The "His Dark Materials" Thread

[pixie_twinkle 44]

If this is being discussed elsewhere please feel free to shut this thread down Mr B.

Yahoo Movies have just put up an extended preview for the movie. I'm starting to be excited about this. The books are superb, and I strongly urge everyone to read them before seeing the movie.

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808718640/v...dformat#3485607

[robthehand 3]

Who's scoring?

[Morlock 9]

The trailer made the film look quite bad.

And Desplat is scoring. One of scores I'm most anticipating.

[Red 73]

Looks strange but intriguing.

[Ollie 859]

I thought this was a thread about Williams' darker writing.

[pixie_twinkle 44]

Who's scoring?

Alexandre Desplat

The trailer made the film look quite bad.And Desplat is scoring. One of scores I'm most anticipating.

I adored these three books. They take so-called "childrens literature" to a completely new level. An often savage tale of power, death, religion (I really hope the movie doesn't sidestep the very strong anti-religious undertones of the books), and sexuality. When I first saw the trailer before Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix I was a bit disappointed. Tha\e trailer was typical Hollywood junk, implying a story of dumb fantasy and overblown special effects and action sequences. I urge everyone to see the extended trailer on Yahoo (link above). It looks far more promising than the 2-minute trailer. Oh, and if I didn't already mention it enough times, PLEASE try to read the trilogy before you see the films. I really don't think you will regret it.

[John Crichton 4]

Plusses- The usual group of great British thesps, always fun (Derek Jacobi!, always a favorite of mine, but even moreso after his short but wonderful turn as the Master); the story looks like it could be interesting; it looks beautiful; I like where pixie's going in his last post.

Minuses- Kids and animals. I'm getting tired of kids and animals. If I ever write one story in my life it will be an epic fantasy adventure with no kids and little animals. Why can't an adult ever be a "chosen one"?

[BLUMENKOHL 1,064]

If nothing, I'm curious to see what Desplat will come up with.

[Pieter Boelen 633]

Here's some information from Alexandre Desplat on the score for this film:

http://www.hisdarkmaterials.org/opinions/e...lden-soundtrack

Might be interesting.

[fommes 126]

Looking forward to this immensely. The books must be the best "children's" books I've ever read.

[pixie_twinkle 44]

I really hope the movie doesn't sidestep the very strong anti-religious undertones of the books

From what I've heard it seems that the filmmakers have toned down the book's references to aspects of religion. I'm very disappointed by this. It's about time hollywood stopped letting its actions be dictated by the church. If they really are planning on making the entire trilogy I fail to see how they can even contemplate adapting the third book without any references to organized religion.

Even so, I'm still very excited to see this.

[Neimoidian 13]

Looks promising. I'm so looking forward to listening to that music. There are some clips on the net featuring bits and pieces of the score, but it's too little of it to make any assumption.

[JWfangirl1992 18]

This really looks pretty good and the score does seem worth getting. Hopefully it will be worth it!

[indy4 152]

I've read the first book, and I started reading the second, but then DH came out, I I kind of forgot about them. I look forward to finishing the trilogy once I finish re-reading the Potters. The first book was great, but so the The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and I personally hated that movie. This one looks more likable, I'm hoping.

It was also nice to hear the "Media Ventures Theme" (according to the FSM podcasts) in the trailer.

Minuses- Kids and animals. I'm getting tired of kids and animals. If I ever write one story in my life it will be an epic fantasy adventure with no kids and little animals. Why can't an adult ever be a "chosen one"?

Technically, they're daemons.

[John Crichton 4]

Minuses- Kids and animals. I'm getting tired of kids and animals. If I ever write one story in my life it will be an epic fantasy adventure with no kids and little animals. Why can't an adult ever be a "chosen one"?

Technically, they're daemons.

They still look like animals. The rule still applies. Still, I'll probably check it out, it looks like there might be enough good to offset the "children and animals" rule.

[indy4 152]

Here's some information from Alexandre Desplat on the score for this film:

http://www.hisdarkmaterials.org/opinions/e...lden-soundtrack

Might be interesting.

Ooooh, this quote it bound to cause some problems here:

When listing soundtrack composers his might not be the first name that comes to mind. Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard, Harry Gregson-Williams, or Steve Jablonsky feature more prolifically in blockbuster films

Guess who's missing?

