An interview with Phillip Pulman, author of 'His Dark Materials"

[KiwiHopeful]

Rather than post it at the end of the thread that really had nothing to do with the Golden Compass movie, I thought I'd start a new thread with this link:


AN INTERVIEW WITH PHILIP PULLMAN | More Intelligent Life

[selchie]

Thanks for posting this. I've got to make some time to read it. I've only heard about these books as the movie loomed, but they seem to be up my alley.

This is waht inaugurated my awareness: Jesus loves 'His Dark Materials' / Shrill Bible-thumpers boycott 'The Golden Compass'; world's children grin devilishly

[ebianca]

Well we went to see the film last night.

My OH has read the books and I haven't.

The film was OK- and the special effects were good but my OH says they missd the main point of the first book.

I know they have to cut out little sub plots etc to make the film however missing out the main point of the story seems a little daft. Maybe they were missing the ending off so they can bein the next film with it.

The cast was pretty good and Dakoto is fantastic and to say it was her first acting role you would never now.

Anyway- if anyone else get's to see it let us know what you think.

[KiwiHopeful]

Selchie, I highly recommend them. Not so much for the philosophical point of view they present--anyone can make up their own mind about that--but for the storytelling. The series is filled with lots of good old-fashioned white-knuckle cliff hangers and heroic moments. I couldn't put them down. I finished the second one on a Sunday night and was seriously considering driving 40 minutes to the nearest Barnes & Noble on the hope that they'd still be open and have a copy of the last book--even though I new I could get the last one from school the next day.

E-B, as for the point of the first book, I'm not sure what your hubby meant (as I haven't seen the movie yet). But I wouldn't doubt that the filmmakers got a lot of it wrong. I've always thought that the challenge of making a movie of this book isn't the special effects (clearly Hollywood and Wellywood) have a handle on that these days. What they haven't figured out is how to mix big ideas and filmmaking without turning those big ideas into simple, bumper sticker length messages. (I'm thinking films like Narnia and Crash, which was about racism like a 'Dog is My Copilot' bumper sticker is about the struggles of finding meaning in the modern world).

'Dune' is a good example of an essentially unfilmable book. Try to engage the ideas and you get the enigma David Lynch created. Ignore them, and you get the Sci-Fi Channel's adaptation of the books. But neither compares to the book.

[Dawn]

Yep, I'm not surprised they've mucked it up either. Very few good books have been turned successfully into film. It's a fine art that vair vair few seem to have the hang of.

In my opinion, books are books and film is film.

Baz Luhrmann did a good job of Romeo and Juliet though IMHO But Shakespeare wrote scripts not books so I suppose there's a bit of a difference there?

[KiwiHopeful]

I'd agree, generally, but on the other hand there are some books you read and you just *know* the author was thinking, 'Oh, this will make a great screen play.' John Grisham, anyone?

When Luhrman's R&J came out, there was all kinds of huballoo about it in the States, since it wasn't your mom & dad's R&J. The funny thing is, it actually more closely follows the source material than Zefferelli's version. Besides, it's heaps more fun!

[Dawn]

I've used that R&J soundtrack for a lot of my work with kids. The hip hop 'hood' culture is perfect for working with young people - and it made them look at Shakespeare in a new light! Win, win

[selchie]

I saw The Golden Compass a few nights ago. I enjoyed it, and am looking forward to the books. After seeing so many movie adaptations of books I've read, I'm giving up on expecting them to be faithful. ...I was pleasantly surprised at LOTR, even with the changes they made.