Golden Compass boycott a success - sequel uncertain
This blog was a not-insignificant player in last year's efforts to spread awareness.
Labels: the golden compass
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Labels: the golden compass
Labels: catholic controversy, Movies, the golden compass
Related: "Denver Archbishop Chaput Criticizes USCCB Film Office [Review]":In light of the fact that the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Office for Film and Broadcasting withdrew its positive review for "The Golden Compass", Catholic leaders are reissuing a call for the Bishops to fire their film office director. Harry Forbes, the director of the USCCB, was listed as primary author for the much contested Compass review but was also the author of a December 2005 glowing review for the homosexual propaganda film Brokeback Mountain.
Human Life International (HLI) Leader Fr. Thomas J. Euteneuer commented to LifeSiteNews.com on the latest developments. "I'm very happy of course that the review has been taken down from the bishops' website, so there's no more damage that can be done by that particular review," he said.
Noting that Forbes also authored the positive review of Brokeback Mountain, Euteneuer said, "However the bishops need to correct the anomaly of having someone on staff who speaks in their name making these kinds of reviews of movies."
The HLI Leader added: "It's a scandal and I renew the call that this man should resign or be fired."
LSN also includes the contact information for those wishing to lodge a complaint.
They've also republished Forbes' previous review of Brokeback Mountain:
While the actions taken by Ennis and Jack cannot be endorsed, the universal themes of love and loss ring true.
Briefly noted: "The Most Overpaid Celebrities" (underlining mine):In the December 12 issue of The Denver Catholic Register, Archbishop Charles Chaput makes a thinly veiled criticism of the positive review of 'The Golden Compass' put out by the Office of Film of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). That USCCB review first posted November 29, a week prior to the film's debut on Dec. 7, was withdrawn yesterday, without explanation.
In his review of the film, Chaput writes that "The aggressively anti-religious, anti-Christian undercurrent in "The Golden Compass" is unmistakable and at times undisguised." He adds, "The idea that any Christian film critics could overlook or downplay these negative elements, as some have seemed to do, is simply baffling.'
That line bears directly on the positive review for the controversial film by USCCB Office for Film and Broadcasting Director Harry Forbes and his colleague John Mulderig.
Ouch.Once you’re in Hollywood's A-list earnings club, it’s hard to get kicked out, no matter how badly your films perform at the box office.
Case in point: Oscar winner Nicole Kidman. She earned an estimated $15 million for her latest film, The Golden Compass, known around the studio lot these days as the biggest turkey of 2007. It grossed a dreary $26 million when it debuted stateside last weekend, though its reported budget flirted with $200 million. (That's Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings territory.) The film garnered a respectable $55 million overseas since its release, but it's unlikely the international box office will salvage this expensive pic.
Labels: catholic controversy, the golden compass
ph/t: Insight Scoop.Today the U.S. bishops withdrew the review of the film “The Golden Compass,” which opened in theaters in the United States Dec. 7. The review was written by Harry Forbes and John Mulderig, the director and staff reviewer respectively of the Office for Film and Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The review was released and posted on the CNS Web site Nov. 29. The USCCB gave no reason for withdrawing the review.
Since CNS is a distributor of media reviews of the OFB, it must respect the office’s withdrawal of its review. Effective Dec. 10, the review of “The Golden Compass” will not be available on the CNS Web site. It will not be included in subsequent listings of USCCB film reviews and classifications. - CNS News Hub
"Awkwardly and ironically, Harry Forbes and John Mulderig of the USCCB Office for Film and Broadcasting appear to have been left holding the bag by the mainstream reviewers."And what do you do with a bag when you're left holding it? Well, if you're smart, you drop it.
update 3: CNA chimes in, and LifeSiteNews demands an explanation for the USCCB.The poor box-office performance and indifferent critical buzz — just a 44 percent share of favorable reviews at the popular site Rotten Tomatoes — put the church in the unexpected position of being one of the film's highest-profile champions. The original USCCB review, written by Mr. Forbes, has been cited in the film's ads.
