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The Golden Compass (film)

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The Golden Compass
Theatrical release poster
Directed byChris Weitz
Written byPhilip Pullman (novel)
Chris Weitz
StarringDakota Blue Richards
Nicole Kidman
Daniel Craig
Jim Carter
Tom Courtenay
Eva Green
Sam Elliott
CinematographyHenry Braham
Edited byAnne V. Coates
Music byAlexandre Desplat
Distributed byNew Line Cinema
Release dates
UK December 5 2007
USADecember 7, 2007
AUS December 26, 2007
Running time
114 min.
Countries United States
 United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget$180 million[1]

The Golden Compass is a fantasy film based upon the Philip Pullman novel (known as Northern Lights in the United Kingdom but the Golden Compass elsewhere), the first novel in Pullman's trilogy His Dark Materials, and was released on December 5 2007 by New Line Cinema. The story concerns Lyra, an orphan living in a fantastical parallel universe in which a dogmatic dictatorship, the Magisterium, threatens to dominate. When Lyra's friend is kidnapped, she travels to the far North in an attempt to rescue him. The project was announced in February 2002, following the success of other recent adaptations of fantasy epics, and at $180 million is one of New Line's biggest-budget projects ever after a series of box office disappointments preceding the release.[1][2] Before its release the film received criticism from secular organizations and fans of His Dark Materials for the dilution of the religious elements from the novels. It was also the subject of a boycott campaign by the U.S. Catholic League due to perceived anti-Catholic themes in the same.

Plot

The story begins when Lyra Belacqua—an orphaned, eleven-year-old girl residing at Jordan College, Oxford—secretly enters the Retiring Room, despite resistance from her dæmon, Pantalaimon; an animal-formed, shape-shifting manifestation of her soul. Inside the room, they see a member of the Magisterium attempt to poison Lord Asriel, Lyra's uncle. Lord Asriel shows the resident scholars a picture of mysterious elementary particles called Dust. Shortly afterwards Lord Asriel goes north, and Lyra continues with her normal life.

However, before long her friends Roger, a kitchen servant, and Billy Costa, a Gyptian, are kidnapped by "the Gobblers", who are the subject of a children's superstition. Lyra vows to rescue Roger, and finds her chance when a visiting woman of great importance, Mrs. Marisa Coulter, offers to take Lyra away from Jordan College to become her apprentice. Lyra assents, but before she leaves is entrusted with a priceless object by the Master of the College: an alethiometer. Resembling a golden compass, it is a device able to reveal the answer to any question asked by the user. Although initially unable to read or understand its complex meanings, Lyra takes it with her to Mrs Coulter's flat. Lyra becomes suspicious of Mrs. Coulter's motives when despite promising to take her North, she is instead paraded about from party to party.

After a party hosted by Mrs. Coulter, Lyra discovers that Mrs. Coulter is the head of an organization known as the "General Oblation Board" and that this board is, in fact, the "Gobblers" who have been kidnapping children. The horror of this discovery causes Lyra to flee Mrs. Coulter's flat, after finding the Golden Monkey (Mrs. Coulter's dæmon) with the alethiometer.

After fleeing the flat she is rescued by the Gyptians, a group of nomadic, canal-boat-dwelling people. She learns that many children like Roger have been disappearing from among the gyptians, and that the gyptians are planning an expedition to the north to rescue the missing children. While on the journey, she is visited by a Witch who talks to her about the alethiometer.

Lyra joins the expedition to the north, and in an Arctic port town called Trollsund in Norway meets and befriends Lee Scoresby, an aeronaut, who takes her to meet Iorek Byrnison, an armoured bear in exile and was formerly the prince of the armoured bears. She helps him regain his armour which has been taken by the townspeople and in return he will serve her until she has a victory. On the journey she discovers that the children kidnapped by “the Gobblers” are having their dæmons cut away from them, by way of experiment. Shortly after this revelation, the group is attacked and Lyra is captured and taken to the king of the armoured bears, Ragnar Sturlusson as a gift. She manages to trick the usurping bear-king into allowing Iorek Byrnison to fight to regain his throne. Iorek wins and becomes King of the armoured bears, and accompanies Lyra to Bolvangar to rescue Roger. However, while crossing a narrow ledge of ice, it collapses under Lyra's feet and she is forced to make the remainder of the journey without him.

