LONDON – A debate over a movie’s anti-religious antagonism – or lack thereof – is heating up ahead of its upcoming release, with some accusing Hollywood of “castrating” the anti-Catholic themes present in the novel from which it is based.
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(Photo: New Line Cinema / Pool)In this image released by New Line Cinema, Nicole Kidman, left, and Dakota Blue Richards appear in a scene from the film 'The Golden Compass.'
The expected blockbuster, “The Golden Compass,” is named after the American title of best-selling author Philip Pullman’s novel “Northern Lights” and will star actress Nicole Kidman and James Bond star Daniel Craig.
The original children’s novel, part of Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” series, rejects organized religion – in particular, the Catholic Church – and critics of the movie version say the anti-religious elements of the book have been taken out of the storyline so as not to offend faithful moviegoers in the United Kingdom and United States.
“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. In doing that they are taking the heart out of it, losing the point of it, castrating it,” said Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, a British organization that promotes secularism and which Pullman is an honorary associate of.
“It seems that religion has now completely conquered America's cultural life and it is much the poorer for it," she said in The Guardian newspaper Sunday. "What a shame that we have to endure such censorship here too.”
Filmmakers, however, say they have stayed true to a majority of the narrative in the fantasy novel – which tells the story of a young heroine and her battle against a dominant religious authority called the Magisterium, which condones the abduction of children for experimentation.
Movie director Chris Weitz, who directed the British hit family comedy “About A Boy,” starring actor Hugh Grant, assured that the film would be a fair reflection of Pullman's novel.
“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 said.
The filmmaker explained that the sinister organization has been changed so that the film will now appear to be a more general widespread attack on dogmatic authorities.
“We have expanded the range of meanings of what the Magisterium represents. Philip Pullman is against any kind of organized dogma whether it is church hierarchy or, say, a Soviet hierarchy,” he noted.
Nicole Kidman, who is reportedly Christian herself, has also defended the movie.
She acknowledged that the movie “has been watered down a little,” but that it still introduces a world that is "dominated by the Magisterium, which seeks to control all humanity, and whose greatest threat, is the curiosity of a child."
“I was raised Catholic. The Catholic Church is part of my essence. I wouldn't be able to do this film if I thought it were at all anti-Catholic,” she has also stated.
Pullman, meanwhile, has said that he believes the “outline of the story is faithful to what I wrote, given my knowledge of what they have done.”
Although he is a self-professed atheist and a supporter of the British Humanist Association, Pullman has found support from some Christians – most notably Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams. They point out that the English writer’s negative portrayal of the "Church" in “His Dark Materials” amounts to an attack on dogmatism and the use of religion to oppress, not on Christianity itself. Williams has gone so far as to propose that “His Dark Materials” be taught as part of religious education in schools. Continue >>
Comments
I can't believe how up and arms Christians are protesting this movie. Actually no I'm not because they have been trying to push their religion on everybody before the middle ages. Its one thing to state that the book may promote atheism, but to protest and boycott something that they haven't even seen and made their own opinion on is completely ignorant. People need to be open-minded and make decisions after they have viewed things from their own perspective. I consider myself a Christian and believe and God. However, I don’t believe reading a book or watching a movie would be a bad thing as it would only make me more knowledgeable about what’s out there. If your kids want to read the books after they have seen the movie – let them. If you truly believe it will change their faith, then try talking to them and explaining things that you believe (which parents these days don’t seem to have the time for).
I am a christian because I know the person Jesus Christ and I am christ like. I hate religion. It kills the spirit and it blinds you and prevents you from experiencing God. When I say I hate religion then my defenition of religion is 'faith' without power or experience. I am gratefull for all anti-riligious debates so that religious christians can get to a point where they realize that they don't actually know Jesus and that they are basically just in a powerless, ignorant loveless club. That is the only place where you can have a true spiritual experience. I haven't seen the movie or read the book but I intend to and am almost certain that I will thouroughly enjoy it. God is not offended.
I saw the movie, and it didn't carry anti-Christian god themes at all....and even if it did, so what?
People in meta-physics belive in spirit guides, guardian angels, and aniimal guides. What I saw in the film were animal guides. Many native americans believe in animal guides, they're used as totems.
As far as I'm concerned, I don't understand what "christians & catholics" are so concerned about. When this country was founded, a serious atheist campaign was ensued. Native Americans were sent to schools to be educated and learn about a new christian god. They were punished if they uttered their native language, or prayed to the great spirit....or their god. Atheism is the non-belief in god and the suppression of religion. Both Christianity and Catholicism are guilty of that with both Native Americans and the Africans that were brought to new America.
And their mad??? You're mad?? Well, sorry. That a book/movie offers a concept where children as acknowledged as having more knowledge as an adult, where animal spirits/guides are listened to and not "eaten" or raised on a farm and shown their place in this world...where people strive to believe in the cosmic....it's beyond me that Christians and Catholics (based on their history) are appalled.
I'm glad to see that "out of the box thinking" is shown on the screen. Bravo!!!! I say this for my Sioux father who was beaten by the nuns for crying for missing his Sioux family while away at boarding school, and for my Sioux sister whose hair was cut by nuns because she was caught speaking Sioux by the nuns and kept from her family for two months visitation by the nuns who also cut her hair. The Sioux only cut their in time of mourning.