"Secular critics were panning the movie as a poor piece of art, while Catholic critics were concerned with Pullman's underlying agenda," Mr. [Pete] Vere said. "Thus the USCCB review was out of touch with both the secular culture and the Catholic subculture. The bishops need to revisit how that office is run."
From what I've heard, the best way to be noticed is a physical letter, followed by a phone call.USCCB President
Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I.
Archdiocese of Chicago
155 E. Superior Street
Chicago, IL 60611
312-751- 8200
Labels: catholic controversy, Movies, the golden compass
Here, once again, is the original advertisement text reading "'The Golden Compass' Is An Exciting Adventure Story, Entirely in Harmony With Catholic Teaching." - U.S. Conference of CATHOLIC BISHOPS."
Go ahead, open up a local newspaper, I wouldn't be surprised if you find the same (misleading) endorsement.
Granted, these ads were probably purchased some time shortly after the review was published (or given to the New Line folks), and it's much more difficult to pull or edit a newspaper ad than an online one. But the fact remains that the initial advertising "push" for this movie in the most-read U.S. news dailies includes this fallacious quote.
Another observation: the other endorsements in this advertisement, besides "the U.S. Bishops", are by "CBS-FM Radio, Maxim, E!, Parade.com and The London Sun." Notably absent, I would submit, are the regular "top" movie reviewers: New York Times, LA Times, Variety, Ebert & Roeper, etc.
Awkwardly and ironically, Harry Forbes and John Mulderig of the USCCB Office for Film and Broadcasting appear to have been left holding the bag by the mainstream reviewers. And in an unfortunate development, one can begin to speculate if their gushing review wasn't in-fact prompted by something other than aesthetic wonder. I mean, since when does a vocally anti-Catholic, "anti-God" author merit some sort of benefit of the doubt when his books are adapted to the silver screen? How did the mainstream reviewers find so many flaws?
To review: 1) movie debuts. 2) U.S. Bishops'-sponsored reviewers laud it for it's artistic merit, 3) mainstream-affiliated reviewers pan it for it's artistic content, 4) movie bombs. 5) AmP scratches his head.
For AmP's previous coverage of The Golden Compass, click here.
Labels: the golden compass
"Sam Elliot said he doesn’t expect the controversy surrounding his new film ‘The Golden Compass’ to affect its run in the box office. If anything, Elliot says, it will cause more people to see the film and read the books it is based off of."Stage 2: Marketwatch wonders if the controversy will hurt the box office:
"It's often said in the film business that any kind of publicity is good, but that may not be the case with New Line Cinema's new release, "The Golden Compass."Stage 3: Reuters reports that The Golden Compass "dissapoints at box office":
Stage 4: Meanwhile, on meta-review site Rotten Tomatoes, GC scores a measly 44%:"The Golden Compass," a costly fantasy starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, got off to a slow start at the North American box office and will likely fall short of opening-weekend expectations.
New Line Cinema's $180 million film sold an estimated $8.8 million worth of tickets during its first day in theaters on Friday, according to data issued on Saturday by tracking firm Box Office Mojo."
"The best you can say about The Golden Compass is that it's merely the second-dullest Nicole Kidman/Daniel Craig film this year." - New York PostStage 5: Now in free-fall, Ropes of Silicon declares The Golden Compass "a Box-Office Disaster!":
I don't know what the future holds, but if I had to guess, I'd wager that one could only accurately describe Stage 6 as a post mortum. Sometimes, the dust bin isn't so unfit a destination. And this is one of those times."Out this week were two quality films in Juno and Atonement. On top of that you have the big budget fantasy epic from New Line The Golden Compass, which cost the studio $180 million to make and probably close to a bajillion dollars to market. Unfortunately for New Line the headline at Fantasy Moguls doesn't bode well for a sequel or the film itself, "GOLDEN COMPASS is a disaster w/$9M Friday & $27M 3-day."
"Yup, our very own Laremy Legel predicted the film would come in at #1 with upwards of $44 million, but it seems the film is going to fall flat and those hoping for a feature adaptation of "The Subtle Knife" or "The Amber Spyglass" are going to have to cry yourselves to sleep tonight as the fate of those two films relied on the success of this first one and $27 million opening weekend isn't going to cut it." (underlining mine.)
