@risto I'm in your camp on this, sadly. 

@courtenay  Yes, as I was saying, it is rather a while since large numbers of people gotreallyexcited about The Doors and Pink Floyd. Now if he'd thrown The Beatles into the mix, that would possibly have got the biggest reaction of all

Actually, the Beatles were more 1960's, than 1955. I should know, when they visited Sydney in 1964. As has been pointed out, the IMAX person who was mentioning The Doors & Pink Floyd, neither of whom were actually around in 1955, was not necessarily as well-informed as I would have liked him to have been. Apart from any other consideration, a little matter of copyright very likely will rule out both groups openly performing in a Netflix movie, unless they are given a whole heap of money. And many of the artists who were actually around in 1955, have been quietly dying off throughout this year, I have noticed. Meanwhile, Ricky Valens' La Bamba still flourishes to this day, even though Ricky Valens, himself, died with Buddy Holly in a 1959 plane crash. 

When much of Magician's Nephew will be taken up with CGI, it has occurred to me that the space age get-up for the stand-in rider might also be connected to CGI like Andy Serkis' portrayal of Gollum. Basically, I'm hoping to see a movie even my husband might enjoy, when he isn't much of a reader & therefore unlikely to dissect the movie as thoroughly as us NarniaWebbers are wont to do.  

Posted by: @waggawerewolf27

Actually, the Beatles were more 1960's, than 1955. I should know, when they visited Sydney in 1964.

Er, yes, I did know that too, my dad being a big fan of them.   My point was simply that while the probably ill-informed IMAX executive was name-dropping bands that were popular in the 1970s — and therefore of questionable relevance to either the 1950s or to today's audiences — he might as well have thrown in the 1960s band that outstripped all the others in popularity and influence, just to create even more excitement while he was at it!

As it is, I very much doubt the actual music of any of these bands will feature in the movie itself. Wrong era, as we've all been saying, as well as copyright issues (though I've no doubt Netflix has the money to pay the royalties if they really do want to use any such music). I'm now mystified as to what the soundtrack will actually sound like. But we'll definitely find out more as time goes on. 

@waggawerewolf27 exactly, the Beatles didn't form a group until 1960.

Although Gelfond was clearly being careful to cite bands who aren't on the soundtrack, the fact that he didn't cite bands from the 1950s (even though he almost certainly could have done given his age) and didn't just generically name-check "old" bands that might be more well known, but rather went straight for Pink Floyd, an alternative Prog Rock band known for their highly experimental and esoteric style of music tells you everything.

For what its worth, i had previously referenced the intro to Time by Pink Floyd in discussions about the Creation of Narnia scene, as being this sort of epic, creationary moment, where the music layers in bit by bit, so maybe its not a totally random notion.

I went back to read NarniaWeb's article, noting the quote below.  

The music in it is unbelievably contemporary music, which IMAX fans like. I’m not gonna say specifically, but things like Pink Floyd and The Doors. You know that kind of music which people go to see in IMAX.”

It very much sounds like Rick Gelfond considers that the movie is being made primarily to appeal to their own regular IMAX fanbase, not necessarily the others who would only go to IMAX if it was something they really wanted to see. When I checked out our own local IMAX I noticed that the titles on offer were not the sort of movies I would normally want to bother with. 

It is getting too much like the early attempts at filming The Lord of the Rings, that only went about halfway in the story, and those horrible Rankin-Bass cartoon versions were left to finish off the story. 

@icarus For what its worth, i had previously referenced the intro to Time by Pink Floyd in discussions about the Creation of Narnia scene, as being this sort of epic, creationary moment, where the music layers in bit by bit, so maybe its not a totally random notion

I bow to your expertise, when to tell the truth I know nothing about the music produced by either Pink Floyd or "The Doors", being just names on CD's lent out to students over a decade ago. 

Posted by: @icarus

... Pink Floyd, an alternative Prog Rock band known for their highly experimental and esoteric style of music tells you everything.

For what its worth, i had previously referenced the intro to Time by Pink Floyd in discussions about the Creation of Narnia scene, as being this sort of epic, creationary moment, where the music layers in bit by bit, so maybe its not a totally random notion.

That is a fair thought. You're right that the kind of music Pink Floyd is known for can certainly lend itself to a thoughtful and layered experience! (I don't know the music of The Doors quite so well, but know they were/are a well-respected band, so would not dismiss their musical worth, either.)

Just a shame it feels jarring with the setting.

(EDIT: I should add that I don't expect them to include these bands specifically, but just working with idea of something like that.)

Again, whilst I'm reluctant to read too much into the bands which Gelfond is specifically saying won't be on the soundtrack (but rather music like those bands) I think if I were to list words which sum up Pink Floyd, and to a lesser extent The Doors, it would be "weird ,trippy, and psychedelic".

And on that level, those qualities for me aren't entirely a million miles away from the creation of Narnia scene. A sequence which is undeniably bizarre, and surreal and transcendent 

I still don't know whether the music of either band is entirely compatible with Narnia (and we are going to completely ignore the 1970s, post-Beatles drug-culture which underpins it all) but I think as a reference point for conveying the abstract nature of a singing lion in a void of nothingness, they aren't a terrible starting point for musical comparison. 

