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The Magician’s Nephew to feature scenes set in 1950s

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DavidD
(@davidd)
NarniaWeb Nut

I had a thought on why they might have moved the production to the 1950s (or at least post WW2).  It's some wild speculation, but I think its fun speculation Smile .

The change may be to provide a thematic backdrop for the story.
We have seen from the set photos, that creation of Narnia appears to be foreshadowed, but what if the shots of Digory walking past bombed out areas of London was also a foreshadow of Charn.  Charn is also a war-torn city, ultimately being destroyed by the deplorable word.

This would also link in with Digory's mother.  At the start of the story, Digory's mother's condition is not unlike the ruins of the bombed out parts of London (with the dead Charn being the ultimate symbol of Digory's worst fear for his mother).  In contrast, the new life in Narnia (and the 'a new world, a new beginning' poster) both foreshadow what will later happen for Digory's mother.

This post was modified 3 weeks ago by DavidD

The term is over: the holidays have begun.
The dream is ended: this is the morning

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Posted : September 20, 2025 10:50 am
Sir Cabbage, coracle, Orsha and 4 people liked
icarus
(@icarus)
NarniaWeb Guru

@davidd i definitely think there is an element of rebirth and regeneration in a lot of the set photos we've seen, in fact it was number 6 in my "Top 10 Takeaways" from the first week of filming article:

 

A New World Being Reborn:

One of the most striking aspects of the overall set design is the Lion-adorned billboard mentioned earlier, which seems to be advertising a new housing development with the slogan – “A New World, A New Home!”. Likewise, the poster for a paint company reads “Bring Your World to Life!”

Much of the rest of the set likewise features an abundance of the characteristically crude wooden fences that one might typically erect around a building site.

Whilst London in the mid 1950s was still scarred by the ravages of World War II a decade prior, it was also a period of substantial economic growth, and cultural regeneration, with the emergence of the so-called “Baby Boomer” generation.

These design elements may therefore have been included to evoke the themes of an old world dying and a new world being created, mirroring the similar demise of Charn and the birth of Narnia as present in the stories.

 

That said, the 1950s as a decade of renewal and regeneration feels more like a thematical parallel for the creation of Narnia than the destruction of Charn.

I think if you'd wanted to show a London that was utterly in ruins (as per Charn), you'd go for 1945, and if you wanted to show a city with greater levels of pollution, deprivation and hardship, you'd have left it as 1900.

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Posted : September 23, 2025 3:09 pm
Sir Cabbage, Orsha, Courtenay and 3 people liked
bluestarrr
(@bluestarrr)
NarniaWeb Newbie

The 50s may be used to play on Uncle Andrew's desire to turn Narnia into some sort of holiday destination that would make him rich. 

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Posted : September 29, 2025 12:23 am
coracle
(@coracle)
NarniaWeb's Auntie Moderator

@bluestarrr It's very different from what people in England actually did for holidays in the 1950s. They weren't even going to Spain back then. 
But Andrew certainly wanted to get rich, with as little work as possible.

There, shining in the sunrise, larger than they had seen him before, shaking his mane (for it had apparently grown again) stood Aslan himself.
"...when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards."

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Posted : September 29, 2025 12:54 am
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