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The Wood between the Worlds and its Rich, Vital Feel

digorythegrateful
(@digorythegrateful)
NarniaWeb Newbie

I just reread the Magicians Nephew and one of the best qualities of Lewis' writing is in his ability to describe the subjective experience of Digory's' being present as the Song of Creation and the animating force of Life makes Narnia. Also in the Wood between the Worlds, the way that it is like an electric outlet, a hub of life force.

I can't wait to see and hear what that will be like in Gerwig's telling. I'm sure she'll use the language of a dream, but also of hyper reality. Green is the color of life, of chlorophyll, of fresh leaves. I hope she uses Phthalo Green. 

The Creation of Narnia is more like a reveal than a painting. in Lewis' thinking, it seems like there was a vacuum of goodness and beauty and Song. The blank world was not a blank white page, but just a vacuum, a remote, untouched world which moral order and joy and life had not touched. And so Aslan is like an earthly messenger of God, who breathes his order and music into the blackness. It will be tempting to visualize the scene as though a giant paintbrush is vibrating with song and painting a landscape and a sun, etc. But I think the more truthful visualization would be a breath revealing what is there already, but giving life to the matter and investing within it a will to live and to be good.

Darren Aronofskys' Noah (2014) has a phenomenal creation scene, but not quite as graceful and slow and symphonic as the Narnian creation.

What do you hope for in the Wood between the Worlds and The Creation of Narnia scenes? How can such powerful moments of life and creation be expressed using sound, music, visuals?

This topic was modified 15 hours ago by coracle
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Topic starter Posted : February 19, 2025 2:41 pm
Jasmine
(@jasmine_tarkheena)
Member Hospitality Committee

The Woods Between Worlds has actually been on my top 3 wish list to see in Narnia films (the other two being The Unwelcome Fellow Traveler in HHB and Emeth's encounter with Aslan in LB).

Though I would imagine it would be hard to visualize the Wood Between The Worlds. I kind of envision a light and green scenery and a string of music playing in the background.

"And this is the marvel of marvels, that he called me beloved."
(Emeth, The Last Battle)
https://escapetoreality.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/aslan-and-emeth2.jpg

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Posted : February 20, 2025 9:38 am
icarus
(@icarus)
NarniaWeb Guru
Posted by: @digorythegrateful

Darren Aronofskys' Noah (2014) has a phenomenal creation scene, but not quite as graceful and slow and symphonic as the Narnian creation.

What do you hope for in the Wood between the Worlds and The Creation of Narnia scenes? How can such powerful moments of life and creation be expressed using sound, music, visuals?

On the one hand, I'm kind of hoping they don't go down the route of just using classical music for the Creation of Narnia scene, since that seems way too boring and conventional for something as wild as a Signing Lion... however, if i were to pick one piece of classical music which evokes the entire creation scene for me, it would be the overture (Vorspiel) from Wagner's Das Rheingold.

I just love the way it starts off with this low echoey bass tone, and then builds up the musical elements gradually, layer-by-layer. I love the way the strings towards the end come in with this sort of fluttering bird-like quality, till the overall composition becomes this almost deafening cacophony of overlapping sounds - chaotically messy, but still compellingly beautiful - before the abrupt hard stop at the end.

Wagner: Das Rheingold, WWV 86A - Vorspiel (Remastered 2022)

If they can get even 10% of that sort of vibe going on, i'd be happy.

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Posted : February 20, 2025 1:55 pm
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