Reviews (6)

A Verry Enjoyable Adaptation of One of My Favorite Books
"The Chronicles of Narnia," by C. S. Lewis, are truly superb books, and I believe that "The Silver Chair" is my favorite from the series. The beautifully conveyed morals are truly wonderful! This particular installment in the series is terrific, because it concerns the daring mission of two children, (Eustace Scrubb, and Jill Pole,) and a Marsh-Wiggle, (Puddleglum,) who are commanded by The Great Lion Aslan, to go in search for "The Lost Prince Rilian," who has been seduced and held captive by an unsurpassably evil force. They face many perils during their quest, and must use caution in order to discern between those whom they meet, in order to see whom they can trust. The BBC adaptation of this book is verry good, with the children turning in nice performances, (although Camilla Powers, who portrays Jill, is a little too whiny for my liking,) and the actor portraying Puddleglum does an exceptionally terrific job! A special compliment is needed for the performance of Barbara Kellerman, who portrays "The Emerald Lady." Her brilliant seductiveness, and ultimately her true sinister purpose is revealed, and she does a great job. Ronald Pickup, (the voice of Aslan,) does well at conveying his authority and love. The only minor complaints I would make is that the the director takes some liberties with a scene in which Jill, Eustace, and Puddle-Glum encounter a knight (who is more than what he seems.) This particular character is far too sinister in manner, quite contrary to the chearful character in the book. I realize the directors intention in doing this, but perhaps it was a little overdone. The only other complaint that I have is that the ending of the film differs greatly from the book, for the director took a sceen from "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," and wove it into the plot, yet if anything it enhances the plot, and is no cause for distress in my opinion. All in all, a verry good adaptation, and truly worth your time. Take care, and happy viewing!

Chronicles of Narnia - The Silver Chair
Disappointing version of the C.S. Lewis book. One of the more exciting novels in the series, but this miniseries is just dull and boring. The acting is amateur and I discovered recently that Camilla Power who plays Jill in this miniseries, was known in the Czech culture for a dubb voice in the Czech movie, "Alice" by Jan Svankmajer. Oh, such talent! Not all what I was expecting. Skip this part, if you can.

the chronicles of narnia are great movies
these movies depict events in the Bible, not like harry potter
[:(] depicting socery & selling it to children. the person that wrote from aukland new zealand has some very messed up perspectives. if anything harry potter is "very plastic, the actors were too theatrical, and their acting was over the top." what is decent about harry potter?

Charming and faithful to the books
My children (ages 8 and 9) both watch this and the other BBC Narnia videos time and time again. They never tire of them and neither do I. The moral tales that are included are wonderful "teachable moments" and the overall tone is intelligent as well as magical. I highly recommend the whole series.

The BBC Series Of The Chronicles Of Narnai
I found this series to be quite disapointing. The BBC version seemed very plastic. The actors were too theatrical and their acting too over the top. Characters like Reepicheep were played by dwarfs and the whole thing seemed too stiff. I wish someone would take hold of this wonderful series of books by C S Lewis and make a decent go of it like Harry Potter. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Poorly put together...
I was surprisingly disappointed with this. I liked the original series. The selected episodes seem intended mainly to explain the change in Robin Hood character (Robin of Huntingdon vs. Robin of Loxley ...clever) and it all seemed like a big set up for a rather minor main plot. Robin was basically getting the band back together (like the Blues Brothers?!). I think earlier episodes with the original Robin, or later episodes with this Robin (blond son of 007 Sean Connery) would probably be a better bet. Failing that get a copy of the King Arthur TV series starring Oliver Tobias (also on VHS) -- which seemed to stand up better.

Robin of Sherwood: Herne's second son, Robert of Huntingdon
'Herne's Son', which was an episode comprised of two parts, kicked off the third and last season of the UK HTV/Goldcrest series 'Robin of Sherwood'. It was based on a rather different premise than in the first and second season. The departure of leading actor Michael Praed (Robin of Loxley) from the series [the first Robin was given a grand and tragic finale in the last episode of the second season], compelled the creators to search for a new Robin. Rather than continuing the character of Robin of Loxley with a another actor they decided to create an entirely different Robin. This new Robin was Robert, son of the earl of Huntingdon. Thus the series drew inspiration from both versions of the Robin Hood legend: that he was of low birth or an earl's son. Cast as the new Robin was actor Jason Connery, son of Sean. This because of his acting talents as well as for the impact of the Connery name. Jason Connery faced a difficult task, he had to compete with Michael Praed's ghost and that of his father [Sean Connery played Robin Hood in 'Robin and Marian']. But his excellent self effacing, confident, eminently human and sympathetic Robin would win the hearts of the viewers. In my opinion Michael Praed, Jason Connery and his father Sean were the best Robins ever to appear on the silver or small screen. The wonderful chemistry on and off screen [Jason Connery won the friendship of his fellow actors as well] between the actors is once again evident and one of the things which makes this series so special. The new Robin and his friends - Marion (Judi Trott), Little John (Clive Mantle), Will Scarlet (Ray Winstone), Friar Tuck (Phil Rose), Much (Peter LLewellyn Williams and Nasir (Mark Ryan) [creator Richard Carpenter was the first author to introduce a Saracen character into the band of merry men] would face many challenges together. The Sheriff (Nicholas Grace) and Gisburne (Robert Addie) would once more thwart them with relish. From the rushes on the floors to the soldiers chain mails the series looked wonderfully authentic and gritty. But the element of mysticism (Herne) and sorcery contributed once again to its success as well as the excellent perfomances of the outstanding cast and the dedication of the crew.

As for the story: It's a year after the tragic events of the second season's finale. After Robin's death his friends lost heart and disbanded. Marion who has returned to her father Sir Richard of Leaford, has been pardoned by the king, still mourns deeply her deceased lover. The earl of Huntingdon who seeks to ingratiate himself with the raucous marcher lord Owen of Clun gives a feast to which Marion, her father and Owen are invited. Both the earl's young son, Robert and lord Owen fall head over heels in love with Marion, lord Owen takes what he wants and kidnaps Marion. Robert who has been summoned by Herne to be his son and do his bidding, sets out to save Marion and find her friends. Thus the third season got a wonderful and exciting start and Herne's second son certainly became very dear to me.

Wonderful
This is such a good series - I wish (without much hope) that the entire series would be released on dvd in the U.S.. A very well made programme wiich is more mythological in it's approach rather than good guys v. bad guys.

Excellent Series
This version is much darker and mythical than other versions of the popular legend so may not be suitable for everyone, however I recommend everyone gives it a try. The acting is excellent throughout and the scenery beautiful. ... Read more

Book Description

Running from bullies at school, Eustace and schoolmate Jill unexpectedly find themselves in the enchanted land of Narnia and in the very presence of the Great Lion Aslan. Join Eustace, Jill, and their strange but courageous friend Puddleglum as they travel through dangerous and unknown lands in their quest to find and rescue the heir to Narnia's throne, Prince Rilian. ... Read more

Reviews (64)

Azlan sends two children off to rescue Prince Rilian
"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.

Book 6 - A guide to the unending enchantment of Narnia
"The Silver Chair" was the fourth book published in the Narnia Chronicles, but chronologically is the second last in the series and is published as such by most modern publishers. The story revolves around cousin Eustace (a familiar face from "Prince Caspian") and his classmate Jill Pole. Eustace and Jill narrowly escape school bullies and find themselves in Narnia. In Narnia, Aslan himself commissions them on a quest to find Caspian's missing son and heir, prince Rilian, who has been abducted by an evil witch posing as a beautiful woman and a horrible green snake. They are joined in their quest by Puddleglum, a charming Marsh-wiggle whose extreme pessimism ( "he's always expecting the worst and he's always wrong" p.93) is matched by his bravery. Together they escape the perils of giants, and by rescuing Rilian from his enchantment in the Underworld and restoring him to his father, they prevent the Green Lady from by achieving her evil ambitions in becoming Narnia's queen.