Lyra is warmly welcomed into the facility and inside it, she locates Roger and builds up a plan of escape. Lyra eavesdrops on a group of adults having a meeting with Mrs. Coulter about the experiments they do there, and is caught after Mrs. Coulter leaves. To silence her, they start to perform the severing on her and Pan, to be narrowly saved by Mrs. Coulter before it is complete. Lyra wakes up in a bed and Mrs. Coulter tells Lyra that she is Lyra's mother and Lord Asriel is Lyra's father. Running out, Lyra leads the other children out of the facility, and is rescued by Lee Scoresby in his hot air balloon. A fight ensues between those of the Magisterium against the gyptians and those allied, like the witches. The gyptians win the fight, and allow the children to go free. Many Gyptian children are reunited with their parents.

Cast

Development

On February 11 2002, following the success of New Line's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the studio bought the rights to Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Directors Brett Ratner and Sam Mendes expressed interest, and in July 2003 Tom Stoppard was commissioned to write the screenplay.[5]

"Peter's operation was so impressive that, well, I realized the distance between me and Peter Jackson… At that moment, I realized the sheer scope of the endeavor. And I thought, 'You know what? I can't do this'."
— Director Chris Weitz on his initial departure from the project[4]

A year later, Chris Weitz was hired to direct after approaching the studio with an unsolicited 40-page treatment.[20] The studio rejected Stoppard's script, asking Weitz to start from scratch. A fan of Stoppard, he decided not to read the adaptation in case he "subconsciously poached things from him."[21] After delivering his script, Weitz cited Barry Lyndon and Star Wars as stylistic influences on the film.[5] In 2004, Weitz was invited by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson onto the set of King Kong in order to gather information on directing a blockbuster film, and to receive advice on dealing with New Line Cinema, who Jackson had worked for on Lord of the Rings. After a subsequent interview in which Weitz said the novel's attacks on organised religion would have to be softened, he was criticised by some fans,[4] and on December 15, 2004, Weitz announced his resignation as director of the trilogy, citing the enormous technical challenges of the epic.[5] He later indicated that he had envisioned the possibility of being denounced by both the book's fans and its detractors, as well as a studio hoping for another Lord of the Rings.[4]

On August 9, 2005, it was announced that British director Anand Tucker would take over from Weitz. Tucker felt the film would thematically be about Lyra "looking for a family",[5] and Pullman agreed: "He has plenty of very good ideas, and he isn't daunted by the technical challenges. But the best thing from the point of view of all who care about the story is his awareness that it isn't about computer graphics; it isn't about fantastic adventures in amazing-looking worlds; it's about Lyra."[22] Tucker resigned on May 8 2006, citing creative disagreements with New Line, and Weitz returned to direct.[5]. Weitz said "I'm both the first and third director on the film... But I did a lot of growing in the interim."[23] According to producer Deborah Forte, Tucker wanted to make a smaller, less exciting film than New Line wanted. New Line production president Toby Emmerich said of Weitz's return: "I think Chris realized that if he didn’t come back in and step up, maybe the movie wasn’t going to get made... We really didn’t have a Plan B at that point."[20] Weitz was attracted back to the project after receiving a letter from Pullman asking him to reconsider. Since his departure, blueprints, production design and visual effects strategies had been put into position, and while Weitz admitted that his fears didn't vanish, the project suddenly seemed feasible for the director.[4]

On October 9, 2007, Weitz revealed that the final three chapters from The Golden Compass have been moved to potential sequel The Subtle Knife to provide "the most promising conclusion to the first film and the best possible beginning to the second."[24] Author Pullman has publicly supported these changes saying that "every film has to make changes to the story that the original book tells - not to change the outcome, but to make it fit the dimensions and the medium of film."[25]

