..in Encyclical-Land to bring you this. I was (and still am) going to do a Golden Compass post next week (the movie is released in the US on 12/7), but I couldn’t wait on this.
Using the positive review of the film that has come to us from the USCCB film office, a review penned by Harry Forbes and John Mulderig, New Line’s advertising agency is reaching out to diocesan publications. This email was sent this morning:
New Line Cinema has expressed interest in possibly advertising The Golden Compass in the Catholic press. As I’m sure many of you are aware, there has been some controversy around this film because of the philosophy of the author and the nature of the book(s) used as the basis for the film. The film opens December 7. We’ve spoken extensively about this film with Harry Forbes, Director of the USCCB’s Office of Film and Broadcasting. Below please find a link to Mr. Forbes’ review (he gave The Golden Compass an A II classification-Adults & Adolescents) which was posted last evening on the CNS website and which will be posted today on the USCCB’s.
According to Mr. Forbes’ review, “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”.
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/movies/07mv242.htm
Because of the extremely abbreviated time element, we’re only approaching those newspapers located within the top 50 television markets which publish weekly. Please get back to me by 2:00 PM EST (11:00 AM PST) to let me know if you want to be included on the quote. No budgets or ad sizes have yet been discussed. We will be suggesting Full Page and Half Page Full Color to simplify the art custom sizing process. Our goal is to issue insertion orders by end of day today with artwork delivered via e mail (PDF) as per our normal process by end of day Monday.
Pleased call or e mail me immediately if you have any questions or require any additional information.
Thanks very much for your immediate attention.
Regards,
Bob Bugle
National Account Manager
Advertising Media Plus
Well.
The most interesting thing to me is the wording of this letter, frankly. That the studio (or advertising agency – it is not clear) has spoken “extensively” to the USCCB reviewer about the film.
What does that mean?
As I said, I have more to say next week, but please know that I did read the books a few years ago and wrote a piece about them for OSV.
And in the name of equal time, here’s an interview (email) that Peter Chattaway (Christianity Today contributor, committed Orthodox Christian) conducted with Pullman.
Insight Scoop has several related posts, with references to their new book on the matter by Sandra Miesel and Peter Vere.
Hi Amy,
I just interviewed Sandra Miesel this week on the Golden Compass movie, and the podcast version of our talk is loaded as of this morning! You can find it through the link at http://www.missionmoment.org or through a search on iTunes for Bill Donaghy (the podcast is called the Heart of Things).
This Golden Compass seems to be leading us due south!
Peace,
Bill
the USCCB media compass is in dire need of holy calibration.
Let us pray that the powers-that-be at the diocesan papers see this sugar-coated bait for what it is. I’m not optimistic, though.
Yet another reason for discouragement from our Bishops Conference.
I really hope everyone doesn’t get as caught up in this movie as they did in the Da Vinci Code. This is transitory stuff. Save the fireworks for something really important.
Wrote a piece last week for our Rockford Diocesean Newspaper, The Observer, on the books and movie, and called it for what it was–a nice looking movie full of despair and emptiness, an awful lot like the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Joliet Catholic, Joliet Diocese’s Newspaper also picked up the article. A version of it can be found on my blog. I’m ashamed at Harry Forbes Review in the name of CNS. He knows better. The Golden Compass is simply the bait to catch the unsuspecting kid, hold him fast and force feed him atheism and anti-Catholic propaganda. Forbes obviously isn’t familiar with the rest of the trilogy. Had he been, he would know how rabidly vile the message of Phillip Pullman is–totally antithetical to all we believe and hold dear.
Is it ironic, demonic, or providential that in the same seven day period our Holy Father releases an encyclical on the virtue of Hope and a movie is released that is founded on a world-view that says there is no hope beyond the material?
Read your old OSV article, very succinct to be useful for parishioners.
The reviewer at the USCCB has had problems in the past. I am thinking they could use a new movie critic. This movie is the hook. Then when the next two come out and bash the Church the kids will want to see them. I just don’t understand why we don’t defend ourselves. I will not take anyone to see this movie, I won’t see it myself, and I will preach against it from the pulpit. If it bombs then we won’t have to deal with any sequels.
It’ll be interesting to count how many Catholic publications run the ads. Shall we buy the hangman some more rope?
Besides PIED PIPER OF ATHEISM: PHILIP PULLMAN AND CHILDREN’S FANTASY for Ignatius, I’ve got articles in OSV and the December CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT.
“What does that mean?”
It would seem to mean that the sentries at the USCCB castle gate were not just asleep, but were convinced, by some means of persuasion, to open the gate.
Ah, the old marketing trick!
This sounds to me suspiciously like a classic tactic used by some book publishers, who go out of their way to seek advertising in large-circulation Catholic papers (usually ones with sponsoring bishops who are perceived to be “conservative.”)
They then wait for one paper to refuse the advertising, and voila… they have instant “banned in Boston” free publicity.
When I worked for The Long Island Catholic in the late 1980s, the publisher of a book claiming that Cardinal Cooke had been a homosexual took out an ad. We took the advertisers money, it, then panned the book it as a piece of trash in a review. To the publisher’s consternation, the New York Times wasn’t interested!
Fr Bill Pomerleau
Catholic Observer, Springfield, Mass.
We are so clearly at war spiritually with the forces of Satan.
This book targets the souls of youths, Christian or non.
We’d be aghast if a children’s book came packaged with a packet of cigarettes or had pornographic images filling the last chapter.
Why wouldn’t we be up in arms about a book that theologically targets the beliefs of our children.
I wouldn’t want to be, or even be near, Pullman on judgment day.
Mat 18:6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
Mar 9:42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung round his neck and he were thrown into the sea.
Luk 17:2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung round his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.
Thanks, Amy.
I had no idea. The trailer looked interesting, and I believe it even compared itself to The Chronicles of Narnia. If it had been open this weekend, I probably would have taken my boys to see it. I’m so glad I didn’t get the chance.
Ann