As with all the Narnia Chronicles, on the level of children the story functions as a perfectly comprehensible and exciting fantasy adventure, but on an adult level it imparts powerful spiritual truths about Christianity by means of numerous recognizable Biblical allusions. Lewis intended "The Silver Chair" to portray the ongoing war against the powers of darkness. He emphasizes the truth of Deuteronomy 6 that in this war the signs of God's Word need to be carefully remembered and obeyed: "And whatever strange things may happen to you, let nothing turn your minds from following the signs ... it is so important to know them by heart and pay no attention to appearances. Remember the signs and believe the signs. Nothing else matters." (p.24-26). Failing to follow these signs makes the task more difficult, but not impossible. These failures, however, constitute sin, which is clearly portrayed as the fault of man: "We must just own up" (p.123) and "We've brought the anger of Aslan on us. That's what comes of not attending to the signs." (p.132) The only solution is to drink from Christ the living water, for there is no other source of water apart from him "There is no other stream" (p.20-21). There are also strong allusions to the doctrine of predestination: "You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you." (p.23) "There *are* no accidents. Our guide is Aslan; and he was there when the giant King caused the letters to be cut, and he knew already all things that would come of them; including *this*." (p.160)

As always, in all the upheavals and conflicts of Narnia, Aslan is the one constant, and it is his vital involvement that enables the children to complete their Narnian quest, just as it is Christ who inspires, comforts, guides, and saves in the real world. Narnia may exist only in Lewis imagination and ours, but these underlying truths about Christ ensure that a journey to Narnia is never without profit for the real world.

A classic story and a spiritual allegory
If you have not read any of CS Lewis classic book series about Narnia, please do so. The stories are wonderfully written and will engage you like few other works. Part spiritual allegory and part fantasy and adventure, these stories are timeless.

My personal favorite of the 7 stories is this one: The Silver Chair. Starting with the unexpected trip into Narnia, the story involves the search for a missing prince and a dangerous and exciting journey to find him. While the plot is quickly engaging and always enjoyable, even after dozens of readings, in this story Lewis uses some of the most powerful of Christian allegories to depict faith, deception, and courage. Choices made along the way are often disastrous and are the result of convenience and comfort over faith. Truly a sound statement into our own journeys, and a spiritual struggle depicted accurately.

I will not spoil the plot, but if you have not enjoyed this series, pick up any of the seven books, or better yet get them all at once. The story starts either with "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" which was the first published, or "The Magician's Nephew" which is chronologically the first. Either way, you won't be disappointed. Next to "The Silver Chair", I also found "The Horse and His Boy" and "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" to be absolute classics.

Buy this series, and enjoy one of the true treasures in literature from a fabulous writer, the world renowned CS Lewis.

Prince Rilian, Lost Forever or Found
The book The Silver Chair, by C. S. Luis is a great adventure story that is part of a seven-book series. The story has two main characters; Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole. Eustace Scrubb is a schoolboy who goes to school at the Experiment House with Jill. He has actually been in Narnia before with his cousins; Lucy and Edmund. Jill Pole gets bullied around a lot at school, and didn't believe Eustace at first when he was trying to tell her about Narnia.
The book starts off at the Experiment House with Jill hiding behind a curtain crying because the bullies won't leave her alone. Eustace finds her and tells her about Narnia and how they might be able to get back there. At first Jill didn't believe him. Then bullies came in the room looking for her, so the made a dash for a door that isn't usually open but they tried it anyway because it was their only way of escape. To their surprise, the door was open, but not leading outside the school, but instead to Narnia.
Before I start telling you about Narnia and what happened there; I must give you some background information. The was a queen of Narnia (she was married to King Caspian the 10th) and she had a son named Prince Rilian. One day the queen and prince were out on a walk with some others. The queen was tired and decided to go asleep on the grass. The prince, not wanting to wake her, went off just a little way (so he could still see her) to play. After a little while they saw a green worm crawl out from the wood and bite her. The prince ran after the worm, but it got away. After a few minutes the queen was dead. After that the prince devoted his life to finding the worm and avenging it. After months of looking one of a lord suggested he stop looking for the worm. Prince Rilian told him for the past couple of weeks he no longer searched for the worm, but visited a lady in secret. The lord came with him one day and to his surprise, the lady was in the same spot where his mom died. She was a beautiful woman dressed all in green. The lord decided not to tell anyone because he thought there was no harm in it. The next day, the prince never returned from his journey.
They stepped into Narnia and found they were on the edge of a cliff. Eustace was afraid of heights and just stood there in shock. When he got away from the edge, Jill walked up even closer to the edge, trying to show off, and found she couldn't move and almost fell of the edge but Eustace saved her, and while doing so fell off the edge himself! The next thing Jill knew she was lying down in the same spot with a huge lion (Aslan, the 'Jesus' of Narnia) next to her blowing at something. Then she was Eustace floating, getting higher and farther away from her. She was terrified and very thirsty. Aslan soon left and she found her strength again to lift her-self up to go find some water. She finally found a stream, but Aslan was lying next to it. He said to her, "If you are thirsty, come and drink." She was to petrified to move, but eventually found her courage to go get a drink. He told her he needed her help. She was to, along with Eustace, find the lost Prince Rilian. He gave her signs and directions to recognize the prince; "First; as soon as the Boy Eustace sets foot in Narnia, he will meet an old and dear friend. He must greet that friend at once; if he does, you will both have good help. Second; You must journey out of Narnia to the north till you come to a ruined city of ancient giants. Third; you will find writing on a stone in that ruined city, and you must do what the writing tells you. Fourth; You will know the lost prince (if you find him) by this, that he will be the first person you have met in your travels who will ask you to do something in my name, in the name of Aslan."
Aslan soon blew her to where Eustace landed, and shortly afterwards, and owl came to them and told Trumpkin, the dwarf in charge, that they were there. He gave them good beds, food, ands baths. Jill was just about to go to bed when the same owl (Glimfeather) came tapping on her window and told her he would help them as much as the owls could, then went to tell Eustace the same. Glimfeather flew them both to the owls' meeting spot and got help from another owl to fly them to a Puddleglum's house.
Puddleglum is a marsh-wiggle, which is kind of like a very gloomy person, who always looks at the downside of things. He travels with them their whole journey. They started their journey north the next day. After a couple days of walking they came across what at first looked like boulders, then Jill noticed how they might look kind of like giants at night, then one moved. After a while they came to a bridge and decided to cross it. While they were crossing it they met a beautiful woman dressed in green riding along with a knight. She recommended the gentle giants' city near by to lodge in. After some arguing, they decided to take her advice.
When they arrived they were welcomed and treated nicely. Puddlegum tried to stay on the look out, but he got a little drunk and barely even knew who he was. It turned out the giants actually wanted to eat them, and kept them there for the Autumn Feast coming up. Will they ever escape? If they do, will they find Prince Rilian? To find out read the book The Silver Chair.

More of the same from Narnia - which is not a bad thing
Another installment in the classic children's series The Narnia Chronicles, "The Silver Chair" continues the pattern of presenting stand-alone stories that work within a grander story arc. Also like previous installments, "The Silver Chair" brings back familiar characters while also introducing new cast members, lending the story an air of familiarity while still remaining fresh.

In this installment Eustace, the ill-mannered lad who learned the error of his ways in "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," along with his schoolmate, Jill, pair up for adventure. While fleeing bullies at their school - a progressive and modern (for its time) institution that Lewis openly and repeatedly scorns - Eustace and Jill find themselves thrown into the world of Narnia. Once there, Aslan gives Jill a series of vague instructions to follow during their adventure.

Eustace and Jill find themselves on a quest to find the lost Prince Rillian, the son of King Caspian (who in this tale makes two brief cameos as an old man). They team up with Puddleglum, a gloomy a creature called a Marsh-Wiggle who always sees the down side of things. Together, the three go in search of the Prince.

The setup tells the reader right off what sort of story it will be: a traveling adventure in which the group works through a series of dangerous situations and visits new and strange lands. The story takes a few chapters to get moving properly, shortening the main quest; there are only three or so key locations. Still, those locations are a mix of classic genre archetypes and fantastic settings. For an important segment of the story - a castle of giants - genre archetypes rule the day.

"Silver Chair," though it visits places in Narnia not previously seen, feels less epic than previous installments. However, a glimpse of a greater and more wondrous world near the end helps alleviate that failing.

The character of Jill undergoes almost the same transformation that Eustace did in "Voyage," while Eustace himself plays the role that Edmund, Peter and the gang did in earlier books. That's not altogether bad, but it's not altogether good, either, especially if you are reading the whole series straight through. because Jill's transformation immediately follows Eustace's.

