Amarillo celebrates premiere of ‘The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe’; AC offers fun class analyzing Narnia series
By: Rachel Nelson
For Edge Monthly
First published in 1950, ‘The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe’ was the first of C.S Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series. It told a tale of four siblings who entered a fantasy world called Narnia.
During their adventures, the children encountered talking animals, a not-so-nice queen and a magical lion. This imaginative drama is tied together with Christian principles.
According to http://www.lessonsfromthelion.com/, “The children come face to face with temptation and fear which, in the end, help them to grasp a true understanding of forgiveness and salvation.”
The Chronicles of Narnia series has entertained readers for more than half a century, and fans will see the first story come to life in movie theaters Friday, Dec. 9.
The United Artist theater, located at 8275 W. Amarillo Boulevard, is promoting the premiere of ‘The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe’ by featuring a creative lobby display that spectators won’t want to miss. There also will be a costume contest that the audience will be able to participate in.
The UA will premiere the movie at midnight of the opening date. Among the crowd will be Dr. Mike Bellah who teaches English composition and technical writing at Amarillo College.
“I have class the next day, but I can go sleepy like my students do,” he said.
Bellah is a long-time fan of the Narnia series. He became interested in the books when he read them to his 5 children in the late 70’s and early 80’s. When Bellah obtained his Master’s degree, he wrote his thesis on the 7 stories of the Chronicles. Now he continues to read the popular books to his grandchildren.
“Everyone should go (see “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe),” Bellah said. “Lewis didn’t believe that the Chronicles were just for children. He felt that any story worth reading as a child is worth reading as an adult.”
The way Lewis presents his Christian vision is captivating to many of his readers. Although Bellah shares Lewis’ Christian mindset, he believes that a person of any religion would enjoy the film.
“I think anyone, Christian or not, will enjoy the movie just because [the story] is so engaging. Don‘t try to be over-analytical and look at the theology of the movie. Just enjoy it.
“Christians will see symbols that relate to their faith, but Lewis didn’t set out to write for Christian allegory. He set out to write a good story and the other just came naturally because that‘s who he was,” Bellah said.
Those interested in the Romantic aspect of the Narnia series can enroll in a class that will be offered at AC in the spring 2006 semester. Bellah will teach the course.
“It’s for people who want to enrich their lives and have fun with it,” Bellah said.
According to Bellah, the class will meet on Monday nights from 7:00 to 9:30 for 8 weeks. The course will begin on Jan. 23 and be completed on Mar. 20. It costs around $51 to enroll. Anyone who wishes to sign up for the class should contact AC’s registrar’s office by calling 371-5000.
