On December 7 (a day that, after all, lives in infamy) New Line Cinema will release the movie “The Golden Compass.” The movie will star Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig (“Bond, James Bond”), and is marketed as a “family movie” along the lines of “The Chronicles of Narnia.” In fact, the movie will have the same fantasy themes and the advertising has the same “look and feel” But don’t confuse this "Golden Compass" and Narnia, which C.S. Lewis’ wrote to teach Christian themes to children. In fact, this movie is meant to be the anti-Narnia; the writer of the books upon which the movie is based hated C.S. Lewis and the lion he rode in on.“The Golden Compass” is the first of a trilogy of children’s novels known as the “Dark Materials” by Philip Pullman. This trilogy was an international best seller, although it didn’t do that well in the United States. Pullman is an outspoken atheist and critic of Christianity, and the fantasy themes in his novels are anti-Christian. He said in an interview, “My books are about killing God.” And in fact, in the last book, the main characters do succeed in killing “God.” At one point Pullman has a fallen angel dewscribe God like this to the young heroes of the book--
The Authority, God, the Creator, the Lord, Yahweh, El, Adonai, the King, the Father, the Almighty – those were all names he gave himself. He was never the creator. He was an angel like ourselves – the first angel, true, the most powerful, but he was formed of Dust as we are, and Dust is only a name for what happens when matter begins to understand itself.
So the anti-religious and anti-Christian point-of-view of these books are not something that some critics have read into them. This is the point of these books. The point for our kids!
Fortunately, the movie itself will likely not be all that offensive. New Line specifically ordered that the anti-God theme be removed from the movie, understanding that such a project would be economically unviable. But the danger is that the movie will become something of a commercial for the books. Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, said, “I'm not really concerned about the movie, which looks fairly innocuous. The movie is made for the books. ... It's a deceitful, stealth campaign. Pullman is hoping his books will fly off the shelves at Christmastime.” It is very possible that parents may buy the books for their children not realizing the sinister intent behind them.
Well, I won’t be going to see the movie! Well, at least not until it comes to video. I can say that with some certainty because we just don’t see that many movies in theaters. If I just have to see a fantasy movie with a hidden message, I’ll just watch Narnia again on DVD (for the 10th or so time!) Or I'll wait until March for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian to be released, one I will go see in a theater.
2 comments:
check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Dark_Materials and the “quote” from the creator of the fantasias in that he reveals his intentions of his words.
about dust did dust not write the book as matter spoke of itself understanding itself and itself alone for its own purpose for its own sake are we not included in the conversation of itself to its own for its intended purpose and edification? State it’s intended purpose and send it back to were it came from. I’ve never seen Narnia but I would watch it with Tuck, thanks for keeping us parents of children of ourselves and those in need we chose to care for informed, thankyou1
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