All in all, "The Silver Chair" is not as engaging as others in the series, with a loose plot tied together largely by a "you must trust Aslan" theme, but does not fall nearly as flat as "Caspian." For a good stretch the story moves along at a brisk pace and offers a playful series of adventures, delivering just the sort of engaging story that makes the Narnia Chronicles such a beloved series. Sure it suffers from too slow a start and too slow a finish, both which drag the story down, but at its core it's more of the same from Narnia. And that's not a bad thing at all. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Prince Caspian, the second fantasy adventure after The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in British author C.S. Lewis's beloved, Bible-based Narnia series, was first published in 1951, with The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952) just on its heels. In 1989, these two novels were merged and adapted into a BBC TV series, and then edited into a riveting, but rather homespun feature-length production in two parts. In the first 59-minute episode, Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter are mysteriously whisked back to Narnia at the call of Prince Caspian, nephew of the cruel King Miraz, ruler of all Narnia. Miraz, who silenced Old Narnia, wants to kill his nephew, the rightful heir to the throne, so his own new baby son can be king. The four siblings help the fauns, dwarves, and talking animals of Old Narnia in Aslan's fierce battle to drive Miraz out of Narnia.

In the second, 109-minute episode, Lucy, Edmund, and their obnoxious cousin Eustace Scrubb have just been sucked into a maritime painting of the Dawn Treader... and into another dangerous adventure in which the children assist Caspian on a voyage to rescue seven lords of Narnia, banished under Miraz's reign, encountering invisible armies, dragons, and their own nightmares--and sailing to the edge of the world. Lewis's hearty, old-fashioned battle of good vs. evil, brought to life with clashing swords, gorgeous costumes, and some pretty darn good (if sometimes hokey) special effects, makes for an exciting, blustery journey to the world of Narnia. --Karin Snelson ... Read more

Reviews (14)

The Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian ~1990~
This is the worst of the BBC "chronicles of Narnia"
trilogy. While the story of Prince Caspian is worth
almost 4 stars, the dawn treader story is boring and
done poorly. I understand that this film is 13 years
old, made for TV and for children, but the scene with
the dragon is so badly done. I would have liked the BBC
to elaborate more on "prince caspian", but I understand
they had to inlcude the "dawn treader" because we are
introduced to one of the main characters from "the silver chair".

I liked "the lion witch and the wardrobe" and "the silver chair", but they will cost almost the same seperatly as the complete triology boxed set. I think older fans(13+) should
skip this film, but younger fans(12 and younger) may like it.

An Improvement over the Last
These two books come to life are better than the first attempt, with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Perhaps because special effects are less called for in these two books, the poor quality of the movie effects is less visible than it was in the first movie. But there are definite improvements too. The costumes look much more real- I don't think that's a person in a badger costume, I think that's a rather large badger, albeit still primitively done. It helped that in some cases they used shorter people in this movie. The centaur is superbly done, as a computer is actually used, planting a human body over a horse. There is thankfully very little of the rather silly drawings on the film that were so common-place in the first movie. And it is always a challenge to do a movie on water. With such a low budget, I was thinking they would not be able to do a convincing Dawn Treader. But it is very convincing, and very like the book's description of a small boat that can service 40 men.

The children's acting, while good in the first movie, has also improved. And the new actor, playing Eustace, greatly adds, as you feel he is a total prig, but then also feel his deep emotions as he becomes a dragon and changes through his whole being.

While most of the sets look like they are some place in England, frankly, in Lewis' mind, they probably were someplace in England. That's how he writes most of his books, from his imagination growing up, and what he had seen.

The main draw back to the movie is less authenticity and faithfulness to the texts. It happens when you put two books into one 2 hour movie. There are major sections of Prince Caspian missing, and parts that feel rushed and unexplained, leaving the first half somewhat more boring. The climatic scenes in which Aslan makes everything in Narnia set right again are missing- but again, this would have required a bigger budget to create, with trees winding over bridges and tearing them down. There is no explanation of how the humans came to dominate Narnia, or where they go afterward (as there was in the book). Some of the best theological bits from Dawn Treader are missing- as when Lucy eavesdrops on her sister, and learns from Aslan that no man is given to know what might have been. Or when Aslan has to dig his claws into Eustace the Dragon to remove the skin that Eustace can't remove himself. Two longer movies could have made these adaptations even better.

success, but one failure
I think the narnia chronicles are great,thelion,thewitch etc was a great PartI of the narnia series. my whole family loves the narnia movies ,although when we watched PartII, princecaspian & the voyage of the dawn treader,i didnt exactly see eye to eye with the special effects. PrinceCaspian was'nt exactly, what i thought it should be. the voyage of the dawn treader is simply superior to prince caspian & wonderful special effects. If anything, prince caspian should be remade, while the dawn treader should stay. then my second favorite,the Silver Chair, is PartIII and was one of the two best movies , in the chronicles of narnia.the time people get to this narnian ending, they will usually be curious to see if it makes up the holes in the series.So i highly recommend that you see firstly the wardrobe one, then skip prince caspian and go on to the voyage of the dawn treader so you'll be able to understand PartIII, the silver chair.

Legendary Voyage
Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy return to the magical land of Narnia to help Prince Caspian to defeat the wicked King Miraz (who is also Caspian's uncle). The BBC did a good job of making this second adventure in Narina. Although, you may frown at the low-grade special effects.

Edmund, Lucy and Eustace are sent to Narnia to help Caspian (now king of Narnia) to find the seven missing Lords of Narnia in Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Eustace is Lucy and Edmund's horrible cousin who doesn't like being in Narnia until he sees Aslan.

Another two adventures in the magical land of Narnia
Granted, the special effects in the BBC's adaptation of the C.S. Lewis Narnia series are minimalist. The animatronics of Aslan, the original lion king, are less than what Abraham Lincoln was doing in the Hall of Presidents at Disneyland forty years ago. But somehow in the final analysis that does not really matter for enjoying either "Prince Caspian" or "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader." All of the kids who end up in the magical land of Narnia treat Aslan as if he was real and the production has great costumes and above average sets. Beyond all that, the stories are enthralling enough that the limitations of the special effects end up being rather inconsequential.

"Prince Caspian" finds Lucy (Sophie Wilcox), Edmund (Jonathan R. Scott), Susan (Sophie Cook), and Peter (Richard Dempsey) return to Narnia, not through the wardrobe but in response to the call of Prince Caspian (Jean Marc Perret), the nephew of the King Miraz, the despot who is now ruling the land. The evil king wants to kill Caspian, the rightful heir to the thrown, and it is up to the four siblings to take up arms and magic potions to help those who follow Aslan's banner to set thing to right.

"The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" begins with Lucy, Edmund, and their annoyingly obnoxious cousin Eustace Scrubb (David Thwaites) being drawn into painting of the Dawn Treader. Aboard they find Caspian (Samuel West), now King of Narnia, who is on a voyage to find the seven lords of Narnia that were banished by the evil Miraz. Consequently we have a series of visits to various islands offering a whole variety of adventures, which makes this the much more ambitious story of the pair on this video (and twice as long). The major subplot is getting Eustace to grow up, stop acting like a spoiled brat, and accept the fact that this is Narnia and there is no British Consul to be found.

Some people will not be happy with the limitations of this television production, but it is a television production and certainly in keeping with the grand tradition of other BBC productions we have seen in the past. Aside from the special effects the look of the production is totally appropriate. The children tend to act like children for the most part, even when they are dressed up in armor and whacking at people with swords (think about it; that is rather hard to carry off). Yes, this production is not as good as the books they are based on, but we knew that going in boys and girls. For those who need special effects to be first and foremost, a new production is coming out soon that may rectify that supposed deficiency. But hopefully it will have the heart and soul of this one. ... Read more

Book Description

Running from bullies at school, Eustace and schoolmate Jill unexpectedly find themselves in the enchanted land of Narnia and in the very presence of the Great Lion Aslan. Join Eustace, Jill, and their strange but courageous friend Puddleglum as they travel through dangerous and unknown lands in their quest to find and rescue the heir to Narnia's throne, Prince Rilian. ... Read more

Reviews (64)

Azlan sends two children off to rescue Prince Rilian
"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.

Book 6 - A guide to the unending enchantment of Narnia
"The Silver Chair" was the fourth book published in the Narnia Chronicles, but chronologically is the second last in the series and is published as such by most modern publishers. The story revolves around cousin Eustace (a familiar face from "Prince Caspian") and his classmate Jill Pole. Eustace and Jill narrowly escape school bullies and find themselves in Narnia. In Narnia, Aslan himself commissions them on a quest to find Caspian's missing son and heir, prince Rilian, who has been abducted by an evil witch posing as a beautiful woman and a horrible green snake. They are joined in their quest by Puddleglum, a charming Marsh-wiggle whose extreme pessimism ( "he's always expecting the worst and he's always wrong" p.93) is matched by his bravery. Together they escape the perils of giants, and by rescuing Rilian from his enchantment in the Underworld and restoring him to his father, they prevent the Green Lady from by achieving her evil ambitions in becoming Narnia's queen.