Posted by: @risto

But what, oh what, are they doing with Narnia?! When I first saw the IMAX CEO quote, I was so disgusted by it that I didn't even bother to follow up on it for nearly 24 hours. As of now, it is so easy to see that this movie is going in the wrong direction when considering faithfulness of adaptation. A female voice for Aslan, a time shift in the setting, a costume on Jadis that looks like it is straight out of a '60s television sci-fi, and now a rock soundtrack that seems instrumental to the movie in some way, but not diegetic to the new setting.

Well said... about the only ray of hope in that list is that we still don't know for sure that they'll be giving Aslan a female voice. But if the report of that really was just a false rumour, it's disturbing that nobody involved with the movie did anything at all to quash it, which would have placated the fan base and forestalled a huge amount of criticism and anger and general bad press. (As I've said, I'm somewhat reassured by the maned lion on the poster in those set photos, but if it turns out that their Aslan is outwardly male but voiced by a female actor, I reckon I would find that even more jarring than Aslan being portrayed as a lioness.)

But yes, with that possibility and all the rest we've seen and heard... I also really am wondering what on earth they think they're doing with this project. Every time something new about it is revealed or hinted at, it drifts further and further away from being even a sort-of-faithful adaptation. Like you say, @risto, is this really how they want to start what was originally touted as a whole new Narnia franchise??

Posted by: @risto

The main questions now are if it will be true enough to the themes of the story to placate Narnia fans, and if it will be successful enough to even make a dent in the public consciousness. I wonder if general audiences will take one look at the trailer and say "*Yawn* It looks like they're trying too hard [to be catchy, edgy, etc]," before doomscrolling past it to the next TikTok.

That's what I'm wondering too. If this film is too outlandishly "different", it's quite likely to flop with general audiences too, not just with the established Narnia fans. And as I said just recently, if it does, then maybe Netflix will drop the whole project and we can wait and hope for a more faithful adaptation next time round, hopefully made by people with more respect for the actual original stories.

Posted by: @icarus

I think if I were to list words which sum up Pink Floyd, and to a lesser extent The Doors, it would be "weird ,trippy, and psychedelic".

And on that level, those qualities for me aren't entirely a million miles away from the creation of Narnia scene. A sequence which is undeniably bizarre, and surreal and transcendent

Just to add a bit more here — I really don't think I can agree with that assessment of the creation scene. It's definitely got to feel transcendent, but in a way that fills us with deep awe and wonder and reverence, not something that leaves us half reeling, half laughing, and wondering what exactly the filmmakers were on when they came up with this. It's meant to be the creation of a new world by a divine being, specifically the Christian God. And I know some people do claim to have seen God while using mind-altering substances, but that is not a practice that any form of Christianity recommends, as far as I know. (In the interests of full disclosure, I have never done that myself and I definitely do not recommend trying it either. ) 

@courtenay Just to add a bit more here — I really don't think I can agree with that assessment of the creation scene. It's definitely got to feel transcendent, but in a way that fills us with deep awe and wonder and reverence, not something that leaves us half reeling, half laughing...

Judging by my own understanding of the book, Digory & Polly's experience of that particular scene was indeed transcendent, filling them with wonder & awe, but it was also a joyful, bursting with life, experience, especially when they began to connect the music with what was being created & what was emerging. It had the opposite effect on Uncle Andrew & Jadis, and I wouldn't trivialise that aspect of the music, either. I sort of see what @icarus has been saying about Pink Floyd's layering of the music, & what has been said about Narnia so far. Reverent or frightening, & even confusing, perhaps. And yes, such an experience would indeed be surreal. 

But then, to find oneself in Charn was also surreal & even frightening, in sharp contrast to the beginning of Narnia.  

Peter, Paul, and Mary's Puff the Magic Dragon might have worked with The Hobbit, although with Narnia it might have been an option for Voyage of the Dawn Treader or The Silver Chair.  It seems like that music is more fitting with Tolkien's stories than C. S. Lewis's. Connecting folk music with Narnia may work if it has something to do with the stories.  I consider it to be more listenable than some rock music, but that of course depends on the song. I didn't think Wunderkind or Can't Take It In had that much specifically to do with Narnia except in discovering a magical place or the talents of extraordinary people like Lucy. But including the songs in the Walden films was not intrusive on the atmosphere of the stories, and both songs are quite listenable.

What can I say? At this point this is the least of my issues with this adaptation. In fact I was one of the first people to say that I wouldn't mind some rock in the soundtrack. Again, the creation song had better not been a rock number!

I recall Greta Gerwig mentioning in an interview that she appreciates the seeming randomness of Narnia's mythology with both fauns and Father Christmas in the same universe. Maybe that explains the seemingly random approach she's taking with this movie. e.g. changing the time period to the 50s but taking musical influence from the 70s. That's my best guess anyway.  

Maybe instead of playing the White Witch as rumored, Charlie XCX is going to write a few songs for the movie?

I doubt the characters will be bursting into song, but maybe Charlie's songs will play over various scenes (sort of like how "One Day" played during the train scene in the 2005 Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe movie).