The Iconic Silver Chair Plot Twist! (That Surprised No One) | Talking Beasts
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Undoubtedly, the reveal of Prince Rilian is one of the most memorable moments in The Chronicles of Narnia… despite the fact that most readers saw it coming a mile away. Listen to the podcasters discuss how BBC handled this iconic scene in Episode 5 of the 1990 television mini-series.
Sorry, no post-show chatter today.
I love this moment in the books, but have wondered if cinematically, Netflix could do something to make this moment a little less obvious to the viewer. Not sure what it would be, but I’ve wondered if a red herring – that leads Eustace and co. to think that Rilian is somewhere else possibly, may work better on the big screen. Great pod!
Glad to hear some love for the Focus on the Family radio theatre adaptations! I agree with Rilian (the podcaster) that the FotF voice actor for Rilian (the character) plays the two sides of this character very well and makes them both equally alarming in different ways. I’d be scared to cut his cords, too! Having only heard the audio clips from the BBC version in this podcast, never seen it with video, I can’t fully judge, but their Rilian didn’t quite capture that same eeriness for me. Either way, excellent podcast!
Wow, the Talking Beasts Podcast is still going in the month of June! Amazing!
I also wish Gymfan the best as she goes on with her move!
It is interesting to hear Rilian and Glumpuddle discuss how an episode is able to handle the reveal of the long lost prince. I can see how tricky it would to do on screen. It will be interesting how it will be visualized something in a new SC movie or series adaptation.
I always thought the BBC Narnia worked better as movies than separate 25 minute episodes. The short episodes are two brief a time for what happens in the books. There were other TV shows adapted the stories using that method for broadcast such as the Dickens programs on the BBC. I thought it was much better to have more of the plot in one sitting than to have the story broken up into half hour segments. For me it is too small a portion of the story. Of course if you own the series you can watch as much as you want of the program. The Silver Chair is a great book deserves more than small parts of the story for the viewer at one time.
Tom Baker was incredible as Puddleglum showing his bravery and honesty. It would be hard to find another actor who would be as good in the role. 🙂
The beast is so strong. It is the main character in the book. It make the book become exciting.
I think Rilian no matter what would look different considering he is now 31 and he probably does not spend anytime taking care of his hair while he is under the spell. Clothing and hair can change the looks of someone quite significantly if done well.
I still want Rillian to be cast as a young man, but I think it still would be possible to have two actors, a 14/15 year old and a 24/25 year old. But here’s. the thing: you CAN’T hide that this is Rillian. It’s near the end of the story and this is the first human man they’ve seen since they left Narnia. It has to be him, so just tell the story. Make it creepy and eerie and sad, make the viewers wonder how they will rescue him from insanity and fear for their safety. But I hope they don’t manipulate the story to try and get a big reveal.
It was interesting that so much of this episode was just about the book or the story in general rather than the BBC episode itself. I guess that’s a tribute to how relatively true it is to the source material. I agree with what Glumpuddle said about misdirection drawing viewers’ attention to the reveal of Rilian’s identity and I agree with what Rilian said about there still being drama whether or not the viewer guesses who he is right away. (Fun Fact: The first time I read the book, I didn’t guess. I was just expecting him to act more like a prisoner and be more likable, I suppose. Maybe I was kind of dumb as a kid. 🙂 )
I’m kind of relieved that Rilian agrees with me that it’s better for Rilian to come across as rabid and intimidating when he’s sane and tied to the chair. The character portrayal in this episode always bugged me and I’ve never heard anyone else mention it. So many people say The Silver Chair is the best installment of BBC’s Narnia saga and the way they adapted this scene is the main reason I disagree. And, yes, the Radio Theatre version is great.
I disagree with Glumpuddle about Will Poulter’s Eustace coming across as a totally different character once he’s redeemed. It’s true that he doesn’t have moments where he sounds like his old whiny self, but before he’s dragoned, he gets moments of vulnerability where he sounds like how he will once he’s been undragoned. If there’s an extent to which I can agree with Glumpuddle on this, it’s because the movie had Eustace’s character development all take place while he’s dragon whereas in the book, C. S. Lewis stresses that that was only the starting point. The film’s story structure made it so the actor didn’t really get to show Eustace changing much. Only the animators (for the dragon) did.
That being said, yes, David Thwaites and Camilla Power are great in this series!
P.S.
I missed Gymfan in this episode, but I don’t want to make it sound like she has to be on the podcast all the time. I understand she has a life.