This is what the award winning British Author, Phillip Pullman has been accused of. The first book of his trilogy “His Dark Materials” has been recently adapted by Director Chris Weitz for New line Cinema’s most expensive film ever made: ‘The Golden Compass’.
Having opened in the U.K on 5th December, this movie adaptation of the first book “Northern Lights” has us follow the adventures of a streetwise 12 year old girl called Lyra Belacqua (played by Dakota Blue Richards). She travels through multiple worlds populated by witches (one of whom is played by Eva Green), armour-plated bears, and sinister ecclesiastical assassins to defeat the oppressive forces of the ‘ruling’ order, a nefarious church known as the “Magesterium”.
The movie is the bait for the books which are allegedly and fundamentally anti-religion. One of the novel’s pagan characters puts it, “every church is the same: control, destroy, and obliterate every good feeling”. The books get even darker with adult themes such as female circumcision and castration.
Given this, it seems frightening that Pullman wants kids to buy the books after having watched ‘The Golden Compass’. He reportedly wants kids to decide ‘against god and the kingdom of heaven’ which has drawn fire from concerned Christians, who have dubbed Pullman’s work as ‘atheism for kids’.
Apparently a proud atheist, and described as the most dangerous author in Britain, Pullman wants to ‘kill God’ in the minds of children. Having sold 15 million copies worldwide, he opposes C.S. Lewis’s “Chronicles of Narnia” and wrote the trilogy in contrast to the latter. His long term aim is to convince us to object to ideological tyranny which endorses a rejection of this world, in favour of an idealised after-life.
Adapting such an adult book for a PG audience is nothing short of ridiculous and dangerous. Challenging the minds of children by presenting them with different ideas is to be encouraged, but perhaps not ideas that bash the foundation of faith based value systems.
Can you imagine an army of 12 year olds on our streets all challenging God? And aren’t existential dilemmas usually reserved for adulthood? Quite interestingly and paradoxically though, perhaps Pullman wants to diminish ‘passive faith’ at a young age in order to avoid such existentialism later in life.
Casting our minds back to ‘The Wizard of Oz’, challenging the authority of a senile ‘God-type’ wizard was evident but with values such as hope and faith still intact, much to the pleasure of Dorothy. In grave and great contrast, Pullman’s two child heroes dissolve the authority of a senile authoritarian ‘God’ type character.
I’m sure readers of the trilogy will be curious to watch this movie but whether it is suitable for a PG audience is another concern. Aside from the underlying message and regardless of the gold dust that is shed in battle instead of blood, there is too much fighting for a pre-teen audience.
With special effects costing over 180 million dollars and a combination of good acting it will ensure you won’t walk out. Daniel Craig plays the Uncle of the young heroine Lyra, and Nicole Kidman as Marisa Coulter who manages to light up the screen despite her sinister character. You’ll have to wait to see more of Craig in the sequel since he is only in a handful of the many scenes that don’t thread together well.
Other Hollywood fantasy movies have proven hits at the box office but ‘The Golden Compass’ is not one for them. ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’ have passed the test where audiences have loved the movies despite not having read the books. The same cannot be said of Chris Weitz’s adaptation.
Further, the young heroine Lyra is singled out, much like a Harry Potter, but there is no depth to her character and you are not on ‘her side’ as you are with the likes of otherworldly ‘Frodo’ type heroes. Still, Pullman’s imagination translates on screen with ideas such as the soul belonging to humans, scampering at the side of individuals in the form of animals (monkeys, rodents and cats).
With a handful of U.S imperialism for the holidays (the American cowboy seems to save the day in every sticky situation) the movie still has the ability to make those with testing nerves jump out of their seats. Competition is on its way this season with contributions from Will Smith’s thriller “I am Legend” and Nicolas Cage’s “National Treasure” sequel. “The Golden Compass” may not have blown audiences away, but it has managed to direct (pardon the pun) inquisitive beings toward Pullman’s dark matter.
Friday, December 14, 2007
'Britz' by Peter Kosminsky
Review for Emel Magazine - December 2007 issue
Written and directed by Bafta award winning filmmaker Peter Kosminsky, the two-part feature length series starred Rizwan Ahmed (The Road to Guantanamo) and Manjinder Virk (Bradford Riots) who play brother and sister, Sohail and Nasima. Their joint upbringing is that of any traditional Muslim family in Bradford but both eventually choose ideologically opposing paths.
Sohail is an ambitious student training to be a barrister in London who chooses to work at the MI5. Eager to play a part in British Security he feels an honour of debt to the country of his birth. The terror trail leads him back to his community in Bradford where not even his closest friends and family are above suspicion.
Sohail’s sister Nasima is a medical student in Leeds and although passionately politically active becomes disillusioned with and alienated from the status quo and so begins to question her methods of protest.
Both siblings lead double lives that are split depending on whether they are at home with their parents or with friends at university or work. The conflict that the dualism between a British and a Muslim identity can bring is depicted well.
Nasima is angered and frustrated with British foreign and domestic policy from the start and her story is more compelling and multi-dimensional as a result. Her story was like watching a car crash in slow motion and the heart-wrenching destruction of this young woman with so much potential was tragic.
We see how utterly despondent she becomes when her best friend falls foul of Britain’s anti-terror law (control orders) and commits suicide. Who is to blame when someone as vulnerable as Nasima chooses such a path and finds escaping to a Jihadist camp as her only recourse, when her family and own country of origin don’t present a safe haven.
