So have you seen the trailer yet for The Golden Compass? If not then here it is below:
Until I saw the trailer I’d never heard of the books the movie is based on — a trilogy called His Dark Materials — and the first time I saw the trailer I wrote it off as a Chronicles of Narnia wannabe. The only reason I might have had for seeing it in theaters is that Courtney was very excited about the movie. As it turns out, though, I may have to go see it out of my own curiosity now that I’ve learned that the books have a somewhat anti-organized religion tone to them and are written by an avowed atheist.
It seems the movie has been a cause of concern for our good friend and Catholic League president, Bill Donohue, prompting him to put out a press release advising parents not to take their kids to see the film:
“New Line Cinema and Scholastic Entertainment have paired to produce ‘The Golden Compass,’ a children’s fantasy that is based on the first book of a trilogy by militant English atheist Philip Pullman. The trilogy, His Dark Materials, was written to promote atheism and denigrate Christianity, especially Roman Catholicism. The target audience is children and adolescents. Each book becomes progressively more aggressive in its denigration of Christianity and promotion of atheism: The Subtle Knife is more provocative than The Golden Compass and The Amber Spyglass is the most in-your-face assault on Christian sensibilities of the three volumes.
“Atheism for kids. That is what Philip Pullman sells. It is his hope that ‘The Golden Compass,’ which stars Nicole Kidman and opens December 7, will entice parents to buy his trilogy as a Christmas gift. It is our hope that the film fails to meet box office expectations and that his books attract few buyers. We are doing much more than hoping—we are conducting a nationwide two-month protest of Pullman’s work and the film. To that end, we have prepared a booklet, ‘The Golden Compass: Agenda Unmasked,’ that tears the mask off the movie.
“It is not our position that the movie will strike Christian parents as troubling. Then why the protest? Even though the film is based on the least offensive of the three books, and even though it is clear that the producers are watering down the most despicable elements—so as to make money and not anger Christians—the fact remains that the movie is bait for the books. To be specific, if unsuspecting Christian parents take their children to see the movie, they may very well find it engaging and then buy Pullman’s books for Christmas. That’s the problem.
“We are fighting a deceitful stealth campaign on the part of the film’s producers. Our goal is to educate Christians so that they know exactly what the film’s pernicious agenda really is.”
Wow, anything that gets Bill’s panties in a bunch like that might be worth seeing, but as it turns out he’s quite right that the filmmakers have toned down the anti-religious aspects of the story somewhat. According to some folks it’s been watered down a bit too much:
Northern Lights, the book which first introduced readers to Pullman’s 12-year-old heroine, Lyra, is as dear to its many fans as JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and JK Rowling’s Harry Potter saga, so tampering with the philosophical content is not likely to be welcomed when the film is released before Christmas.
While Pullman himself has said he believes ‘the outline of the story is faithful to what I wrote, given my knowledge of what they have done’, the National Secular Society – of which the author is an honorary associate – has now spoken out against the changes.
‘It was clear right from the start that the makers of this film intended to take out the anti-religious elements of Pullman’s book,’ said Terry Sanderson, president of the society. ‘In doing that they are taking the heart out of it, losing the point of it, castrating it. It seems that religion has now completely conquered America’s cultural life and it is much the poorer for it. What a shame that we have to endure such censorship here too.’
Kidman has said the critical stance of the film ‘has been watered down a little … I was raised Catholic, the Catholic Church is part of my essence,’ she told film journalists in Australia in the summer. ‘I wouldn’t be able to do this film if I thought it were at all anti-Catholic.’
…
At a preview of footage staged at the Cannes Film Festival in the spring, director Chris Weitz, best known for directing About A Boy, said the film would be a fair retelling of Pullman’s tale.‘In the books the Magisterium is a version of the Catholic church gone wildly astray from its roots. If that’s what you want in the film, you’ll be disappointed,’ he admitted, but added: ‘We have expanded the range of meanings of what the Magisterium represents. Philip Pullman is against any kind of organised dogma whether it is church hierarchy or, say, a Soviet hierarchy.’
