The "Seen It" Thread...
. . .
This evening, my brother and I took my dad to see The Golden Compass. All the contraversy made us curious, and besides, we enjoyed the books.
And I have to say, they did a pretty good job with it. Not quite as little-kid-ish as I was expecting, a very enoyable cinematic experience. Though one thing I can't help but comment on: I can very easily see why this rubbed the Church the wrong way. The tyrannical Magisterium's aversion to the concept of anything that might negate their teachings, their desire to control the people beneath their jurisdiction, et cetera, very strongly echoed what many perceive to be the Church's standpoint on science.
The Seat of Magisterium looked rather more like a cathedral than a government building...
And the very best part: when Iorek Byrnison, the armored bear sans armor, goes to get his armor back, he bursts wildly into the local Magisterial headquarters ... which just so happens to have all the Byzantine saints on the front panels, gilded haloes, jagged-robe folds and all. Even something that looked suspiciously like a tabernacle lantern or incense hanging from above the carved door. I wondered how many people would realize the signifigance of what was only breifly glimpsed, how many people would see past the obscurity of Byzantine holy art and sanctity and into the face of organized Catholicism. And while I would ordinarily call such blatant hinting a cheap shot, just something to stir the pot, I do have to commend the writers on their dedication to their art. Roman Catholic icons would have caused much more of a stir, doubtless, simply because they are much easier to recognize. But the writers chose the less noticeable, more seemingly benign route; I suspect because they wanted it to fit in with the locale - what, in any other world, would have been Siberia or the Ukraine. And for this, I respect them: a dedication to the accuracy of their art over the noise of rattled cages.
All the same, I poked my dad and whispered to him when I saw the Byzantine saints on the walls. Said he, "Oh my God, they didn't", just because he didn't think they'd have the nerve.
Fine film, all things considered. Well-made, well-acted, and just enough majority-spiting to get you thinking. ^_^ Thoughts?
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