Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Where Does the Golden Compass Point?

Film production often goes through periods of similar themes. The comic book hero theme is now well worn, and fantasy adventure is making its move. The initial Narnia movie helped to give some impetus, followed by Stardust, and now the newest in the fantasy family, The Golden Compass.

You'd probably be regarded as a little naive not to know anything about the background of the Narnia series of children's books. Written by C.S. Lewis, Narnia was a kind of metaphor for Christianity. Even as I watched The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, I was wondering how impossible it must have been to miss the comparison between Aslan's death and resurrection, and that of Jesus Christ.

The Golden Compass has just as much deliberate undercurrent as Narnia. The original children's book was written by Philip Pullman, who famously said, "My books are about killing God..." A dedicated athiest, Pullman is an honorary associate of the National Secular Society.

What then is the message of the film? In truth, the film has been watered down from the original story told in the books. Essentially the story is about the fight against a controlling authority, portrayed clearly in the books as the church, or the Catholic Church to be more specific. Facing loss of revenue in the more God-fearing US, the tone was watered down. Still, some analysts believe that the message of questioning authority is an important one.

I'd say the message is not healthy either way. Children are going to begin reading the books out of curiosity anyway. What is being shown is that the emphasis seems to be centralled on this very question of authority. Let's call it what is is: rebellion against authority. Ultimately I don't believe that the real issue is whether authority is good or not, but whether we are ready to honour and submit. The truth is that we are all part of a structure - nobody is above the law. That is as true for a ruling political party that stands under the authority of God as for a child who must decide whether they will behave well at home. A submitted spirit makes for a healthy person that can be counted on to wait for their turn, to respect others and to take the hits even when they know it's not fair. These make for healthy society, not someone who lives only to question every instruction they receive.

7 comments:

Eric Savage said...

What I did find funny was that the heroic animals in The Golden Compass were the polar bears. Think back to Narnia and you'll remember that the polar bears drove the evil witch's chariot!

Nick said...

You seem to suggest that curiosity or being curious is dangerous or wrong.

"Ultimately I don't believe that the real issue is whether authority is good or not, but whether we are ready to honour and submit."

That's an extremely silly statement when you think about it. So wherever you are, whoever your master is (God, Satan, Hitler or Mandela) you submit without making sure who/what itis you're submitting to? Crazy!!!

JP said...

must agree with nick. Doubt, questioning and challenging is the only thing that keeps an authority in line, whether it is social, religious or other.

I mean imagine if everyone one had followed your paragraph below during apartheid in South Africa.

"That is as true for a ruling political party that stands under the authority of God as for a child who must decide whether they will behave well at home. A submitted spirit makes for a healthy person that can be counted on to wait for their turn, to respect others and to take the hits even when they know it's not fair."

Eric Savage said...

Sure, I accept your criticism. The important thing here is not to take an extreme position on this issue. It's not a case of do I always question or do I always submit. Both are healthy, but you have to find your place along the continuum.

On that continuum it is more important to submit than to rebel. There are times when you have a duty to challenge, and I do that regularly in my blog in regard to the present government, but the majority of our lives we are required to submit rather than challenge.

We all experience decisions at work that are unfair. However, true wisdom knows that it is usually for everybody's benefit when you just put your head down and get on with the job. The attitude of always trying to defend your position and seek your own justice is the reason for the awful quantity of law suits being exercised, especially in places like California.

The ANC are a fascinating example on this issue: are they submitted to the people of South Africa?

Eric Savage said...

I think I should just clarify here, that when I talk about submitting to authority here, I am thinking about a very broad spectrum, including parents, teachers, bosses, sports coaches, captains, policemen, traffic cops and government.

Most of these scenarios require people who are submitted more than those who simply question every instruction they're given.

Steve Hayes said...

"Ultimately I don't believe that the real issue is whether authority is good or not, but whether we are ready to honour and submit."

Something that George Bush should have thought about before he overthrew the authority of Saddam Hussein. Sometimes even a bad authority is better than none at all.

Eric Savage said...

Interesting thought :)

This topic has turned out to be a little more tricky than I anticipated. Where my standpoint comes from is a Christian worldview that says my primary responsibility is to make sure that my books are in order. We all work under a range of different authorities, both good and bad, and my question is always: how do I respond personally? Do I try and maintain an exemplary behaviour, always willing, always respectful and always hard-working?

Sometimes I am in a position to force change in an authority that requires it, but even then the attitude of my heart must be one of service and not rebellion. In all the talk of human rights and individual freedoms, I believe that this emphasis on accepting personal responsibility and staying humble has been lost.

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