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By Catholic News Service
The movie “The Golden Compass” has prompted
a blizzard of words assailing the movie and the books on which it is based,
as well as defenses of the film.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced Dec. 10 it was withdrawing
a review of “The Golden Compass” prepared by its New York-based
Office for Film & Broadcasting and originally posted on the USCCB
and Catholic News Service Web sites Nov. 29.
The USCCB gave no reason for its decision, although the review itself
had received a considerable amount of criticism among people distrustful
of the anti-religionist bent of both the novels and their author.
Sister Rose Pacatte, a Daughter of St. Paul who has written books on spiritual
themes in movies, has developed a “media mindfulness strategy”
for the film.
“’The Golden Compass’ film challenges believing adults
to articulate their faith and values and to brush up on church history,
theology, and literature and literary forms to do so — not because
the film deals with these issues but because of the culture surrounding
the release of the film,” Sister Rose said in her guide to the movie.
“This film is an opportunity for us to develop our critical thinking
skills: to ask questions and seek and articulate the answers: the answers
to ‘why?’” she added.
She admitted, “This is a difficult assignment for busy parents and
teachers, but an excellent way to engage in our culture rationally and
faithfully and with relevance. To ‘just say no’ is not a valid
option in today’s media world. Let us respond, rather than react,
to the world around us.”
The movie, which opened in theaters Dec. 7, stars Nicole Kidman and Daniel
Craig.
It is based on the first book of British author Philip Pullman’s
trilogy of fantasy novels for young readers, titled “His Dark Materials”
and considered by many to be an overtly anti-Christian work. Pullman describes
himself as an atheist.
“His Dark Materials” recounts the adventures of Lyra Belacqua,
a 12-year-old girl in an alternate universe that resembles our own. With
the assistance of several other characters, she sets out to overthrow
the Authority, which is God in Pullman’s work. The novels depict
him as a weak, false god and, in the final book in the trilogy, he actually
dies.
Sister Rose’s guide asks a myriad of questions about the movie and
plot developments, but they are grouped around four central areas:
• “What’s going on? What’s the story? How is the
film’s reality created and why?”
• “What’s really going on? Who is telling the story
and why? (The film business; the author; the screenwriter)”
• “What difference does the film make? Is it really atheistic?
Or does it evoke thoughtful conversation about things that matter?”
• “What difference can I make? What did the characters in
the film learn? How did they grow and change? Did they? What, if any,
light did the film shed on how I can live the Christian life in ways that
respect human dignity?”
By addressing these questions, Sister Rose said, “Families can make
an informed decision about seeing the film and once they see it, talk
about it in meaningful ways with young people. Catechists and religion
teachers can also use this strategy as a means to talk about theology
and philosophy in the greater context of the books — presuming that
they will choose the wise approach and read the books and see the film
before entering into dialogue.”
The complete guide can be found online at: http://journals.aol.com/rosepacatte/MyMovies/.
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