Sirius
02-08-2008, 04:53 PM
Okay, so I just got done watching the 2007 film Bridge to Terabithia distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media.
The film tells the story of two elementary children: Jess Aarons, a shy, artistically inclined boy from a struggling family who is the subject of school bullying, and Leslie Burke, the next-door tomboy daughter of two writers whose imagination runs wild and quickly becomes an outcast at school herself. Though loners and outsiders, they quickly forge a powerful friendship and using their imaginations invent a magical world they call Terabithia; a place where they can escape to; a place where their fantasies reign supreme. That is of course until a tragedy ends the fantasy and it is up to Jess to decide what will become of his future and the make-believe world of Terabithia.
What strikes me most is the story's emphasis on the characters. It is amazing to see how the characters grow throughout the story. The friendship is the focal point of the story, not the fantasy which serves more as a tool rather than the focal point. The effects are beautiful yet minimal, preserved only for where it is necessary. It is not just a children's story for I feel that most adults will be able to see a beautiful piece of storytelling that will strike home to anyone who has ever known what it is to be a child, to be an outsider, to lose something, or how to grow up without forgetting what is most important from childhood.
Bridge to Terabithia is based on the 1977 novel of the same name by Katherine Paterson. It is inspired by a true event in the life of the author's son, who in turn assisted in the screenwriting and production of the film. Though I have not yet read the book (I now plan to) I am led to believe, reading around on the internet, that it is a very faithful adaption. There is also a 1985 television film adaption of the novel by PBS.
The film tells the story of two elementary children: Jess Aarons, a shy, artistically inclined boy from a struggling family who is the subject of school bullying, and Leslie Burke, the next-door tomboy daughter of two writers whose imagination runs wild and quickly becomes an outcast at school herself. Though loners and outsiders, they quickly forge a powerful friendship and using their imaginations invent a magical world they call Terabithia; a place where they can escape to; a place where their fantasies reign supreme. That is of course until a tragedy ends the fantasy and it is up to Jess to decide what will become of his future and the make-believe world of Terabithia.
What strikes me most is the story's emphasis on the characters. It is amazing to see how the characters grow throughout the story. The friendship is the focal point of the story, not the fantasy which serves more as a tool rather than the focal point. The effects are beautiful yet minimal, preserved only for where it is necessary. It is not just a children's story for I feel that most adults will be able to see a beautiful piece of storytelling that will strike home to anyone who has ever known what it is to be a child, to be an outsider, to lose something, or how to grow up without forgetting what is most important from childhood.
Bridge to Terabithia is based on the 1977 novel of the same name by Katherine Paterson. It is inspired by a true event in the life of the author's son, who in turn assisted in the screenwriting and production of the film. Though I have not yet read the book (I now plan to) I am led to believe, reading around on the internet, that it is a very faithful adaption. There is also a 1985 television film adaption of the novel by PBS.