Posted on 12/12/2007 11:41:17 AM PST by Mrs. Don-o
The controversy surrounding the recently released film, The Golden Compass, is in part because of the author's avowed atheism and in part because of the message of the film and its potential effect on children.
This is a "fantasy Western," complete with Sam Elliot in a cowboy hat. There are good guys and bad guys with a confrontation and battle between the two (good wins). In addition to the human beings, there are also demons and witches and goblins — some good and some bad. Compare The Golden Compass to the first Star Wars film and to the Harry Potter series: in all three there are humans and demons and all manner of non-human and supernatural creatures, the adult world is locked in a battle-to-the-death between the forces of good and the forces of evil, and at the center of the story is a child who saves the world from evil.
The "bad guy" in The Golden Compass — The Magisterium — is clearly the Catholic Church and its hierarchy. Indeed, I found the parallels between the Magisterium and the Church to be rather heavy-handed. Many of the early scenes take place in cathedral-like structures, complete with stained glass windows. The women of the Magisterium wear caps similar to nun's caps; many of the men wear high collars resembling a priest's collar. There is a single supreme leader who rules over a sophisticated hierarchy, mostly intent on increasing its power and on dictating "truth" to the masses. There are classrooms supervised by nun-like instructors. Children may not get the connection, but adults surely do.
In this fantasy world, people have souls (called "demons") that are outside of their bodies in the form of animals. The conversations between a person and his or her demon are like our own internal dialogues. It is the Magisterium's goal to strip the soul/demon away from the body, leaving the individual without the ability to reason internally and thus without free will.
The most prized and guarded substance is dust, the film's metaphor for reason. The forces of good are on a quest for this dust; the forces of evil are doing everything in their power to keep the dust from settling on anyone. The forces of good are trying to bring reason and free will to the world. The Magisterium is using all of its considerable power to keep reason from the people and to replace free will with "indecision."
Judaism celebrates both human reason and the importance of free will. The Golden Compass takes a strong stand against any institution that seeks to deprive human beings of their free will or to try to diminish the importance of reason in our search for truth. This film unfortunately targets the Catholic Church in particular. But its broader message is an attack on all religious (or political) orthodoxies that purport to dictate truth to their adherents. As a Conservative rabbi, I feel that this is a worthy message for our children.
Rabbi Mark Fasman serves Shaare Zedek Synagogue in St. Louis, MO.
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Sounds like the Rabbi doesn’t understand who the “good guys” in this movie are.
Good letter. Your tone and content are fine.
Not that we care not into that type of entertainment.
Still have never seen a Harry Potter movie.
Fantasy movies just are not of interest to us.
And that Nicole Kidman has creep-ed me out since that masks and group sex movie she did with Tom.
She is just kinda creepy. JMO
Come to think of it so is Tom and now his new wife (she should have stuck to her Catholic faith).
I dont usually pick on innocent babies but even there kid has a dark looking essence about him.
Had a “date night” with my 17 year-old daughter this last weekend. I was really pushing to go see August Rush (on my mother’s recommendation) - but my daughter finally won, so we went to see the “GC”.
2 points:
1. We are not Catholic, but hearing that there is anti-Catholic language, I was keeping a lookout for any potentially offensive language. I couldn’t spot any. Color me ignorant I guess...
2. After the movie was done, my daughter stated “Dad, we should have gone to see August Rush”. She wasn’t terribly impressed.
If dust is a metaphor in this movie for reason, then it is an extremely poor one. No wonder the movie flopped.
Not familiar with that one.
Then again I have never been a fan of her movies/acting.
I think Kidman has sexual problems. Too many of her movies have themes of deviance. I don't know why she chooses these scripts (almost all of her movies tank), but she seems drawn to the dark side.
When I watched the movie, there was no way anyone could clearly or even bluringly, tell that The Magisterium was any church, much less the catholic church.
‘Children may not get the connection, but adults surely do’...I believe that’s because children went to see a movie, and some adults went to see what they wanted to see, whether it was there or not.
I’m on book two right now. Its difficult to figure out who the bad guys and good guys are. Which I think is part of the point, along with the discussion of What is God?
I can’t fully commit to an opinion till I finish reading the entire series.
It does seem a little “heavy” on the philosophical for kids, but that being said, I read well above my grade level when I was younger, so there may be some kids really into the discussion.
It is interesting, however, the author’s whole take on “The War on Heaven” and souls.
The Church in the novel is crooked, but its not “our world”. Should The Church always be portrayed in a positive light?
I find myself enjoying the series so far and look forward to the conclusion.
Who is this Mark Fasman? I never heard of him.
Think of making “Triumph of the Will” in order to get kids to by “Mein Kampf”.
Then either Sam Elliot is an imbecile, or thinks we are imbeciles. It's PG-13, target middle-schoolers. They'e doing promotions with Coca-Cola, World Wildlife Fund (which has set up a wobsite to help kids choose their favorite animal daemons), FAO Schwarz (absolute ultimate toy store), and Scholastic (largest publsher of children's books in the world, distributes through the schools K-12.)
Sam is also unaware, or hopes we are unaware, that author Philip Pullman is quite up=front with his oal of targeting children with atheism:
"I'm trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief."
(Wartofsky, Alona: 'The Last Word' in The Washington Post, 19 February 2001)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A23371-2001Feb18?language=printer
"I am all for the death of God." http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,6109,773058,00.html
"My books are about killing God.”
“I've been flying under the radar, saying things that are far more subversive than anything poor old Harry [Potter] has said.”
Pullman’s December 13, 2003 interview with the Sydney Morning Herald
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/12/12/1071125644900.html
She was in a movie called 'The Other" which is a ghost movie and very, very depressing.
Golden Compass was installment #1, toned down to get the kids into buying the books (or sking for them for Christmas) and seeing the sequels, where it gets really poisonous. Did you read what I wrote to Rabbi Felsman?
And there's this:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/1938515/posts?page=17#17
An excellent letter, Mrs. Don-o. I note with satisfaction that this “rabbi” is not Orthodox.
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