Andrew Jones posted yesterday about the imminent release of the first film of the Philip Pullman trilogy 'His Dark Materials'. (Why the hell has is been re-named? Durrr.... ) In the post he leans to siding with Matt Barber, who has written that Pullman's anti-theist stance is a strong theme, and thus Christians should avoid the films.
The other weekend my dad asked me my response to the same question - he'd had a very strong email from an Australian campaigner saying Christians should be actively boycotting the movie and protesting about it.
I totally disagree.
The books are a 'rich casket of treasures' - for children and adults alike. And, while one reading might be a strongly atheistic view, I think that Pullman is more interested in critiquing the 'power religion' exemplified by historic Catholicism and institutional Anglicanism. The villains of the book - though this is apparently watered down in the film - are the members of the 'Magisterium', the paranoid and power-mad government of religion, who fight to close down free thought and cut off children's souls to gain power for themselves.
And I have to agree with him. It's clearly powerful stuff, but no more cutting than Jesus' critique of the Pharisees as 'white-washed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inside are full of shit.' I heard Pullman in conversation with Rowan Williams, and was struck how both were egged on by 'fundies' on their own side... but both resisted their encouragements to slam the other. Indeed, Pullman admitted to being struck by the character of Christ, and said he was writing about him.
If we try to protect our faith from criticism like this, we seal it from the tricksters, and prevent it from being refined. If we truly believe it, we should allow our children to see the film, and trust that the truth will out. If we begin protests on things like this, don't we risk end up jailing people who let kids name their teddies Jesus? I hope the God believe in is more robust than that.
As I quote in the book, the trilogy ends with the hero Lyra, having 'killed God' urging people to 'work hard, all of us, to build the republic of heaven.' I think this is a fabulous metaphor: heaven as republic takes the power away from the high-and-mighty pompous white men who try to keep the gates closely guarded for only their own pure few. And that's something I can definitely cheer for.
Technorati: Golden Compass | Pullman | Northern Lights
good post kester. if i see the film, i will watch it with this framework in mind. thanks.
Posted by: andrew | December 08, 2007 at 09:42 AM
Thnaks for your comments.
I read all three books in thr trilogy several years ago, and was surprised to see the emails ciculating & comments on TV saying that the film is anti-christian. I've just been reading the books again (I'm on to the third one) to see if I missed something ..... I've found that I didn't miss anything.
The books are against a from of religious control & intolerance that we all should be against.
Yes - in the books, some of the characters are waging war to try to destroy God. Actually, it becomes difficult to tell who are good & who are bad .... but this is all part of the issues faced by children & adults in real life .... we need to teach discernment, rather than a blind fear of anything that looks like critique.
So .... thanks for your review. Don't hide from the movie / books, but view them with discernment. If your kids see them, make sure you see them also, so you can discuss them intelligently.
Posted by: David Allis | December 08, 2007 at 06:36 PM
i agree with how you covered this issue.
i think that people who haven't seen a movie yet determine precisely what the movie is or isn't saying are not grounded.
the ones who have looked into a source with an unassuming eye, not looking for faults in the movie or books but simply enjoying the process, earn the right to critique ideas and thoughts raised.
even then, i don't think anyone should go off and say "I think this is evil, so you should as well".
Arg. this would have made for a good conversation, if you and i had met in a coffeehouse rather than a computer screen. alas.
Posted by: Adam | December 08, 2007 at 08:09 PM
Good for you Kester. I couldn't agree more.
http://prodigal.typepad.com/prodigal_kiwi/2007/11/rowan-williams-.html
Posted by: Paul Fromont | December 08, 2007 at 08:36 PM
i raised my eyebrows at andrew's post too. i completely agree with you on this one... saw the film and have read the books and loved them...
Posted by: jonny | December 10, 2007 at 03:03 PM
we loved the film. it was enchanting and left one happily waiting for the next chapter. the religious reaction is worthy of little beyond ignoring patiently. the books are epic. one can only hope the screenplays are adapted well in the coming HDM installments.