As with all the Narnia Chronicles, on the level of children the story functions as a perfectly comprehensible and exciting fantasy adventure, but on an adult level it imparts powerful spiritual truths about Christianity by means of numerous recognizable Biblical allusions. Lewis intended "The Silver Chair" to portray the ongoing war against the powers of darkness. He emphasizes the truth of Deuteronomy 6 that in this war the signs of God's Word need to be carefully remembered and obeyed: "And whatever strange things may happen to you, let nothing turn your minds from following the signs ... it is so important to know them by heart and pay no attention to appearances. Remember the signs and believe the signs. Nothing else matters." (p.24-26). Failing to follow these signs makes the task more difficult, but not impossible. These failures, however, constitute sin, which is clearly portrayed as the fault of man: "We must just own up" (p.123) and "We've brought the anger of Aslan on us. That's what comes of not attending to the signs." (p.132) The only solution is to drink from Christ the living water, for there is no other source of water apart from him "There is no other stream" (p.20-21). There are also strong allusions to the doctrine of predestination: "You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you." (p.23) "There *are* no accidents. Our guide is Aslan; and he was there when the giant King caused the letters to be cut, and he knew already all things that would come of them; including *this*." (p.160)

As always, in all the upheavals and conflicts of Narnia, Aslan is the one constant, and it is his vital involvement that enables the children to complete their Narnian quest, just as it is Christ who inspires, comforts, guides, and saves in the real world. Narnia may exist only in Lewis imagination and ours, but these underlying truths about Christ ensure that a journey to Narnia is never without profit for the real world.

A classic story and a spiritual allegory
If you have not read any of CS Lewis classic book series about Narnia, please do so. The stories are wonderfully written and will engage you like few other works. Part spiritual allegory and part fantasy and adventure, these stories are timeless.

My personal favorite of the 7 stories is this one: The Silver Chair. Starting with the unexpected trip into Narnia, the story involves the search for a missing prince and a dangerous and exciting journey to find him. While the plot is quickly engaging and always enjoyable, even after dozens of readings, in this story Lewis uses some of the most powerful of Christian allegories to depict faith, deception, and courage. Choices made along the way are often disastrous and are the result of convenience and comfort over faith. Truly a sound statement into our own journeys, and a spiritual struggle depicted accurately.

I will not spoil the plot, but if you have not enjoyed this series, pick up any of the seven books, or better yet get them all at once. The story starts either with "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" which was the first published, or "The Magician's Nephew" which is chronologically the first. Either way, you won't be disappointed. Next to "The Silver Chair", I also found "The Horse and His Boy" and "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" to be absolute classics.

Buy this series, and enjoy one of the true treasures in literature from a fabulous writer, the world renowned CS Lewis.

Prince Rilian, Lost Forever or Found
The book The Silver Chair, by C. S. Luis is a great adventure story that is part of a seven-book series. The story has two main characters; Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole. Eustace Scrubb is a schoolboy who goes to school at the Experiment House with Jill. He has actually been in Narnia before with his cousins; Lucy and Edmund. Jill Pole gets bullied around a lot at school, and didn't believe Eustace at first when he was trying to tell her about Narnia.
The book starts off at the Experiment House with Jill hiding behind a curtain crying because the bullies won't leave her alone. Eustace finds her and tells her about Narnia and how they might be able to get back there. At first Jill didn't believe him. Then bullies came in the room looking for her, so the made a dash for a door that isn't usually open but they tried it anyway because it was their only way of escape. To their surprise, the door was open, but not leading outside the school, but instead to Narnia.
Before I start telling you about Narnia and what happened there; I must give you some background information. The was a queen of Narnia (she was married to King Caspian the 10th) and she had a son named Prince Rilian. One day the queen and prince were out on a walk with some others. The queen was tired and decided to go asleep on the grass. The prince, not wanting to wake her, went off just a little way (so he could still see her) to play. After a little while they saw a green worm crawl out from the wood and bite her. The prince ran after the worm, but it got away. After a few minutes the queen was dead. After that the prince devoted his life to finding the worm and avenging it. After months of looking one of a lord suggested he stop looking for the worm. Prince Rilian told him for the past couple of weeks he no longer searched for the worm, but visited a lady in secret. The lord came with him one day and to his surprise, the lady was in the same spot where his mom died. She was a beautiful woman dressed all in green. The lord decided not to tell anyone because he thought there was no harm in it. The next day, the prince never returned from his journey.
They stepped into Narnia and found they were on the edge of a cliff. Eustace was afraid of heights and just stood there in shock. When he got away from the edge, Jill walked up even closer to the edge, trying to show off, and found she couldn't move and almost fell of the edge but Eustace saved her, and while doing so fell off the edge himself! The next thing Jill knew she was lying down in the same spot with a huge lion (Aslan, the 'Jesus' of Narnia) next to her blowing at something. Then she was Eustace floating, getting higher and farther away from her. She was terrified and very thirsty. Aslan soon left and she found her strength again to lift her-self up to go find some water. She finally found a stream, but Aslan was lying next to it. He said to her, "If you are thirsty, come and drink." She was to petrified to move, but eventually found her courage to go get a drink. He told her he needed her help. She was to, along with Eustace, find the lost Prince Rilian. He gave her signs and directions to recognize the prince; "First; as soon as the Boy Eustace sets foot in Narnia, he will meet an old and dear friend. He must greet that friend at once; if he does, you will both have good help. Second; You must journey out of Narnia to the north till you come to a ruined city of ancient giants. Third; you will find writing on a stone in that ruined city, and you must do what the writing tells you. Fourth; You will know the lost prince (if you find him) by this, that he will be the first person you have met in your travels who will ask you to do something in my name, in the name of Aslan."
Aslan soon blew her to where Eustace landed, and shortly afterwards, and owl came to them and told Trumpkin, the dwarf in charge, that they were there. He gave them good beds, food, ands baths. Jill was just about to go to bed when the same owl (Glimfeather) came tapping on her window and told her he would help them as much as the owls could, then went to tell Eustace the same. Glimfeather flew them both to the owls' meeting spot and got help from another owl to fly them to a Puddleglum's house.
Puddleglum is a marsh-wiggle, which is kind of like a very gloomy person, who always looks at the downside of things. He travels with them their whole journey. They started their journey north the next day. After a couple days of walking they came across what at first looked like boulders, then Jill noticed how they might look kind of like giants at night, then one moved. After a while they came to a bridge and decided to cross it. While they were crossing it they met a beautiful woman dressed in green riding along with a knight. She recommended the gentle giants' city near by to lodge in. After some arguing, they decided to take her advice.
When they arrived they were welcomed and treated nicely. Puddlegum tried to stay on the look out, but he got a little drunk and barely even knew who he was. It turned out the giants actually wanted to eat them, and kept them there for the Autumn Feast coming up. Will they ever escape? If they do, will they find Prince Rilian? To find out read the book The Silver Chair.

More of the same from Narnia - which is not a bad thing
Another installment in the classic children's series The Narnia Chronicles, "The Silver Chair" continues the pattern of presenting stand-alone stories that work within a grander story arc. Also like previous installments, "The Silver Chair" brings back familiar characters while also introducing new cast members, lending the story an air of familiarity while still remaining fresh.

In this installment Eustace, the ill-mannered lad who learned the error of his ways in "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," along with his schoolmate, Jill, pair up for adventure. While fleeing bullies at their school - a progressive and modern (for its time) institution that Lewis openly and repeatedly scorns - Eustace and Jill find themselves thrown into the world of Narnia. Once there, Aslan gives Jill a series of vague instructions to follow during their adventure.

Eustace and Jill find themselves on a quest to find the lost Prince Rillian, the son of King Caspian (who in this tale makes two brief cameos as an old man). They team up with Puddleglum, a gloomy a creature called a Marsh-Wiggle who always sees the down side of things. Together, the three go in search of the Prince.

The setup tells the reader right off what sort of story it will be: a traveling adventure in which the group works through a series of dangerous situations and visits new and strange lands. The story takes a few chapters to get moving properly, shortening the main quest; there are only three or so key locations. Still, those locations are a mix of classic genre archetypes and fantastic settings. For an important segment of the story - a castle of giants - genre archetypes rule the day.

