Monday 13 April 2009

PICTURING NARNIA

C S Lewis once said, "For me, all fiction begins with pictures in my head," and that was particularly true of his seven books for children that are collectively known as ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’.

For example, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe grew out of two recurrent pictures that the author had been carrying in his head for some time: one was of a queen riding in a sledge (born, perhaps, from memories of childhood reading of Han Andersen's The Snow Queen) the other was of a faun carrying parcels and an umbrella in a snowy wood and pictured here by Lewis' first illustrator, Pauline Baynes...


When I was given the opportunity to adapt these stories for radio, I really wanted the resulting broadcasts to create pictures in the minds of my listeners.

Later, when those programmes were marketed as audio cassettes, they obviously needed the help of pictures to sell them to a new audience. At that time, most of Pauline Baynes' illustrations were in black and white and I considered myself very fortunate to have had Andrew Skilleter, the well-known fantasy/Dr Who artist create a new series of pictures which adorned the cassette cases for some years and which are currently on display at Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum as part of The Wonder of Illustration exhibition,

Although the title of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe tells you, at once, that the lion in question - Aslan, of course - is central to the story, the lion's role in the remaining volumes is sometimes less clearly defined and, in one or two of the books, he seems at first glance to play hardly any part at all, perhaps only making an appearance in the concluding chapters.

What becomes obvious, however, as the history of Narnia unfolds, is that underlying all the stories is the nature and power of Aslan. And this is something that Andrew Skilleter intuitively grasped in making the artwork for these audio versions.

It is most evident in his symbolic designs for the first two adaptations. For The Magician’s Nephew, the artist depicted Aslan bringing life to the barren environment of Narnia, the musical notes of his creation song becoming trees, birds and stars in the new world.


Similarly, for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Aslan is shown straddling two landscapes: one covered in snow from the perpetual winter imposed by the White Witch, the other a verdant spring garden freshly awoken to new life by the returning Lion.


The other five paintings reflect Aslan’s constant presence in the drama: appearing almost as a vision in the desert dust behind the eponymous characters of The Horse and His Boy...


As an heraldic image on the sail of the ship in The Voyage of the ‘Dawn Treader’...


As an ever-watchful (but unseen) observer of the action in Prince Caspian and The Silver Chair...



And, for the final volume, The Last Battle, he is shown standing upon the threshold of the doorway between the dying land of Narnia and the inner world of Aslan’s Country...


Andrew Skilleter brought to these pieces of artwork - together with the slipcase for the collection in the form of an elaborately carved wardrobe (lined with fur coats!) - an intelligence and a sympathy that complimented the telling of these much-loved tales, coupled with a sensibility as a designer for creating intriguing images that invited the listener to discover the story behind the pictures.

The exhibition The Wonder of Illustration remains on show at the Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum, The King's House, Wiltshire, until Saturday 4 July; Monday-Saturday 10:00 to 17:00; Sundays (July only) 12:00 to 17:00.

There's more of Andrew's work on his official web-site, including his cover art for my radio adaptation of J R R Tolkien's Tales of the Perilous Realm.

Today, the CDs of my Narnia adaptations are decorated with examples of Pauline Baynes line illustrations subsequently coloured by the artist, but it is good that Andrew Skilleter's visions of the land betond the wardrobe are being seen once more.

I'm actually rather proud of these dramatisation (an even longer project - in terms of its 15 hours of air-time - than the epic serialisation of The Lord of the Rings and which was also undertaken single-handedly) as well as of the productions themselves with their star-studded casts that include Bernard Cribbins, Richard Griffiths, Frances Tomelty, Tom Wilkinson, Sylvester McCoy, Timothy Bateson, Martin Jarvis, Fiona Shaw, John Sessions, Robert Eddison, Maurice Denham, Mary Wimbush, Robin Bailey, Rosemary Martin, Melvyn Hayes, David Collings, Timothy Spall and (in all seven plays) one of the great radio voices, Stephen Thorne, as Aslan.



