homes. A railroad bridge loaded with train cars has collapsed. The hospital mentioned as being evacuated in this Associated Press report, must be Mercy Hospital, according to a report on Cedar Rapid's Channel 2's website.

Cedar Rapids normally has six or more wells providing water to the metropolitan area, but now only one well is functioning. And that solitary well is operating on generators in a precarious sandbagged area. Residents of the entire metropolitan area are being asked to forego using any water except for necessary drinking.

Yesterday my daughter-in-law purchased several bottles and jugs of drinking water. My son's family does not live far from the 500-year flood plain, but their only damage so far has been some water in their basement.

The link for live footage is not available this morning on the KCRG-TV9 website, but that's understandable since their office building was in the mandatory evacuation area and was being flooded last evening. I suppose they were forced to leave and must now broadcast from an alternative location.

River levels are rising all over the Midwest. Cities, towns, highways, railroads, and farmland are being flooded. Cedar Rapids suffered from continual rain for days causing an amazing and unanticipated rapid rise in flood waters.

As my sister said, speaking from her deck overlooking a lake that was recently their planted farmland, "It makes you understand how the whole world could flood in just forty days."

God's gracious sustaining hand keeps such so-called "500-year" floods from being a regular occurence. And His hand of mercy sustains us through the stressful days of our earthly pilgrimage.

My Friend, Gen

Yesterday the earthly tent of my friend, Gen Piersma, was laid to rest.

At the cemetery, Rev. Patrick Edouard introduced his reading of Psalm 23 by noting its appropriateness "as we stand here at the graveside."

As he read the familiar words, "You make me to lie down in green pastures," I was gazing beyond the casket to the sun shining on the luminous green grass that rolled away from the blue awning. My spirit was pierced by an exquisite moment of beauty and grace.

Never before had those words connected in my mind with the act of burial. I had always thought of them as saturated with meaning about God's loving provision of food, rest, and safety during our earthly pilgrimage. But suddenly I realized that they also convey God's loving provision for our death. God is the One who makes us lie down in the cemetery's green pastures. I felt as if God was tenderly tucking Gen into bed. He will wake her at the dawn. He will reunite her diminutive tent with her great spirit.

Mrs. Genevieve Piersma was a small woman, but she was a great lady.


Here is the poem I wrote for her on her 90th birthday, December 1, 1996:

My Friend, Gen

Sophistication
gilded with humility,
Timeless class and style
anchored in tranquility,

Generous benevolence
exercised with equity,
Discreet femininity
displayed with anonymity,
Delicate amiability
founded on stability
Genial gentility
established by sovereignty,
Genuine piety
grounded in divinity,

Wrapped in one
petite package,
Enlivened with gentle eyes
and heart-melting smile.