"Harry Forbes and John Mulderig of the USCCB Office for Film and Broadcasting appear to have been left holding the bag by the mainstream reviewers." [Read on.]
Labels: the golden compass
What can I say? Sometimes the system works.Controversial advertisements suggested to the nation's top 50 Catholic diocesan papers advertising the upcoming movie "The Golden Compass" have been pulled.
... Medlinger [who is responsible for the day-to-day activities] explained that when a sales representative first approached him about pitching advertisements for the film, "I said we have to find out what the USCCB movie rating is."
"When our sales rep heard that the rating from the Bishops Conference was A II he sent out that note," continued Medlinger. "Afterwards we had a conversation and we are not placing those ads."
Asked what caused him to change his mind despite the positive USCCB review, Medlinger was hesitant and would only respond: "It was my decision, it was just business we didn't want to do."
Faithful Catholic activists and bloggers can take a pat on the back for the outcome.
...
LifeSiteNews.com readers, activists and Bloggers such as Amy Welborn, Thomas Peters of American Papist, among many others, have pursued both the USCCB review and the proposed ads stirring a healthy controversy.
Labels: American Papist, catholic controversy, Catholic culture, the golden compass
As if in answer to all those who suggested that the upcoming December 7 release of movie 'The Golden Compass' would not lead to enticing children into reading the anti-Christian novels by atheist Philip Pullman, Random House has reported a 500% increase in sales of the books. "More than ten years after its original publication, The Golden Compass has hit USA Today's Top 50 Best Sellers list, having seen a 500% increase in sales over the last three months," says the release.
The omnibus edition of Philip Pullman's complete His Dark Materials trilogy -- of which The Golden Compass is the first novel -- has moved onto USA Today's Top 50 list as well. The Golden Compass has sold over 3.5 million copies in the US to date, and the trilogy has sold over 7 million copies. - LifeSiteNews
Labels: the golden compass
“The Golden Compass” — and Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy of novels on which it is based — has been criticized in some quarters for being anti-religious and specifically anti-Catholic.
But the U.S. Conference of Bishops recently issued its official review of the film — and it’s a rave.
Writing for the Catholic News Service (catholicnews.com), critics Harry Forbes and John Mulderig call the movie “lavish, well-acted and fast-paced.”
“The good news,” they write, “is that the first book’s explicit references to this church have been completely excised, with only the term Magisterium retained. The choice is still a bit unfortunate, however, as the word refers so specifically to the church’s teaching authority. Yet the film’s only clue that the Magisterium is a religious body comes in the form of the icons which decorate one of their local headquarters. - Robert W. Butler of the Kansas City Star
As Jim Lackey of CNS News clarifies, "technically it’s not our review; we simply distribute film office reviews to the Catholic press".
And once again, an important distinction is lost upon those looking to support their a priori.
Labels: news agency bias, the golden compass
Donna Freitas, a visiting assistant professor of religion at Boston University, calls the Pullman books a "theological masterpiece" in an Associated Press interview. The article, as a whole, however, isn't so bad and hits most the important and widely-known points.
Regarding New Line Cinema's attempts to advertise The Golden Compass in Catholic publications, that deal is being brokered by Advertising Media Plus, which arranges group advertisement buys for Catholic publishing institutions. It is a division of the Cathedral Foundation.
Finally, Ryan of Catholic Audio submits his satirical version of New Line's already-famous advert:
Finally, some truth in advertising.
Still no public word from the USCCB in response to New Line Cinema's flagrant misuse of an already-problematic review of The Golden Compass. For all my previous posts on this story, click here.
Labels: catholic controversy, quick news, the golden compass
Okay, presuming that the advertisement is genuine....
First, the ad conflates the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the official leadership body of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting. They aren't the same.
But this first point is a minor complaint compared to this advertisement's claim, in quotation marks, that this movie is "An exciting adventure story entirely in harmony with church teaching".
This line never appears in the USCCB's Office for Film and Broadcasting review.
