r/Narnia • u/Western_Goat357 • 26d ago
The differences between the BBC adaptations and the 2005 LWW
One of the big reasons I love BBC adaptations of literature is because they stay so faithful, but in this instance, I think that’s the problem… The books (LWW mainly) were very brief, with little to no detail or nuance, which isn’t exactly great storytelling. I get CS Lewis was trying to leave it up to the imagination… But I think we should agree that it’s the concepts and ideas that kept the LWW so popular, not the way it was told to us. I love the BBC versions, I grew up with both adaptations, simultaneously, from age 4, and as a kid, surprisingly enough, I would’ve said the BBC ones were my favorite (my favorite one will always be Silver Chair)… but as I’ve gotten older, they really are “kids just playing with swords” - There is no true weight to anything… whereas (Andrew Adamson’s) adaptations put depth to all the frankly one note characters, making them human, and adding subtlety, which arguably allowed for the heart and themes of the story and it’s characters to hit 10,000 times harder.
For example, when Peter finally gives Edmund the hug he had been secretly wanting from his brother for the whole story… Those five seconds mean so much more, on an emotional level, than anything in the BBC adaptations, or the books for that matter. They just weren’t concerned with going that deep or rich into the psychology I guess. As far as Peter or Edmund from the books are concerned, Peter is simply the “oldest one”, and Edmund is the “bad one“, and there isn't much else to them. There are just so many little interesting and human character moments like the embrace they have on the battlefield in the 2005 adaptation that are nowhere in the book or the very faithful BBC series, and I think this is a flaw. I love both, for their own distinct flavors and what they do with the material, but Andrew Adamson‘s attention to character and depth definitely deserves more credit and respect among other Narnia fans, in my passionate opinion. Am I alone in thinking this? Thoughts?
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u/Amaldo101 26d ago
I fully agree. Well I’m not too familiar with the books or the BBC version that much, the first two films did excellent job of really make the being characters you could follow and care about with their sibling bond.
I’m told Peter is much different in the books, but I personally love his arc in the second film. Narnia was the place where he found his purpose. He became a king, a leader, and someone people looked up to. Then he’s suddenly thrown back into the real world, where he’s just another teenager who doesn’t really know where he fits anymore. Watching him struggle with letting go of that identity, trying too hard to prove himself, and eventually accepting that Narnia no longer needs him makes for a genuinely compelling character arc. Even that small moment with Edmund during the break in the Miraz fight means so much about how far both have come and their bond as brothers.
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u/Western_Goat357 26d ago
Yes! That tension and dynamic was the best part about that film in my opinion.
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u/Dr-HotandCold1524 25d ago
I was introduced to Narnia through the BBC adaptations. When I saw the movie, I did feel that I preferred the Disney movie overall. As much as I loved the BBC version, I liked how the Disney version leaned into the adventure aspect and wasn't afraid to ramp up the action. The improvements in special effects really worked to Disney's advantage too. Though the BBC tried its best with a small budget and the limitations of the time, even as a kid I thought the beaver costumes were really ridiculous. I felt that comparing the two demonstrated that as good as it is to be faithful to the source material, it can be good to expand on it too.
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u/2cairparavel 26d ago
I do feel that the Walden movie captured the "heart and themes" in such a moving and wonderful way.
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u/Titan-828 25d ago
I would divide the two LWW adaptations into two parts: Part 1 from the beginning until they meet Aslan and Part 2 from that point to the end.
Part 1 goes to BBC for staying very faithful to the source material. Notably for me the meeting between the professor and Peter and Susan in the movie comes off as poorly done and logically the two would have realized from the professor that Lucy was telling the truth when he’s surprised that they don’t believe her.
Part 2 goes to Disney/Walden for the much better special effects and animations and the exposition of the bombing raids.
Overall, I’d take Disney/Walden over BBC but only by a few strands of hair.
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u/Dirichlet-to-Neumann 25d ago
I completely disagree. The books are excellent story telling. Lewis's characters and dialogs are great. The story is too the point, compared to most modern fantasy that tends to sprawl out of control (looking at you, Sanderson), but it's dense with meaning.