New DVD Release Invites C.S. Lewis Fans to Look 'Beyond Narnia'
by Jenni Parker
March 27, 2006
(AgapePress) - - A new DVD coming out tomorrow will offer a glimpse into the private life of the man who brought Narnia to life for readers of all ages, and whose writings have helped generations of thinkers and believers wrestle with questions of faith in such works as Mere Christianity and the Problem of Pain. 
C.S. Lewis: Beyond Narnia is a dramatic retelling of the life of beloved British author and Christian apologist Clive Staples Lewis. The biographical film, presented as seen through the writer's own eyes and told in flashbacks interspersed with wise and witty commentary from Lewis' himself (portrayed by Anton Rodgers), touches on his life, family, friendships and loves, as well as his spiritual journey from atheism to faith and from despair, through loss and grief, to joy.
The television premiere of this one-hour docudrama, which originally aired exclusively on the Hallmark Channel last December, was timed to coincide with the theatrical release of Walt Disney Pictures' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The debut of the film on DVD has likewise been timed to coincide roughly with the DVD release of Disney's Narnia movie.
The producers and distributors of Beyond Narnia see it as the perfect companion to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe on DVD, as the docudrama presents to C.S. Lewis fans and novices the "story behind the story" -- that is, the true story of the man whose imagination gave rise to the magical world of Narnia as well as many masterpieces of Christian-themed literature.
Beyond Narnia was produced by Faith & Values Media and has been well received by critics and audiences alike. The film was selected by the C.S. Lewis Foundation for its world premier showing at their Oxbridge Festival at the University of Cambridge in England; and it recently garnered the Hollywood Film Advisory Board's "Award of Excellence."
The writer and director of Beyond Narnia is Norman Stone, the award-winning filmmaker who directed the 1985 British TV production of Shadowlands, a movie adapted from William Nicholson's critically acclaimed biographical play. Stone says his hope for the docudrama is that it will "present Lewis' inspiring story for believers and non-believers alike" and will "give viewers insight behind the Chronicles" into the mind from which they sprang.
"C.S. Lewis has long been considered one of the twentieth century's most influential figures," Stone adds. "Perhaps the time has come to rediscover the man who gave us such an amazing sweep of popular literature and who has contributed so much to so many in terms of thinking and believing in a modern age."
The Story of a Reluctant Convert
Edward J. Murray, president and CEO of Faith & Values Media, notes that Beyond Narnia paints an intimate portrait of the admired writer of Christian classics like The Chronicles of Narnia, The Screwtape Letters, The Four Loves, and The Great Divorce. The film dramatizes important moments and relationships that shaped his spiritual perspectives. It also shows the aged author reflecting on his younger self in ways that are often humorous, occasionally painful, and always earnest.
"C.S. Lewis' journey from skepticism to faith is a predominant theme in many of his works," Murray points out. Beyond Narnia takes up that theme, he says, and "explores the events in Lewis' life which not only led him to accept the existence of God, but to accept God as a central part of his life and writings."
As the film unfolds, viewers become acquainted with Lewis as a boy, filled with the wonder of his own imagination and the happiness of a secure existence in a loving family, until tragedy struck. The loss of his mother to cancer cast an early shadow over young Clive's life, and contributed to the anger that caused him eventually to reject Christianity. Later, during his tour of duty in World War I, the misery and death he witnessed caused him to reject God's existence completely and to bury himself in his studies at Oxford University.
Nevertheless, as Lewis (portrayed by British actor Anton Rodgers) describes his years of skepticism, he acknowledges that like most atheists, his beliefs were fraught with contradictions and that, even as he maintained God did not exist, he was very angry with God for not existing. Meanwhile, he found to his annoyance that his favorite books were all written by Christians, and many of his friends and colleagues professed faith in Christ as well.
Over time the influence of friends like J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and Hugo Dyson -- members of the intellectual circle Lewis frequented, who called themselves the "Inklings" -- combined with the Oxford scholar's own readings and reflections to wear down his resistance to God. At one point Rodgers, as Lewis, remarks that while people talk of man's search for God, "one might as well talk of the mouse's search for the cat."
Shaken by Grief, Steadied by Faith, Surprised by Joy
Beyond Narnia also recounts the great love story between Lewis and American poet Joy Davidman Gresham, with whom he corresponded, then met and developed a deep friendship. How that led to their civil marriage, the realization of their deep love for each other, and their second marriage "in the eyes of God" is related in touching vignettes and in Rodgers' vivid and heartfelt narration.
After a few brief years together, Lewis lost Joy Gresham to cancer, and her death shook his faith to its foundations. In Beyond Narnia, the author reflects with honesty and humanity on his path through that pain and his struggle to reconcile his belief in God with the existence of sorrow and suffering, a theme that emerges repeatedly in his writings. The film presents what is ultimately a story of triumph over the deep shadows that fell across this great Christian thinker's life and how he traveled through times of tremendous darkness to find his way back to light, to joy, and to faith.
Beyond Narnia will release March 28 on DVD through Gaiam, Inc., with distribution into the Christian Booksellers Association market through EMI Distribution. Sue Haney, Gaiam's vice president of retail marketing, says her company is very proud to be distributing the extraordinary film.
"Not only is it a compelling story of faith," Haney notes, "but it provides a true understanding of the birth of Narnia and one of the greatest creative minds of our time."
