The Big Screen, Bigger Controversy
The movie was released in theaters in 2007. It was directed by Chris Weitz, who also wrote the screenplay. The movie was based on the least controversial first book in the series, but the publicity that the feature film brought escalated the conflict to a level that the series nor the author had experienced before. Before the movie, Pullman expressed his surprise that books like the Harry Potter series were getting more religious confrontation, and acknowledged the fact that his books were more controversial. Bear in mind, however, that the Harry Potter series had much more media attention because of it's widespread popularity that His Dark Materials never really reached. This changed when the news of a movie began to surface. Not everyone knew about or read the books, but in our society today, almost everyone has access to TVs, exposing them to trailers and news stories about The Golden Compass movie. There is no denying that a move from book to film spread the story in a way that the book could not.
And when it came to controversy, the movie was a whole new ballgame. With the shift from pages to the big screen, the story now had the media attention that the book series lacked. Even with the most controversial parts cut out or softened, there were calls for boycotts and a plethora of articles about how the movie was about "killing God" and condemning religion. As in the interview below, one could argue that the conflict could very well help sell tickets to the movie,and there is no doubt that the movie increased book sales.
And when it came to controversy, the movie was a whole new ballgame. With the shift from pages to the big screen, the story now had the media attention that the book series lacked. Even with the most controversial parts cut out or softened, there were calls for boycotts and a plethora of articles about how the movie was about "killing God" and condemning religion. As in the interview below, one could argue that the conflict could very well help sell tickets to the movie,and there is no doubt that the movie increased book sales.
This clip is just one among a myriad of interviews conducted regarding the movie. With the book, there were really only a handful of people that could be associated with the creation of the literature, Pullman obviously,and perhaps a publisher or editor. But a feature film? Now there were writers and directors and producers, and perhaps most importantly, celebrities that could speak out about the story. Not that celebrities are more important, but they are inarguably more well-known, and therefore their involvement broaden the story's reach.