"Silver Chair," though it visits places in Narnia not previously seen, feels less epic than previous installments. However, a glimpse of a greater and more wondrous world near the end helps alleviate that failing.

The character of Jill undergoes almost the same transformation that Eustace did in "Voyage," while Eustace himself plays the role that Edmund, Peter and the gang did in earlier books. That's not altogether bad, but it's not altogether good, either, especially if you are reading the whole series straight through. because Jill's transformation immediately follows Eustace's.

All in all, "The Silver Chair" is not as engaging as others in the series, with a loose plot tied together largely by a "you must trust Aslan" theme, but does not fall nearly as flat as "Caspian." For a good stretch the story moves along at a brisk pace and offers a playful series of adventures, delivering just the sort of engaging story that makes the Narnia Chronicles such a beloved series. Sure it suffers from too slow a start and too slow a finish, both which drag the story down, but at its core it's more of the same from Narnia. And that's not a bad thing at all. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

The Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian ~1990~
This is the worst of the BBC "chronicles of Narnia"
trilogy. While the story of Prince Caspian is worth
almost 4 stars, the dawn treader story is boring and
done poorly. I understand that this film is 13 years
old, made for TV and for children, but the scene with
the dragon is so badly done. I would have liked the BBC
to elaborate more on "prince caspian", but I understand
they had to inlcude the "dawn treader" because we are
introduced to one of the main characters from "the silver chair".

I liked "the lion witch and the wardrobe" and "the silver chair", but they will cost almost the same seperatly as the complete triology boxed set. I think older fans(13+) should
skip this film, but younger fans(12 and younger) may like it.

An Improvement over the Last
These two books come to life are better than the first attempt, with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Perhaps because special effects are less called for in these two books, the poor quality of the movie effects is less visible than it was in the first movie. But there are definite improvements too. The costumes look much more real- I don't think that's a person in a badger costume, I think that's a rather large badger, albeit still primitively done. It helped that in some cases they used shorter people in this movie. The centaur is superbly done, as a computer is actually used, planting a human body over a horse. There is thankfully very little of the rather silly drawings on the film that were so common-place in the first movie. And it is always a challenge to do a movie on water. With such a low budget, I was thinking they would not be able to do a convincing Dawn Treader. But it is very convincing, and very like the book's description of a small boat that can service 40 men.

The children's acting, while good in the first movie, has also improved. And the new actor, playing Eustace, greatly adds, as you feel he is a total prig, but then also feel his deep emotions as he becomes a dragon and changes through his whole being.

While most of the sets look like they are some place in England, frankly, in Lewis' mind, they probably were someplace in England. That's how he writes most of his books, from his imagination growing up, and what he had seen.

The main draw back to the movie is less authenticity and faithfulness to the texts. It happens when you put two books into one 2 hour movie. There are major sections of Prince Caspian missing, and parts that feel rushed and unexplained, leaving the first half somewhat more boring. The climatic scenes in which Aslan makes everything in Narnia set right again are missing- but again, this would have required a bigger budget to create, with trees winding over bridges and tearing them down. There is no explanation of how the humans came to dominate Narnia, or where they go afterward (as there was in the book). Some of the best theological bits from Dawn Treader are missing- as when Lucy eavesdrops on her sister, and learns from Aslan that no man is given to know what might have been. Or when Aslan has to dig his claws into Eustace the Dragon to remove the skin that Eustace can't remove himself. Two longer movies could have made these adaptations even better.

success, but one failure
I think the narnia chronicles are great,thelion,thewitch etc was a great PartI of the narnia series. my whole family loves the narnia movies ,although when we watched PartII, princecaspian & the voyage of the dawn treader,i didnt exactly see eye to eye with the special effects. PrinceCaspian was'nt exactly, what i thought it should be. the voyage of the dawn treader is simply superior to prince caspian & wonderful special effects. If anything, prince caspian should be remade, while the dawn treader should stay. then my second favorite,the Silver Chair, is PartIII and was one of the two best movies , in the chronicles of narnia.the time people get to this narnian ending, they will usually be curious to see if it makes up the holes in the series.So i highly recommend that you see firstly the wardrobe one, then skip prince caspian and go on to the voyage of the dawn treader so you'll be able to understand PartIII, the silver chair.

Legendary Voyage
Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy return to the magical land of Narnia to help Prince Caspian to defeat the wicked King Miraz (who is also Caspian's uncle). The BBC did a good job of making this second adventure in Narina. Although, you may frown at the low-grade special effects.

Edmund, Lucy and Eustace are sent to Narnia to help Caspian (now king of Narnia) to find the seven missing Lords of Narnia in Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Eustace is Lucy and Edmund's horrible cousin who doesn't like being in Narnia until he sees Aslan.

Another two adventures in the magical land of Narnia
Granted, the special effects in the BBC's adaptation of the C.S. Lewis Narnia series are minimalist. The animatronics of Aslan, the original lion king, are less than what Abraham Lincoln was doing in the Hall of Presidents at Disneyland forty years ago. But somehow in the final analysis that does not really matter for enjoying either "Prince Caspian" or "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader." All of the kids who end up in the magical land of Narnia treat Aslan as if he was real and the production has great costumes and above average sets. Beyond all that, the stories are enthralling enough that the limitations of the special effects end up being rather inconsequential.

"Prince Caspian" finds Lucy (Sophie Wilcox), Edmund (Jonathan R. Scott), Susan (Sophie Cook), and Peter (Richard Dempsey) return to Narnia, not through the wardrobe but in response to the call of Prince Caspian (Jean Marc Perret), the nephew of the King Miraz, the despot who is now ruling the land. The evil king wants to kill Caspian, the rightful heir to the thrown, and it is up to the four siblings to take up arms and magic potions to help those who follow Aslan's banner to set thing to right.

"The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" begins with Lucy, Edmund, and their annoyingly obnoxious cousin Eustace Scrubb (David Thwaites) being drawn into painting of the Dawn Treader. Aboard they find Caspian (Samuel West), now King of Narnia, who is on a voyage to find the seven lords of Narnia that were banished by the evil Miraz. Consequently we have a series of visits to various islands offering a whole variety of adventures, which makes this the much more ambitious story of the pair on this video (and twice as long). The major subplot is getting Eustace to grow up, stop acting like a spoiled brat, and accept the fact that this is Narnia and there is no British Consul to be found.

Some people will not be happy with the limitations of this television production, but it is a television production and certainly in keeping with the grand tradition of other BBC productions we have seen in the past. Aside from the special effects the look of the production is totally appropriate. The children tend to act like children for the most part, even when they are dressed up in armor and whacking at people with swords (think about it; that is rather hard to carry off). Yes, this production is not as good as the books they are based on, but we knew that going in boys and girls. For those who need special effects to be first and foremost, a new production is coming out soon that may rectify that supposed deficiency. But hopefully it will have the heart and soul of this one. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

The Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian ~1990~
This is the worst of the BBC "chronicles of Narnia"
trilogy. While the story of Prince Caspian is worth
almost 4 stars, the dawn treader story is boring and
done poorly. I understand that this film is 13 years
old, made for TV and for children, but the scene with
the dragon is so badly done. I would have liked the BBC
to elaborate more on "prince caspian", but I understand
they had to inlcude the "dawn treader" because we are
introduced to one of the main characters from "the silver chair".

I liked "the lion witch and the wardrobe" and "the silver chair", but they will cost almost the same seperatly as the complete triology boxed set. I think older fans(13+) should
skip this film, but younger fans(12 and younger) may like it.

An Improvement over the Last
These two books come to life are better than the first attempt, with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Perhaps because special effects are less called for in these two books, the poor quality of the movie effects is less visible than it was in the first movie. But there are definite improvements too. The costumes look much more real- I don't think that's a person in a badger costume, I think that's a rather large badger, albeit still primitively done. It helped that in some cases they used shorter people in this movie. The centaur is superbly done, as a computer is actually used, planting a human body over a horse. There is thankfully very little of the rather silly drawings on the film that were so common-place in the first movie. And it is always a challenge to do a movie on water. With such a low budget, I was thinking they would not be able to do a convincing Dawn Treader. But it is very convincing, and very like the book's description of a small boat that can service 40 men.

The children's acting, while good in the first movie, has also improved. And the new actor, playing Eustace, greatly adds, as you feel he is a total prig, but then also feel his deep emotions as he becomes a dragon and changes through his whole being.