[Pieter Boelen 633]

Guess who isn't missing:

John Williams was another obvious influence, one of the first composers to compose such large, Wagnerian scores.

[Neimoidian 13]

John Williams, Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard, Harry Gregson-Williams and Steve Jablonsky. Quite a gathering

[ChuckM 1]

It's about time hollywood stopped letting its actions be dictated by the church.

Are you kidding?

Hollywood has been one of the Church's worst enemies for as long as I can remember. Very little ever comes out of Hollywood that true Churches would agree with. Nothing from Hollywood is "dictated by the Church." The exact opposite is sadly becoming true.

Sorry for the rant, but that was the most ridiculous idea statement I've heard in a long time.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

It's about time hollywood stopped letting its actions be dictated by the church.

Are you kidding?

Hollywood has been one of the Church's worst enemies for as long as I can remember. Very little ever comes out of Hollywood that true Churches would agree with. Nothing from Hollywood is "dictated by the Church." The exact opposite is sadly becoming true.

Something to still be thankfull for at least.

[JWfangirl1992 18]

Minuses- Kids and animals. I'm getting tired of kids and animals. If I ever write one story in my life it will be an epic fantasy adventure with no kids and little animals. Why can't an adult ever be a "chosen one"?

Well Luke Skywalker was not exactly a kid....just saying.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

Han calls him a kid several times.

[Elmo Lewis 6]

And Han is never wrong.

[Ollie 859]

Well there was that little episode at Bespin...........................

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

Simple mistake...means nothing.

[Koray Savas 2,095]

I didn't know this thread was about The Golden Compass. IMO, it looks just like Narnia, nothing new, nothing good.

[pixie_twinkle 44]

I really hope they don't pull a Narnia with this film. I love the Narnia books, and I think the film really lost the spirit once the battles began. They tried to make it too "Lord of the Rings" and in doing so lost the smaller, more magical feel of the books.

[indy4 152]

Same for Eragon, although at least Narnia was a almost decent movie, Eragon was a total flop IMO.

[Whill 0]

I really hope they don't pull a Narnia with this film. I love the Narnia books, and I think the film really lost the spirit once the battles began. They tried to make it too "Lord of the Rings" and in doing so lost the smaller, more magical feel of the books.

I loved the Narnia Chronicles when I was a child, but I am no longer a child. I've very glad for the "Lord of the Rings" influence on making the battle more epic. It helped me enjoy it more. In fact, I think more movies need more "Lord of the Rings" in them!

[indy4 152]

The LOTR influence is nice when it's done right, but Narnia doesn't cut it IMO.

Directors think that the reason LOTR is so popular is because of the big battle scene. Well, that's not the main reason [for me at least (though those big battle scenes are pretty damn good!)]

[Pieter Boelen 633]

Review of the soundtrack here:

http://www.bridgetothestars.net/index.php?...undtrack_review

Edit: Another one http://www.hisdarkmaterials.org/news/the-g...pass-soundtrack

And of the movie:

http://www.bridgetothestars.net/index.php?...amp;p=tgcreview

[indy4 152]

I'm excited.

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

From the second review:

Regardless, the music still holds the audience captivated within cinema, and it turns out to be surprisingly easy listening as a soundtrack alone- easier than a lot of Mozart music.

What??

Anyway, I'd like to see the film, and will definitely be paying to the score to see if it's something I want to buy.

[David Coscina 3]

From the second review:

Regardless, the music still holds the audience captivated within cinema, and it turns out to be surprisingly easy listening as a soundtrack alone- easier than a lot of Mozart music.

What??

Anyway, I'd like to see the film, and will definitely be paying to the score to see if it's something I want to buy.

I think Desplat is one of the few guys that, like Williams of the '70s, can provide suitable underscore but still imbue his cues with an abundance of musicality so that they play as strongly on their own as they do accompanying the film.

-Dave (who thinks Golden Compass will be the best score of the year)

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

I have no view on Desplat, not having heard any of his scores aside from The Queen in the film, I just didn't see the relevance of that Mozart comment.

[Morlock 9]

Oh, you really must listen to some of his scores. Girl with the Pearl Earring is a stunner.

[pixie_twinkle 44]

From the second review:

Regardless, the music still holds the audience captivated within cinema, and it turns out to be surprisingly easy listening as a soundtrack alone- easier than a lot of Mozart music.