The actual quotation reads as follows (underlining mine):
To the extent, moreover, that Lyra and her allies are taking a stand on behalf of free will in opposition to the coercive force of the Magisterium, they are of course acting entirely in harmony with Catholic teaching.
(the previous part of the artificial quotation about the "exciting adventure story" appears elsewhere.)
A spokesperson for the Catholic League observed in response to this problematic line:
In what the League calls "mind-boggling", the USCCB review actually congratulates the screenwriter for portraying the characters as demonstrating "free will" for their opposition to the Magisterium and then suggests that this is a reflection "entirely in harmony with Catholic teaching"."
... The League countered: "Nazis are portrayed as having free will in movies, too. Should the screenwriters of this film be commended for reflecting Catholic values? Free will is indeed a Catholic value, but it is the object of free will that carries moral weight."
Never when I began covering this story back in August did I think I would see New Line Cinema actually claiming its movie The Golden Compass to be "entirely in harmony with Catholic teaching."
And even when I reported that New Line Cinema is approaching Catholic publications to advertise their new film did I suspect they would jump way beyond claiming the movie to be neutral and instead promote the idea that it is in fact "entirely in harmony with Church teaching."
I mean, I didn't think they they would be that stupid. To make the obvious semantic point:
The advertisement makes the universal claim that the entire movie is "in harmony with Church teaching." Even the problematic review warns that the film contains "anti-clerical subtext, standard genre occult elements, a character born out of wedlock...."
So are all those things now "entirely in harmony with Church teaching"?!
As the advertisement stands, it is a bald falsehood, and the U.S. Bishops should speak out against New Line Cinema for attempting to mislead Catholics about the character its movie.
In a way, this is a "good" development, because it takes what (up to this point) has been somewhat arguable problems and makes this a very clear case of grave misrepresentation.
For all my previous posts on this story, click here.
update: I found a nibble:
On BeliefNet's CrunchyCon blog (of all things?) I found this advertisement. I've taken a screenshot of it for verification. Judging by the font and accompanying art, I believe this lends credence to my original post's claim that New Line actually produced the original false advertisement as well.
And of course, they could still be running that previous ad elsewhere on the internet. It's also entirely possible that the New Line advertising staff read blogs like this one or CurtJester, and that they've quickly withdrawn the first (more offensive) advertisement.
This new advertisement still falsely claims the blanket endorsement of the USCCB, which I've already noted does not express opinions on movies except through its Office for Film and Broadcasting, which contracts various people to write the actual reviews.
I think this second advertismenet is a good sampling of what we can expect "quite a few" Catholic publications to publish in the next week, as I previously reported here.
So, are Catholic newspapers and publications going to cast their lot in with New Line on this one? Are the U.S. Bishops going to sit back and let New Line claim their wholehearted endorsement of a movie which contains "elements of the occult" and "anti-clerical subtext"?
I don't need to dabble in the occult or have any sentiments of anti-clericalism to have a strong feeling that some scrambling is going on behind the scenes at 3211 4th Street.
Labels: catholic controversy, Catholic culture, Movies, outrageous, the golden compass
Of course, from New Line Cinema's point of view, it's an excellent move: what better way to downplay criticism that the material is anti-Catholic than being able to produce a whole list of Catholic publications and institutions that have consented to advertising it?Last week, I couldn't help overhearing our ad salesman ask our business manager if we would want to accept a full-page ad promoting "The Golden Compass," to which the answer was (thankfully) no.
But the exchange piqued my interest, and so I asked the sales rep about it. Turns out, some agency was trying to arrange a group buy of Catholic papers around the country, and we were contacted to see whether we wanted to be in or it. I asked whether any Catholic papers were taking the ad, and he said, "Oh yes, quite a few."
Now to wait and see who takes New Line up on their golden offer....The promoters of the controversial movie, The Golden Compass, are making an effort to diminish the boycott being threatened by Catholics and other Christian groups. The advertising agency for the movie has sent an email to the top 50 weekly Catholic newspapers asking that they consider running an ad promoting the movie.
