'BEYOND' GOES INSIDE C.S. LEWIS' WARDROBE.Byline: David Kronke TV Critic TODAY PRESENTS a quandary for ``Narnia'' fans. What should they do tonight? Rush out to see ``The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Lion, The, English name for Leo, a constellation. Witch and the Wardrobe,'' or stay at home and watch the story behind the story, Hallmark Channel's ``C.S. Lewis: Beyond Narnia''? Lewis, of course, was the author of the beloved ``Narnia'' series and a respected Oxford professor. He was also a philosopher and a Christian, albeit, as he put it, ``the most reluctant convert.'' ``Beyond Narnia'' is one of those odd hybrid films, a docudrama with insights offered by sundry Lewis scholars, biographers and family members mixed in among dramatic scenes and Lewis' own words, as performed by Anton Rodgers Anton Rodgers (born 10 January 1933, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire) is a British actor. He is best known for his television performances, specifically his long-running roles in the television sitcoms Fresh Fields and May to December. . It charts his life - a fine one, until the death of his mother, which led to a dreadful time at a sadistic sa·dism n. 1. The deriving of sexual gratification or the tendency to derive sexual gratification from inflicting pain or emotional abuse on others. 2. The deriving of pleasure, or the tendency to derive pleasure, from cruelty. boarding school, which he drolly called ``excellent preparation for the Christian life - it teaches you to live in hope.'' His encounters with great minds - his father's former tutor, known as the Great Knock (John Franklyn-Robbins); his instructors and peers at Oxford, which included one J.R.R. Tolkien. Who, coincidentally co·in·ci·den·tal adj. 1. Occurring as or resulting from coincidence. 2. Happening or existing at the same time. co·in , thought ``The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' too facile (language) Facile - A concurrent extension of ML from ECRC. http://ecrc.de/facile/facile_home.html. ["Facile: A Symmetric Integration of Concurrent and Functional Programming", A. Giacalone et al, Intl J Parallel Prog 18(2):121-160, Apr 1989]. an allegory (Tolkien's own fantasy series - ``The Lord of the Rings,'' in case you need to be told - was of course transformed into an Oscar-winning blockbuster film series). Lewis' writings became best sellers, particularly the cheekily satirical ``The Screwtape Letters,'' which is mentioned only in passing here, since it in a roundabout way led the man to meet future wife Joy (Diane Venora); their relationship is truly the stuff of storybooks. (A movie of their relationship, ``Shadowlands,'' starring Anthony Hopkins Noun 1. Anthony Hopkins - Welsh film actor (born in 1937) Sir Anthony Hopkins, Sir Anthony Philip Hopkins, Hopkins and Debra Winger Debra Winger (born May 16, 1955) is an Academy Award- nominated American actress. Biography Early life Born Mary Debra Winger in Cleveland Heights, Ohio to a Jewish family, she spent several years in Israel, and served in the Israel Defense Forces. , was released in 1993.) ``Beyond Narnia'' is a fairly bare-bones production, though Rodgers imbues the film with a great deal of heart. ``Imagination reflects, heavily, truth,'' Lewis tells us at the beginning of this film, which would have been even more involving had it indeed been more imaginative and perhaps a tad less concerned with dry facts. David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke(at)dailynews.com C.S. LEWIS: BEYOND NARNIA - Two and one half stars What: Docudrama biopic bi·o·pic n. A film or television biography, often with fictionalized episodes. biopic Noun Informal a film based on the life of a famous person [bio(graphical) + pic(ture)] of the author of such children's classics as ``The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,'' as well as the adult best sellers ``Beyond Christianity'' and ``The Screwtape Letters.'' Where: Hallmark. When: 8 tonight. In a nutshell: A short, sweet biography of the creator of the mighty Aslan, Narnia's lion. |
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