Last week's edition of the Pioneer Journal contained a letter to the editor concerning the movie "The Golden Compass" and encouraged people not to see the film due to a supposed "hidden agenda" to lure children away from their belief in God.
This letter contains numerous false and misleading statements that I would like to address. First of all, neither the letter writer nor the people who have started an Internet campaign urging families to boycott this film have actually seen this movie. Their information is based solely on the fact that the author of the books is an admitted atheist and they imply that by writing this trilogy he is attempting to convert people to his way of thinking.
In an interview with "Newsweek" magazine, the author, Phillip Pullman, stated that his only agenda in writing the books is "to get you to turn the page."
Last week's letter also stated that this movie conveniently does not have a rating attached to it and implies that the movie is being marketed to children. This is entirely untrue. The movie is rated PG-13, Parents Strongly Cautioned, some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
It is also interesting to note that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Office of Film & Broadcasting has rated this movie A-II, Adults and Adolescents, only one step above their All Ages Admitted rating of A-I. Perhaps the most ringing endorsement of this film comes surprisingly from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Go to www.catholicnews.com and click on the movie icon and read the review for yourself. The review states that "Most moviegoers with no foreknowledge of the books or Pullman's personal belief system will scarcely be aware of religious connotations, and can approach the movie as pure fantasy adventure." The review also states that "Whatever author Pullman's putative motives in writing the story, writer-director Chris Weitz's film, taken purely on its own cinematic terms, can be viewed as an exciting adventure story with, at its core, a traditional struggle between good and evil, and a generalized rejection of authoritarianism." Two paragraphs near the end of the review really sum up the difference between the books and the movie by stating, "Is Pullman trying to undermine anyone's belief in God? Leaving the books aside, and focusing on what has ended up on screen the script can reasonably be interpreted in the broadest sense as an appeal against the abuse of political power. Will seeing the film inspire teens to read the books which many have found problematic? Rather than banning the movie or books, parents might instead take the opportunity to talk through any thorny philosophical issues with their teens. For now, this film, altered as it is from its source material, rates as intelligent and well-crafted entertainment."
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The Golden Compass opens Friday, Dec. 7 in Wadena and in more than 3,000 theatres nationwide. I would encourage parents with reservations about letting their kids see this movie to view it first before making their decision. I would also like to know what you think of the film so if you see me in the lobby after the show please tell me how you felt about the movie. Ultimately the public will decide if this film succeeds or fails but to call for a boycott of this film without even seeing it first is entirely unfair to the people who have made this film, especially after reading the review which indicates that any material that may be considered objectionable to Christians has been removed from the movie version of this story.
David Quincer
Wadena