Advertising Media Plus, the agency promoting The Golden Compass, is trying to use a review by Steve Forbes, the director of the U.S. Bishops’ Conference Office for Film & Broadcasting, as leverage against the boycott being called for by Catholics and Evangelicals.
National Account Manager for Advertising Media Plus, Bob Bugle sent an email to the top 50 Catholic newspapers saying that New Line Cinema is interested “in possibly advertising The Golden Compass in the Catholic press.”
His email goes on to mention that the movie has caused some controversy and then attempts to ease any concerns by citing a positive review from Harry Forbes, the Director of the USCCB’s Office of Film and Broadcasting.
Labels: american papist exclusive, Catholic culture, catholic publications, outrageous, the golden compass
Frankly, until someone makes a compelling case that this movie diminishes the survival chances of the polar bear, or somehow inhibits climage change, I doubt we'll see anything accomplished.I saw that Coca-Cola is promoting the movie [The Golden Compass], and I wrote to them to express my feelings about it -- including mentioning that the villains are called "The Magisterium" in the movie. Here is the response I got:
"We appreciate the opportunity to respond to your concerns." The Golden Compass movie is a story about friendship, love, loyalty, tolerance, courage and responsibility. This movie also provides an opportunity for Coca-Cola to help raise awareness about climate change and the perilous state of the polar bear."
"We do not believe that this fantasy movie is an attack on any religion. We would never support a film that intentionally antagonized or condemned any faith."
If they receive more letters about this, it's possible it may accomplish something. ~ Rick Kephart
Labels: Huh, news agency bias, the golden compass, world trends
Using the positive review of the[the Golden Compass] that has come to us from the USCCB film office, a review penned by Harry Forbes and John Mulderig, New Line’s advertising agency is reaching out to diocesan publications.Amy then reproduces an email sent from New Line Cinema to diocesan publications. Most notably in it:
"We’ve spoken extensively about this film with Harry Forbes, Director of the USCCB’s Office of Film and Broadcasting."I echo Amy in asking, what is that supposed to mean?
Labels: american papist exclusive, catholic controversy, Catholic culture, Movies, the golden compass
LifeSiteNews interviewed the Catholic League for their response to the USCCB's recent positive review of the Golden Compass, which I took issue with yesterday in my extensive post on the topic.A litte zing that I passed over:Forbes has for many years been the Director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Office for Film and Broadcasting. In 2005, LifeSiteNews.com pointed out that Forbes issued a glowingly positive review of the homosexual propaganda film "Brokeback Mountain". Yesterday, Forbes issued another positive review, this time for the film adaptation of the specifically anti-Catholic novel "The Golden Compass."
... The League did not take issue with the USCCB review praising the film for its artistic merit, but for its winking at the devastating anti-Catholicism.
... Forbes' 2005 USCCB glowing review of the homosexual film Brokeback Mountain was substantially altered after a LifeSiteNews.com readers issued numerous concerns to the Bishops Conference. (See coverage here.) LifeSiteNews.com has retained a copy of the original glowing review for those interested.
In what the League calls "mind-boggling", the USCCB review actually congratulates the screenwriter for portraying the characters as demonstrating "free will" for their opposition to the Magisterium and then suggests that this is a reflection "entirely in harmony with Catholic teaching".CPT Tom and Freder1ck in the comments thread to my original post also brought up the USCCB's prior "glowing" review of Brokeback Mountain. I think it is important to make clear once again that there is nothing outrageous, properly speaking, in criticizing a USCCB-sponsored movie review. These are journalists hired by the USCCB, not U.S. Bishops invoking their teaching authority.
"To the extent, moreover, that Lyra (the central character) and her allies are taking a stand on behalf of free will in opposition to the coercive force of the Magisterium, they are of course acting entirely in harmony with Catholic teaching," writes Forbes. "The heroism and self-sacrifice that they demonstrate provide appropriate moral lessons for viewers."
The League countered: "Nazis are portrayed as having free will in movies, too. Should the screenwriters of this film be commended for reflecting Catholic values? Free will is indeed a Catholic value, but it is the object of free will that carries moral weight."
