"The Silver Chair" (1990) TV series

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Alex Kirby

Writers:

C.S. Lewis (novel)
Alan Seymour (writer)

Release Date:

18 November 1990 (UK)

Genre:

Fantasy | Family | Adventure

Plot:

Eustace, along with a new companion named Jill Pole, is brought back to Narnia. The pair are told by Aslan they must search for King Caspian's missing son, Prince Rillian.

Plot Keywords:

Prince | Narnia | Giant | Kidnapping | Animal

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

David Thwaites	...	Eustace Clarence Scrubb
Camilla Power	...	Jill Pole
Tat Whalley	...	Chief Bully
Ailsa Berk	...	Aslan / Dragon (puppet)
William Todd Jones	...	Aslan (puppet) / Centaur
Ronald Pickup	...	Aslan (voice)
Geoffrey Russell	...	King Caspian
Richard Henders	...	Prince Rilian / Black Knight
Big Mick	...	Trumpkin
Warwick Davis	...	Glimfeather / Reepicheep
Mike Edmonds	...	Second Owl
Roy Boyd	...	Lord Drinian
Barbara Kellerman	...	Green Lady
Tom Baker	...	Puddleglum
Nick Brimble	...	Giant Porter

Also Known As:

"Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair"

Runtime:

UK:30 min (6 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Australia:G | Denmark:7 (2003) | UK:U | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Castleton, Derbyshire, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Quotes:

Puddleglum: What's food for wiggles may be poison for humans, I shouldn't wonder.
Puddleglum: We must be merry and bright. You two youngsters aren't always in high spirits you know, you must watch me. I'll be ever so merry.
[attempts to grin]
Puddleglum: Merry and frolicsome.
[jumps half-heartedly]
Puddleglum: They think I'm a funny fellow already in there.

Movie Connections:

Follows "The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe" (1988)

Passable

This is much better than the BBC's earlier forays into Narnia, partly due to the book it's based on. It's set in the bare, unpopulated wastes to Narnia's north, so the drab scenery is not a defect. Nor is the absence of extras. Puddleglum, C.S. Lewis's best Narnian creation, is played by Tom Baker, who fits the role as well as anyone on Earth. In general the acting is better in `The Silver Chair' than it was earlier on. Direction is crisper, costumes are more convincing: everything has improved. I have commented harshly on `The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe', and most of those comments apply here as well, but never to the same extent. This is actually okay television. Of course, an adaptation of the Narnia books should be much more than that.