It's a bit unfair to England though. PC and VDT did the wartime city scenes well, only missing showing people's lawns converted to grow vegetables.
But the countryside remained beautiful and unspoiled. It wasn't Isengard.

Oh, for sure! I've never been to England, but pictures I've seen of its countryside look beautiful. I just thought an exaggerated portrayal of our world would fit well thematically. It could be a bit like Lewis using satirical exaggeration of modern schools to portray Experiment House.

DAE think that Mapperton House in Dorset would make an absolutely stunning Kirk Mansion? ... and would also bring a level of authenticity regarding the location of the house in the book (I believe it was implied in MN to be in Dorset).
Plus the grounds would make for some really cool outdoor scenes/shots.

Wouldn't gripe too hard if they used this house Dorset definitely has some places that feel right (though I imagine that Ireland is even better for that)

The place where my brother and I stayed in Dorset had this long view south to the Purbeck Hills. Most days it was too rainy to see much, but occasionally we could see Corfe Castle, set between two hills, just like the Witch's castle. It was quite distant, and hazy, so it had a really fairy-tale look to it. There are these tall cliffs, down near Old Harry Rocks, that felt exactly as Lewis described the cliff of Aslan's country in Silver Chair. Not as tall, of course, but a couple hundred feet down to the ocean far below. The turf, the wind, the loneliness--quite the feeling. It also felt like a snippet out of Watership Down, with dozens of rabbits, and their warrens extending all the way to the cliff. Not sure what happens to them when the cliff collapses into the ocean.

The place where my brother and I stayed in Dorset had this long view south to the Purbeck Hills. Most days it was too rainy to see much, but occasionally we could see Corfe Castle, set between two hills, just like the Witch's castle. It was quite distant, and hazy, so it had a really fairy-tale look to it. There are these tall cliffs, down near Old Harry Rocks, that felt exactly as Lewis described the cliff of Aslan's country in Silver Chair. Not as tall, of course, but a couple hundred feet down to the ocean far below.

That's really cool! I'd definitely love to see that landscape make its way into Narnia somehow. Or I'll see it in person - whichever comes first!
Maybe Lewis got much of his imagery ideas from places like that, really close to home.

Glenwit, I agree with you. It is thought that the countryside of Northern Ireland, where he was a boy, was an inspiration for some parts of Narnia itself.

Transferred posts from Forum 2.0:

Eustace » Jun 03, 2020 2:15 pm

I was looking up places that would be pretty to shoot in and I came across some beautiful places in Wales and Iceland. I am not sure how realistic it would be cost wise for them to shoot there, but, I think some of those places look and feel very Narnian.

Iceland:


https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/europe/iceland/majestic-photos-iceland-landscape/#close

Just noticed a recent announcement that Netflix's new movie The School for Good and Evil is going to be filmed in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Interestingly, David Magee is also one of the screenwriters for the film.) I haven't read the book series, but on the face of it, it's a family-fantasy story like Narnia. How cool would it be for Netflix to film a Narnia adaptation in the city where Lewis was born?

Has anyone ever heard of the white desert in Egypt? I sure hadn't. It popped up on my loading screen on my computer and all I can think of is Shasta among the tombs in HHB.

I just wanted to share this video; drone footage over Ireland/Northern Ireland.

I absolutely think that it looks very Narnian (specific locations are time-stamped for anyone interested).  

This drone thing has also got me thinking about the landscape from a budget perspective. Netflix has a golden opportunity to rely much more heavily on real places and practical effects, and less on creating CGI landscapes, if they want to go with sweeping overhead shots or make Narnia seem "big" and/or "real".  Regardless of filming location, this would allow them to devote more of their budget (which will be one of Netflix's highest ever, from what I've heard) to making Aslan, mythical creatures + talking beasts look awesome). 

Posted by: @icarus

Last week I watched the Netflix adaptation of The Witcher books, which was shot predominantly in Hungary.

Then this week I watched the Netflix adaptation of William Shakespeare's King Henry V (simply titled 'The King') which was also shot in Hungary....

I am currently tempted to start watching the BBC / Netflix adaptation of The Last Kingdom, which you guessed it, was filmed predominantly in Hungary....

So I'm now watching through the new fantasy series "Shadow & Bone" on Netflix (featuring Narnia's own Ben Barnes!) and after a few episodes I was curious to find out where they shot it.... And to no surprise at all, it was shot in Hungary

At this stage I would eat my hat if Narnia didn't end up shooting in Hungary.

I haven't seen it, but for what it's worth, Netflix's Cursed (a retelling of Arthurian legend) was shot in the United Kingdom. So I don't think the UK is out of the question, but it does seem that Hungary is a very popular choice. Of course it has beautiful landscapes, but I don't love the idea of Narnian countryside looking like almost every other fantasy show on television. (Even if you have to eat your hat, @icarus. )

A little late but better late than never ? I'll go with the Europe idea. And I think Germany might also have some nice spots to bring Narnia to life. Afterall it is home to so many fairy tales and in the Walden LWW they have already shot there. Also I am German and I would love to see our very own mountains and forests on screen more often. Why not take some of the old locations or let's say areas? It is also the beautiful landscape that made me fall in love with the movies. So e.g. the Czech Republic was great and also the Saxon Switzerland National Park. It really is magical there.

There's a lake called Eibsee in Bavaria which is also fit for a movie location. A forest called Teutoburger Wald, a magical bridge (Rakotzbrücke), the Black Forest, several astonishing gorges... There's a lot of German locations to choose from. Although I have to say that those places and landscapes are small. Nowhere the size of what New Zealand has to offer... So maybe not that attractive for filmmakers.

If you want to get a glimpse at that variety: 20 natural wonders in Germany

(Also this is my very first post on NarniaWeb ? )

I just started watching through Amazon's adaptation of "The Wheel of Time" fantasy book series, and whilst it doesn't support my Hungary theory, it was still shot almost entirely in Eastern Europe - specifically Czech Republic, Slovenia and Croatia. At present Eastern Europe clearly offers the ideal environment for this sort of large scale fantasy production, with beautiful scenery and a low cost economy.

Notably, Wheel of Time actually includes several prominent locations from the Narnia films, including the Soca River Valley in Bovec, Slovenia (the Fords of Beruna in Prince Caspian) and Pravčická Brána in Czech Republic (the giant stone outcrop in LWW where the children view Narnia from)

https://www.atlasofwonders.com/2021/11/where-was-the-wheel-of-time-filmed.html

Stumbled across this: https://www.reddit.com/r/Narnia/comments/s1qf7t/shasta_among_the_tombs/

Definitely a great idea for the Horse and His Boy!

@the-mad-poet Oh wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!!!!! That is so perfect! Even the mountains fit if they were a little further off! I may just add those to my Pinterest board.   

Posted by: @rose

So I don't think the UK is out of the question, but it does seem that Hungary is a very popular choice. Of course it has beautiful landscapes, but I don't love the idea of Narnian countryside looking like almost every other fantasy show on television. (Even if you have to eat your hat, @icarus. )

Has anyone mentioned New Zealand yet, since it's been used as the filming location for just about every fantasy setting from Greek mythology to Middle-earth??  

Only kidding, honestly — I don't think it would be appropriate at all. I'm hoping they'll choose mainly locations in Britain and/or Ireland, since there's something so very Anglo-Celtic about Narnia — I picked that up even as a young reader in Australia, though it was probably helped by the fact that the BBC versions (which were first shown on TV at just about the time I first read most of the books!) were filmed in the UK. But it's not absolutely essential, so long as they can make the locations somehow "feel" like Narnia — and that'll have as much to do with good set designing and good script writing as with the scenery.