So I guess it's time for me to say my piece about The Golden Compass. I have not seen the movie but I have read all three of Philip Pullman's trilogy, His Dark Materials. I am not surprised at the outcry and subsequent boycott from the Catholic Church. Honestly, did anyone expect anything less? Really.
As usual they've most likely only drawn more attention to the thing and sparked more interest among youth.
There has been such hubbub over The Golden Compass' "opinions" on Christianity, and Catholicism in particular. There's everything from speculation about Nicole Kidman's absence at the NYC premier (an ardent Catholic herself) to the accusation that the film promotes matricide. Come on! It's all made me start to wonder- Will it be possible to see the stories for what they are? Stories. Fantasy. Fiction. There is so much more to see than just the controversy over religious doctrine. As a child, I read C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, and I was completely oblivious to the religious overtones. Totally missed them. Allegory and metaphor were way too big for me. They completely went over my head. What I got, was the depth of the characters, the icy-coldness of Narnia, the amazing warmth of Aslan, the brilliance of the plot, and of course, the impending stand-off between good and evil. It was marvelous. I loved it. Then I re-read the books as an adult, and while I was certainly able to understand some of the deeper political and religious messages, it was the story itself that stayed with me.
I am probably being naive about The Golden Compass in this regard. The power behind the message is just too intense. Not all viewers will get all of the nuances, but in general the grand theme, is hard to miss. There are other elements of this rich, epic, tale on which to focus though. And I feel like they're being overlooked in all of the coverage of what the Church thinks. Bleh. If you're like me, you've been waiting for this film forever and will be first in line on Friday. I say boycott the coverage of the boycott. Ban reading and writing about the ban. Just go see the movie, and love the totally amazing and imaginative world Philip Pullman has created for us.
Here's some more on the subject:
And pomomusings (Thanks Andrew)
Posted by alli
Book Publishing | Page To Screen
Comments
High-Five to you.I'm with you-boycott the coverage of the boycott. It's ridiculous...
Hey, listen...I'm a real-deal-kind-of-Christian. It's my whole life, and I promise-we're not ALL like this! Some of us know the difference between reality and fiction.....and we can appreciate both. . Just wanted to offer some hope.
Posted by: Crystal | December 6, 2007 8:27 PM
But isn't this coverage of the boycott?
Posted by: Sonya | December 6, 2007 9:02 PM
There is no Invisible Man in the Sky.
I don't know if the movie "The Golden Compass" will do much to promote the realization of that.
But it does help spread atheism, all the better.
Posted by: Eric Jaffa | December 7, 2007 12:24 AM
Thanks for your article - this movie is going to be amazing.
Also, I wondered if you could change the link to my blog - my blog is actually pomomusings, not promusings.
Thanks!
Posted by: Adam Walker Cleaveland | December 7, 2007 5:09 AM
I've been reading a lot of the interviews with Philip Pullman pre- and post-movie. My favourite is the one with Christian Magazine "Third Way," in which Pullman basically schools interviewer Huw Spanner.
If you want to read it, here is the link:
http://www.thirdway.org.uk/past/showpage.asp?page=3949
Also, it is my opinion that no one ever became an atheist, an anarchist, a satanist or committed matricide simply because they read one lonely little fictional book... no more than anyone has ever become Christian immediately after reading "The Chronicles of Narnia."
Okay, someone might say "well what about the Bible?" but I would respond that there are typically more variables involved.
Just my two sense. ahem... cents! :D
Posted by: Lindsay | December 7, 2007 6:22 AM
I think you’ve got the “catholic church denounces dissent” headline wrong. The church has no recommendation on the book or the film. In fact, the Catholic Digest – much more widely circulated (2.5 million readers) and respected than the nut job Catholic League – suggests that parents use the film as a springboard to "encourage your children to reflect about the issues the book raises in a thoughtful and intelligent manner."
Here’s a link to the Catholic Digest article: http://www.catholicdigest.com/article/single/should-our-family-watch-the-golden-compass
Here, perhaps, is the best piece of advice that the article contains: “The best way to respond to any questions your child may raise (about the movie) is to read the books.”
Rather than denouncing dissent, it sounds like mainstream catholic voices hope that folks will use their brains and think for themselves. Americans might not be used to that kind of encouragement from people in leadership positions, but there you have it.
Paul Acampora
Posted by: Paul Acampora | December 7, 2007 8:20 AM