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  Film: Nell Schofield previews Narnia- Prince Caspian and El Orfanato June 1, 2008 Reporter :Nell Schofield  Watch our report on Narnia- Prince CaspianWatch our report on El Orfanato Film: Nell Schofield previews Narnia- Prince Caspian and El Orfanato Children lost in time and space seems to be the prevailing theme at the movies this week. Six of them are haunting an old orphanage on the Spanish Atlantic coast and another four are slipping through the cracks of London’s underground into the magical realm of Narnia. Clive Staples Lewis may well be turning in his Christian grave over the fate of his classic 1950s collection of children’s story books. First there was The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, which, when adapted for the big screen pulled in a whopping $745 million US dollars. And now the second in 'The Chronicles of Narnia' series, Prince Caspian, is about to launch itself upon us in a much bigger and somewhat bloodier manner. This time, the Pevensie siblings bypass the old wardrobe in favour of the Tube and are transported back to Narnia 13 centuries on from when they last left it. All it takes for them to reclaim their rightful place in their kingdom is a quick costume change out of their school uniforms into appropriate medieval clobber and a few timely rescue missions. Following an emergency call on Susan's magical horn, which was left behind at the end of the last instalment, the fearless quartet track down the handsome Prince (Ben Barnes) who summoned them in his hour of need. Caspian is a Telmarine, from a race of humans who have displaced the mythical creatures of Narnia. So at first he's mistaken for an enemy. But when he explains how his evil uncle is trying to kill him in order to path the way for his newly born son to take the throne, the gang jumps onboard and mounts a daring raid on the enemy's castle. With their help, Caspian is well on his way to becoming what his tutor predicts to be "the most noble contradiction in history – the Telmarine who saved Narnia." New Zealand born writer/director Andrew Adamson, who made his debut with the Oscar winning animated feature Shrek, is back at the helm of this sequel and has once again used some stunning locations in his native homeland for the primal landscapes of Narnia. He's also used his compatriots at Weta Workshops to design the creature and make-up effects. And Australian production designer Roger Ford was also onboard creating some fantastic sets, many of which were built at studios in Prague. "Things never happen the same way twice", as Azlan the mighty lion wisely points out. So it's almost a given that for all its epic battles and heroics, this Narnia isn't quite as impressive as the previous one. Tilda Swinton who featured so prominently as that wonderfully wicked White Witch in the first in the franchise only makes a cameo appearance here and the effect is a visual highlight. The advancing Telmarine army is a pretty impressive sight too with its gala armour and face masks. Needless to say, our famous five win the day. All they need to prove themselves is a solid dose of unshakable faith. And bravery in the face of fear is also on display in a new Spanish film set in a spooky old mansion on the Atlantic Coast. Belen Rueda is gripping as Laura, a woman who buys the orphanage where she grew up in order to establish a home for children with special needs. Her own adopted son Simon (an adorable Roger Princep) has a life threatening illness and a curious predilection for making invisible friends, one of whom occasionally materialises wearing a freaky sack mask over his head. So when Simon suddenly goes missing Laura starts to believe that the house is indeed haunted...with ghosts from her past. Out of desperation, she employs the services of a medium and Geraldine Chaplin is perfectly cast as the mystic Aurora. But in the end, it's Laura who must decide how far she’ll go to find out the terrible truth. El Orfanato or The Orphanage is the debut feature from Juan Antonio Bayona with Executive Production by Guillermo del Toro who was nominated for an Oscar for his fantastical thriller Pan’s Labyrinth. It's a suitably gothic psychological portrait of a woman who could either be loosing her mind or opening a very real door to the supernatural. Either way, when that door slams shut, you jump – right on cue. |
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