Overrated children’s author Philip Pullman has criticised Disney’s new Narnia film, describing C. S. Lewis’ books as “a peevish blend of racist, misogynistic and reactionary prejudice”.
Now hang on…I’ve never bought the racist argument myself: when you’ve got fauns and beavers mingling with unicorns and centaurs, I would say the side of good is pretty multi-racial – whilst the villain of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, need I point out, is white.
And misogynistic? When the person who discovers Narnia, who is shown great favouritism by both author and fictional characters, and is the only person in the story who is always in the right, is a girl?
As for “reactionary prejudice”…Mr Pullman, how exactly do you justify this accusation in the light of your own rabidly anti-Christian propaganda?
If there is a problem with the film, it’s that it looks like a clone of The Lord of the Rings. Bet it’s shorter, though. And considerably better structured than Pullman’s execrable The Amber Spyglass.
