Liars and Lunatics :: Film Blog

Since we’re on the topic, we might as well let you know that there is a “C.S. Lewis” character in our feature film Liars and Lunatics. He appears in the imaginary courtroom as one of James’ witnesses to speak about the “trilemma” we mentioned in an earlier blog. 

The character of Staples—played by Patrick Mitchell—is actually connected to that of C.S. Lewis. (You might have been able to figure that out if you know what the “C.S.” stands for.)

When we polled our cast and crew about their favorite character in the film, over half of them chose Staples as the role they admired the most. We included some of their reasons in this blog:

• “The only one who had any sense about what’s really going on.”
• “Thought provoking… with unshakable faith.”
• “Stands up to James with great conviction.”

{{ Photo of Staples, played by Patrick Mitchell. }}

Part Three :: Option Three…

Yes, the word “trilemma” does indicate that there is indeed a third part to all of this. (Kinda like “tri” in triangle or tricycle.)

(Again, you should probably read the last two entries from Monday, April 2nd and Wednesday, April 4th. It’ll make more sense…)

So, what’s the third part of C.S. Lewis’ famous “trilemma”? The third option is rather similar to the old professor’s observation regarding Lucy Pevensie in the “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” mentioned in our earlier blog.

According to the logic set out by C.S. Lewis, if Jesus wasn’t a liar or a lunatic, then the one other logical option is that he was actually telling the truth. In other words, he really was the Lord he claimed to be. (Rather appropriate, considering today is Good Friday.) 

And that’s where we got the title for our new feature film: Liars and Lunatics…  

Part Two: Lunatics.

And the origin behind the title of our independent feature film Liars and Lunatics. (Hey! If you didn’t read the last entry already, we suggest you have a peek at it, preferably BEFORE you read on. It’ll probably make more sense…)

Back to good ol’ C.S. Lewis and his famous “trilemma” argument. We also get back to James Jamisin’s crisis of faith; which led to his reasons for taking up residence in a mental asylum.

According to C.S. Lewis, the second option is: Jesus was not a liar, but rather, he was a lunatic. Which means he really did think that he was God, but he really wasn’t. He was just crazy. Or as Lewis so bluntly put it, “on a level with a man who says he is a poached egg.” (Lewis, “Mere Christianity”, p.41)

Coming up… The third option…

(Or you can always cheat and read the third chapter in the C.S. Lewis book, “Mere Christianity”…)

Part One :: Liars. (Hmmm. Next time, we suppose we’ll probably have to tackle Lunatics…)

A lot of people wonder about where we Moon Brothers got the title for our feature film, Liars and Lunatics. Well, when we first wrote the story, it began as a stage-play called “The Trial”. But there’s already a book with that name by Kafka.

So, last winter, when we made the switch over to screenplay format, we also changed the title to “Liars and Lunatics”.

Why? It actually comes from the writings of author C.S. Lewis. The central character of our film—James Jamisin—is an over-zealous evangelist whose hero is…you guessed it: C.S. Lewis. Yeah, he’s the guy who wrote the books about the Chronicles of Narnia (the same books that are being made into movies by the folks at Walden Media).

In all his writings, C.S. Lewis is known for his very logical approach. In fact, there’s a great line in his novel “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” In the book, an elderly professor takes the four Pevensie children into his country home during World War II. The two older children ask his advice about how to deal with their younger sister who claims to have found a whole new world inside a wardrobe. He systematically shows them their only possible conclusions:

“‘Logic!’ said the Professor half to himself. ‘Why don’t they teach logic at these schools? …There are three possibilities. Either your sister is telling lies, or she is mad, or she is telling the truth…’” (Lewis, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”, p.45)

That actually sounds a lot like Lewis’ famous “Trilemma” argument regarding Jesus’ claim to be God. So, using logic, the first possibility is that Jesus was a liar. Which means he would have known he wasn’t God. But, because Jesus wanted to be famous… or powerful… or whatever… he lies and claims divinity.

To be continued…