That’s disappointing to say the least, but as Bill Donahue points out there’s always a chance some kids will be inclined to pick up the books after seeing the movies. I’ll have to make a point of picking them up myself as well. The film is still causing enough concern among the Religious Right that several emails have been circulating around warning about its anti-Christian message. The email is cropping up often enough that the folks at Snopes.com already have an entry on them on their site. If nothing else it’s nice to see the other side get a little representation every so often.
The cool thing is *I* didn’t receive any emails, and I called them a bunch of pussies. You must live a charmed life.
Just wanted to say thanks to Bog Brother and oldecrepitfool for responding. This post was only a test. If the post had been an actual emergency, it would have been followed by a series of instructions to ensure safety, such as, O ye generation of vipers, who hath warned thee to flee from the wrath that is to come? Take care, guys.
So Tommy, what you are basically saying is that you have no actual response, you just want to quit while you think you are ahead, right? Trying to take the High Road so your pride isn’t too wounded? Please, you are so self righteous it’s leaking out your ears brother.
I didn’t respond to see myself type, I’d like you to actually answer my question. Do you personally spend every waking hour helping the poor and downtrodden, and if so, do you include a healthy dose of your religion? I know churches do charity work all the time, but the ones I’ve seen usually make sure to include some message, because apparently charity all by itself just doesn’t cut it. The worst of course require one to sit through a sermon, or attend their church. The really worst go to poor countries and spread their message to the most destitute. Just going there to feed hungry people and help them isn’t enough.
Tommy, if you have no actual point to make, don’t wish to answer questions generated by your comments, and just generally like to stir things up, you are engaging in trollery. Ever do it again, then you’re a troll and people will ignore you in droves.
Two things I find ironic:
1. This is an anti-Christian/Catholic/Religion movie (take your pick) and it is coming out for CHRISTMAS.
2. If a movie were made where it was about killing off allah with a new mohammed coming around, there’s be embassies being burned, nuns being shot, and general chaos in the streets (more so than when just a cartoon was drawn). The Christians endure movies like this, as well as The Last Temptation of Christ (He gets a girlfriend), Divinci Code (He has a whole bloodline) and all they do is get vocal about it. At least you have to appreciate that they don’t go set things on fire and shoot people.
Isn’t what makes America great the fact that people can have disagreements (even hottedly) about their various viewpoints without resorting to violence?? That’s the part I like.
Yep. I plan to enjoy it while it lasts—or until Canada lets us in, whichever comes first.
Y’know, I can kinda understand the christians getting all upset and worried about losing members by the droves due to one book or one movie. After all, the basis of their whole faith is just one book. If they read a book and that drove them to embrace christianity, and their lives revolve around what is written in that book, then what if a more interesting book comes along?
It’s like when they were afraid to let women and slaves learn to read, because they might find out there’s something better out there…
Well yes. We have gone to that exact point before
Woo-hoo! The AFA has jumped on the badwagon! They just sent out one of their urgent Action Alerts about this horrible atheistic film, along with links to a couple of their articles on it:
http://www.onenewsnow.com/2007/10/perspectives_does_the_golden_c.php
http://www.breakpoint.org/listingarticle.asp?ID=7254
Oh I’m so going to have to do an entry on that article on OneNewsNow.com. It’s way too funny to ignore.
Those of you who shouted Censorship! have no idea what you are talking about. No one censored this movie. There was no government or religous group the forced the studios to do this movie like they did. It comes down to cold, hard economics. Most of the people in this country believe in God and don’t want their children to see things that go against their beliefs. You atheists are probably not taking your kids to Narnia or Veggie Tales for that reason also. If they, the studios, were to make a movie that is openly anti-god it would flop with all those people. I’m sure you all would go but a movie like this needs to make MILLIONS, not thousands. Sorry.
Mr. Wolf: I think you’re overstating the case. Knowing the crowd around here, I’d guess what gets up people’s noses is that people let a bunch of self-righteous bozos (who probably haven’t bothered to read/see the book/movie they’re frothing at the mouth over) make their value-judgments for them. That sort of thing tends to get up a freethinker’s nose.
For the record, I don’t have kids, but if I did, I wouldn’t care one way or another as long as the movie was age-appropriate.
