His Dark Materials - Good news and Bad news

[satin]

The good news is of course that the film of the trilogy is being made.

The bad news is ALL references to god are going to be removed. . . . .

Considering that that's the main plotline in the book, what on earth are they going to keep in ???!!

And, why do we have to make every film "acceptable" to mainstream america ? I know that's where most of the money is made but sometimes, IMHO, it's not worth mangling a good story just to make money.

I think they should film it like they did LOTR, in as much as keep all the "anti-god" stuff, cut it for cinema releases and then release it for sensible DVD watchers who can cope with it . . .

God cut from Dark Materials film
The director and screenwriter of the film adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials is to remove references to God and the church in the movie.

Chris Weitz, director of About a Boy, said the changes were being made after film studio New Line expressed concern.

The books tell of a battle against the church and a fight to overthrow God.

"They have expressed worry about the possibility of perceived anti-religiosity," Weitz told a His Dark Materials fans' website.

Pullman's trilogy has been attacked by some Christian teachers and by the Catholic press as blasphemy.

Weitz, who admitted he would not be many people's first choice to direct the films, said he regarded the film adaptation as "the most important work of my life".


There may be some modification of terms
Chris Weitz
"In part because it is one of the few books to have changed my life," he told bridgetothestars.net.

The award-winning trilogy - Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass - tell the story of Oxford girl Lyra Belacqua.

She is drawn into an epic struggle against the Church, which has been carrying out experiments on children in an attempt to remove original sin.

Battle

As the books progress the struggle turns into a battle to overthrow the Authority, a figure who is God-like in the books.

Weitz, who directed American Pie and About A Boy, said New Line feared that any anti-religiosity in the film would make the project "unviable financially".

He said: "All my best efforts will be directed towards keeping the film as liberating and iconoclastic an experience as I can.

"But there may be some modification of terms."

'Curtails freedom'

Weitz said he had visited Pullman, who had told him that the Authority could "represent any arbitrary establishment that curtails the freedom of the individual, whether it be religious, political, totalitarian, fundamentalist, communist, what have you".

He added: "I have no desire to change the nature or intentions of the villains of the piece, but they may appear in more subtle guises."

There are a number of Christian websites which attack the trilogy for their depiction of the church and of God, but Pullman has denied his books are anti-religious.

His agent told the Times newspaper that Pullman was happy with the adaptation so far.

"Of course New Line want to make money, but Mr Weitz is a wonderful director and Philip is very supportive.

"You have to recognise that it is a challenge in the climate of Bush's America,"

Link

[the thing with no name]

think that about sums that one up.....

[toovster]

Weak, not even gonna bother seeing this now

[avid fan]

This is so sad I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Maybe they can get around it simply by changing 'the church' to 'the authority' - although I'm not holding out much hope.

And I was really looking forward to the review of this on the CAP childcare Action website!!!

[KRW]

Is anyone surprised, though? I didn't think for a minute they'd be able to film these as they were written. Lyra isn't quite as clean cut as Harry Potter, is she? And what about what happens to God at the end, eh? It wouldn't stand a chance in the US and that's what counts, innit.

[AndyWilson]

The author has approved it, and as I don't think you'd find any studio willing to invest millions of dollars into an "anti-religious" film in the current US political climate I can't really see the problem.

If any of the critics want to film a more accurate adaptation no-one's stopping them trying to negotiate the rights and raise the finances...

[satin]

Originally Posted by KRW

? It wouldn't stand a chance in the US and that's what counts, innit.

I know that's what counts

Why don't we have two versions of films

1. With all the intelligent content, provocative thoughts, artisic content and storyline removed
2. With everything left in as the Author meant

Guess which one we can send over to america

[Dno]

I've justed started the 3rd book, and so far loved every part of what has come before it.

I was thinking as I was reading through how this would more than likely end up as a film, but TBH, even if they kept everything in I'm doubtfull that this would ever work well. In this day and age, hollywood will ruin it with an effects heavy, dumbed down version for the masses.