Title

For some time during the pre-publication process, the series of novels was known as The Golden Compasses. The word Compasses referred to a pair of compasses—the circle-drawing instrument—rather than a navigational compass. Pullman then settled on Northern Lights as the title for the first book, and continued to refer to the trilogy as The Golden Compasses.[26]

In the US, in their discussions over the publication of the first book, the publishers Alfred A. Knopf had been calling it The Golden Compass (omitting the plural), which they mistakenly believed referred to Lyra's alethiometer, because the device superficially resembles a navigational compass. Meanwhile, in the UK, Pullman had replaced The Golden Compasses with His Dark Materials (a title that Pullman had taken from a line in Paradise Lost) as the title of the trilogy. But according to Pullman, the publishers had become so attached to The Golden Compass that they insisted on publishing the US edition of the first book under that title, rather than Northern Lights, the title used in the UK.[26]

As the book was known as The Golden Compass in the US and Canada, with similar book titles in other languages such as in Germany where it is titled, Der Goldene Kompass, New Line Cinema chose to use that title for the film adaptation.

Production

Filming began at Shepperton Studios on September 4 2006,[5] with additional sequences shot in Switzerland and Norway.[20] Filming also took place at the Old Royal Naval College at Greenwich in London;[27] and in Radcliffe Square, Oxford, on the 14th and 15th of June. Night filming took place in The Queen's College and Queen's Lane in Oxford on the 24th, 25th and 26th of June.

Production Designer Dennis Gassner says of his work on the film: “The whole project is about translation – translation from something you would understand into something that is in a different vernacular. So, it’s a new signature, looking into another world that seems familiar but is still unique. There’s a term I use – called 'cludging' – it’s taking one element and combining it with another element to make something new. It’s a hybrid or amalgamation, and that’s what this movie is about from a design perspective. It’s about amalgamating ideas and concepts and theoretical and physical environments.”[28]

Rhythm and Hues Studios created the main dæmons, and Framestore CFC created all the bears.[29] British company Cinesite created the secondary dæmons.[30]

Alexandre Desplat composed the soundtrack to the film. Kate Bush recorded the track Lyra which plays over the end credits.[31]

Controversies

Several key themes of the novels, such as the the rejection of organized religion and the abuse of power in a fictionalized Catholic Church, were diluted in the adaptation. Director Weitz said "in the books the Magisterium is a version of the Catholic Church gone wildly astray from its roots" but that the organization portrayed in his film would not directly match that of Pullman's books. Instead, the Magisterium will represent all dogmatic organizations.[32] Weitz said that New Line Cinema had feared the story's anti-religious themes would make the film financially unviable in the US, and so religion and God will not be referenced directly. Attempting to reassure fans of the novels, Weitz said that religion would instead appear in euphemistic terms, yet the decision has been attacked by some fans,[33] anti-censorship groups, and the National Secular Society (of which Pullman is an honorary associate), which said "they are taking the heart out of it, losing the point of it, castrating it",[34] "this is part of a long-term problem over freedom of speech." The Atlantic Monthly said also that "With $180 million at stake, the studio opted to kidnap the book’s body and leave behind its soul."[35] The changes from the novel have been present since Tom Stoppard's rejected version of the script,[20] and Pullman himself believes the film will be "faithful."[32]

On October 7 2007 the Catholic League called for a boycott of the film.[36] League president William A. Donohue said he would not ordinarily object to the film, but that while the religious elements will be diluted from the source material, the film will encourage children to read the novels, which he says "denigrate Christianity" and promote "atheism for kids."[37] He cited Pullman telling the Washington Post in 2001 that he is "trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief."[38] The League hopes that "the film [will fail] to meet box office expectations and that [Pullman's] books attract few buyers."[39] Other evangelical groups, such as The Christian Film and Television Commission, are adopting a "wait-and-see" approach to the film before deciding upon any action,[40] as is the Roman Catholic Church in Britain,[41] while the Catholic News Service suggests that instead of a boycott, it may be appropriate for Catholic parents to "talk through any thorny philosophical issues" with their children.[42]