What??

That's fine. I don't think Mozart should be categorised as "easy listening" either.

[JWfangirl1992 18]

Just got the book today.It's a pretty interesting plot.

[indy4 152]

It's a great book.

[Koray Savas 2,095]

I hate Alexandre Desplat.

[standbyfax 0]

I've had the opportunity to listen to the score. It's good, but not quite living up to my personal expectations.

I haven't read the book, so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect and only have the trailers to go on. For the most part, the score is very quiet and only takes off a few times (one time reminding me of specifically of ET). I have no problem with a quiet score, but it didn't click with me like most of his works.

Just so you know, I think Desplat is currently the best film composer working right now, so I definitely don't have anything against his style. I've got all the scores from his North American films as well as several from his European films, but this is one of the weaker ones to me. However, there are some lovely themes, but some boring underscore.

[David Coscina 3]

I've had the opportunity to listen to the score. It's good, but not quite living up to my personal expectations.

Where did you get the chance to listen to it????

[ST-321 4]

I loved the books but the trailers aren't making me feel that I'll be happy about what ends up on the screen.

[Neimoidian 13]

I hate Alexandre Desplat.

I'm sometimes amazed by your musical taste

[fommes 126]

I'm not.

[Morlock 9]

I hate Alexandre Desplat.

That explains a lot.

[ST-321 4]

Mild spoiler warning for what's below

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Expect changes from the book:

Weitz Explains Compass Changes

Chris Weitz, writer-director of the upcoming fantasy film The Golden Compass, explained that he changed the ending of the movie to avoid confusion among viewers not familiar with the Philip Pullman books on which the movie is based.

Weitz at first shot an ending that matched that of the Pullman book Northern Lights, but later dropped it in favor of a cliffhanger and will save the footage he shot for the opening scenes of a possible sequel.

"We shot the last three chapters of the book, which are really quite ambiguous in the ending and quite harsh and dark," Weitz said in an interview in London this week. "It became clear that audiences who were not familiar with the books were confused and appalled by the end of the movie, and in order to protect the character of these last few chapters, I thought, 'Well, it can work at the beginning of a second movie.'"

The Golden Compass, based on the first book of Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, unfolds in a universe where humans are accompanied by loyal animal companions called daemons, polar bears are great warriors, and the powerful Magisterium rules the world.

That world is about to change forever, in large part because a 12-year-old girl named Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards) has come into possession of the last remaining Golden Compass, or alethiometer, which allows her to see the truth in any situation.

Pullman's book ends on a decisive note that sets the stage for the next adventure, The Subtle Knife. Weitz ultimately chose to end The Golden Compass with a cliffhanger as "a way of protecting the spirit of the end of the book," he said. "And anyway, to me, and I think Pullman would say, he's telling one story, Lyra's story, throughout the whole thing, and it didn't particularly matter where one movie ended or where the other one goes. It's disappointing the fans, because they want to see as much as possible. They think of it in terms of one movie per book, but having spoken to Philip about it, I don't think he's terribly concerned." The Golden Compass opens Dec. 7

[pixie_twinkle 44]

Well having just seen the film I must say I was pretty shocked that they cut out the ending of the book. I hadn't read the post above and so I was unaware that they had cut the ending until the credits began rolling at the end of the film. I really enjoyed the film and thought they did a wonderful job, but the lack of a strong ending leaves the film feeling too short, and undirectional. The book's very dark ending is vital as a shocking and powerful cliffhanger into the next book.

The music was passable, but the main theme was very simplistic and started getting on my nerves after the first few times it appeared (unaltered every time!).

[fommes 126]

I thought the first part was quite good, however, I was massively disappointed in the very weak second part, due to a weak script. The ending is only one thing; where's character development, plot consistency, etc.

[Luke Skywalker 1,285]

Well having just seen the film I must say I was pretty shocked that they cut out the ending of the book. I hadn't read the post above and so I was unaware that they had cut the ending until the credits began rolling at the end of the film. I really enjoyed the film and thought they did a wonderful job, but the lack of a strong ending leaves the film feeling too short, and undirectional. The book's very dark ending is vital as a shocking and powerful cliffhanger into the next book.

The music was passable, but the main theme was very simplistic and started getting on my nerves after the first few times it appeared (unaltered every time!).

They are using the final as the beggining of the next movie, i think.