The Narnia Code

This BBC documentary argues that C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia books are not simply fairy tales with a Christian bent, but also feature something more mystical. Before turning to Cambridge scholar Michael Ward's theory, which revolves around medieval notions of the cosmos, director Norman Stone presents various speakers who recall Lewis' upper-class childhood in Belfast, backed with convincing re-creations. After Lewis' mother died, his father sent him to boarding school, and in the years that followed he studied with a rigorous tutor, fought in World War I, attended Oxford University, and shifted from atheism to theism. Upon graduating, Lewis became a writer and lecturer specializing in Christianity and literature of the Middle Ages. In 1950, Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first of the Narnia franchise, was released—about which Professor James Como, an expert on Lewis, says, “The intriguing thing … is that something doesn't quite add up.” But Ward, author of Planet Narnia, sees a “carefully worked scheme,” with each of the seven volumes corresponding to a specific planet and its attendant mythology; meaning, for instance, that Prince Caspian aligns with Mars, the God of War. Ward makes a persuasive argument, although it's also possible that this “plan” was simply a subconscious move by Lewis, since cosmology was one of his several interests. Even Ward's publisher admits, “Maybe it's right and maybe it's not.” DVD extras include three featurettes. With the upcoming April home video release of the third film in the Narnia adaptations, this is likely to be popular. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)