..Gary Dretzka
..Noah Forrest
..Leonard Klady
..R.J. Matson
..David Poland
..Douglas Pratt
..Ray Pride
..Michael Wilmington

The Chronicles
of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe

The concept of a 'children's film' has been mostly lost, replaced by mechanical entertainments-and entire cable channels-designed to play to a specific demographic. A true children's film captures the imagination and attention of younger viewers while embracing adult viewers with an equal level of respect and intelligence. The magnificent 2005 production, The Chronicles of Narnia The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, a Widescreen release from Walt Disney Home Entertainment (UPC# 78693629-2930, $30), is one of the most outstanding live action children's films ever conceived. It is as old fashioned and respectable as its author, C.S. Lewis, and yet it as fresh and vital as the New Zealand special effects shops and locations where it was given life. The plentiful fantasies it presents are readily accessible and yet highly eccentric, while the underlying moral engine of the plot gives the characters a steady array of emotional confrontations and psychological conflicts that justify each fanciful effect. Lewis' book does not live up to its reputation. It is stodgily written, with a plot that takes the concept of 'Deus ex Machina' all too literally. Yet each problem the book seemingly has falls away like a petal as the film blossoms from its loam. The narrative, set during the time of World War II, is about four children-two brothers and two sisters-who discover a magical world inside an apparently magical coat cabinet. Upon their arrival, they learn that the world, which is populated by talking animals and traditional mythological creatures, is undergoing a widespread political conflict of its own, which is brought to a boiling point by their arrival. The performances of the kids and the other actors in the human and semi-human roles are consistently excellent. The players are loose, personable and engagingly confident. The special effects are terrific, and yet are always employed in the service of the story, instead of the-all-too-common-these-days vice versa. It is the strength of the effects, coupled with the ease of the performances, that enables the movie to sell Lewis' invention. Finally, and perhaps most importantly of all, the film has a true sense of scope and adventure. At the end of its 135 minutes, young or old, you feel you have been fully transported by its wonders, a journey that is enhanced even more when you know that those who have watched it with you have experienced the same magic.

The letterboxing has an aspect ratio of about 2.35:1 and an accommodation for enhanced 16:9 playback. It is a minor quibble, but the larger your monitor, the more subliminally aware you will be of the computer-generated fur on some of the creatures. In principle, the computer-generated effects in the film are fantastic, and are wholly believable, but truth be told, the state of the art isn't quite completely at the level of reality just yet, and it can nag at you a little bit if you are sensitive to such matters. Other than that, however, the images are amazing, and the picture quality is outstanding.

There is both a 5.1-channel Dolby Digital track, which has been remastered for home theaters, and a DTS track, with the DTS track being noticeably crisper and clearer. The film's audio mix is grand, with many directional effects and plenty of flourishes. There are alternate French and Spanish tracks in 5.1 Dolby, optional English, French and Spanish subtitles, a subtitling option that provides background information on the story ("Turkish delight is an Arabian candy originally called 'rahat lokoum.' It was originally made from jellied starches flavored with sugar and rosewater."), and a 5-minute blooper reel that, if seen too soon after the end of the film, rather spoils the lingering enchantment of the experience.

There are also two commentary tracks, which complement one another very well. On one, the director, Andrews Adamson (those who are familiar with Lewis' stories will note that the director's name could not be more perfectly chosen), hangs out with the four young stars, reminiscing about the shoot and explaining why this or that of their favorite moments in their performances got left on the cutting room floor. In effect, Adamson conveys a surprising amount of worthwhile information while seemingly laughing along with the kids over the challenges of their endeavor. On the second track, Adamson joins producer Mark Johnson and production designer Roger Ford for a more comprehensive discussion of the film's technical challenges and a more specific analysis of the changes that were made to the story. Even when the same topic is discussed on both tracks, it is approached from a fresh perspective on each.

Disney is also issuing a Special Two-Disc Collector's Edition UPC#786936703801, $35). The first platter is identical to the single-platter presentation. The second platter builds upon that foundation effectively, delivering a worthwhile portrait of the film's production for older viewers and enhancing the pleasures of the film for younger viewers. There is a basic and satisfying 38-minute general production documentary, a decent 4-minute piece about Lewis, a charming 26-minute segment about the kids working and playing during the shoot, a 53-minute segment about realizing the various characters, a 55-minute look at a number of the specific artists involved in the film's creation, a 12-minute breakdown of how one elaborate special effects sequence was created, a 14-minute segment about the nature of the fantasy characters, an interactive map with descriptions of the fantasy locations, and a summary of some of the stories that follow the film's conclusion.

April 11, 2006

DVD Roundup: This Week's DVD Releases
The Review Vault

- by Douglas Pratt

Douglas Pratt's DVD-Laser Disc Newsletter is published monthly.
For a free sample, call (516)594-9304 or go to his website at www.DVDLaser.com