While most of the sets look like they are some place in England, frankly, in Lewis' mind, they probably were someplace in England. That's how he writes most of his books, from his imagination growing up, and what he had seen.

The main draw back to the movie is less authenticity and faithfulness to the texts. It happens when you put two books into one 2 hour movie. There are major sections of Prince Caspian missing, and parts that feel rushed and unexplained, leaving the first half somewhat more boring. The climatic scenes in which Aslan makes everything in Narnia set right again are missing- but again, this would have required a bigger budget to create, with trees winding over bridges and tearing them down. There is no explanation of how the humans came to dominate Narnia, or where they go afterward (as there was in the book). Some of the best theological bits from Dawn Treader are missing- as when Lucy eavesdrops on her sister, and learns from Aslan that no man is given to know what might have been. Or when Aslan has to dig his claws into Eustace the Dragon to remove the skin that Eustace can't remove himself. Two longer movies could have made these adaptations even better.

success, but one failure
I think the narnia chronicles are great,thelion,thewitch etc was a great PartI of the narnia series. my whole family loves the narnia movies ,although when we watched PartII, princecaspian & the voyage of the dawn treader,i didnt exactly see eye to eye with the special effects. PrinceCaspian was'nt exactly, what i thought it should be. the voyage of the dawn treader is simply superior to prince caspian & wonderful special effects. If anything, prince caspian should be remade, while the dawn treader should stay. then my second favorite,the Silver Chair, is PartIII and was one of the two best movies , in the chronicles of narnia.the time people get to this narnian ending, they will usually be curious to see if it makes up the holes in the series.So i highly recommend that you see firstly the wardrobe one, then skip prince caspian and go on to the voyage of the dawn treader so you'll be able to understand PartIII, the silver chair.

Legendary Voyage
Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy return to the magical land of Narnia to help Prince Caspian to defeat the wicked King Miraz (who is also Caspian's uncle). The BBC did a good job of making this second adventure in Narina. Although, you may frown at the low-grade special effects.

Edmund, Lucy and Eustace are sent to Narnia to help Caspian (now king of Narnia) to find the seven missing Lords of Narnia in Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Eustace is Lucy and Edmund's horrible cousin who doesn't like being in Narnia until he sees Aslan.

Another two adventures in the magical land of Narnia
Granted, the special effects in the BBC's adaptation of the C.S. Lewis Narnia series are minimalist. The animatronics of Aslan, the original lion king, are less than what Abraham Lincoln was doing in the Hall of Presidents at Disneyland forty years ago. But somehow in the final analysis that does not really matter for enjoying either "Prince Caspian" or "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader." All of the kids who end up in the magical land of Narnia treat Aslan as if he was real and the production has great costumes and above average sets. Beyond all that, the stories are enthralling enough that the limitations of the special effects end up being rather inconsequential.

"Prince Caspian" finds Lucy (Sophie Wilcox), Edmund (Jonathan R. Scott), Susan (Sophie Cook), and Peter (Richard Dempsey) return to Narnia, not through the wardrobe but in response to the call of Prince Caspian (Jean Marc Perret), the nephew of the King Miraz, the despot who is now ruling the land. The evil king wants to kill Caspian, the rightful heir to the thrown, and it is up to the four siblings to take up arms and magic potions to help those who follow Aslan's banner to set thing to right.

"The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" begins with Lucy, Edmund, and their annoyingly obnoxious cousin Eustace Scrubb (David Thwaites) being drawn into painting of the Dawn Treader. Aboard they find Caspian (Samuel West), now King of Narnia, who is on a voyage to find the seven lords of Narnia that were banished by the evil Miraz. Consequently we have a series of visits to various islands offering a whole variety of adventures, which makes this the much more ambitious story of the pair on this video (and twice as long). The major subplot is getting Eustace to grow up, stop acting like a spoiled brat, and accept the fact that this is Narnia and there is no British Consul to be found.

Some people will not be happy with the limitations of this television production, but it is a television production and certainly in keeping with the grand tradition of other BBC productions we have seen in the past. Aside from the special effects the look of the production is totally appropriate. The children tend to act like children for the most part, even when they are dressed up in armor and whacking at people with swords (think about it; that is rather hard to carry off). Yes, this production is not as good as the books they are based on, but we knew that going in boys and girls. For those who need special effects to be first and foremost, a new production is coming out soon that may rectify that supposed deficiency. But hopefully it will have the heart and soul of this one. ... Read more

Book Description

Running from bullies at school, Eustace and schoolmate Jill unexpectedly find themselves in the enchanted land of Narnia and in the very presence of the Great Lion Aslan. Join Eustace, Jill, and their strange but courageous friend Puddleglum as they travel through dangerous and unknown lands in their quest to find and rescue the heir to Narnia's throne, Prince Rilian. ... Read more

Reviews (64)

Azlan sends two children off to rescue Prince Rilian
"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.

Book 6 - A guide to the unending enchantment of Narnia
"The Silver Chair" was the fourth book published in the Narnia Chronicles, but chronologically is the second last in the series and is published as such by most modern publishers. The story revolves around cousin Eustace (a familiar face from "Prince Caspian") and his classmate Jill Pole. Eustace and Jill narrowly escape school bullies and find themselves in Narnia. In Narnia, Aslan himself commissions them on a quest to find Caspian's missing son and heir, prince Rilian, who has been abducted by an evil witch posing as a beautiful woman and a horrible green snake. They are joined in their quest by Puddleglum, a charming Marsh-wiggle whose extreme pessimism ( "he's always expecting the worst and he's always wrong" p.93) is matched by his bravery. Together they escape the perils of giants, and by rescuing Rilian from his enchantment in the Underworld and restoring him to his father, they prevent the Green Lady from by achieving her evil ambitions in becoming Narnia's queen.

As with all the Narnia Chronicles, on the level of children the story functions as a perfectly comprehensible and exciting fantasy adventure, but on an adult level it imparts powerful spiritual truths about Christianity by means of numerous recognizable Biblical allusions. Lewis intended "The Silver Chair" to portray the ongoing war against the powers of darkness. He emphasizes the truth of Deuteronomy 6 that in this war the signs of God's Word need to be carefully remembered and obeyed: "And whatever strange things may happen to you, let nothing turn your minds from following the signs ... it is so important to know them by heart and pay no attention to appearances. Remember the signs and believe the signs. Nothing else matters." (p.24-26). Failing to follow these signs makes the task more difficult, but not impossible. These failures, however, constitute sin, which is clearly portrayed as the fault of man: "We must just own up" (p.123) and "We've brought the anger of Aslan on us. That's what comes of not attending to the signs." (p.132) The only solution is to drink from Christ the living water, for there is no other source of water apart from him "There is no other stream" (p.20-21). There are also strong allusions to the doctrine of predestination: "You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you." (p.23) "There *are* no accidents. Our guide is Aslan; and he was there when the giant King caused the letters to be cut, and he knew already all things that would come of them; including *this*." (p.160)

As always, in all the upheavals and conflicts of Narnia, Aslan is the one constant, and it is his vital involvement that enables the children to complete their Narnian quest, just as it is Christ who inspires, comforts, guides, and saves in the real world. Narnia may exist only in Lewis imagination and ours, but these underlying truths about Christ ensure that a journey to Narnia is never without profit for the real world.

A classic story and a spiritual allegory
If you have not read any of CS Lewis classic book series about Narnia, please do so. The stories are wonderfully written and will engage you like few other works. Part spiritual allegory and part fantasy and adventure, these stories are timeless.

My personal favorite of the 7 stories is this one: The Silver Chair. Starting with the unexpected trip into Narnia, the story involves the search for a missing prince and a dangerous and exciting journey to find him. While the plot is quickly engaging and always enjoyable, even after dozens of readings, in this story Lewis uses some of the most powerful of Christian allegories to depict faith, deception, and courage. Choices made along the way are often disastrous and are the result of convenience and comfort over faith. Truly a sound statement into our own journeys, and a spiritual struggle depicted accurately.

I will not spoil the plot, but if you have not enjoyed this series, pick up any of the seven books, or better yet get them all at once. The story starts either with "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" which was the first published, or "The Magician's Nephew" which is chronologically the first. Either way, you won't be disappointed. Next to "The Silver Chair", I also found "The Horse and His Boy" and "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" to be absolute classics.

Buy this series, and enjoy one of the true treasures in literature from a fabulous writer, the world renowned CS Lewis.

