In the mood

I was driving in my car and I suddenly got in the mood for BBC's Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.  It was probably because I'd just listened to John Barry's score for Dances with Wolves, and the music from both bears a resemblance to each other. 

I love the BBC Narnia.  I grew up watching it and it's a fact that I can't even remember not knowing the story, or even reading the books for the first time.  Their origin in my life exists in some murky time before I knew I was supposed to keep track of things like that.  And I still love it just as much as when I was a kid (nostalgia alert) even with the new hollywood version.  Why, you ask?  I shall tell you.

I love the reality of it.  BBC usually has very little money to put to their productions, so I suppose you could call their Narnia cheap looking (we'll get to the cartoon special effects later).  But since they don't have a budget, they make do with real buildings, real places, and some pretty cool costumes and props.  Since there are no special effects, it feels more real sometimes than newer movies when you know everything you see is fake.

I love how true to the book it is.  BBC knows all about respect for the original story, and it's rare that any of their productions will change something important into something more filmatic just because. 

I like the puppet Aslan.  No really.  Again, it has to do with the fact that he's there, physically present in all the scenes.  As good as special effects are, you can't match that.  And no offense to Liam Neeson (who is completely awesome) I like the BBC guy's voice much better.  And the fact that the sound guy added in real lion growls and roars into the speech pattern.  It just sounds better.

Those are the pros.  And I know there are a lot of cons to it, I really really do.  The cartoon special effects.  The ridiculous voice of the White Witch (so dramatic and scary!).  The beaver costumes.  And Tumnus looking more like a child molester than an innocent faun (grrr, strange people out there--I swear that thought never crossed my mind before I was told it, and even now I don't agree!).

But I still love it more than the new one.  Low budget, bad acting, and all.

I'm going to go watch it now.  And if I have a really great time, I'll probably end up watching the new version, just for funsies.  Toodeloo!

Aslan is on the move!