Pullman

[liadnan]

Both of the email lists that, together with the blogosphere, drain away such an alarming proportion of my time have been discussing this story today:

The director and screenwriter of the film adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials is to remove references to God and the church in the movie.
Chris Weitz, director of About a Boy, said the changes were being made after film studio New Line expressed concern.

I confess myself to be somewhat mystified, not least by the claim that Pullman has approved the change (and incidentally, what happened to Uncle Tom Stoppard, who was writing the screenplay last I heard?). I do find myself wondering, on that score, whether the truth is closer to what I heard Pullman say at the ICA a couple of years ago - that his attitude was that he'd sold the film rights, taken the money, and run, and wasn't taking any part or interest in what happened next.

You may love the books or loathe the books; generally sympathise with Pullman's views or not; find Pullman slightly irritating or charming. Personally I love the books, sort of half sympathise with his views, and find the man's preachiness more than a little irritating.

Whatever you feel about it, I am incapable of understanding how a sequence of books which, I think, is essentially an attempt to take Paradise Lost, imagine it written by Blake instead, and then turn the result into a children's fantasy; and which was also, quite expressly, conceived as an extended disagreement with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe et al, can possibly have the religion taken out. I despair, I really do. Joff said months ago he smelled an approaching train wreck and I told him he was over-pessimistic.

ETA: oh look, why don't I just stick to ghost-posting the chaps on Crooked Timber - first thing I read after I hit send and says it much better.

Comments

hm

[nikandra.livejournal.com]

I saw an interview with Pullman the other day on Oxford TV (yes, I was that bored) and, even though I missed if he said anything about the removal of references to god, I did hear him say that once the book was out of his hands, he was happy to see it go and didn't mind alterations that happened to it. Or something to that effect. So, I wouldn't be surprised if he had approved the change, or couldn't care less about it.

They also showed some scenes from the film, or so it seemed, and it loaded with CGI. Pretty, but in a flat postcard kind of way. Wasn't impressed, even by the Oxford-inspired images.

[sbp.livejournal.com]

his attitude was that he'd sold the film rights, taken the money, and run, and wasn't taking any part or interest in what happened next.

That's Alan Moore's attitude as well, as you can tell from dramatisations of From Hell and the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. But given that Douglas Adams took about 25 years jumping through hoops to get anybody to make a film of Hitchhiker's guide, perhaps they have the right attitude to not worry about the Hollywood process and just sell the rights and get on with whatever else they're doing.

[ninebelow.livejournal.com]

In some sort of theatrical face-off I am going to see The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (http://www.wyplayhouse.com/events/event_details.asp?event_ID=159) in December followed by HDM (http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/?lid=6158&cc=1) in January. Are you coming along to that? Also The Firework-Maker's Daughter (http://www.lyric.co.uk/pl4.html).

[liadnan]

I am. I owe Steve money for that too. Where's LWW on?

I suppose the link is a little ambiguous

[ninebelow.livejournal.com]

West Yorkshire Playhouse.

Re: I suppose the link is a little ambiguous

[liadnan]

I must confess I didn't actually bother to check... I forget you're from North - sometimes you seem almost like proper people.

[joffstar.livejournal.com]

It's one of the ironies of the two series that I found Pullman's characters largely flat and unappealing (apart from Da Bear), and Lewis's almost all glowingly human. While still having the Standard Humanist Response to the philosophy behind both, ie go Pullman! bad Lewis!

There's a moral here somewhere, but I can't be arsed to weed it out.

[liadnan]

Literary talent doesn't make you Right and vice versa. See also 1066 and All That on the Roundheads ("right but repulsive") and Caveliers ("wrong but wromantic")

[frankie-ecap.livejournal.com]

One of my dirty little secrets is that I like the writing of Ayn Rand. Politics and values, horrible. Text, gripping (apart from the sixty-page polemics which I tend to skim-read).

[liadnan]

Really? Me, I reckon her writing's possibly worse than anything else about her.

[booklectica]

Yes, same here.

Perhaps someone needs to meld the two together in some way?