Golden Compass - Daemon
Although daemon (alternately, daimon) is the precursor of our modern English word "demon" -- and there is a note in the book telling readers to pronounce daemon like demon -- it did not always mean an evil creature. A good daemon, eudaimon, could contrast with a bad daemon, kakadaimon. There was also an agathos daemon, where agathos means good or noble.
To the neoplatonist philosopher Plotinus, eudaimonia meant the well-being of the soul. Hesiod, in his account of the Five Ages of Man, says that when denizens of the Golden Age died, they became daimones.
Back to the movie, for a moment.... One of the men at my coffee shop who shares my passion for Harry Potter, the Narnia books, and Philip Pullman because they're great stories (labeled "for children" almost incidentally), went to a midnight showing so he could see it before anyone else he knew. The next morning, he panned the movie. He said Golden Compass was spoiled by an attempt to give children what the director assumed they want. That's not what Philip Pullman did in his series. Pullman seems to have followed C.S. Lewis' advice:
The third way, which is the only one I could ever use myself, consists in writing a children's story because a children's story is the best art-form for something you have to say....If you saw the movie Golden Compass, what did you think? Was it dumbed down?
On Three Ways of Writing for Children, by C.S. Lewis
To bring this back on topic, the C.S. Lewis essay, which I have referred to before, discusses the reasons children should be exposed to fantastic adventures, like those in the Odyssey and the myths and legends of the ancient heroes.
Comments
Loved the movie. I don’t know what all the hoopla from the boycotters was all about — not unless they saw themselves as the villains in this film. That’s where a cruel group of adults kidnapped children and tried to steal their souls.
There was no mention of Jesus or Catholicism or Christianity anywhere (so people who keep blogging that this very fun fantasy-tale was an attack on “the church” are just off their rockers).
The Golden Compas had excellent photography, wonderful sound effects, a fascinating story line (that I will want to watch again and again). The plot presents a great message for encouraging children to trust their instincts — to value their ability to think and it sometimes makes you a real hero when you SAVE YOUR BEST FRIEND!
Awesome flick!
Having read the books, I was a little disappointed in the movie. The chronology was off, the story jumped around quite a bit, and some of the more dynamic ways that Lyra slowly discovered her true past were muddled and lumped together oddly. I understand that they have to make the movie to appeal as much as possible to the general public, but in doing so they cut out a lot of Pullman’s beautiful exposition. Graphics were great, acting, especially Dakota Blue Richards, was admirable, but so many fantastic elements of the story were trimmed to nothing. I’m glad I watched it in the theatres, but I’ll wait for the DVD to watch it a second time.
All the anti religious elements of the books were removed in the movie.
Because we live in a very commercial world, children watching an innocent movie will want to read the antichristian trilogy.
The further you read the trilogy the worst it gets.
The prophesy deals with killing the weakly portrayed christian/jewish God.
Also souls are called deamons, which is the old english pronunciation for a demon.
The book has every sort of mind trick and antichristian element you can think of.
Anyone who is buying their children this books is clearly turning the young one from god.
I agree with Darko, up until the last sentence. See, my opinion is that if you’re faithful, nothing’s going to shake that unless you want it to. If you aren’t faithful, then it doesn’t matter anyway and it’s just an excellent book. I’m personally not Christian or Jewish, but it wasn’t because I read His Dark Materials. I also know quite a few Christian and Jewish folk who love the trilogy and think it’s brilliantly written- they just don’t agree with parts of it. But then, it IS a fantasy story.
I think that the movie was dumbed down, but only because it’s extremely difficult to include so many religious statements [or antireligious statements, depending on how you look at it] in a movie and not have it stop being an adventure as well. It seems like it would be a good way to introduce somebody to the books.