British author Philip Pullman's anti-religious children's fantasy stories will become a multi-million dollar Hollywood "super series", according to a Reuter's report, along the lines of Lord of the Rings and the still unfinished Chronicles of Narnia. At the same time, opposition to the anti-religious, and specifically anti-Catholic themes of the book are coming under greater scrutiny with the US Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights calling for a boycott.Carl Olson, who has long been following this story, notes how the book is explicitly anti-Catholic:
I recently sat down and read a few chapters of The Golden Compass. Chapter 21 is especially notable, what with its remarks about "the Church," "the doctrines of the Church," "exorcisms," "original sin," "God," "Adam and Eve," quotes from Genesis 1-2, the Bible, castratos, Church music, etc. (all of which, needless to say, are presented in a most negative way).Yeah, sure sounds to me like Pullman is thinking of one organized religion in particular: Catholicism.
Labels: american papist exclusive, catholic controversy, Catholic culture, Movies, the golden compass
This post is rather long and is divided into two parts. If you want to skip down to my short essay on why I find this movie problematic, scroll down until you see the text bolded in red.The film has already caused some concern in Catholic circles because of the author's professed atheism, and the more overt issue of the novels' negative portrayal of his (very much fictionalized) church, a stand-in for all organized religion.The fact that the church described in the novels is "fictionalized" does not matter so much in this case. Pullman wrongly proposes his caricature of the Church not as caricature but as the actual reality.
Most moviegoers with no foreknowledge of the books or Pullman's personal belief system will scarcely be aware of religious connotations, and can approach the movie as a pure fantasy-adventure. This is not the blatant real-world anti-Catholicism of, say, the recent "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" or "The Da Vinci Code." Religious elements, as such, are practically nil.Just because this movie is not the blatant real-world anti-Catholicism of the movies noted does not rule out the possibility that the Golden Compass may also be offensive for different, but significant reasons.
Even if Pullman's fanciful universe has a patchwork feel, with elements culled from other fantasy-adventure stories -- most especially "The Chronicles of Narnia" (a work Pullman disdains) -- there's hardly a dull moment, and the effects are beautifully realized, including the anthropomorphized creatures like the polar bears whose climactic fight is superbly done."Disdains" is a very sublimated way of describing Pullman's systematic, energetic rejection of C.S. Lewis's art and belief. To use a culinary analogy to make my point: if I only disdained domino's pizza I would not set out to create an alternative pizza that I marketed as better, more appealing and then insult anyone who still professed a preference for domino's pizza. Pullman more than disdains C.S Lewis, that's certain.
Whatever author Pullman's putative motives in writing the story, writer-director Chris Weitz's film, taken purely on its own cinematic terms, can be viewed as an exciting adventure story with, at its core, a traditional struggle between good and evil, and a generalized rejection of authoritarianism.First of all, Pullman's motives aren't "putative", they are explicit and intentional. The traditional struggle of good and evil, and the rejection of authoritarianism, moreover, are warped in his storyline into an invective against the Church, again falsely attributing to it the attributes of "evil" and "authoritarian." Movies are cultural moments, and those who resist this movie are doing so to build up a culture of respect for the Catholic Church and in so doing militantly oppose those artists who insult and denigrate it. Correctly, I would argue.
There is, admittedly, a spirit of rebellion and stark individualism pervading the story. Lyra is continually drawn to characters who reject authority in favor of doing as they please. Equally, only by defying the powers that be, can a scientist like Lord Asriel achieve progress. Pullman is perhaps drawing parallels to the Catholic Church's restrictive stance towards the early alchemists and, later, Galileo.Again, Pullman is not "perhaps drawing parallels." This is to grant him an absurdly-merciful benefit of the doubt. And since when do we support drudging up the hackneyed relationship between the Catholic Church and Galileo? Isn't that getting old? Even a cursory analysis of the myriad of circumstances that obtained in that controversy make it clear that focusing on a minor aberration in Church history does a disservice to the Catholic Church's vibrant, pervasive tradition of encouraging the sciences! Fair's fair.