Take the Daemons for example.... Imagine how they will translate onto the big screen, talking animals that can change on a whim to any other animal without restrictions of size etc.... No amount of special effects is gonna pull that one off.

I'm glad i've read the books on this first... not the other way round like with LoTR.

Dno.

[count almassy]

Won't be seeing this then. Why does everything have to be turned into a film anyway. I love that every attempt to film Alan Moore's Watchmen has failed. let's have original great screen writing and keep books, which work differently and accomodate different kinds of narative structure and themes which just don't translate to the big screen as books. Mind you LOTR was great...!

[sharp_circle]

jesus that really sucks - I'm not gonna bother watching this now then.

[orac]

good for Christians..

not good for others..

I am the former.. it very much concerns me that this is a book targeted at children...

[QUOTE=count almassy]I love that every attempt to film Alan Moore's Watchmen has failed. QUOTE]

You do know that Watchmen is now Paramounts big Summer 06 film.

[FLCL]

I hope they don't take the religious refences from Evengalion when it gets made.

[Dno]

Reasonably in depth interview with the director:

http://www.bridgetothestars.net/inde...weitzinterview

[avid fan]

Further to my post further up, sounds like he's got similar ideas:

First let me say that I have visited with Pullman and spoken with him about this subject at great length. His feeling, and I say this with absolute certainty that I am not unfairly paraphrasing him, is that the "Authority" in question could represent any arbitrary establishment that curtails the freedom of the individual, whether it be religious, political, totalitarian, fundamentalist, communist, what have you. This gives me a certain amount of leeway in navigating the very treacherous issues that beset adapting HDM for the screen.

New Line is a company that makes films for economic returns. You would hardly expect them to be anything else. They have expressed worry about the possibility of HDM’s perceived antireligiosity making it an unviable project financially. My job is to get the film made in such a way that the spirit of the piece is carried through to the screen, and to do that I must contend not only with the difficulties of the material but with the fears of the studio. Needless to say, all my best efforts will be directed towards keeping HDM as liberating and iconoclastic an experience as I can. But there may be some modification of terms. You will probably not hear of the "Church" but you will hear of the Magisterium. Those who will understand will understand. I have no desire to change the nature or intentions of the villains of the piece, but they may appear in more subtle guises.

[ro_ram_ro]

One thing which should be considered is that if the film does get made then it will achieve a huge boost in sales of the original book, therefore bringing it to a wider audience, including many Americans who would of taken immediate offence to the ideas that Pullman has within the books. The scripts references to the church will probably be changed to reflect the ideas so that you should easily pick up what it was refering to.

[Panavision]

I didn't understand everything in the trilogy, but I never thought that the authority was God. I wouldn't care what a bunch of christians think - they never see 2 sides of the coin anyway.

[LooNaTiK]

i like :

The books tell of a battle against the church and a fight to overthrow God.

so... what's the film going to be about then if all references to God and the church are to be removed?



LooN

[Walrus Man]

Originally Posted by orac

good for Christians..

not good for others..

I am the former.. it very much concerns me that this is a book targeted at children...

I don't see how removing thought provoking ideas can be good for anyone, and personally think that the book should be read by children, to allow them to see another possible way of thinking about the important issues in life.

I'm actually suprised that the books haven't caused much of an outcry, considering that Harry Potter seemed to upset some (mainly American) Christians. HP doesn't really contain any anti-religious or anti-Christian ideas, whereas HDM obviously challanges the more organised aspects of Christianity quite strongly.

I can't see how the books can be watered down too much, hopefully the movie will simply refrain from actually associating the bad guys with a specific branch of Christianity, but surely there must still be a connection to some kind of God-like figure. Anyway, I shall certainly be interested in seeing the movies, as I thought the books were truly imaginative and certainly made me think differently about life and death.

[AndyWilson]

I'm pretty sure they'll have to change the title, a capitalised His will probably offend those Christians who aren't being distracted by choirboys...

..although His Girl Friday got away with it [scratch chin]