Fox News today have a well balanced article by Catherine Donaldson-Evans discussing the religious aspects of the film and the potential fallout of the film, particularly in the USA. A number of different concerned parties are quoted and cited (including our good selves and our interview with director Chris Weitz some three years ago when he was just script writer) and despite there being in many areas simple rehashing of the old debate over the role of religion in His Dark Materials, it does well to sum up the current sentiments surrounding the movie. Read it in full here.
Christian Groups Claim Pro-Atheist ‘Stealth Campaign’
October 30, 2007
This entry was posted in The Golden Compass movie. Bookmark the permalink.
How ungrateful! The films are diluted to placate the right and they accuse the filmmakers (in fact, they accuse Pullman) of trying to trick children into reading the original books! New Line (and I) should have predicted that the religious right were going to get upset regardless and just gone all out.
Here’s a nitpick: how can “selling the virtues of atheism” be negative? By definition they’re positive things.
Well it would be funny if it wasn’t serious… but that’s the Americans for you – a country that, unlike Britain, separates Church and State but where, uncannily like HDM, the Church wields disproportionate power.
But has the author of the article actually read Northern Lights? In this first HDM volume, Lyra doesn’t travel to a strange parallel world – all the action takes place in her alternate world. Travel to parallel dimensions only becomes possible at the very end of the book (and even that has been moved to the second film)
Secondly she doesn’t seek the Alethiometer (aka Golden Compass). She is given it as she leaves Jordan College and uses it to guide her.
Oh and it’s daemons and not demons…
This series is all confusing to me. I fell in love with the storyline almost immediately, and at first, I could hardly pick up anything religious. Now I’m kinda wary about reading them, but there is more to it than just religion.
Part of the reason I love the books is the relations between the characters. Lyra and Will–sublime. I love the developement between the two. And it isn’t just them–Lyra and Pan, Will and his mother, ect. ect.
I hate that religion is all that people get out of it. I see it as freeing themselves from the Catholic Church, just as the pilgrims did in the 16th century. There’s nothing different or wrong about that.
The single most shocking thing about this article was its balance, given the source (does Rupert Murdoch know?). It’s important to keep in perspective that New Line is taking a huge gamble by doing the series. You can accuse them of wussing out on the anti-religious aspect, but they need to play it safe; they aren’t a fiscal martyr for athiests.
On the other hand, there is no such thing as bad publicity. I can’t see the right wings efforts producing fruit anyway. There efforts may well do the opposite, bring attention to the film. If members of the Christian right want to boycott the movie, that’s fine, it’s their choice. Remember that freedom of speech goes both ways. I find many atheists to be just as bad as chrisitans in self righteousness. Sometimes, discretion is the better part of valour.
I think it’s best that we (and that’s both sides) simply wait for the movie to come out before attacking or defending it. Don’t jump the gun people!
Pingback: big black booty hoe pussy