The most criminal manipulation of Nasima is when she completes her training at the Jihadist camp in Rawalpindi, NW Pakistan. Now unsure of carrying out an attack, the Jihadi’s present her with a photo of her fake-funeral. Her identity as ‘Naz’, known and loved by those most dear to her, ceases to exist and at this realisation she agrees to the mission.
It ends with Nasima’s suicide video-note explaining her actions as a protest rather than being in the name of God and/or Islam. Does this herald such atrocities occurring as a result of injustices against Muslims taking place in the West?
Has it further fuelled paranoia about Brit Muslims and as a result, opened the door for more portrayals of us as extremists for entertainment value or because a balanced account is needed? I doubt that the latter would attract the commissioners at channel 4.
Praise where praise is due; Virk does a superb job of bringing to life a character who she herself (in the guardian) described as being more hated in the current climate than a serial killer.
Sohail offers snippets of independent thinking which is to be praised, especially when scolding a potential Muslim girlfriend, played by Priya Kalidas, who drags him to a talk given by a radical Muslim cleric.
His ideology opposes his Muslim peers and we see this when he is interviewed by the MI5 and talks of owing a ‘debt of honour’ to Britain. As second generation Brit born Muslims, does this mean we are second class citizens, forever indebted and owing everything to this country? Worrying and scary ground indeed.
We learn that MI5’s enemy profile are male educated second generation ipod wearing Pakistanis. I’m sure now they will have added a female educated second generation gramophone holding Pakistani profile. Perhaps we should think twice before going on a protest march.
Kosminsky has taken on the most sensitive and controversial issue, and artistic license aside, the responsibility that lies in doing so is profound. There is a fear that it will further entrench the views of Daily Mail readers and middle England that either we talk, walk and do as ‘they’ do, and even jump into bed with them, or we are all extremists.
Still, Britz was enormously captivating and has sparked and provoked such lively debate and not just because it deals with such a controversial issue, but due to Kosminsky’s master storytelling of these characters that meet such a tragic end.
Written and directed by Bafta award winning filmmaker Peter Kosminsky, the two-part feature length series starred Rizwan Ahmed (The Road to Guantanamo) and Manjinder Virk (Bradford Riots) who play brother and sister, Sohail and Nasima. Their joint upbringing is that of any traditional Muslim family in Bradford but both eventually choose ideologically opposing paths.
Sohail is an ambitious student training to be a barrister in London who chooses to work at the MI5. Eager to play a part in British Security he feels an honour of debt to the country of his birth. The terror trail leads him back to his community in Bradford where not even his closest friends and family are above suspicion.
Sohail’s sister Nasima is a medical student in Leeds and although passionately politically active becomes disillusioned with and alienated from the status quo and so begins to question her methods of protest.
Both siblings lead double lives that are split depending on whether they are at home with their parents or with friends at university or work. The conflict that the dualism between a British and a Muslim identity can bring is depicted well.
Nasima is angered and frustrated with British foreign and domestic policy from the start and her story is more compelling and multi-dimensional as a result. Her story was like watching a car crash in slow motion and the heart-wrenching destruction of this young woman with so much potential was tragic.
We see how utterly despondent she becomes when her best friend falls foul of Britain’s anti-terror law (control orders) and commits suicide. Who is to blame when someone as vulnerable as Nasima chooses such a path and finds escaping to a Jihadist camp as her only recourse, when her family and own country of origin don’t present a safe haven.
The most criminal manipulation of Nasima is when she completes her training at the Jihadist camp in Rawalpindi, NW Pakistan. Now unsure of carrying out an attack, the Jihadi’s present her with a photo of her fake-funeral. Her identity as ‘Naz’, known and loved by those most dear to her, ceases to exist and at this realisation she agrees to the mission.
It ends with Nasima’s suicide video-note explaining her actions as a protest rather than being in the name of God and/or Islam. Does this herald such atrocities occurring as a result of injustices against Muslims taking place in the West?
Has it further fuelled paranoia about Brit Muslims and as a result, opened the door for more portrayals of us as extremists for entertainment value or because a balanced account is needed? I doubt that the latter would attract the commissioners at channel 4.
Praise where praise is due; Virk does a superb job of bringing to life a character who she herself (in the guardian) described as being more hated in the current climate than a serial killer.
Sohail offers snippets of independent thinking which is to be praised, especially when scolding a potential Muslim girlfriend, played by Priya Kalidas, who drags him to a talk given by a radical Muslim cleric.
His ideology opposes his Muslim peers and we see this when he is interviewed by the MI5 and talks of owing a ‘debt of honour’ to Britain. As second generation Brit born Muslims, does this mean we are second class citizens, forever indebted and owing everything to this country? Worrying and scary ground indeed.
We learn that MI5’s enemy profile are male educated second generation ipod wearing Pakistanis. I’m sure now they will have added a female educated second generation gramophone holding Pakistani profile. Perhaps we should think twice before going on a protest march.
Kosminsky has taken on the most sensitive and controversial issue, and artistic license aside, the responsibility that lies in doing so is profound. There is a fear that it will further entrench the views of Daily Mail readers and middle England that either we talk, walk and do as ‘they’ do, and even jump into bed with them, or we are all extremists.
Still, Britz was enormously captivating and has sparked and provoked such lively debate and not just because it deals with such a controversial issue, but due to Kosminsky’s master storytelling of these characters that meet such a tragic end.
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