The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010) Part 9: You’re a Star

As the sun rises over the shore, MLG stirs from her sleep and sees something. She eagerly awakens Lucy and points out to her the elusive Blue Star hanging just above the horizon.

The Dawn Treader sets sail in the star’s direction as Eustace the dragon flies by its side. Yeah, this is something that irritates me. In the book, the crew is unable to leave Dragon Island, as they name it, until Eustace has been returned to his human form since there’s no way he could fit on board, and they can’t expect him to follow them by flying as they have no idea when-or if-they’ll reach land again. The biggest question for them, according to C. S. Lewis, is “how are we to feed him?” The movie just ignores all those realistic considerations. To be fair, I understand that Dragon Island is far from the most interesting location in the story, and I don’t blame the filmmakers for wanting to move on from it as swiftly as possible. Still, the book’s depiction feels “real” to me in a way the movie’s doesn’t.^[1]I know some would say it’s silly to expect any depiction of a dragon to feel real. Those people aren’t this blog’s target audience. I guess Eustace is just drinking some magical Narnian coffee that enables him to fly all day and all night without rest.

Anyway, as the ship departs, Lucy notices a sea nymph and smiles at her. She’s disturbed to see that the nymph doesn’t return her smile but gestures for the Dawn Treader to come back with a rather anxious expression on her face.

Cut to some days later when the oarsmen are straining and sweating to get the Dawn Treader to move. “The wind has left us,” Drinian tells the kings. “So how do we get to Ramandu’s Island now then?” asks Edmund. “My guess is something doesn’t want us to get there,” says Drinian ominously. So now the Mist can control the wind? That doesn’t really fit in with its other powers. To be fair though, the ship is getting increasingly near to the Mist’s source so it makes sense that it would be at its most powerful. Still, why does everything bad that happens in this story have to be blamed on the Mist? It’s one of those signs that the filmmakers are taking a story that wasn’t supposed to have an overarching villain and desperately try to force one on it. The crew are getting irritable. “If I get any hungrier, I’m going to eat that dragon!” one of them snarls. Eustace, flying above, glowers. “Don’t worry, Eustace,” says Reepicheep who’s riding atop his head, “They’ll have to deal with me first.” “If we don’t find land by tonight, they may well eat him,” Drinian says to Caspian or rather starts to say before the ship jolts, toppling everyone off their feet. Once Edmund sees what’s happened, he beams. “Eustace! That’s brilliant!” Eustace has wrapped his dragon tail around the prow of the ship and is now towing it across the sea. So not only can he fly all day and all night without dropping but he can also pull the ship around. That magical Narnian coffee sure is something!

The entire crew cheers for Eustace and he smiles proudly. OK, I have a criticism here that’s hard to make because it’s a complicated issue. It’s true that Eustace is a big help to the Dawn Treader’s crew as a dragon. He helps them explore Dragon Island by giving them rides on his back. He keeps them warm. He kills goats for food. He tears up a big pine tree to replace the ship’s mast which had been destroyed by a storm. This makes sense, given the situation, and is a big part of his positive character development, so it’s good that the movie is showing something similar. But the thing is all we’re seeing are benefits to being a dragon and no drawbacks. Eustace isn’t particularly ugly as a dragon. He doesn’t have many problems of communication. He doesn’t hold the ship back from its voyage. He doesn’t have that arm band digging into his foreleg. There’s barely any reason for us to want the enchantment upon him to be broken.^[2]Well, unless you count the fact that Will Poulter is the actor giving the best performance in this movie and we won’t see him until Eustace is back to normal. That’s why even though I initially liked the idea of the viewers not knowing the dragon’s identity when they first saw it, I wonder if it might not have served Eustace’s character arc better if it were otherwise. If we knew that Eustace was desperately seeking help from the crew and their response was to attack him, it might have really made being a dragon seem like a curse and brought home to Eustace, who hadn’t desired any fellowship with the crew before, that, in the book’s words, “he was a monster cut off from the whole human race.” I guess that is the implication of the movie’s scene in retrospect but I’m not sure how many viewers are likely to look back on it that way since the film generally doesn’t encourage contemplation.

We get a very brief bit of Caspian in his cabin, staring at the swords he’s collected so far. “We can’t be sure the other lords even made it to Ramandu’s Island,” he says to Edmund. Originally, this was part of a longer scene in which Edmund gave Caspian a pep talk about following the Blue Star and not giving in to temptation, etc. It wasn’t that eloquent and I don’t blame the director for cutting it. You could argue though that it would have demonstrated Edmund’s character growth.

As the sun sets, the Dawn Treader arrives at the mysterious shores of Ramandu’s Island. “You got us there! What did I tell you, Eustace?” crows Reepicheep. “Extraordinary! Extraordinary!” Again, with the overemphasis on how awesome it is that Eustace is a dragon. Still, this island is one of the more visually appealing locations in the movie.

