A report on the "very dull and insensible" movie, "The Golden Compass"

Nick Milne, a reader of this blog who is in graduate school (studying English) at the University of Western Ontario, saw an advanced screening of "The Golden Compass" and sent the following (thanks, Nick!):

An advanced screening of 'The Golden Compass' was offered today, and far be it for me to turn down the opportunity to beat the mainstream when it comes to a film (even if only for a film I had no particular interest in seeing).  Having followed the stalwart efforts of those at Insight Scoop and other venues to bring attention to the pernicious intent of Pullman's books, though, I determined to go to the thing and, so far as was possible while actually watching it, take notes on just what made it to the screen.  I should say right now that I have not read the books, and this mostly humdrum film has not filled me with the desire to do so.  This is not to say that the desire could not be kindled in a more impressionable viewer, however, so the material reported below should be considered by those who have concerns.

What follows is a summary of the religious and/or spiritual content of the film.  It contains what some might consider spoilers, and is presented mostly without judgment.  Such appraisals should be made at the reader's discretion, not mine.

First, let us consider the Magisterium.  Apart from its cartoonish and unambiguous villainy, its features are thus:

1. The name, about which much has been said.
2. One of its regional offices (in Norway, or nearby) has, painted on its exterior, icons of an Eastern style.  However, no symbols are associated with the Magisterium apart from an ornate letter M.  That is, no symbolic examples of the organization's ethos or origins are displayed.
3. It is concerned greatly with "heresy," and the suppression of same.  The Magisterium equates heresy with "freethinking;" other characters equate heresy with truth.  The penalty for heresy is evidently death.
4. It wants to suppress some scientific research so that "centuries of teaching" are not overthrown; however, it conducts research of its own in other areas, though in cruel and inhumane ways.
5. Its agents, at least at one level of the hierarchy, are called "friars."
6. Its agents declare that the Magisterium has universal authority; no mention is made of where this authority comes from or why, even to attack such claims.
7. Some of the guards at the Magisterium's seat of power, evidently in London, wear caps reminiscent of those worn by fascist soldiers during the Spanish civil war; see the recent 'Pan's Labyrinth' for examples of this.  The caps are strange-looking and distinctive.
8. Except for the the highest echelons of the Magisterium's hierarchy, there is nothing especially clerical about its agents' appearance, and even then its leaders are clad in generic robes and finery rather than specifically clerical garb.
9. It is conducting experiments aimed towards separating children from their souls.  Why the Magisterium wants to do this is never convincingly explained, though much reference is made to "the dust," which is evidently some sort of remnant of the Fall that took place in the film's world's distant past.  This, too, is hardly explained, and, given both of these elements' importance to the thrust of the story, the functional silence regarding their significance is irritating.  In any event, it is suggested (vaguely) that separating children from their souls may be the way to keep them from the effects of the Fall; one evil and untrustworthy character describes the process as "just a little cut."  An evocation of covenantal circumcision seems possible.
10. There is no sense whatever of the interior life of the Magisterium.  It does nothing beyond pursuing the protagonist and being infamous.  We have no idea what's at the heart of it, what its origins are, what the basis of its claimed authority is, what its actual place in the world is, etc.  There is no mention of God, even in passing.  Nobody prays. Nobody preaches.  One of the friars says "mirabile dictu" at one point, but that's about it.  In broad terms it is suggested (mostly sarcastically or by characters who are clearly editorializing in some way, for good or ill) that the Magisterium exists alternately to take care of those who don't know how to take care of themselves, or to tell everyone what to do.
11. It is suggested near the end of the film that the Magisterium is gearing up to somehow thwart free will.

As for the rest of the film:

1. The human soul is externalized in the form of an animal companion called a "daemon."  These animals can talk, their well-being is tied to that of their host (each feels blows delivered to the other, for example), and they can interact with the world around them in the manner of regular animals.  They can also fight each other, with grave results to their hosts.
2. The soul dissipates and vanishes on death; this process is depicted through the daemon bursting into flames and disintegrating.  While this does not necessarily demand that the soul is obliviated, it is certainly strongly suggested.
3. Children's daemons can change shape (the protagonist's switches between a cat, a bird, and other types of animals as the forms become tactically useful), but adults' can not.  This is dimly connected to both the dust and the Fall, but in ways never even slightly explained.
4. A character named Lord Azrael posits the existence of other universes and hopes to travel to one; this is considered heretical.
5. The Fall that is vaguely alluded-to evidently took place because someone defied Authority (the word is uttered in such a manner that there is little doubt of it being capitalized).  As with the Magisterium, no hint is given as to who did the defying, why, when, etc.
6. There is a renegade priest, a friend of the forces fighting the Magisterium. Whether he is or was a part of that Magisterium is never mentioned, nor whether he is perhaps a cleric in some competing organization.  He does seem to have a vow of celibacy, however.  He performs no priestly or even vaguely religious functions whatever.  He and the chief witch (see below) were once lovers.
7. The protagonist seems proud of the fact that she skips her metaphysics class, or at least is obstinate in seeing it as unimportant.
8. A university refuses to negate "centuries of tolerance and free inquiry" by bowing to the Magisterium's demands that Azrael's world-hopping expedition be shut down.
9. An academic declares that "the secrets at the heart of things elude scholars and--authorities."  The light pause before "authorities" is likely meant to evoke the Magisterium's claimed authority.
10. There are witches in the form of pale flying ladies in flowing dresses who fire off arrows with considerable skill.  Their apparent leader is a figure of great wisdom and strength who hints at a prophecy concerning the protagonist.  They have daemons as well, but theirs are not bound to them in the same manner as are those of the human characters, and may roam about as they will.
11. There is a race of talking, armoured bears, and their lack of daemons of their own is a matter of some significance.  Whether they lack souls in general or only external ones is not mentioned.  The tyrannical usurper bear king wants a daemon desperately, but does not say that he wants a soul.  For what that's worth.
12. A cowboy in an airship (it's that kind of film) declares, when informed that the protagonist is destined to be the deciding factor in the war to come, that he "ain't heard rumour o' any war."  This is more allusive than strictly religious, but there it is.

