Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Azlan sends two children off to rescue Prince Rilian, 21 May 2003
"The Silver Chair" is the four and final adaptation of one of The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis, although I am surprised that this series was not able to complete the entire set of novels In this story Eustace Scrubb (David Thwaites) is being tormented at school and while looking for a place to hide from the bullies ends up entering the magical world of Narnia from a garden shed, along with another persecuted classmate, Jill Pole (Camilla Power). There Aslan gives them the task of rescuing Prince Rilian, the stolen son of King Caspian. This requires them to travel, along with Puddleglum the Marshwiggle (Tom Baker), north to the Deep Lands of the underworld belonging to the Green Lady (Barbara Kellerman). There they meet the Black Knight, who is under the enchantment of the evil Green Lady, who tortures him in a Silver Chair that sends him into a terrifying rage. By the time you get to "The Silver Chair" you have either accepted the limited special effects of this production or not. Yes, the animatronics of Aslan are almost unbelievably simplistic, but the kids always talk to him like he was a real lion and ruler of Narnia and that is all that really matters in the end. The costumes and sets are pretty good and above all the story is faithful to the Lewis narrative. One of the things I enjoyed most about the "The Silver Chair" is the way that Lewis elegantly works in Christian elements into the story. Azlan works hard to have Jill learn a series of signs, by which she and Eustace will be able to achieve their goal. However, Jill has problems remembering the signs and Eustace does not really seem up to the challenge. Then again, most great children's literature works on two levels, although clearly "The Silver Chair" and the other chronicles will appeal more to the kids, which is fine, because that is really who they were intended for even though they are arguably too good for the little ones.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tom Baker steals the show in this lavish BBC classic, 1 Nov 2001
By A Customer
The fourth and final instalment of the BBC's Chronicles of Narnia series has to be the best of the four! With a wonderful cast, including ex Doctor Who Tom Baker, Patsy Byrne and the brilliant Barbara Kellerman, Ronald Pick-Up and Warwick Davies all returning for this breath taking production. Tom Baker is particularly outstanding as Puddleglum the Marsh Wiggle. Baker is suitably cast in the role and his rich, deep voice and superb facial expressions steal the show, especially the final confrontation with the Green Witch, brilliantly brought to life by the returning Barbara Kellerman. Kellerman's chilling performance as The White Witch in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,is matched here by a scary display as the Green Witch. Richard Henders deserves special praise for his manic portrayal of the bewitched Prince Rillian and you just feel the adult performers are let down by a disappointing performance from David Thwaites as Eustace. The costumes are once again brilliant and the effects do remind you of the classic sci fi show Doctor Who, but the unbelievable costume of Aslan will mesmorise you. It is so life like and the voice work of Ronald Pick-Up gives one a great sense of the lion's authority. The sets are outstanding, particularly the underground scenes and the scenes at Harfang are also extremely good. The only niggle with the video, is that the cliffhangers from the end of each episode have been taken away and it has been blended into one long movie edition. This is a shame, as having viewed the original version, the cliffhangers are exciting, especially when Puddleglum is apparantly killed by the giants of Ettinsmoor. Definately one for the family this. In fact, I would recommend all of the Narnia tales on BBC Video. They will all make you enchanted forever!
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mesmorising, 15 Feb 2002
By A Customer
Another mesmorising BBC classic. The Chronicles of Narnia was a wonderful television series and it is sad that The Silver Chair was the last story to be made. The acting per usual is superb, with strong performances from Barbara Kellerman, Richard Henders and the brilliant Tom Baker. One for all the family!
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