Hackney Empire Theatre, 291 Mare Street, London. E8

020 8985 2424. Exuberant Grade II* listed auditorium and the most perfect example of Edwardian variety theatre remaining in London.

Phoenix Cinema, 52 High Road, East Finchley, London. N2

One of the oldest working cinemas in the country with original barrel-vaulted ceiling and illuminated Art Deco wall reliefs by Eugene Mollo and Michael Egan. Grade II listed. Open for viewing to public on Sunday 19th September 2004, 10am - 1pm, Maximum 80 at one time.

FILM REVIEW

The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe

Certificate: PG Runtime: 140mins

We remember the late '80s BBC television version of The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe with a great deal of affection. There was something very appealing about the huge fluffy Aslan the lion, which was very clearly a (then) hi-tech variation of a pantomime horse, and Barbara Kellerman was a genuinely scary White Witch. Times and computer technology have changed greatly since 1988 and Andrew Adamson's new version of the C.S. Lewis classic glistens with state-of-the-art special effects and spectacular action sequences. The final battle between the four children and the White Witch's evil army is now a full blown visual extravaganza, recalling the gargantuan clashes from The Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Animals - albeit computer generated critters - can actually talk now, negating the need for actors to don fur and face-paint, although we would have paid good money to see Ray Winstone and Dawn French as full-size beavers complete with comically oversized front teeth. It's this reliance on technical wizardry and eye-popping special effects, which proves the downfall of The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe. Putting aside all of the religious iconography, which is evident in the film though not overtly so, Lewis's escapist fantasy is primarily a journey of self-discovery for four children. The relationship between the siblings, overcoming their insecurities and differences to blossom into valiant young men and women, should be at the emotional heart of the story. But somehow, that has been lost in Adamson's film. Even Aslan's death on the stone table fails to wring a single tear. As Germans bombs descend upon World War II London, four youngsters - Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and Lucy (Georgie Henley) - are evacuated to the country where they secure lodgings with eccentric Professor Kirke (Jim Broadbent). One dull rainy afternoon, the children play a game of hide 'n' seek and Lucy stumbles upon the magical, snow-laden, fairy-tale kingdom of Narnia through a portal at the back of an old wardrobe. She meets kind-hearted faun Mr Tumnus (James McAvoy) and returns to Prof Kirke's house to tell her loved ones about her extraordinary escapades. All four children soon become embroiled in a battle between good and evil in this strange land, joining forces with the lion Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson) to defeat the wicked Jadis, White Witch (Tilda Swinton). The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe remains largely faithful to Lewis's text, on the most epic scale imaginable. The four young performers are all solid: Keynes captures Edmund's moodiness rather well and Henley is just scrumptious. Swinton plays the White Witch a little too coolly (no pun intended) - the Witch's sleigh driver Ginarrbrik (Kiran Shah) is a far more malevolent presence in the film - but there are lively vocal performances from Neeson and co. Production design is gorgeous, of course, and the computer effects are excellent although they don't always gel seamlessly with the live action. In particular, the climactic showdown between the massed armies loyal to Aslan and The White Witch lacks the sheen of realism, with so many digital characters crowding the screen. At the end of the film, the Professor assures Lucy that they will return to Narnia one day. Expect film versions of the later books, transforming the Narnia series into a franchise a la Harry Potter.