Pullman has since said that the books do not have a religious agenda, saying of Donohue's call for a boycott, "Why don't we trust readers? Why don't we trust filmgoers? Oh, it causes me to shake my head with sorrow that such nitwits could be loose in the world."[41] In a discussion with Donohue on CBS's Early Show, Ellen Johnson, president of American Atheists, said that rather than promote atheism, the film would encourage children to question authority, saying that would not be a bad thing for children to learn.[43] Director Weitz says that he believes His Dark Materials is "not an atheistic work, but a highly spiritual and reverent piece of writing",[33] and Nicole Kidman has defended her decision to star in the film, saying that "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".[23] Some commentators have indicated they believe both sides' criticism will prove ultimately impotent and that the negative publicity will prove a boon for the film's box office.[44][45][41]

Reception

Reviews of the The Golden Compass have been mixed. At review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, which divides the number of positive reviews a film has received by the total number, it has a 43% rating based on 143 reviews.[46] At the similar website Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to each review, the film has received an average score of 53, based on 29 reviews.[47] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave it a mark of four stars out of five, praising Nicole Kidman's casting in particular and saying it had "no other challengers as this year's big Christmas movie."[48] James Christopher of The Times was disappointed, praising the "marvellous" special effects and casting, but saying that the "books weave a magic the film simply cannot match" and citing a "lack of genuine drama."[49] Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter predicts a "substantial" box office for the film, praising the special effects and stunts, strong storyline, viable characters and the acting.[50]


Box office opening weekend was very disappointing considering the massive $200 million budget plus advertising. Opening in over 3,500 screens in North America, The Golden Compass was only able to pull in $26 million, which means it will have a very difficult time in the United States thanks to negative reviews and low interest by the American public.

Sequels

New Line Cinema has commissioned screenwriter Hossein Amini to write a screenplay based on the second book in the trilogy, The Subtle Knife, potentially for release in late 2009; with the third book of the trilogy, The Amber Spyglass to follow. However, New Line president Toby Emmerich stresses that production of the second and third films is dependent on the financial success of The Golden Compass.[51]

