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Post by Karatelover on Nov 1, 2007 8:38:05 GMT -5
Yah but what is The Golden Compass supposted to be about?
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Post by teknomage on Nov 3, 2007 8:43:10 GMT -5
They cannot remove religion from the movie, if they did that there'd be no movie. There'd be absolutely no point.
It is about parallel dimensions, the battle between good & evil, the role of the Church in different dimensions, how science, spirituality, and magic can mix and influence one another, the sinister plans of various parties in one of the alternate dimensions, and one girl's struggle to navigate all the bizarre things that are going on in her world, and her destiny in all of it, along with the people (and creatures) who help her.
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Post by I Can Fly Now on Nov 6, 2007 19:59:12 GMT -5
^Wow. You summed it up really well. Nicely done. I read the trilogy several years back and since the movie is coming out I've started reading the first one again. I've been looking forward to this movie with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. I know movies are never quite as good as the books they're based on. And this movie has a lot to live up to, because the books were so well-done. I totally agree with Kaneda about Pullman's writing. A lot of fantasy stories go out of their way to be epic and wordy and the story tends to be much less character-driven than I usually like. I appreciate the fact that Pullman's writing is down-to-Earth without being condescendingly simplistic, and that you get into the hearts and minds of the characters. So far, the movie looks really good, so I'm hopeful. But I too have heard that they're taking religion out the movie, and if that happens, I will be livid. How are you supposed to make the movie without that, unless they're billing it as a fun and fanciful magical romp of little consequence. God forbid viewers' ways of thinking should be challenged this day and age.
Just a side note: I noticed in the trailer they were pronouncing Lyra's name "Lie-rah" I and my friends have always pronounced it "Lee-rah." How do you guys say it? Which way do you think it's "supposed" to be?
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Post by kyogoon on Nov 6, 2007 20:43:31 GMT -5
^ I've always pronounced it "Lie-rah" because the "Ly" wouldn't sound like "Lee." Anyways, the movie is probably right since they would've asked the author about the pronounciations.
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Post by teknomage on Nov 7, 2007 11:11:03 GMT -5
I think I always thought it was Leer-ah, so it might be hard to get used to Lie-rah, but it probably is right. Well, I read in this week's Entertainment weekly that direct references to religion had been removed. Which I think sucks. But the director also says "If the film tells the events of the story and depicts the characters in a true light, the themes are inherent." So maybe it'll be okay, I dunno. Either way, even with religion removed, apparently the Catholic League still intends to boycott the movie. Could be worse, though. I remember a few years ago, before there were even definite plans to make the movie, I had read that if a movie did get made, they'd make Lyra a boy. Oh yeah, I also wanted to post a link to a review I wrote of the books after I read them some years ago....
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Post by appacatbus on Nov 7, 2007 14:13:57 GMT -5
Im annoyed about the relgion thing, but the movie can still be good with out it.
Just not as good
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valentine
Warrior Sokka
Sometimes lies were more dependable than the truth.
Posts: 741
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Post by valentine on Nov 16, 2007 1:15:30 GMT -5
I heard it's the opposite of chronicles of narnia.......they kill God or something like that.....crazy
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Post by teknomage on Nov 16, 2007 11:31:33 GMT -5
I think... that was more or less Lord Asriel's plan. Sort of. But the war against heaven doesn't really come into play until the final book... and I don't recall exactly how it ended, but I don't think... the plan was exactly successful....
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Post by The Overlander on Nov 16, 2007 11:36:58 GMT -5
They managed to overthrow the despotism that "heaven" had. And in turn they planned to make it into a Republic. All I remember was that it had a bittersweet ending.
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Post by tiaramaki on Nov 16, 2007 17:04:06 GMT -5
Maybe I could watch it. =/ Hm...
But if it's the opposite of the Chronicles of Narnia....
*cracks knuckles*
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Post by appacatbus on Nov 17, 2007 0:08:23 GMT -5
His Dark Materials doesnt oppose the idea of God. Rather, it opposes muc organised religion and what it often stands for.
Also, its better than Chronicles of Narnia.
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Post by KUNG FU ACTION JESUS on Nov 18, 2007 2:46:10 GMT -5
Also, its better than Chronicles of Narnia. BLASPHEMY. I enjoyed the first book, slogged through the second, and then got to the third and then put it down to do something else. Given that I like the first book, I may go and see the movie. After all, it does seem like it's the movie-based-on-successful-fantasy-novel-for-young-children/teens/adults for this year's holiday season. At least it can't be as bad as what got offered up last time.
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Post by appacatbus on Nov 18, 2007 3:11:53 GMT -5
Also, its better than Chronicles of Narnia. BLASPHEMY. Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe was nothing more than the fantasy interpretation of the most basic and trite aspects of christian religion. And the writing was unremarkable. In my opinion, it should take more than LOL BIBLICAL ALLEGORY to qualify as a classic. but on topic...
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Rogue-Angel
Avatar Yangchen
The guy nobody notices until he's gone.
Posts: 1,553
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Post by Rogue-Angel on Nov 20, 2007 11:30:19 GMT -5
I must say I like the tailers, I'm definately going to watch it.
I never even knew it was a trilogy - now I have something new to read ^_^
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Post by I Can Fly Now on Nov 27, 2007 19:16:38 GMT -5
I have just read something very troubling, and I am extremely angry right now. Since my family belongs to a Catholic church, my Dad gets this little bi-weekly newspaper called "The Catholic Servant." Usually I don't read it, but my sister pointed out an article on "The Golden Compass." The name of the article: "The Golden Compass points viewers toward anti-Catholic book series." Basically, it states that even though the anti-Catholic themes are watered down in the movie, the film is "bait for the books." "We are fighting a deceitful stealth campaign on the part of the producers," the article claims. "Our goal is to educate Christians so that they know exactly what the fillm's pernicious agenda really is." The article also mentions that many Catholics hope the movie will fail at the box offic, then goes on to say, "We are doing much more than hoping: We are conducting a nation-wide two-month protest of Pullman's work and the film." The icing on this piece of work is that the Catholic League (What the heck? I didn't know there was such thing as "The Catholic League") has put out a 23-page booklet called "The Golden Compass: Agenda Unmasked," which has information about the books, quotes from the author, and reviews. (I can imagine what kind of reviews these will be.) They're selling it for five dollars on www.catholicleague.org. This is possibly the most mean-spirited thing I've read in a long time. For heaven's sake, they're books! Good books! Is it possible to read a book that makes you think and offers ideas different from your own without it turning into a major religious war? I'm Catholic; I go to church every week, and I believe in God. But I also appreciate a good piece of literature. And Pullman does make some good points about organized religion in his writing. I can't deny that; I never could. Besides, the most basic principle of Catholicism, at least that I was taught, is tolerance. How tolerant can we be if we can't even handle a book series we don't agree with? Why must people get so up in arms over everything they don't agree with? I think it's fine if people don't like these books. But it is not acceptable to launch a national campaign warning people not to have anything to do with them. And how many of these people do you suppose have jumped on this campaign without ever reading any of the books? A great many, I'd venture to guess. So now I'm upset with two groups of people: The producers of the movie for giving in and watering down the important aspects of the film, and the overzealous Catholics who started this ruckus in the first place and are still unhappy. Well, this is one Catholic whom the campaign will not sway. I bought the box set of books for my eleven-year-old brother for Christmas, and I'll be proud to have him read such fine work.
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