I keep meaning to get around to the whole Narnia cycle, sigh… But I certainly don’t consider “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” any way diminished by Tolkein’s solid Catholic faith. (Even knowing that it was he, probably more than any other person, who brought CS Lewis to Christianity—of a sort.)
If you fancy that we’re somehow threatened by a fantasy story with Christian elements, you’re going to be disappointed. Speaking for myself, I don’t think that anyone who believes in omnipotent, bi-polar sky-beings is qualified to “warn” anybody about anything.
this just makes me mad… i’m 15 yrs old and i’m not have as stupid as half of the adults in this world! come on people get a life the golden compass wants to get rid of christians hello!! without God and jesus we would have no life thank you very much! do back up reading on ridiculously retatted and stupid this movie is! the Chronicles of narnia didn’t make it good becuase it was actually a good movie and didn’t have sex drugs all that junk in it and it was positive and up lifting! grow up you stupid adults!
I have to agree with that. I simply love Lord of the Rings. One of the reasons is that IMO, Tolkien put in all the best parts of christianity and left out most of the garbage.
amelia – you’re making a fool of yourself, those tactics don’t win here.
You do not put forward any explanation (let alone evidence) to anything you say. I will also ask, what do you consider to be grown up? An irrational, emotional approach flying the flag of anger in hope that angry people will like you, or dealing with things reasonably for what they are?
Zack- I don’t read C.S. Lewis because I already have once, and his writing is as tedious and shallow as a dead dog rotting in a mud puddle. I don’t need bullshit religious symbolism to permeate everything, especially when the plot and characters are already as silly as in the Chronicles of Narnia. I don’t watch veggie tales because I’m 34. And they suck.
I do read Tolkein, but not for his Catholic faith. Tolkein, being a better writer, leaves his personal faith out of his fictional histories. He was writing to amuse and perhaps inspire, not to practice evangelism or petty moralizing. He even has characters(the Dwarves) who were created by an angel or minor deity other than his “god” and yet they are not portrayed as evil. Pretty open minded for a religious catholic, no? Too bad religious Americans have yet to realize that they don’t know what’s good for everybody. And too bad movie executives still kiss the asses of worthless dipshits who hate the industry.
Fact is, an anti-god movie could do well, but the backlash from christian pieces of shit prevents it. Anti-god books sell well, but the backlash from christian pieces of shit often prevents them from getting to the people who could most benefit. You no doubt have a point that the economics waters things down. This is obvious. But it is still a form of censorship when willing audiences are cheated out of a good show by the effects of christian pieces of shit and their constant fucking bawling. It may not live up to your test for censorship, but the net result is the same-dickless crybabies deciing what gets seen by everyone.
Oh and keep your fucking “sorry.” Christian pieces of shit have ruined millions of pieces of good art before now, and replaced it all with “Bleeding Dipshit on Black Velvet.” I’m sure this isn’t the last.
Zack is sorely mistaken. Not only did I take my kid to see Chronicles of Narnia but I watched it as well and even wrote a review about it. Though we didn’t go see the Veggie Tales movie because, honestly, the Veggie Tales suck.
Amelia, you need to do some more study of your own before you start trying to tell us how stupid we are.
amelia-who-can’t-capitalize-her-own-name: It’s a hallmark of being 15 years old that you actually think that the big, bad world’s gonna care what “makes you mad”. You’ll eventually figure that out when you grow up—figuratively as well as biologically—get a job and have to actually take responsibility for what you make of your life.
For the record, I actually enjoy movies that don’t resort to (gratuitous) sex and violence. But if a movie has something in it that I don’t think I’ll like, I don’t watch it and that’s that. If I start watching a movie and don’t like it, I stop it and put in another DVD. Or I’ve been known to walk out of a theatre. But I d—n sure don’t tell people that it’s bad or dangerous or immoral for them to see it and/or enjoy it.
Bottom line: No one is making you watch TGC, so quit your whining if other people do. You have absolutely no right to prevent others from making up their own minds. Unlike you, who have apparently had your mind already made up for you by your parents and/or pastor.