If Christians and Catholics are afraid...you live in fear and you exert fear. This book/movie is fiction, yet encompasses much world wide belief in spirituality. Bravo!!!!
no one should EVER doubt that there is a God!!! He is an awesome one!!! And by the way digglefallen, the Harry Potter books are not anti-Christian!!!
no one should EVER doubt that there is a God!!! He is an awesome one!!! And by the way digglefallen, the Harry Potter books are not anti-Christian!!!
check out
www.pullmanwatch.com
for more answers to the books
So Hollywood did to this book like they did to Mark Twain's Confederate Yankee in King Arthur's Court: dumb down or eliminate the anti-religious elements. Well, the book is always better as they say. (For those who do not know, Mark Twain was an ex-Christian whose anti-religious satire is less well known but darned good!) Besides, its good for people to have a sense of humor about religion and to not be afraid to look at challenges or questions to their faith. "Attacking" any religion, including Christianity, is not wrong. Nothing, including religion, is above examining. It IS wrong to call someone else's gods false - that is just plain rude.
Movies are a sensitive topic. It is interesting because it is essentially an artform and an artform is an expression. Whenever there is a movie out that is considered "evil", "blasphemous" or "attacking christianity" all you hear is whinge, whinge, whinge. Where does the whinging come from? It happens every single time - take Evan Almighty. Some labelled it "blasphemous" because they depicted God in a man's body. I don't know how that is blasphemous when God Himself became a man, lived for 33 years and spent the last three years of His life trying to wake up people from their spiritual slumber. When we have movies like the Golden Compass which is assumed contraversional on it's topics the producers love it when people get irate about it because it's free press. So all those whinging Christians who say that this is just another attack you are promoting the film every time you mention it's name. Why don't we step outside of the box, go see the film and make your own judgement. If you even know someone who doesn't know God themself and wants to see the film, take them along and explain to them the very aspects of the spirit world - use the movie as a tool instead of whinging every time about something not being agreeable. And when movies do come out about people with faith SUPPORT IT! Ie - Amazing Grace, Evan Almighty, The Ten Commandments. Christians need to stop whinging but sadly I see it everyday.
OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!!! This movie has "anti-church" messages. Christians unite!!!! We must not allow children to think for themselves!!! Well cya guys gotta go buy all the Harry Potter books at the local stores then burn them. OH MY GOD!!! I just saw Dan Brown talking to Jimmy Page!!! Bring in the Holy Assasins!!
Clearly, Pullman's main objective is to bash Christianity and promote atheism. Pullman left little doubt about his intentions when he said in a 2003 interview that "my books are about killing God." He has even stated that he wants to "kill God in the minds of children". It has been said of Pullman that he is "the writer the a theists would be praying for, if atheists prayed."
Oh, and for those who like to ban things - yeah, let's not promote free thinkers.
I for one stand against santanism! I say down with the jolly fat man in red!
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman is part of a trilogy which in the third installment god is killed. The author states this: "Religion is at its best when it's far from power," author Philip Pullman said. "When a religion gains power, it goes bad." I see no bashing of religion in this statement. I see promotion of seperation of church and state. I see bashing of what the Church of England used to be. I think we can all agree that when the Church of England gained power that it went bad, so I see no harm in making a trilogy talking about the troubles when religion and politics mix.
I would also like to point out that the god in this series is really corrupt. As Christians should know that their God isn't corrupt, so there should be no connection between these two gods.
The movie(s) will be watered down and significantly less "offensive". Personally I don't know what they're going to do for the 3rd movie if it gets that far, but nevertheless I urge everyone to not judge the movie based on the books.
Also, the movie is PG-13. A lot of Christian groups have been stating that these books are trying to convert children to atheism. This simply is not true. These books aren't meant for children to read them at all. There are definitely deep themes in this book that children simply won't understand and don't need to be introduced to. These books were never meant for children to read.
I urge people to pray about this series before jumping to conclusions. All in all, it's a work of fiction, and people can enjoy it just for the story.
Im a chrisian and personally think that this is being blown way out of proportion, people need to learn the difference between fiction and non-fiction. It is just a book, a made up story. This type of thing is why alot of people are scared to go to church, they are afraid they'll be judged.
I enjoyed this book, the veiws might be different, but people need to understand its fake, made up, not real.
Personally, as a child, I found the Golden Compass series absolutely wonderful. On the contrary, I found the Narnia series rather dry and boring. My heretical literary views now expounded, allow me to continue. I am always disappointed when a book or series of books is diluted or otherwise compromised over the course of its translation to cinema. In my view, the best movie adaptations are those that are the most faithful to their source material. However, one must always keep in mind the importance of money, particularly in such a high-risk industry as Hollywood. Just think of what would happen if a studio were to release a movie with anti-religious themes in a country dominated by public religious sentiment - the studio would lose money! In the interests of not allowing that to happen, of course, the book themes have been watered down, for better or worse with regard to artistic value. Nothing more to see, folks - move along now.