9 comments:

Boll Weavil said...

As well you might be Mr B ! These adaptations have never been beaten.Stephen Thorne's Aslan IS Aslan and totally amazing. The scripts of the last five are excellent considering they were all written back to back with no break to a very tight deadline - especially Caspian which is,traditionally, the weakest plot.My own favourite of that series is 'The Magician's Nephew' because, at the time, I had been waiting for a Narnian adaptation by the Beeb and it totally lived up to my expectations.The cast were, to a man..or woman..or beast...exactly what I was waiting for.Then TLTWATW came afterwards followed by a long break ! Typical Beeb.
SOPERSOP : The opening line by a programme commisioner that thinks you should sell him an idea he's too ignorant to have heard or understood already e.g. "OK then, so tell me why we have to have all seven lords in this Dawn Treader thingy when it runs more to time with three....

Brian Sibley said...

Ah, yes, the "long break" following TLTW&TW... I remember that, well!

The first two stories (in chronological order, as opposed to the order in which they were written) were made and broadcast as part of the service for BBC Schools.

Whilst everyone was aware that there were five other books in the series they were conceived as a complete package: narrated by Maurice Denham first as the elderly Digory Kirke recalling his own adventures in Narnia (as told in The Magician's Nephew) and then as Professor Kirke, in whose house Peter Susan, Edmund and Lucy find the wardrobe and a way through to Narnia in TLTW&TW.

Several years later, as part of one of the BBC's sporadic attempts to entice young listeners back to radio, they decided to embark on dramatisations of the next seven books beginning with The Horse and His Boy...

I would have liked to have re-recorded the scripts of TMN and TLTW&TW for several reasons: because the series had a new director with a markedly different style; so as to have been able to use the same young actors for the four children (the first lot were, by then, too old!) and also because the Schools' programmes hadn't had quite as generous a budget for effects and bigger-name players; but it was not to be...

Anyway, thanks for the testimonial, BOLL, and for saying how wonderful Stephen Thorne was as Aslan: he was - is - a brilliant actor whom I suggested for the part because he had played Jesus and the voice of God in early dramas I wrote for Schools' Religious Education broadcasts and I knew his voice had majesty and authority...

He was also, as some people may not know, Treebeard in my radio dramatisation of The Lord of the Rings...

Anonymous said...

I heartily concur, Stephen Thorne "is" Aslan, he has such a dignified tone in his voice. As Mr. Sibley so correctly observes, Thorne's voice has majesty and authority.
I am a great fan of Doctor Cornelius as played by Tom Wilkinson. You must admit that he possess a great set of vocal chords and the ability to use them to their fullest.
I have had the pleasure to give many "original" sets of the Chronicles to people over the years, how could you not want to share these brilliant dramatizations!
Bravo to Brian Sibley!

Brian Sibley said...

Gosh, Anon! *Blush* Thanks!

Boll Weavil said...

Just don't mention re-recording The Magician's Nephew again - you can't do that ! It may not have fitted the new style but its definitive !

Brian Sibley said...

Rightho! Actually, I wouldn't change it now because it would mean having to do without Maurice Deham and Robert Eddison as a wonderfully creepy Uncle Andrew and I couldn't bear that!

Boll Weavil said...

Eddison is magnificent - another of those from your BBC adaptations which make it difficult to hear anyone else in the role.I know you like him as you used him in the Sony Award winning Gormenghast adaptations ! If you remember, I suggested Michael Hordern for Ramandu in TVOTDT but he sadly died before that could happen. That would have been another winner !
WHEDSOI :One's own part in history which somehow becomes greater as the years go by

Cerumental said...

Hordern, ah Sir Michael would have been magnificent. what a fantastic actor he was. I'd also thought that Sir Ralph Richardson would've made a great Cornelius. It is fun trying to recast some of the principles.

As 'your' Chronicles stand, they epitomize what good radio is. Thank you for them!

Brian Sibley said...

It's a game I've also played many times with my radio adaptation of The Lord of the Rings.