(Step 1) Go to Google and search for a movie being released in December this year – “The Golden Compass.” Or click here for a short cut.(Step 2) Read a few of the reviews and watch some trailers -- like this one or this one. They seem nice. Nicole Kidman is big. The movie may do very well in theaters.
(Step 3) Notice the movie is the first of a trilogy from the books of Philip Pullman. He has been called the male version of J.K. Rowling and has been compared with C.S. Lewis (think Chronicles of Narnia) and J.R.R. Tolkein (think Lord of the Rings). The trilogy has sold over 15 million copies.
(Step 4) Then read this quote from Pullman: “I've been surprised by how little criticism I've got. Harry Potter's been taking all the flak.... Meanwhile, I've been flying under the radar, saying things that are far more subversive than anything poor old Harry has said. My books are about killing God.”
(Step 5) Be careful what you let your kids see this winter.
I don’t know just how big of a deal all of this will be – I haven’t read the book or seen the movie. It only seems right to reserve some judgment until I have more information. But Pullman is an avowed atheist and many are saying his books are a clear attempt to teach anti-Christian beliefs to children. Some are suggesting the movie has purposefully watered down the atheist stuff in order to (1) make money, and (2) encourage the sales of the books, which ARE anti-Christian.
For more information, you might want to check out a few other links:
Snopes
Christianity Today
New York Magazine
Syndey Morning Herald
Posts
4 comments:
As our resident librarian and Harry Potter fan, surely Rachel has some insight on this book/movie/author. Maybe I can get her to post a comment or two...
i have read several articles about this movie. my sister sent me a link at www.snopes.com about it. after i read it, i searched for a few more on my own. the movie website looks WONDERFUL and if i didn't konw anything else about it, i would probably really want to go see the movie. like you, i haven't read tons about it, but the few things i have read have been a little disturbing. anyway, i will be interested in reading some more information as it comes out.
I have actually read "The Golden Compass" and the entire trilogy that goes along with it -- for those of you who don't know, "The Golden Compass" is just the first of a trilogy entitled "His Dark Materials." I read them when they were first published several years ago as a favor for my husband who at the time was teaching 6th grade reading and wanted to know if they would be good for his classes but hadn't the time to read them himself. My reaction at the time and my reaction now is mixed. On one hand, Pullman is an exquisite writer of fantasy and adventure. "The Golden Compass" is the strongest of the three and I was spellbound by all of them the entire time. I literally could not put them down. He weaves a whole other world with a familiar one and the heroine, an 11-year-old girl named Lyra, is the most charming of heroines. She's prophesized to save the world, among other things, but must not be told how to do it or all will be lost. So she tackles things with a childlike ferocity and innocence that is entirely real. You want to cheer for her and you want her and those who support her to succeed.
But this book (and it's accompanying two sequels) have one major drawback -- the evil villain in all three is the Church. It's a generic church as it doesn't really have a name but therein lies the danger of it. Because it's not specifically named, it can be identified with any church. And the Church here is truly evil -- they do awful things to people in order to control society. In the last book there is a fight between the good and bad sides but the bad side includes angels and a weirdly twisted and aged form of God. (This probably won't make sense unless you read the book).
So the entire series subtly sways the reader against any sort of theology or spiritual powers. Interestingly enough, other sorts of magic are just fine (i.e. witches) but the power put forth by the Church is scary and something to be avoided. All of that begins with "The Golden Compass." For example, the Queen of a Witch Clan says that Lyra is "prophesied to destroy all destiny" and the implication I got was that the world would be a better place when people would be free to make their own choices about things. We usually think of destiny as a good thing, but in the book, b/c it's something that is out of human's control, it's bad.
I won't lie -- I think they're excellent books. But should children read them? I don't think so. I hesitate to say that they shouldn't be read by anyone b/c I think reading things that challenge our beliefs can sometimes be a good thing and I think the impact of a blasphemous or heretical book on someone is strong in their beliefs can be minimal. But these are not children's books -- maybe not even juvenile fiction. The ideas and the subtle way Pullman challenges spiritual authority are adult ideas and should be treated as such.
Truthfully, I'm not sure a child would get the point I think he is trying to make but why test it? I don't know about the movie as I suspect they have dumbed it down to make it more interesting to kids and it might be perfectly fine as a children's movie. But I too have heard that Pullman is an atheist and read somewhere that he wrote the books on purpose to "destroy God for children." That quote may not be true but it certainly is pause for more research into Pullman.
The books can be compared to Harry Potter in that they are all well-written and are full of at-the-edge-of-your-seat adventure. But Harry Potter never challenges the idea or existence of God -- spirituality isn't even mentioned. It just isn't addressed and for all we know, wizards in HP (were they actually real) believe in God. But where Harry Potter books are fun and take the reader to a magical world where anything can happen, "The Golden Compass" and it's sequels present a world scarily similar to our own where the Church and it's followers and it's purpose are the enemy.
Sorry that was so long! :) But you asked!
P.S. I recommended my husband NOT have his students read the books -- if parents had gotten a hold of them, I think there might have been some real objections.
rachel, thanks so much for your summary. it was very informative!! i wanted to hear from someone who had read them!!
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