The script also makes use of some of the occult concepts found in the books, such as the diabolically named "daemons" -- animal companions to each person, identified as their human counterpart's visible soul.Again, occult? daemons? visible souls? Such material in a children's book is a serious matter. A child's imagination is a precious thing that should be guarded carefully.
Will seeing this film inspire teens to read the books, which many have found problematic? Rather than banning the movie or books, parents might instead take the opportunity to talk through any thorny philosophical issues with their teens.Clearly, it's absurd to argue that every child who sees this movie is in danger of losing their faith. Parents, however, are charged with the education and formation of their children. "Thorny philosophical issues" are constantly the proximate cause of genuine crisis among youth, and sometimes it's best to nip them in the bud, not buy popcorn and absorb them in vivid technicolor dolby surround at a theater.
The religious themes of the later books may be more prominent in the follow-up films which Weitz has vowed will be less watered down. For now, this film -- altered, as it is, from its source material -- rates as intelligent and well-crafted entertainment.Intelligent, well-crafted entertainment is not an end in itself if it betrays fundamental human goods and divorces beauty from truth. The fact that New Line is evaluating the sustainability of these latter, presumably more offensive films based on the ticket sales of this first one further council a prudent consideration of whether one can support it. In essence, there is more at-stake here that artistic integrity. Let me elaborate:
If you found this post informative, please digg it so others will find it!
Labels: american papist exclusive, catholic controversy, Catholic culture, Movies, the golden compass
Actor Daniel Craig (of recent James Bond fame) attended the London premier of The Golden Compass last night (previously blogged here), a movie in which he stars.Gee, thanks for the tip, Craig! I'll be sure to place my order with amazon.vatican.va real soon!"I'm not surprised at the criticism," said Craig. "I get that. But I think the majority of people who are criticising it haven't read it. These books are not anti-religious. Mainly they're anti-misuse of power - whether it's religious or political. They sell [The Da Vinci Code author] Dan Brown now in the Vatican so I'm sure they'll be selling this there too eventually because it presents a very healthy debate.
"It's interesting that people should get so angry because the morals in this book are solid and really good," the actor added. "Any child should read this."
Labels: catholic controversy, Huh, Movies, the golden compass
I've been noticing an ongoing stream of headlines relating to the Golden Compass in recent weeks (it opens Dec. 7th), and also to the Catholic League's initiative to boycott the film because it is based on Philip Pullman's anti-Catholic series, His Dark Materials. The author of this children's fantasy is Philip Pullman, a noted English atheist. It is his objective to bash Catholicism and promote atheism. To kids. "The Golden Compass" is a film version of the book by that name, and it is being toned down so that Catholics, as well as Protestants, are not enraged.
The second book of the trilogy, The Subtle Knife, is more overt in its hatred of Catholicism than the first book, and the third entry, The Amber Spyglass, is even more blatant. Because "The Golden Compass" is based on the least offensive of the three books, and because it is being further watered down for the big screen, some might wonder why a boycott is warranted.
The Catholic League wants Christians to boycott this movie precisely because it knows that the film is bait for the books: unsuspecting parents who take their children to see the movie may be impelled to buy the three books as a Christmas present. And no parent who wants to bring their children up in the faith will want any part of these books.
"In the current Newsweek, Pullman lashes out at me saying, [How could Donohue know that I'm a militant atheist, and that my intention is to convert people?] That’s easy—I just quote him: ‘I’m trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief.’"Let's take a look at what Pullman exactly said, so we can bask in his excellent use of English prosody:
"To regard it as this Donohue man has said - that I'm a militant atheist, and my intention is to convert people - how the hell does he know that?" - UK Times
Update: Rebecca Davies of the UK Telegraph movie blog royally doesn't get the point:
It is blatant attempts such as these to control personal choice and shirk scrutiny that have led to criticism of the Catholic [sic] in the first place.
And they’re only lucky that some independent filmmaker didn’t come along and take them to the cleaners with a full-blown anti-Catholic Golden Compass, complete with Pope Benedict lookalike.
