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Wednesday, December 1, 2010

DVD Review and Giveaway: The Narnia Code

It seems everyone I know has heard of C.S. Lewis.  Millions are his fans.  Honestly, I've never been a Narnia fan nor a C.S. Lewis fan.  I have heard lots about him (good and bad) and almost every Christian book I've read contains one or more quotes from him :).  I was interested in learning more about this gifted, eccentric writer; therefore, I agreed to review this DVD which I found intriquing.  The Chronicles of Narnia series (books and movies) are quite well-known and well-loved.  These seven stories have fascinated scholars and fans alike.  "The Narnia Code" which is based on the book, Planet Narnia, by Michael Ward will show you the deeper meaning ("the hidden third layer") in each Narnia book.  Michael Ward claims he has discovered the mystery behind the masterpieces.  You will be the judge.  The DVD helps the viewers see the connection between medieval cosmology and spiritual symbolism.  C.S.Lewis’s love of medieval astronomy had a great influence on his writing.  Michael Ward explains, “C.S. Lewis once said that ‘We may ignore but we can nowhere evade the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito.’ I believe Lewis symbolized God's hidden presence in a brilliantly symbolic way in the Narnia books, crowding every aspect of the stories with divine significance. It's not just Aslan but the whole Narnian world that speaks of Christ. The Chronicles are more profoundly Christian than we've ever previously recognized.

"The Narnia Code" made by International Emmy Award-winning director Norman Stone, features dramatizations of C.S. Lewis's childhood, education, friendships, and career as well as interviews with Michael Ward and other literary scholars.  The DVD is well done and flows very well between the interviews and the dramatizations.  I also enjoyed the bonus features which include interviews with three of C.S.Lewis's old friends who offer unique insights, a tour of Lewis’s hang-out places in Oxford, and a summary of Michael Ward's literary detective work (his code discovery).  If you're a fan, you would probably admire and appreciate C.S.Lewis and the Narnia books even more after watching this DVD.

WEBSITE: http://www.narniacode.com/
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/TheNarniaCodeDVD
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/NarniaCodeDVD

About Michael Ward:
Michael Ward, a leading expert on the works of C.S. Lewis, is an Anglican clergyman, Chaplain of St Peter's College, Oxford, and co-editor of The Cambridge Companion to C.S. Lewis. Between 1996 and 1999 he was Warden of The Kilns, Lewis's Oxford home. Ward studied English at Oxford, Theology at Cambridge, and has a PhD in Divinity from St Andrews. He is also Associate Editor of the online poetry service, “Davey's Daily Poetry.” For more information, visit http://www.michaelward.net/.

Note: Please turn off my music playlist at the bottom of this page before starting the trailer.


GIVEAWAY: Thanks to Rodney Bowen at flypropeller.com, a second DVD is offered as a giveaway to one of my readers.  It'll make a fantastic Christmas gift for any Narnia fan!
To enter (required) : Leave a comment telling me which Narnia book is your favorite and why or telling me one of your favorite C.S.Lewis quotes. 

This giveaway is open to US Residents 18 yrs or older. Please leave your email address in the required entry. The giveaway ends 12/12 (my birthday :)). Winner has 48 hours to respond.

For extra entries (leave a comment for each extra entry):

- Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect (see my sidebar) (1 entry)
- Follow this blog via NetworkedBlogs (see my sidebar) (1 entry)
- Follow me ("treasuredbyGod") on Twitter (1 entry)
- Follow The Narnia Code on Twitter (1 entry)
- Tweet about this giveaway (1 entry daily)
- "Like" The Narnia Code on Facebook (1 entry)
- "Like" Living for God on Facebook (1 entry)
- Share one or more of your family's Christmas traditions (1 entry)

~"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or servinces mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.""

13 comments:

  1. It's hard to pick one favorite C.S. Lewis quote, and this one is a little long...
    I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: “I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic -- on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg -- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.
    (From Mere Christianity)
    cheekybeans at att dot net

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  2. I follow you via Networked Blogs. Thanks so much for the giveaway! And I hope you have a happy birthday. :)

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  3. My fave Narnia book is The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The transformation Eustace makes throughout the book is wonderful and Reepicheep sailing off into the great unknown at the end gives me chills.

    Thanks for the opportunity to win this! (Email available via blog profile.)

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  4. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is my favorite as well! I love all the different places they visit and discover along the way--really stretches the imagination! The first and the last books in the series are great as well though!

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  5. Oh, we are long time Narnia fans! It is hard to pick a favorite book because every time I reread the series I think each book is my favorite! The Last Battle is definitely one of my favorites. I used to really not like that one, but the more times I read it, the more spiritual truths come out and I am touched each time at the end when they all head into Aslan's country and go "further up and further in"!

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  6. I would have to say my favorit is The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
    As a child, a man from our church, would read from it every sunday night. We would all move the chairs from the sanctuary, put down quilts and all the children would pile on them. We'd be totally entranced as he read each page. It was a magical time, and really brought the story to life.

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  7. Hi there...I love the last battle when Aslan and the whole company goes further up and further in..it just gives me chills whenever I hear it..it reminds me that there's so much more to life than this world and one day we'll get to go further up and further in ourselves with our christ, Lord and Savior!! Awaiting that day, Brooke Kratz
    Merry Christmas

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  8. My husband who died 10 years ago read the series. I have been busy with grandbabies, and sharing with them. Most of the knowledge comes from one daughter who is CS Lewis fan. My favorite that I have seen is the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I can trust the series. That is the most important reason so far.

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  9. I like The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe... My son was just looking at the Narnia Code book last week at church and saying that it looks really interesting... (ehren@yahoo.com) thanks!

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  10. One tradition we love is to do an advent wreath and use the family devotions from the booklet, We Light the Candles. From ehren@yahoo.com

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