'The Golden Compass' - not as strange as it should be
We don't often get a chance to go to the cinema, but we have now been to see 'The Golden Compass' - and, yes, it has superb cinematography and convincing CGI effects.
Nicole Kidman is terrific, Ian McKellan's voicing of the ice bear is Churchillian at times, and I wish we'd seen more of Daniel Craig.
But ...
I couldn't work out for some time what the 'but' was.
Then I realised that the first part of the memorable 'His Dark Materials' trilogy has been reduced to yet another enjoyable, but essentially trivial, fantasy film.
Philip Pullman's work is greater than this.
What the film lacked was the sense that this was an alternative reality - one that could have happened to us if other decisions had been made.
In the book, the subtle differences between our Oxford and Lyra's emerge gradually, often in throw-away lines. In heavy contrast, the film began with a scene-setting narration which took away all the surprises.
The sense of strangeness, of being jolted into an awareness that things are not quite as expected, and the loss of confidence in the 'known' - all this is missing. And yet, they are essential if the other books in the series are to be understood.
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The challenge for the film-makers was different to that of Pullman. They needed to create a world quickly and believably so the story could begin. Sure the fantastic elements are elevated a little bit, but I don't think that is at the expense of the story.
Apart from a few moments of clunky dialogue, I give it a strong thumbs up. But the real challenge is book three...
Comment modified)
Yes, it is about the different focus of film and literature, but these books are meant to challenge the reader's comfortable assumptions. The danger is that the films will simply offer an exciting fantasy experience and change nothing.
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