Prince Rilian, Lost Forever or Found
The book The Silver Chair, by C. S. Luis is a great adventure story that is part of a seven-book series. The story has two main characters; Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole. Eustace Scrubb is a schoolboy who goes to school at the Experiment House with Jill. He has actually been in Narnia before with his cousins; Lucy and Edmund. Jill Pole gets bullied around a lot at school, and didn't believe Eustace at first when he was trying to tell her about Narnia.
The book starts off at the Experiment House with Jill hiding behind a curtain crying because the bullies won't leave her alone. Eustace finds her and tells her about Narnia and how they might be able to get back there. At first Jill didn't believe him. Then bullies came in the room looking for her, so the made a dash for a door that isn't usually open but they tried it anyway because it was their only way of escape. To their surprise, the door was open, but not leading outside the school, but instead to Narnia.
Before I start telling you about Narnia and what happened there; I must give you some background information. The was a queen of Narnia (she was married to King Caspian the 10th) and she had a son named Prince Rilian. One day the queen and prince were out on a walk with some others. The queen was tired and decided to go asleep on the grass. The prince, not wanting to wake her, went off just a little way (so he could still see her) to play. After a little while they saw a green worm crawl out from the wood and bite her. The prince ran after the worm, but it got away. After a few minutes the queen was dead. After that the prince devoted his life to finding the worm and avenging it. After months of looking one of a lord suggested he stop looking for the worm. Prince Rilian told him for the past couple of weeks he no longer searched for the worm, but visited a lady in secret. The lord came with him one day and to his surprise, the lady was in the same spot where his mom died. She was a beautiful woman dressed all in green. The lord decided not to tell anyone because he thought there was no harm in it. The next day, the prince never returned from his journey.
They stepped into Narnia and found they were on the edge of a cliff. Eustace was afraid of heights and just stood there in shock. When he got away from the edge, Jill walked up even closer to the edge, trying to show off, and found she couldn't move and almost fell of the edge but Eustace saved her, and while doing so fell off the edge himself! The next thing Jill knew she was lying down in the same spot with a huge lion (Aslan, the 'Jesus' of Narnia) next to her blowing at something. Then she was Eustace floating, getting higher and farther away from her. She was terrified and very thirsty. Aslan soon left and she found her strength again to lift her-self up to go find some water. She finally found a stream, but Aslan was lying next to it. He said to her, "If you are thirsty, come and drink." She was to petrified to move, but eventually found her courage to go get a drink. He told her he needed her help. She was to, along with Eustace, find the lost Prince Rilian. He gave her signs and directions to recognize the prince; "First; as soon as the Boy Eustace sets foot in Narnia, he will meet an old and dear friend. He must greet that friend at once; if he does, you will both have good help. Second; You must journey out of Narnia to the north till you come to a ruined city of ancient giants. Third; you will find writing on a stone in that ruined city, and you must do what the writing tells you. Fourth; You will know the lost prince (if you find him) by this, that he will be the first person you have met in your travels who will ask you to do something in my name, in the name of Aslan."
Aslan soon blew her to where Eustace landed, and shortly afterwards, and owl came to them and told Trumpkin, the dwarf in charge, that they were there. He gave them good beds, food, ands baths. Jill was just about to go to bed when the same owl (Glimfeather) came tapping on her window and told her he would help them as much as the owls could, then went to tell Eustace the same. Glimfeather flew them both to the owls' meeting spot and got help from another owl to fly them to a Puddleglum's house.
Puddleglum is a marsh-wiggle, which is kind of like a very gloomy person, who always looks at the downside of things. He travels with them their whole journey. They started their journey north the next day. After a couple days of walking they came across what at first looked like boulders, then Jill noticed how they might look kind of like giants at night, then one moved. After a while they came to a bridge and decided to cross it. While they were crossing it they met a beautiful woman dressed in green riding along with a knight. She recommended the gentle giants' city near by to lodge in. After some arguing, they decided to take her advice.
When they arrived they were welcomed and treated nicely. Puddlegum tried to stay on the look out, but he got a little drunk and barely even knew who he was. It turned out the giants actually wanted to eat them, and kept them there for the Autumn Feast coming up. Will they ever escape? If they do, will they find Prince Rilian? To find out read the book The Silver Chair.

More of the same from Narnia - which is not a bad thing
Another installment in the classic children's series The Narnia Chronicles, "The Silver Chair" continues the pattern of presenting stand-alone stories that work within a grander story arc. Also like previous installments, "The Silver Chair" brings back familiar characters while also introducing new cast members, lending the story an air of familiarity while still remaining fresh.

In this installment Eustace, the ill-mannered lad who learned the error of his ways in "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," along with his schoolmate, Jill, pair up for adventure. While fleeing bullies at their school - a progressive and modern (for its time) institution that Lewis openly and repeatedly scorns - Eustace and Jill find themselves thrown into the world of Narnia. Once there, Aslan gives Jill a series of vague instructions to follow during their adventure.

Eustace and Jill find themselves on a quest to find the lost Prince Rillian, the son of King Caspian (who in this tale makes two brief cameos as an old man). They team up with Puddleglum, a gloomy a creature called a Marsh-Wiggle who always sees the down side of things. Together, the three go in search of the Prince.

The setup tells the reader right off what sort of story it will be: a traveling adventure in which the group works through a series of dangerous situations and visits new and strange lands. The story takes a few chapters to get moving properly, shortening the main quest; there are only three or so key locations. Still, those locations are a mix of classic genre archetypes and fantastic settings. For an important segment of the story - a castle of giants - genre archetypes rule the day.

"Silver Chair," though it visits places in Narnia not previously seen, feels less epic than previous installments. However, a glimpse of a greater and more wondrous world near the end helps alleviate that failing.

The character of Jill undergoes almost the same transformation that Eustace did in "Voyage," while Eustace himself plays the role that Edmund, Peter and the gang did in earlier books. That's not altogether bad, but it's not altogether good, either, especially if you are reading the whole series straight through. because Jill's transformation immediately follows Eustace's.

All in all, "The Silver Chair" is not as engaging as others in the series, with a loose plot tied together largely by a "you must trust Aslan" theme, but does not fall nearly as flat as "Caspian." For a good stretch the story moves along at a brisk pace and offers a playful series of adventures, delivering just the sort of engaging story that makes the Narnia Chronicles such a beloved series. Sure it suffers from too slow a start and too slow a finish, both which drag the story down, but at its core it's more of the same from Narnia. And that's not a bad thing at all. ... Read more

Book Description

Running from bullies at school, Eustace and schoolmate Jill unexpectedly find themselves in the enchanted land of Narnia and in the very presence of the Great Lion Aslan. Join Eustace, Jill, and their strange but courageous friend Puddleglum as they travel through dangerous and unknown lands in their quest to find and rescue the heir to Narnia's throne, Prince Rilian. ... Read more

Reviews (64)

Azlan sends two children off to rescue Prince Rilian
"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.

Book 6 - A guide to the unending enchantment of Narnia
"The Silver Chair" was the fourth book published in the Narnia Chronicles, but chronologically is the second last in the series and is published as such by most modern publishers. The story revolves around cousin Eustace (a familiar face from "Prince Caspian") and his classmate Jill Pole. Eustace and Jill narrowly escape school bullies and find themselves in Narnia. In Narnia, Aslan himself commissions them on a quest to find Caspian's missing son and heir, prince Rilian, who has been abducted by an evil witch posing as a beautiful woman and a horrible green snake. They are joined in their quest by Puddleglum, a charming Marsh-wiggle whose extreme pessimism ( "he's always expecting the worst and he's always wrong" p.93) is matched by his bravery. Together they escape the perils of giants, and by rescuing Rilian from his enchantment in the Underworld and restoring him to his father, they prevent the Green Lady from by achieving her evil ambitions in becoming Narnia's queen.

