失われた楽園を救う若き勇者たち

Machiko Nakamata, Writer and Translator

　英国ファンタジーの傑作、C.S.ルイスが著した『ナルニア国物語』。映画化第2段となる『ナルニア国物語/第2章:カスピアン王子の角笛』では、滅びてしまったナルニア国に希望の光をともす若き王子が現れる。ぺベンシー兄妹と共に、彼の活躍から目が離せない。

At the tender age of 12, starring in the two movies of “The Chronicles of Narnia" series has already “broadened my horizons," said the bubbly Georgie Henley, who landed the role of Lucy Pevensie at 8.

On the other hand, the pleasant young actor William Moseley, 21, who plays her brother Peter, said, “I learned incredibly many things on the professional level."

They return as two of the four Pevensie siblings in “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," based on C.S. Lewis' fantasy novel, the second installment of his seven-part “Chronicles."

After spending several years together on the series, Georgie and Moseley still seemed like brother and sister during a recent press conference in Tokyo. She mentioned the special bonds she had with him, while Moseley praised her by saying, “Georgie acts emotionally from her heart. Seeing her on screen will take your breath away."

As its producer Mark Johnson pointed out, every book of the “Chronicles" has a different story with a new character, and the latest Narnia film whisks the Pevensie children from World War II-era London back to the land of Narnia, but this time 1,300 years after their previous visit. The siblings meet Prince Caspian and help him battle his evil uncle for the throne of the kingdom.

The new character here is, of course, the dashing Caspian, played by 26-year-old Ben Barnes. The British likely-to-be-girls'-heartthrob remembered how he had pictured the prince when he read the book as a child.

“He is not a stereotyped Prince Charming character. At first he's anxious about the position he finds himself in, not ready to take the responsibility," Barnes said, adding that he had felt the same way when he had gotten the part.

Director Andrew Adamson admitted that he had tried to incite a rivalry between Barnes, the newcomer, and Moseley, so as to build a dramatic tension in their scenes together, but did it work?

Barnes replied, “When we went to the gym together, I found William is physically fit, but I'm not." So he said he decided competing against him was not a good idea. Then, glancing at the younger actor, Barnes declared jokingly, “But my sword is longer than his!"

• “The...Narnia" 　『ナルニア国物語』
• broadened my horizons　私の視野を広げた
• land(ed) 　得る
• four…siblings　ぺベンシー四兄妹
• whisk(s)　さっと運ぶ
• throne　王座
• dashing 　さっそうとした
• likely-to-be-girls'-heartthrob　若い女性たちのあこがれの的になりそうな
• Prince Charming 　理想の男性。元は『シンデレラ』の王子
• incite　あおる
• glancing at 　ちらりと見て