References

  1. ^ a b McClintock, Pamela (2007-12-06). "Will 'Compass' find audiences?". Variety. Retrieved 2007-12-08. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ McClintock, Pamela (2007-01-27). "The maverick mogul - big changes at Shaye's New Line". Variety. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
  3. ^ "New Line Cinema Greenlights The Golden Compass for a September 4 Start Date" (Press Release). New Line Cinema. June 28, 2006. Retrieved 2006-07-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Devin Gordon (2007-11-27). "A Director Confronts Some Dark Material". Newsweek. Retrieved 2007-11-28. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Dark Material". Empire. 2006-09-29. pp. 56–7. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ McNary, Dave (July 30, 2006). "Another 'Compass' point - new Kidman gig's 'Golden'". Variety. Retrieved 2007-03-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ Erik Davis (2007-10-24). "Set Visit: 'The Golden Compass'". Cinematical.com. Retrieved 2007-11-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "Kidman Snubs 'villainous' Pullman Role". Contactmusic.com. 2007-11-02. Retrieved 2007-11-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ "Daniel Craig Boards The Golden Compass". ComingSoon.net. August 18, 2006. Retrieved 2007-03-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ a b c "Kristin Scott Thomas In Golden Compass". Empire. Retrieved 2007-11-10.
  11. ^ "The Voice of Iorek: Ian McShane". Bridge to the Stars. July 28, 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Erik Davis (2007-10-24). "Set Visit: 'The Golden Compass'". Cinematical.com. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
  13. ^ Schneider, Karl (August 2, 2006). "Eva Green joins The Golden Compass". Mania Movies. Retrieved 2006-08-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ Horn, John (May 21, 2007). "New Line strategy has 'Ring' to it". LA Times. LA Times. Retrieved 2007-05-20. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ "Roger". Bridge to the Stars. September 29, 2006. Retrieved 2007-03-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ "[[Claire Higgins]] is Ma Costa". Bridge to the Stars. July 29, 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  17. ^ a b c d Pullman, Philip (August, 2006). "September message". Philip-Pullman.com. Retrieved 2007-03-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "Magda Szubanski". HisDarkMaterials.org. May 23, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ a b "The Golden Compass Production Notes". New Line Cinema Movie Publicity. 2007-11-26. Retrieved 2007-11-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ a b c d Michael Cieply (2007-08-30). "Fate of the Cosmos (and of a Studio) Hangs in the Balance". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-10-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ "Pretender to the Throne". Empire. December 2007 issue. pp. 122–130. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ Pullman, Philip (August, 2005). "The Film". Retrieved 2007-03-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ a b "Movie Preview: The Golden Compass". Entertainment Weekly. August 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ "A message from Chris Weitz to His Dark Materials fans". HisDarkMaterials.org. October 9, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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  26. ^ a b "Frequently Asked Questions". BridgeToTheStars.net. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
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  28. ^ "Production Notes". Retrieved 2007-11-15.
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  30. ^ "Cinesite to Handle His Dark Materials". His Dark Materials.org. July 27, 2006. Retrieved 2007-03-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ "Kate Bush pens end credits song: "Lyra"". BridgeToTheStars.net. 2007-11-13. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
  32. ^ a b Lewis Hannam (2007-10-14). "Philip Pullman film stripped of religious themes". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2007-10-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ a b "Chris Weitz Interview". Bridge to the Stars. 2004. Retrieved 2007-03-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  34. ^ Vanessa Thorpe (2007-10-14). "Religion row hits Pullman epic". The Observer. Retrieved 2007-10-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. ^ Hanna Rosin (2007-12-01). "How Hollywood Saved God". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2007-12-01. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ "Film Sells Atheism To Kids; Major Protest Launched". CatholicLeague.org. October 9, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  37. ^ Fox News (2007-10-10). "Some Catholic Leaders Upset Over New Nicole Kidman Movie". Fox News. Retrieved 2007-10-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  38. ^ Bill Donohue (November 26, 2007). ""GOLDEN COMPASS" SPIN DOCTORS". Catholic League. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
  39. ^ Mary McSweeney (2007-10-13). "Catholic League condemns 'The Golden Compass'". monstersandcritics.com. Retrieved 2007-10-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  40. ^ Catherine Donaldson-Evans (2007-10-29). "Christian Groups Claim Pro-Atheist 'Stealth Campaign' in Nicole Kidman Fantasy Film 'The Golden Compass'". Fox News. Retrieved 2007-10-30.
  41. ^ a b c David Byers (2007-11-27). "Philip Pullman: Catholic boycotters are 'nitwits'". The Times. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
  42. ^ Harry Forbes, John Mulderig (November 2007). "Golden Compass Review". Catholic News Service. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
  43. ^ CBS Early Show (2007-11-28). "Is "Golden Compass" Anti-Catholic?". CBS Early Show. Retrieved 2007-11-28. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  44. ^ "Is 'The Golden Compass' Too Anti-Christian, or Not Anti-Christian Enough?". New York Magazine. 2007-10-16. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
  45. ^ Chris Kaltenbach (2007-10-24). "'Golden Compass' draws ire of the Catholic League". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
  46. ^ "Golden Compass at Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2007-12-07.
  47. ^ "Golden Compass, The (2007): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2007-12-07.
  48. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (2007-11-26). "The Review: The Golden Compass". film.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-11-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  49. ^ James Christopher (2007-11-27). "The Golden Compass review". The Times. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
  50. ^ Kirk Honeycutt (2007-11-30). "Golden Compass review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2007-12-01. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  51. ^ McNary, Dave (January 5, 2007). "New Line pulls in pic scribe - Amini to pen second part of Pullman trilogy". Variety. Retrieved 2007-07-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)


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