As our heroes explore some overgrown ruins on it though, I regret to say that they look simply creepy. At this point in the book, Ramandu’s Island could be described as creepy but also as beautiful and enticing. Indeed, that was part of its (initial) ambiguity as the story had taught readers to distrust things that seem beautiful and appealing like caves full of treasure and water that creates gold. Part of the issue is that in the book, the heroes find this location when the sun is still out, making it relatively less creepy, and then stay as night falls, making it increasingly so. The fact that Eustace stayed with them during this was an example of his character development. Here it’s dark right from the start as the crew (understandably minus Eustace and less understandably minus Reepicheep) find a table with a feast mysteriously spread upon it just waiting from them.

The minotaur is eager to eat but Drinian orders him to wait. At the far end of the table, sit three unconscious men (uncredited despite their importance to the plot) who have evidently remained in the same position so long that not only are their beards overgrown but the underbrush has grown around them. This reveal is a pretty great creepy moment.

From the rings on their fingers, Caspian deduces that these are Lord Revilian, Lord Mavramorn^[3]One of my favorite Narnian names by the way. It’s so much fun to say out loud. and Lord Argoz. He’s startled to find that they’re all still breathing. “They’re under a spell,” Edmund says. “It’s the food!” Caspian cries just in time to save the minotaur from eating an apple. Edmund notices something else on the table. “Hey! It’s the Stone Knife. This is Aslan’s table,” he says. The Stone Knife was what the White Witch used to kill Aslan in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe but I’m not sure how many people who have watched the movie but not read the book remember that. This moment is probably confusing for them. Then again, maybe I’m just being a book snob and not giving movie fans enough credit. Still, the knife was never referred to as being made of stone in the film and I feel like you’d need sharp eyes to make the connection.

Caspian and Edmund retrieve the three sleeping lords’ swords from the brush and lay them, along with the others, on the table. “That’s six,” says Edmund. “Still missing one,” says Caspian. Nonetheless, the swords glow blue, which looks regrettably silly in my opinion, and something else magical happens. The Blue Star actually lowers itself to the ground and transforms into a beautiful young woman (Laura Brent) in a simple white dress. Everyone except Edmund kneels before her. “Travelers of Narnia, welcome,” she says. “Rise. Are you not hungry?” Edmund suspiciously asks her identity. “I am Liliandil, daughter of Ramandu,” she says. “I am your guide.” There’s a lot to unpack here. First, while Narnian stars are creatures in the books, they don’t beam down from the skies whenever they feel like it. They…well, I’ll explain. In the book, we see Ramandu as well as his daughter. Since the main plot function of both is to provide exposition and Ramandu’s daughter ends up marrying Caspian^[4]Her death is also a big part of another Narnia book, The Silver Chair., I can understand the filmmakers wanting to simplify things by only keeping her. But her father’s story is so cool in the book!

…the old man came on without speaking to the travellers and stood on the other side of the table opposite to his daughter. Then both of them held up their arms before them and turned to face the east. In that position they began to sing.^[5]This is the only example of a religious ritual we see in Narnia. I wish I could write down the song, but no one who was present could remember it. Lucy said afterwards that it was high, almost shrill, but very beautiful, “A cold kind of song, an early morning kind of song.” And as they sang, the grey clouds lifted from the eastern sky and the white patches grew bigger and bigger till it was all white, and the sea began to shine like silver. And long afterwards (but those two sang all the time) the east began to turn red and at last, unclouded, the sun came up out of the sea and its long level ray shot down the length of the table on the gold and silver and on the Stone Knife.

Once or twice before, the Narnians had wondered whether the sun at its rising did not look bigger in these seas than it had looked at home. This time they were certain. There was no mistaking it. And the brightness of its ray on the dew and on the table was far beyond any morning brightness they had ever seen. And as Edmund said afterwards, “Though lots of things happened on that trip which sound more exciting, that moment was really the most exciting.” For now they knew that they had truly come to the beginning of the End of the World.

Then something seemed to be flying at them out of the very centre of the rising sun: but of course one couldn’t look steadily in that direction to make sure. But presently the air became full of voices — voices which took up the same song that the Lady and her Father were singing, but in far wilder tones and in a language which no one knew. And soon after that the owners of these voices could be seen. They were birds, large and white, and they came by hundreds and thousands and alighted on everything; on the grass, and the pavement, on the table, on your shoulders, your hands, and your head, till it looked as if heavy snow had fallen. For, like snow, they not only made every thing white but blurred and blunted all shapes. But Lucy, looking out from between the wings of the birds that covered her, saw one bird fly to the Old Man with something in its beak that looked like a little fruit, unless it was a little live coal, which it might have been, for it was too bright to look at. And the bird laid it in the Old Man’s mouth.

Naturally, none of that makes it into the movie. Ramandu afterwards explains that he’s “a star at rest” and that the coal-like fruit the birds brought him is a fire berry from the valleys in the sun. He gets one every morning and it takes away a little of his age so eventually he’ll be young enough to return to the sky. Isn’t all that much more interesting than what the movie did?