Posted by: dan hughes | December 10, 2007 at 04:28 PM
Kester, glad you enjoyed the film and books. I think the books are wonderful and complex and deserve a lot of time and attention. I'm eagerly awaiting "The Book of Dust," Pullman's next venture. I agree with you about the misplaced ire about this movie. As with most novels and movies that have some controversial religious imagery or message, many Christians seem bent on sinking the ship. One book that has been the most powerful to me in spiritual insight is "The Last Temptation of Christ," and I have always wished more Xians would give it a chance despite "what they've heard." I've been speaking on a chat room (The Republic of Heaven) with fans of the books all summer, and find their insights and spiritual questing and yearning very inspiring.
On the subject of the movie, it was good enough, but could have been better. One thing I loved about the books was the sense of discovery that I had while reading, because Pullman didn't explain every little subtle difference in Lyra's world. As I went through it, I had the opportunity to "piece together" what a "daemon" was, etc. I kind of cringed when the first line of the movie was something like "in another parallel universe, people's souls live outside their body in the form of a daemon." Bah! Why not give moviegoers the same opportunity to deduce for themselves the importance and strength of connection between a person and their daemon. So, I'm glad to see the movie getting the books more attention, mildly frustrated by the wrongheaded critique among those who are all alarmed that the protagonists "kill God," and a little disappointed by the lack of subtlety by the filmmakers.
Posted by: Nathan Mattox | December 11, 2007 at 08:17 PM
PS
I was surprised to see a Christianity Today review that didn't get caught up in the hysteria and instead approached the weaknesses of the adaptation from book to movie screenplay. If you only have $11--buy the book, not a ticket to the movie.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/reviews/2007/goldencompass.html
Posted by: Nathan Mattox | December 11, 2007 at 08:37 PM
Hi Kester
It sounds like a load of something about nothing as usual! As a self confessed book buying non reader, (it's the glossy covers) i cannot comment more but am grateful for anything that critiques religous control.
Posted by: johnny | December 13, 2007 at 04:20 PM
Interesting. I've been surfing around to see what other bloggers are saying about the series. I've just posted my own review here if you're interested. I'd love feedback!
Posted by: Catherine | December 14, 2007 at 08:30 PM
I would agree that there is actually a lot in these novels that is good but we must not overlook the sting in the tail, so to speak. What Pullman offers as an alternative to this false belief is a belief in human freedom which ultimately stops short the true spirituality that is my own experience. In the final pages of the thrid novel Pullman’s fervent atheism becomes crystal clear as he preaches, and he does preach, about the ‘Republic of Heaven’ which is ultimately a secular humanist message that I must reject. So if we do choose to encourage our children to see this movie, its sequels, and the novels and so on, I feel that we would need to feel conversant enough with the issues that they raise to be able to discuss them meaningfully and to encourage our children to discuss them with others putting forward their faith as a rebuttal to Pullman’s atheism. What do you think?
Posted by: David Derbyshire | December 15, 2007 at 11:07 AM
I would agree that there is actually a lot in these novels that is good but we must not overlook the sting in the tail, so to speak. What Pullman offers as an alternative to this false belief is a belief in human freedom which ultimately stops short the true spirituality that is my own experience. In the final pages of the thrid novel Pullman’s fervent atheism becomes crystal clear as he preaches, and he does preach, about the ‘Republic of Heaven’ which is ultimately a secular humanist message that I must reject. So if we do choose to encourage our children to see this movie, its sequels, and the novels and so on, I feel that we would need to feel conversant enough with the issues that they raise to be able to discuss them meaningfully and to encourage our children to discuss them with others putting forward their faith as a rebuttal to Pullman’s atheism. What do you think?
Posted by: David Derbyshire | December 15, 2007 at 11:10 AM
Interesting review...the thing is...the abuse of authority is not the only thing being criticized in the books. Pullman also seems to support the Neitzchean view that God is the suppression of the human life force and that his rules on sexual behavior and purity should be rebelled against...
Posted by: Megan Click | February 03, 2008 at 09:56 PM
Interesting review...the thing is...the abuse of authority is not the only thing being criticized in the books. Pullman also seems to support the Neitzchean view that God is the suppression of the human life force and that his rules on sexual behavior and purity should be rebelled against...
Posted by: Megan Click | February 03, 2008 at 09:57 PM