So this is it. The best of the 3 BBC Narnia Series, and ironically the last (We never did find out why the latter 3 books were never created by the BBC).
If the 1st 2 series had their flaws, this was near perfect ! Gone was the twee childish amateur pantomime of the Lion... (if by all means basically a good series), as were the pseudo-heroics of Reepacheep and the equally aggressive royal arrogance of King Caspian (and everyone else) in Series 2.
This series felt more mature, professional and generally down-to-earth, like it might have been marketed to a slightly older age category (sure, they didn't mind portraying Tom Baker in drunken mode !). Gone were the slightly poncey Pevensey children, replaced with 'Pole' and Eustace, 2 more neutral and modest children with no royal 'superiority' to their names. Sure Kings and Princes persisted, but without their being arrogantly portrayed as heroic deities.
The actors and their characters were a marked improvement:-
Camilla Powers portrayed schoolgirl Jill Pole as both strong and vulnerable, as obvious right from the series' 1st scene where she is bullied by a circle of peers and appears both self-assured and feisty; "I thought this was a modern school where people were respected for their rights...if I don't even have a right to my own name!"
David Thwaites portrayed Eustace as a boy of newfound integrity and subsequent vulnerability; his transformed nature and softly-spoken voice come as a surprise to Jill, who accepts him right from the start, while accepting the bully among the pack that he once was.
Tom Baker's casting as the cynical 'Puddleglum' may have come as a slight surprise; who could have guessed that an actor infamous for playing so paramount a BBC hero as Dr. Who would be cast in an ultra-low-budget children's production !
Barbara Kellerman reappears as another cute and stunning but evil woman. If the 'queen' she portrayes here is perhaps a tad generic - perhaps too similar the the White Witch, it came as a shock in the last episode when she suddenly transforms into a giant snake !
Warwick Davis reappears, this time as an owl. Fellow little actor Mike Edmonds (AKA 'Little Ron' from Maid Marian and her Merry Men) also plays an owl. Both masked actors are distinctively present through their voices; even Warwick's movements appear distinctly his !
As the last series of the BBC Narnia production, the end of the final episode is when Aslan finally confirms his allegorical presence as Jesus Christ; "You will see me again in your world, but there I go by another name...learn it well, that's why you were sent to Narnia." Sure this could possibly be looked upon as a disappointing anti-climax to non-Christians - as if they've been watching 3 whole series just to be deceived and unsuccessfully brainwashed ! I guess you have to not take that 'climax' too seriously or literally !
So lets give it 9/10 for its professional acting, integrity of characters, down-to-earth vibe and obviously for being another simple, low-budget BBC childrens' fantasy series; perhaps a warm-up for the BBC's excellent adaptation of Mary Norton's 'The Borrowers' 2 years later !
If the 1st 2 series had their flaws, this was near perfect ! Gone was the twee childish amateur pantomime of the Lion... (if by all means basically a good series), as were the pseudo-heroics of Reepacheep and the equally aggressive royal arrogance of King Caspian (and everyone else) in Series 2.
This series felt more mature, professional and generally down-to-earth, like it might have been marketed to a slightly older age category (sure, they didn't mind portraying Tom Baker in drunken mode !). Gone were the slightly poncey Pevensey children, replaced with 'Pole' and Eustace, 2 more neutral and modest children with no royal 'superiority' to their names. Sure Kings and Princes persisted, but without their being arrogantly portrayed as heroic deities.
The actors and their characters were a marked improvement:-
Camilla Powers portrayed schoolgirl Jill Pole as both strong and vulnerable, as obvious right from the series' 1st scene where she is bullied by a circle of peers and appears both self-assured and feisty; "I thought this was a modern school where people were respected for their rights...if I don't even have a right to my own name!"
David Thwaites portrayed Eustace as a boy of newfound integrity and subsequent vulnerability; his transformed nature and softly-spoken voice come as a surprise to Jill, who accepts him right from the start, while accepting the bully among the pack that he once was.
Tom Baker's casting as the cynical 'Puddleglum' may have come as a slight surprise; who could have guessed that an actor infamous for playing so paramount a BBC hero as Dr. Who would be cast in an ultra-low-budget children's production !
Barbara Kellerman reappears as another cute and stunning but evil woman. If the 'queen' she portrayes here is perhaps a tad generic - perhaps too similar the the White Witch, it came as a shock in the last episode when she suddenly transforms into a giant snake !
Warwick Davis reappears, this time as an owl. Fellow little actor Mike Edmonds (AKA 'Little Ron' from Maid Marian and her Merry Men) also plays an owl. Both masked actors are distinctively present through their voices; even Warwick's movements appear distinctly his !
As the last series of the BBC Narnia production, the end of the final episode is when Aslan finally confirms his allegorical presence as Jesus Christ; "You will see me again in your world, but there I go by another name...learn it well, that's why you were sent to Narnia." Sure this could possibly be looked upon as a disappointing anti-climax to non-Christians - as if they've been watching 3 whole series just to be deceived and unsuccessfully brainwashed ! I guess you have to not take that 'climax' too seriously or literally !
So lets give it 9/10 for its professional acting, integrity of characters, down-to-earth vibe and obviously for being another simple, low-budget BBC childrens' fantasy series; perhaps a warm-up for the BBC's excellent adaptation of Mary Norton's 'The Borrowers' 2 years later !