While the book describes light as coming from Ramandu, I object to his daughter glowing so much in this movie. Laura Brent is a lovely woman but it’s hard to buy Caspian being attracted to her when she looks like this.

I’ve been pretty negative for a while, so let me praise this adaptation for giving Ramandu’s daughter a name. I don’t necessarily think every unnamed character in the Narnia books needs one^[6]For example, the Lady of the Green Kirtle in The Silver Chair is meant to be mysterious, so not having a name fits in with that. But considering that she marries a major character and gives birth to another, I think it’s weird that C. S. Lewis never named Ramandu’s daughter. And Liliandil even sounds like it’s from the same language as Ramandu without sounding obvious like Ramandua and Ramanduette or something. I’m impressed!

You know who else is impressed right now? Caspian. “You’re a star,” he says to Liliandil.^[7]Ramandu’s daughter isn’t necessarily a star herself in the books by the way. We’re just told “the blood of the stars flowed in her veins.” Her absent mother could have … Continue reading “You are most beautiful!” She’s a little taken aback by this and who can blame her? Talk about heavy-handed writing! The movie’s lucky Ben Barnes is such a good actor. “If it is a distraction for you,” says Liliandil, “I can change form.” Both Edmund and Caspian blurt out “No!” then give each other awkward looks. This arguably makes it seem like the movie is setting up a love triangle. Thankfully, it isn’t. Maybe the movie should have avoided that impression by having every man yell, “No!” Or maybe that would have just made the joke come across as dumber. Anyway, Liliandil politely ignores the awkwardness. “Please,” she says, “the food is for you.” She gestures with her hands and the candles on the table are lit. “There is enough for all who are welcome at Aslan’s table. Always. Help yourselves!” A word here about Laura Brent’s performance. It’s good on its own terms, probably one of the more memorable performances in this movie. But it’s really not how I imagine Ramandu’s daughter from the books. She certainly didn’t have much in the way of personality there, but she gave the impression of a stately, dignified lady. Here she seems like a perky tour guide or airline stewardess. Since I don’t love the way the character looks or sounds in this movie, how would I have portrayed her? Well, some are going to hate me for this, but I would have modeled her after the Elven women in The Lord of the Rings movies. I know detractors tend to call the Narnia movies rip-offs of those and here I’m asking them to rip off more. But what can I say? Watching the characters of Arwen and Galadriel in those films, my first thought was “yep, that’s Ramandu’s daughter.”

Many of the sailors tentatively reach for food or silverware. “Wait! What happened to them?” asks Edmund, shining his torch on the three sleepers. “These poor men were half mad by the time they reached our shores,” says Liliandil. “They were threatening violence upon each other. Violence is forbidden at the table of Aslan. So they were sent to sleep.” In the book, the explanation was a tad more complicated. One of the violent lords grabbed the Stone Knife which was “a thing not right for him to touch” and that was what set off the spell. The change is kind of ironic since this adaptation tends solve problems, like the slave trade on the Lone Islands, with violence that the book solved nonviolently. Still, violence being forbidden at Aslan’s table is still within the spirit of the book’s depiction. “When all is put right,” says Liliandil. In the book, the way to break the spell was for the Dawn Treader to sail to the World’s End and leave a crewmember behind, which fit in perfectly with Reepicheep’s goals, but the movie is much less interested in the world’s end. I’m sorry if I’m making this scene sound bad. It’s fine. It’s just that, having read the original or even just seen the first two Narnia movies, I know it could have been more than fine.

While everybody else gets to eat, Liliandil leads Caspian, Lucy and Edmund to a promontory overlooking the sea. “The magician Coriakin told you of Dark Island,” she says. There it is, within sight of Ramandu’s Island. According to Lewis, looking at the island from the outside was “looking into the mouth of a railway tunnel — a tunnel either so long or so twisty that you cannot see the light at the far end.” The movie’s version looks more like a huge cloud and, rather than being totally dark, there is a green light glowing within because of course there’s a green light.

Liliandil: Before long, the evil will be unstoppable.
Caspian: Coriakin said to break its spell we lay the seven swords at Aslan’s table.
Liliandil: He speaks the truth.
Edmund: But we only found six. Do you know where the seventh is?
Liliandil (pointing at Dark Island): In there. You will need great courage. Now waste no time.
Caspian: I hope we meet again.

She smiles warmly at him before reverting to her star form and then rocketing back up into the sky. That’s all we get of their relationship. Not a huge change from the book, I guess, since the love-at-first-sight romance between Caspian and Ramandu’s daughter was implied rather than shown there.^[8]And even played somewhat for humor. Still, I feel like there was a little more than that! Here Caspian doesn’t even mention Liliandil after this scene.^[9]In the book, Lucy reminding him of her was something that convinced him to return to Ramandu’s Island rather than keeping sailing to Aslan’s country. It feels scandalous that Caspian’s noncanonical romance in the Prince Caspian movie was more developed than his canonical one in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Next Week: The Dawn Treader Enters the Dark Island and I Discuss My Least Favorite Part of the Movie