As with all the Narnia Chronicles, on the level of children the story functions as a perfectly comprehensible and exciting fantasy adventure, but on an adult level it imparts powerful spiritual truths about Christianity by means of numerous recognizable Biblical allusions. Lewis intended "The Silver Chair" to portray the ongoing war against the powers of darkness. He emphasizes the truth of Deuteronomy 6 that in this war the signs of God's Word need to be carefully remembered and obeyed: "And whatever strange things may happen to you, let nothing turn your minds from following the signs ... it is so important to know them by heart and pay no attention to appearances. Remember the signs and believe the signs. Nothing else matters." (p.24-26). Failing to follow these signs makes the task more difficult, but not impossible. These failures, however, constitute sin, which is clearly portrayed as the fault of man: "We must just own up" (p.123) and "We've brought the anger of Aslan on us. That's what comes of not attending to the signs." (p.132) The only solution is to drink from Christ the living water, for there is no other source of water apart from him "There is no other stream" (p.20-21). There are also strong allusions to the doctrine of predestination: "You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you." (p.23) "There *are* no accidents. Our guide is Aslan; and he was there when the giant King caused the letters to be cut, and he knew already all things that would come of them; including *this*." (p.160)

As always, in all the upheavals and conflicts of Narnia, Aslan is the one constant, and it is his vital involvement that enables the children to complete their Narnian quest, just as it is Christ who inspires, comforts, guides, and saves in the real world. Narnia may exist only in Lewis imagination and ours, but these underlying truths about Christ ensure that a journey to Narnia is never without profit for the real world.

A classic story and a spiritual allegory
If you have not read any of CS Lewis classic book series about Narnia, please do so. The stories are wonderfully written and will engage you like few other works. Part spiritual allegory and part fantasy and adventure, these stories are timeless.

My personal favorite of the 7 stories is this one: The Silver Chair. Starting with the unexpected trip into Narnia, the story involves the search for a missing prince and a dangerous and exciting journey to find him. While the plot is quickly engaging and always enjoyable, even after dozens of readings, in this story Lewis uses some of the most powerful of Christian allegories to depict faith, deception, and courage. Choices made along the way are often disastrous and are the result of convenience and comfort over faith. Truly a sound statement into our own journeys, and a spiritual struggle depicted accurately.

I will not spoil the plot, but if you have not enjoyed this series, pick up any of the seven books, or better yet get them all at once. The story starts either with "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" which was the first published, or "The Magician's Nephew" which is chronologically the first. Either way, you won't be disappointed. Next to "The Silver Chair", I also found "The Horse and His Boy" and "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" to be absolute classics.

Buy this series, and enjoy one of the true treasures in literature from a fabulous writer, the world renowned CS Lewis.

Prince Rilian, Lost Forever or Found
The book The Silver Chair, by C. S. Luis is a great adventure story that is part of a seven-book series. The story has two main characters; Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole. Eustace Scrubb is a schoolboy who goes to school at the Experiment House with Jill. He has actually been in Narnia before with his cousins; Lucy and Edmund. Jill Pole gets bullied around a lot at school, and didn't believe Eustace at first when he was trying to tell her about Narnia.
The book starts off at the Experiment House with Jill hiding behind a curtain crying because the bullies won't leave her alone. Eustace finds her and tells her about Narnia and how they might be able to get back there. At first Jill didn't believe him. Then bullies came in the room looking for her, so the made a dash for a door that isn't usually open but they tried it anyway because it was their only way of escape. To their surprise, the door was open, but not leading outside the school, but instead to Narnia.
Before I start telling you about Narnia and what happened there; I must give you some background information. The was a queen of Narnia (she was married to King Caspian the 10th) and she had a son named Prince Rilian. One day the queen and prince were out on a walk with some others. The queen was tired and decided to go asleep on the grass. The prince, not wanting to wake her, went off just a little way (so he could still see her) to play. After a little while they saw a green worm crawl out from the wood and bite her. The prince ran after the worm, but it got away. After a few minutes the queen was dead. After that the prince devoted his life to finding the worm and avenging it. After months of looking one of a lord suggested he stop looking for the worm. Prince Rilian told him for the past couple of weeks he no longer searched for the worm, but visited a lady in secret. The lord came with him one day and to his surprise, the lady was in the same spot where his mom died. She was a beautiful woman dressed all in green. The lord decided not to tell anyone because he thought there was no harm in it. The next day, the prince never returned from his journey.
They stepped into Narnia and found they were on the edge of a cliff. Eustace was afraid of heights and just stood there in shock. When he got away from the edge, Jill walked up even closer to the edge, trying to show off, and found she couldn't move and almost fell of the edge but Eustace saved her, and while doing so fell off the edge himself! The next thing Jill knew she was lying down in the same spot with a huge lion (Aslan, the 'Jesus' of Narnia) next to her blowing at something. Then she was Eustace floating, getting higher and farther away from her. She was terrified and very thirsty. Aslan soon left and she found her strength again to lift her-self up to go find some water. She finally found a stream, but Aslan was lying next to it. He said to her, "If you are thirsty, come and drink." She was to petrified to move, but eventually found her courage to go get a drink. He told her he needed her help. She was to, along with Eustace, find the lost Prince Rilian. He gave her signs and directions to recognize the prince; "First; as soon as the Boy Eustace sets foot in Narnia, he will meet an old and dear friend. He must greet that friend at once; if he does, you will both have good help. Second; You must journey out of Narnia to the north till you come to a ruined city of ancient giants. Third; you will find writing on a stone in that ruined city, and you must do what the writing tells you. Fourth; You will know the lost prince (if you find him) by this, that he will be the first person you have met in your travels who will ask you to do something in my name, in the name of Aslan."
Aslan soon blew her to where Eustace landed, and shortly afterwards, and owl came to them and told Trumpkin, the dwarf in charge, that they were there. He gave them good beds, food, ands baths. Jill was just about to go to bed when the same owl (Glimfeather) came tapping on her window and told her he would help them as much as the owls could, then went to tell Eustace the same. Glimfeather flew them both to the owls' meeting spot and got help from another owl to fly them to a Puddleglum's house.
Puddleglum is a marsh-wiggle, which is kind of like a very gloomy person, who always looks at the downside of things. He travels with them their whole journey. They started their journey north the next day. After a couple days of walking they came across what at first looked like boulders, then Jill noticed how they might look kind of like giants at night, then one moved. After a while they came to a bridge and decided to cross it. While they were crossing it they met a beautiful woman dressed in green riding along with a knight. She recommended the gentle giants' city near by to lodge in. After some arguing, they decided to take her advice.
When they arrived they were welcomed and treated nicely. Puddlegum tried to stay on the look out, but he got a little drunk and barely even knew who he was. It turned out the giants actually wanted to eat them, and kept them there for the Autumn Feast coming up. Will they ever escape? If they do, will they find Prince Rilian? To find out read the book The Silver Chair.

More of the same from Narnia - which is not a bad thing
Another installment in the classic children's series The Narnia Chronicles, "The Silver Chair" continues the pattern of presenting stand-alone stories that work within a grander story arc. Also like previous installments, "The Silver Chair" brings back familiar characters while also introducing new cast members, lending the story an air of familiarity while still remaining fresh.

In this installment Eustace, the ill-mannered lad who learned the error of his ways in "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," along with his schoolmate, Jill, pair up for adventure. While fleeing bullies at their school - a progressive and modern (for its time) institution that Lewis openly and repeatedly scorns - Eustace and Jill find themselves thrown into the world of Narnia. Once there, Aslan gives Jill a series of vague instructions to follow during their adventure.

Eustace and Jill find themselves on a quest to find the lost Prince Rillian, the son of King Caspian (who in this tale makes two brief cameos as an old man). They team up with Puddleglum, a gloomy a creature called a Marsh-Wiggle who always sees the down side of things. Together, the three go in search of the Prince.

The setup tells the reader right off what sort of story it will be: a traveling adventure in which the group works through a series of dangerous situations and visits new and strange lands. The story takes a few chapters to get moving properly, shortening the main quest; there are only three or so key locations. Still, those locations are a mix of classic genre archetypes and fantastic settings. For an important segment of the story - a castle of giants - genre archetypes rule the day.

"Silver Chair," though it visits places in Narnia not previously seen, feels less epic than previous installments. However, a glimpse of a greater and more wondrous world near the end helps alleviate that failing.

The character of Jill undergoes almost the same transformation that Eustace did in "Voyage," while Eustace himself plays the role that Edmund, Peter and the gang did in earlier books. That's not altogether bad, but it's not altogether good, either, especially if you are reading the whole series straight through. because Jill's transformation immediately follows Eustace's.

All in all, "The Silver Chair" is not as engaging as others in the series, with a loose plot tied together largely by a "you must trust Aslan" theme, but does not fall nearly as flat as "Caspian." For a good stretch the story moves along at a brisk pace and offers a playful series of adventures, delivering just the sort of engaging story that makes the Narnia Chronicles such a beloved series. Sure it suffers from too slow a start and too slow a finish, both which drag the story down, but at its core it's more of the same from Narnia. And that's not a bad thing at all. ... Read more