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I first saw the trailer for the Holiday film “The Golden Compass” this week when my husband found it on the internet.  It looked like a well-done, exciting family film in the tradition of “Harry Potter” or “The Chronicles of Narnia.”  Now, I find, that the film and the novel it is based on are the center of a rising storm of controversy.

“Northern Lights,” published in the United States under the title “The Golden Compass,” is the first book in a trilogy that tells the story of a young girl and her quest.  Philip Pullman, the author of the novel, is an avowed atheist and has reportedly made religion and God the evil villian of these stories.  This has raised concern among religious leaders and parents.

Having not read the books, I am unable to say how overt the theme is in the novels, but there seems to be little doubt about Pullman’s intent.  He says that his books are “about killing God.”  He claims that he has difficulty understanding the words “spiritual” or “spirituality.”  And his focus in religious discussions seems to be the crimes and power grabs committed in the name of God over the course of the world’s history. 

The movie, it seems, is a rather watered down version of the book with a somewhat less offensive theme.  The chief worry seems to be that Pullman’s story will continue to make money.  (The books have sold over 15 million copies world wide thus far.)  If children like the film, parents may be encouraged to buy them the books not realizing that it is more provocative than the film.  They further warn that as the trilogy progresses, the books become more and more edgy and dark.

I believe that these are evaluations that any concerned parent would be glad to have when evaluating whether or not to expose one’s children to certain media.  Forewarned, as they say, is forearmed.  However, I doubt that this will make a significant difference to the success–or failure–of the film.  It has obviously done little to stop the sale of books.  Nor do I think that the film will do any significant damage to the religious world overall.

There was a similar storm stirred up around the film “The DaVinci Code” upon it’s release.  The book and film were rather uncomplimentary of the Catholic church and used anti-Christian beliefs to advance key plot points.  (The film was much less detailed and forthright than the book.)  However, most Christians saw the movie and it’s supposed “facts” as a work of fiction.  There was no great earthquake of faith among the churches of the world.

“The Golden Compass” is even less founded in reality.  Most children will probably not make any connections between the characters on the screen and their pastor on Sunday morning.  Adults who make the connection are probably not going to be swayed one way or another by the film.

In the end, it will be up to parents to judge what is best for their children.  Those who are offended by Pullman’s views and the possible premise of the film would be well advised to vote with their dollars.  Another course is for parents to be well-informed so that they can discuss the film and it’s possible implications with their children.

Look here for a forth-coming family friendly review of the book “The Golden Compass” as well as other volumes of the “His Dark Materials” trilogy by Philip Pullman.

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Last week J.K. Rowling stated to an audience in New York’s Carnegie Hall that, “I always saw Dumbledore as gay.” This information was given in response to a question from an audience member and has sparked a flurry of discussion among Harry Potter fans. Rowling has also revealed that she crossed out a section of the screenplay for the film “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” where Dumbledore speaks about his love life and wrote a note simply stating that Dumbledore is gay.

In response to criticism, Rowling said, “He is my character. He is what he is and I have the right to say what I say about him.”

The problem is that Dumbledore is no longer Rowling’s character. With the publication of the 7 Harry Potter novels, Rowling has given Dumbledore–along with all of the other wizards, witches, and muggles who inhabit their pages–to anyone who chooses to take the time and energy to read them from the page and into their imaginations. This means that Dumbledore belongs to all of us. And he is whatever any of us choose to make him.

The difference between a fictional character and an actual person, is that the character only exists as the imagination paints him. An author or filmmaker can give us an outline–sometimes a very detailed outline–but there is always room for us to fill in characteristics of our own.

Perhaps few people are as enthusiastic about this literary licence as I am. For instance, as a child I had an extreme admiration for the Star Wars character Han Solo. Among other things, I imagined that Han Solo was a talented pianist who turned to music whenever he was deeply troubled. As a young adult I read several novels written about the early life of Han Solo. Before reading them, I knew I would reject everything in these novels that did not fit in with the character’s history that I had stored in my memory for so many years. Today, I remember little of the novels I read. But I cannot forget the story I built in my own mind.

Now, Rowling may claim ownership of her characters in so far as she has legal rights to protect her intellectual property. She also has the right to say whatever she wants about them. And she can say what she thought about as she was writing about them. But she can no longer dictate what, or who, Dumbledore is. Her words are written and published. And as they are read, Dumbledore is turned into millions of Dumbledores based on the finite amount of words written about him.

Some may have always seen the character in the same light as Rowling. Some may choose to alter their picture of this character based on the Rowling’s opinions. Some, like the screenwriter of her movies, may be contractually obligated to change their view. And to many others, it will simply not matter. But for me, I disagree with Rowling. I choose to paint this character for myself and in my mind he is untainted by the brush strokes of others.

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