If you’re such a devout Christian, shouldn’t you get off the internet and be out volunteering at soup kitchens or homeless shelters or ringing bells for the Salvation Army or something? Or is your “faith” all about forcing everyone else to stop doing anything to challenge it? Because that ain’t faith, babycakes—that’s insecurity. If one little movie—or even one little trilogy—can “destroy” the Christian faith, how much is there to that “faith”, really?
For your sake as much as everyone elses’, I dearly hope that you go to a (non-Bible) University and have your eyes opened to a much larger and infinitely more wonderful Universe than the one that your parents and Church have obviously brainwashed into believing. At least, that’s what’s happened to a lot of the kids I knew who were raised in ultra-strict, ultra-religious families. (And they were more often than not the wild ones!)
FSM save us from teenagers.
More appropriately, FSM save us from all the parents who suckle their kids on such poison. Not teaching them where the real dangers to their soul lie is criminal neglect, IMO. Granted, I wasn’t as sheltered as our young party-crasher, but I know what a disservice it did to me. When she finally breaks free from the ‘rents (which hopefully happens), she’s going to be so unqualified to make her own value-judgments… I just cringe, honestly.
I liked the Narnia books. I didn’t really dig the Narnia movie as much, but that’s because frankly I thought the kids in it couldn’t all act very well and I’m tired of Tilda Swinton. Even my niece, now five years old, thinks Veggie Tales is pretty dumb and not entertaining. I’m not real big on what she DOES find to be good television, but any small child who likes horror movies as much as she does can’t be all that bad.
No kidding: I used to stay up late on Saturday nights and watch horror flicks with Dad. You know: the old B&W Lon Cheney Jr., Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, etc. stuff. And look how normal I turned out! [maniacal grin]
My niece likes horror movies more than national geographic stuff – because “scary movies aren’t real.” Whereas sharks will put her awake all night. Overall I set her “understands-fiction-from-reality” factor way, way higher than most of the religious nutjobs that come for a drive-by around here.
BTW – this page was crashing my Firefox like no one’s business for some reason in the Quicktime at the top. I finally fixed it by going into QT and disabling the direct draw stuff and it seems to be doing fine, just in case someone else wanders in here and is trying to figure out how to make the crashing stop.
Have you ever tried Quicktime Alternative? I find it’s much easier on my memory and CPU usage.
I’m really not having a problem with memory or cpu usage, it seems to be an honest “someone wrote something poorly that screws it all up” crash.
Saw the film today. There is no (as far as I can see) atheism in it, and I can’t see any in the book (just the 1st- haven’t read 2 and 3). The main attack is on a quasi-religeous authority- the Magisterium. I can see churches’ quibble with it- Mrs Coulter saying they tell people how to think.
Actually I believe that certain catholic authorities have praised the book or rather vetted (right word?) them, saying that they only attack fundamentalism and blind obedience and not religion or catholicism itself.
I guess the knee-jerk reaction of most people is towards the scene at the end where the children you-know-what you-know-who. Personally I found that scene very innocent and well-written.
For a fair comparison of the Bible with The Golden Compass, see here.
That was great Zilzh!!
Although, I dont understand how my fellow Christians can say how terrible this story line is, but watch/read the Harry Potter series and smile.
And if your a liberal (duh), thats cool, but don’t risk your salvation based on a political belief! I am a hardcore Christian Conservative, but I *do not* place myself in the same category as those stuck-up noses in the air, religious right that you call your enemy. People like that make a mockery of my religion.
I would also like to note how interesting it is, the fact that If this book had made a play on the Muslim religion, the author would be dead long ago and the books burned. Oh, and CNN wouldn’t even do a story on it
Prayingforyou, there are elements in both Christianity and Islam that would like to kill anyone who mocks their religion. They make more news than their moderate counterparts.
Salvation from what? From your angry God? I’d be more worried about being saved from dangers that actually exist.
do have to? Rather read Fford or Pratchett. (For anybody who is into literature you really need to read the Thursday Next books. The wiki article is good. I would say that- I wrote half of it)
The ‘Muslims kill critics’ defence is boring and ignores the fact so do Christians. Even worse not indulging in canabalism is a hate crime.
Risk our salvation based on a political belief? What are you smoking?