True, some religious people often feel that hiding the truth from children is the moral thing to do. I understand this very well. As I said, several Christian reviewers have vilified my book because of six small sex scenes. What parents want their children to learn is part of their own religious system; why then, does the film blame only the gatekeepers guilty of this?
Why blame only rich white men? Shouldn’t he tackle the idea of religion being the opiate of the people? (Not that I think it is. When I see the poor folks in my neighborhood wasting their money on lottery tickets and the old folks trusting in the government to make some new law to protect them, all I can think is that religion isn’t the opiate of the people; lotto is. Or the belief in “good politicians” is. But in the day-to-day world, religion isn’t what people are relying on to get them on in life.) If Pullman wanted to be firmly and coldly atheistic, he really should’ve created a world where the Magisterium serves all the purposes of religion and where the Magisterium is also loved. Whether Pullman does it in the book is unclear; this kind of balance certainly doesn’t show up in this film.
What is a filmed adaptation of a book supposed to give us? A visual feast if nothing else, a world where characters and setting comes to life. Much of this world seems to be missing. Sure there are poor folk, but we don’t know how the poor folk live. Either Pullman isn’t interested in showing it, or the filmmaker had to cram so much into the plot that he couldn’t quite show everything in the book. Personally, as a writer and lover of speculative fiction, I would’ve loved to have seen what the working class does. I’d have liked to know why the witches care about the Magisterium. I would’ve liked to have seen the culture of the Ice Bears. I would’ve liked to have seen the inside of that factory where the Ice Bear prince, Iorek Byrnison, works. (Incidentally, he loses his addiction to alcohol very easily.)
That leads to my major peeve with the film, The Golden Compass. It is easy and uncreative. Quite simply, the story is a pastiche, a hodge-podge of illustrated worst-case scenarios, past historical religious crimes, old movies (Pullman’s spin on Mrs Coulter is almost feels like a bad take on The Manchurian Candidate), Euro-folkloric myth.
Article comments
1 - ostrova
I haven't seen the movie yet but I just loved the books. Hey, I've got an idea--read the books!
2 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
I also suggest reading the books. Movies based on books are generally failures. Exodus, based on Leon Uris' novel of the same name, was a failure as a film in spite of the stirring theme. The Ten Commandments is practically a Cold War comedy. I'll take the Book of Exodus any day of the week to the bad news mugging of the actors in the movie, in spite of all the boring parts of the text.
3 - carole
True. Go to the source, i say. And read all books. And those who dislike the Church and have an idea of what the Bible purports to say should also try to read the Bibles. All this second-hand stuff does no one any good. -C
4 - duane
Parents trying to lead good Christian lives should be aghast at Pullman and the film producers for their attempt to indoctrinate the impressionable minds of innocent children with baseless nonsense. Parents need to protect their children from the world of alternative viewpoints and fight for their right to indoctrinate their children with baseless nonsense of their own choosing.
5 - carole
Duane: did you read my review or are you so busy working off a grudge against an old evangelical aunt that you can't see what I've already written? Although I do believe individual parents should be able to teach their children anything they wish, that's not what I spoke of in this article. What I wrote about: the failure of a film to adequately portray a book. That's all. Your opinion about religion and whether religion is nonsense should be saved for another article. I hope you can hold onto your witty comebacks until the appropriate article comes along. Incidentally, most Christian parents DO show their kids alternative viewpoints. Obviously, you don't know what it's like to be a Christian parent in the US with so much media, worldviews, and propaganda around. What Christians object to is the fact that this is a book geared to young children who might not know how to correctly answer some very nonsensical atheistic assertions. -C
6 - duane
Good smackdown, Carol. Old evangelical aunt. Hehe. Nice.
I did read your review, and thought it was an interesting spin on the issue, and overall, quite balanced.
I read about the first 2/3 of the book with my son, have not seen the movie, have heard a lot on Christian radio about drumming up support for boycotts against the movie and Pullman in general, which I think is quite silly, like most of the rest of what is broadcast on those stations (need some examples?).
As for sticking to the specific topic, hehe, that almost never happens at BC.
Obviously, you don't know what it's like to be a Christian parent in the US with so much media, worldviews, and propaganda around.
No, but I do know what it's like to be a parent in the US with so much media, worldviews, and propaganda around.
What Christians object to is the fact that this is a book geared to young children who might not know how to correctly answer some very nonsensical atheistic assertions.
Yeah, I know. That's precisely echoes the meaning of my comment #3. If I were feeling combative, I could say, "What I object to is the fact that this is a book geared, in part, to young children who might not know how to correctly answer some very nonsensical religious assertions," and I think, if I were to say such a thing, that you know which book I'm referring to.
But I'm feeling rather conciliatory today, so I will refrain.
Carry on.
7 - Headless Unicorn Guy
Carole: Either "Old Evangelical Aunt" or "Mean Nun with Black Belt in Ruler".
Duane: Golden Compass apparently did not open well; not too much box office. Christian Activist Groups (TM) are already congratulating themselves on Our Boycott Is Why It Tanked; they're going to be insufferable for a long time.
I look at it as the flick was probably so bad not even the "Angry Christians Denounce Your Movie" self-sustaining free publicity machine could make much difference.