In terms of crossing the line, I think that was a pole-vault. So let me get this straight: Pullman's writing of a subversive novel to "control" the "personal choice" of kids - that's okay. But Catholics' decrying of Pullman's attempt to control the personal choice of kids - that's wrong?
To paraphrase Davies in my own words: "It is blatant examples such as this to apply a double-standard to anti-Catholic activists that has led to my recurring criticism of the mainstream media in the first place."
"And she's rather unlucky that the AmP, an independant blogger, decided to come along and take her to the cleaners with a full-blown anti-double-standard stance, complete with direct quotations."
There, I think that works nicely.
Labels: catholic controversy, Movies, philip pullman, pop culture, the golden compass
Case in point, FOX News interviewed Fr. Jonathan Morris yesterday about the anti-Catholicism of New Line Cinema's upcoming The Golden Compass (featuring supposedly-Catholic Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig and the voice of Ian McKellen).Labels: anti-catholicism, daniel craig, Movies, new line cinemas, nicole kidman, the golden compass
CathNews alerts us to the potential problem:Nicole Kidman has denied that a new film she's making is anti-Catholic. The movie features an organisation known as "The Magisterium", which kidnaps children to remove their souls.
The Brisbane Times reports that Kidman told a US magazine that her Catholic faith affected her consideration of the script for the film, which is titled The Golden Compass.
The fantasy film is based on a novel by Philip Pullman called Northern Lights. It is already attracting attention in the US for avoiding much of the book's perceived anti-Catholic rhetoric.
Kidman said some of the religious elements were removed from the movie script.
Kidman told the magazine: "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."
The Golden Compass is due for release in the US on 7 December.
And that's just a start! Read what another Amazon reviewer, from another viewpoint, had to say:A shock of bigotry
I read all three of these books and I kept waiting for the Anti-Catholic crap to be explained and rectified. I was horrified particularly that this is a book directed at children when the point of the whole story was to kill the "Authority" aka God. Not only that but all of the Priests of the Church were horrible, evil men who are lacivious, dirty, and murderous. Not one of them is good. And then the only way that the world can be saved is for two 12 year olds to make out.
There are so many other details in the story that I could name as examples of the vemonous anti Christian and particularly anti Catholic bigotry in these books. The 'tempter' is an ex nun who flat out tells the two children that Christianity is a mistake...and there is also a thinly veiled reference to sex when the book says her greatest time of 'bliss' was not when she was a nun. She also goes on to tell these two 12 year old kids that she was not married but lived with a man for four years. Then there is a bizarre story of the two male 'angels' who are in love with each other.
I'd like to tell any parents to steer clear of this book that is supposedly for children or even young adults. And also for people who are fairminded individuals and who dislike bigotry in any form.
I rated this item one star but I would give it NO STAR if I could.
I am not a religious person. I wouldn't say I'm an atheist, but I'm seriously leaning toward agnosticism. However, this series made me feel not just uncomfortable, but downright unclean because of how it dealt with religion. Mr. Pullman is an atheist, and I do not take exception with his right to his beliefs. I probably share some of them. The problem is, this series has been published and marketed as a children's fantasy novel, with no mention of the active dislike - hatred, even - in it's portrayal of religion. Mr. Pullman is free to believe what he chooses, and I'll defend to my dying day his right to do so. However, readers (and their parents) also have a right to their beliefs, and should not be blindsided by a seemingly harmless children's book. We label music with violent lyrics, restrict access to movies with adult themes, even rate television shows so parents have some idea of the content before allowing their children to watch. It disturbs me that this book is marketed directly to children, without any indication of its anti-religious themes.
This is not a series for young children, no matter how precocious they are. Religious issues aside, it's just too dark. Even young teens should not read this series without adult input. If your child wishes to read it, you should read it first and be prepared to discuss it with them. This is especially true if you are even casually religious because it's unsettling to have your beliefs twisted into something evil and spit back at you. Adults and older teens should be aware of the subject matter before reading it. If you don't have a problem with it, fine, enjoy the books. They're certainly well written. If I had been prepared for the subject matter before going into it, I might have actually liked the books.
Labels: anti-catholicism, children's literature, Movies, the golden compass