This, then, is the substance of it.  The film is fitfully exciting (a battle between two bears is especially excellent), well-acted and lush in its visuals.  That said, though, it is largely very dull and insensible, marred heavily by too many plot points contingent upon information that likely won't be revealed until much later, and the elements described above may be of an abundance and type likely to give a Christian viewer pause.

Comments

[Mark Brumley]

Sounds pretty much like the book.

[Nick Milne]

I should add the usual disclaimer that there may be other things too subtle for me to have detected or too obvious for me to have felt worth mentioning.

Also (and here's another potential spoiler):

Though not necessarily religious or spiritual, the question of kingship comes up during the fight between the two bears mentioned above. One is a tyrant who stole the bear kingdom's throne; the other is the noble and true heir who was subsequently exiled. Naturally the good bear wins, his just kingship is affirmed, and his wrath is great and terrible--all of which is excellent stuff for any film, but strangely out-of-place in this one, which goes to such lengths to assail all forms of authority.

I expect he'll have declared a sort of talking-bear republic by the time the third film concludes. Anything less would be inconsistent with the trilogy's dominant themes.

[Ed Peters]

Why the "spoiler" warning? How does one "spoil" a movie like Compass?

[Nick Milne]

By giving away plot elements that are not immediately known at first, the revelation of which are intended to have some effect when accomplished.

For instance, those waiting in line to see The Empire Strikes Back for the first time might not be well-disposed to someone shouting out the great secret of Luke Skywalker's parentage as they come out of the previous showing. Similarly, a good deal of the fun of The Usual Suspects could be lost if you knew going in who Keyser Soze really was.

The warnings are included for the benefit of those who wish to enjoy the film as a narrative without having its surprises blown beforehand.

[joe]

Rosebud's a sled!!!

There.

-J.

[Ed Peters]

Nick. I know what a spoiler is. I was trying to....oh, never mind. :)

[Sandra Miesel]

Despite all the prattle about the Republic of Heaven, the bears still have a king and the witches have queens at the conclusion of His Dark Materials.

Thanks for enduring it, Nick

Last night I watched the old Tyrone Power swashbuckler CAPTAIN FROM CASTILE in which the Inquisition had been edited out of the picture and replaced by a lay-led bureau of heresy hunters--comparable revisionism to THE GOLDEN COMPASS. Not only was nothing bad said about the Church but the Catholic faith was taken seriously, as one wouldn't see in movies today. But I regret to say that CAPTAIN FROM CASTILE didn't live up to my 50-year memories of it and is rather stodgy.

[Mark Brumley]

It will be interesting to see if the second and third books get made into movies--let's hope they don't--how "God" is handled. It won't do to try to pull a STAR TREK V. In the final version of that film, an alien pretends to be God but his exposure as a fraud doesn't not tell one way or the other against the idea of God or against the God of the Bible. On the other hand, the whole point of HDM is that the being Christians (and Jews) think is God really isn't God, but an impostor. And the whole story of the Fall is actually a grand scam against humanity. You would have to gut the storyline of HDM in order to eliminate the anti-theistic, anti-Christian elements. That seems unlikely to happen and even if it did, the films would still be problematic because they would be commercials for the books.

[Ed Peters]

I have no sympathy for folks watching Tyrone Power flicks. The nicest thing I can say about them is, well, at least it wasn't Eroll Flynn.

[Mary]

"Children's daemons can change shape (the protagonist's switches between a cat, a bird, and other types of animals as the forms become tactically useful), but adults' can not. This is dimly connected to both the dust and the Fall, but in ways never even slightly explained."

Because Original Sin kicks in at puberty! And that's what locks a daemon into its shape!

Well, it was explained quite clearly in the book. . . (I only got through the first one.)

[Carl Olson]

CAPTAIN FROM CASTILE

Samuel Shellabarger! I read three or four of his historical novels in when I was high school. And really enjoyed them. However, I don't remember enough to know how accurate or well-researched they are...

[Nick Milne]

Nick. I know what a spoiler is. I was trying to....oh, never mind. :)

I beg your pardon, sir; where I come from, though, we take canon lawyers at their word :0

[Brian Schuettler]

But I regret to say that CAPTAIN FROM CASTILE didn't live up to my 50-year memories of it and is rather stodgy.
Sandra, I have the same experience. I see an old movie from childhood that I somehow remembered as being really terrific and then I say to myself...is that it??? Especially Power and Flynn.

[Carl Olson]

I see an old movie from childhood that I somehow remembered as being really terrific and then I say to myself...is that it???

For me that would be Karate Kid...

[Sandra Miesel]

But THIEF OF BAGDAD, THE SEARCHERS,and STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN were even better to adult eyes.

[Brian Schuettler]

John Ford's the Searchers with is one of my favorites.

[Ed Peters]

A lot of our disappointment with old movies is not the higher standards of today (ha!) but rather, our greater maturity.

[Columcille]

Pooh! The 1938 'Adventures of Robin Hood' with Flynn and de Havilland is still one of the greatest films ever, as are Flynn's "Capt Blood' and 'The Seahawk'. It's sad his life was so troubled, but back in the day, his movies were a joy and still fun to watch!

[Chris R.]

Totally agree about Robin Hood, Capt. Blood and Seahawk. Also Ty Power and Zorro. Better than any of the remakes.