The Turning Gate

Meet my daemon, but no touching!

Thoughts on His Dark Materials

I’ve just finished reading the final volume of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, comprising The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. Of all the authors heralded by critics as the modern Tolkien, and all the books said to be spiritual descendants to The Lord of the Rings, Pullman and his works are of a rare sort – the sort that holds up to the hype.

Movie studios are scrambling for fantasy properties nowadays, wanting a piece of the pie first baked with the film adaptations of Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. So it should come as no surprise that Pullman’s books are receiving the film treatment. I’d held off from seeing the film trailer until finishing the books, not wanting to mingle the studio’s version of Pullman’s world with the world in my head. But having turned the last page, I hurried to Apple’s Quicktime site to view it.

My first impression of the film, being produced by New Line Cinema – who also produced The Lord of the Rings – is that it looks very promising. Fans may niggle over the casting selections as they always do (Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig), but I see no blatant faux pas in this regard. My greatest hope is that the film will be approached with the same respect for the source material as was shown by Peter Jackson with LotR, and the trailer gives every indication that this is the case. I have high hopes!

My greatest worry is that the books’ themes will be toned down to be more politically correct for a young audience. If right-wing groups felt they had good reason to advocate for the ban of Harry Potter in schools, I can only imagine they’d be more fervently opposed to Pullman’s books, which some could interpret as outright blasphemy (not something I have a problem with, personally – blasphemy, that is).

The Wikipedia entry for the books sums it up well:

Christianity and the Church are criticized by some of the characters. For example, Ruta Skadi, a witch and friend of Lyra’s calling for war against the Magisterium in Lyra’s world, says that “For all of [the Church’s] history…it’s tried to suppress and control every natural impulse. And when it can’t control them, it cuts them out.” (see intercision.) Skadi later extends her criticism to all organized religion: “That’s what the Church does, and every church is the same: control, destroy, obliterate every good feeling.” (By this part of the book, the witches have made reference to how they are treated criminally by the church in their worlds.) Mary Malone, one of Pullman’s main characters, states that “the Christian religion…is a very powerful and convincing mistake, that’s all.”, which reflects her agnostic scientist nature.

There’s more, but it contains story spoilers, so I omit it. Get the full scoop at Wikipedia.

The only other thing that bothers me is that I don’t see many daemons in the trailer. Everyone is supposed to have one, but where are they?

Concerns aside, I’m glad at having something to look forward to come December. I’m not much for Christmas; I’ll be counting down the days to The Golden Compass.

In the meantime, the film website is exceptionally slick, with a lot of good information and introductory material, and a fun questionnaire in which you can learn the identity of your daemon – an animal companion and soul extension representing aspects of a individual’s personality. Mine is a female fox named Euthalias, my profile having revealed that I am “modest, inquisitive, fickle, competitive and responsible”.

If you know me, and disagree, you have 12 days to complain before she settles permanently into this form. Have at it.

Send this article to a friend »

« Next Article | ... ... | Previous Article »