Posted on 12/28/2005 5:55:53 AM PST by rhema
. . .My kids were grade-school fans of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." In recent years, however, they have come to appreciate its deeper lessons. So they wanted to see the new film version to start the Christmas season. Yet we approached the theater with some trepidation. Would Hollywood turn the noble Pevensie children into self-absorbed brats, as it tends to do when it gets its hands on classic tales?
Fortunately, we weren't disappointed. My children left the theater with a noticeable light in their eyes. In the parking lot, my son paused and said, "That's the kind of movie that kids today should see." Why? They discussed the question with animation all the way home.
As I listened, I recalled a particularly insightful social science study I had read back in 2003. "Hardwired to Connect" was a joint project of the Dartmouth Medical School, YMCA of the USA and the New York-based Institute for American Values. Its participants -- eminent children's medical and mental health professionals -- said they wrote the report for a simple reason: "Our waiting lists are too long."
"Hardwired to Connect" addresses what it calls an epidemic of emotional distress and behavioral problems among U.S. children and adolescents. The litany of afflictions it reviews is familiar: depression, anxiety, conduct disorders, thoughts of suicide.
Why are so many of our kids so troubled? The authors conclude that, in our increasingly fragmented society, we no longer give young people the authoritative guidance they need to grapple with life's central challenge -- learning "how to be a good person and live a good life." The study quotes Harvard psychologist Jerome Kagan: "After hunger, a human's most important need is to know what is virtuous." . . .
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
"The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is an antidote to today's superficial "me-first" culture. It sets out a clear and appealing vision of the qualities of character that transform ordinary children into extraordinary young men and women. Driving home from the movie that night, I realized I could hope for nothing greater for these young men and women who were once just "my kids."
My daughter is dying to see that movie again. She is in LOVE with it. I am glad she is such a fan of such a wholesome movie.
The War Against Religion explained in a nutshell.
It's the strong analogies to The Fall of Mankind into sin;
the Crucifixion of JESUS as sin-less & perfect GOD &Man;
His atonement for our failures & trespasses, and HIS Coming Return & Triumph over sin and Satan and...
HIS Reign over ALL Mankind, being seen by all and adored by HIS Church.
I guess this would be a "mini-vanity" response on my part. My nephew was the Supervisor of creature development for Narnia.
This Christmas he showed us on his computer a little about how they made the creatures...absolutely amazing the amount of time and detail that went into this project.
Given that the socialist Left (in accordance with Marxist tactics) has destroyed the moral framework on which this society is built, it would seem logical that our normative standards of behavior are absent or weak. That in turn would lead to anomic individuals inclined to depression, hostility, or suicide.
It's probably simplistic to blame it all on the Left; technology has a way of disorienting behavior as well. But there is undoubtedly a concerted effort to dissolve the bonds we have with our past and our stabilizing traditions. So long as that is true, then how can we expect stability?
The work they lavished on the creatures showed. I have been able to convince people to see it for the animation alone.
Great post and so true.
You must be very proud of your nephew's work! How fun it must have been to see behind the scenes on this great project.
WOW! Tell your nephew that we're very, very impressed!!!
>>I guess this would be a "mini-vanity" response on my part. My nephew was the Supervisor of creature development for Narnia.<<
Please tell him that the biggest and best surprise to myself and my children were the Firebirds.
They rocked beyond measure! We still talk about them.
Excellents points. Our children's (and adult) hunger for meaning also might come from the shallowness of modern society, both on the left and right. Modern men and women try to fill their hunger for the divine with material goods, career achievement, food/wine...and, after that fails to satisfy, sex, drugs and rock & roll.
Having personally tried the alternatives before at last realizing that only God can satisfy fully, I would have to say that God is awfully clever in giving us free reign before reeling us in to Himself. Pity Satan, who like Fifth Avenue shop windows, has all the glittering goods...that only leave a person hungrier after each purchase.
I saw Narnia last weekend and found it deeply satisfying and comforting.
We are having a family expedition to view it this afternoon. Three generations will be watching it together. I am SO excited!
None of you will be disappointed. It's a very good movie. Everything about it shows the care taken with making it, and personally I think they nailed the casting *perfectly*, especially the kids. They don't really look like brothers and sisters, but all four of them play their parts very well. Tilda Swinton as the White Which is completely over-the-top for a good bit of the movie, which is exactly what the part demands.
}:-)4
You will love it!!!
I have todispute "over the top" for the White Witch. We went back and watched the BBC version froma few years back, and THAT witch was OTT. She played like a Christmas pantomime evil. Now THIS one...seductive in a non-sexy way...your best friend and kindest aunt...until you are of no use to her, then you get the back of her hand. Evil incarnate.
I agree with this completely. You used to learn how to live a good life from fairy tales (good always wins in the end, despite challanges), movies (you knew which fork to use because you watched some Hollywood starlette portray a country girl in suddenly rich surroundings), you watched average Americans leading a rich and fulfilling life.
I'm going to try and see it tonight, and am really looking forward to it.
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