The Golden Compass (2007)

In a parallel universe, young Lyra Belacqua journeys to the far North to save her best friend and other kidnapped children from terrible experiments by a mysterious organization.

Director:

Chris Weitz

Writers:

Chris Weitz (screenplay), Philip Pullman (novel)

Stars:

Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards

Won 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 26 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nicole Kidman	...	Marisa Coulter
Daniel Craig	...	Lord Asriel
Dakota Blue Richards	...	Lyra 'Silvertongue' Belacqua
Ben Walker	...	Roger
Freddie Highmore	...	Pantalaimon (voice)
Ian McKellen	...	Iorek Byrnison (voice)
Eva Green	...	Serafina Pekkala
Jim Carter	...	John Faa
Tom Courtenay	...	Farder Coram
Ian McShane	...	Ragnar Sturlusson (voice)
Sam Elliott	...	Lee Scoresby
Christopher Lee	...	First High Councilor
Kristin Scott Thomas	...	Stelmaria (voice)
Edward de Souza	...	Second High Councilor
Kathy Bates	...	Hester (voice)

Storyline

It was no ordinary life for a young girl: living among scholars in the hallowed halls of Jordan College and tearing unsupervised through Oxford's motley streets on mad quests for adventure. But Lyra's greatest adventure would begin closer to home, the day she heard hushed talk of an extraordinary particle. Microscopic in size, the magical dust- discovered in the vast Arctic expanse of the North -was rumored to possess profound properties that could unite whole universes. But there were those who feared the particle and would stop at nothing to destroy it. Catapulted into the heart of a terrible struggle, Lyra was forced to seek aid from clans, 'gyptians, and formidable armored bears. And as she journeyed into unbelievable danger, she had not the faintest clue that she alone was destined to win, or to lose, this more-than-mortal battle...

---

Plot Keywords:

friend | children | college | girl | rescue | 

---

Taglines:

"It is the Alethiometer. It tells the truth. As for how to read it, you'll have to learn by yourself."

---

Genres:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sequences of fantasy violence

Details

Official Sites:

Metropolitan Films [France] Newine Cinema [United States]

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English Icelandic Russian French

Release Date:

7 December 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

La brújula dorada

Filming Locations:

BCE Place, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$180,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£7,243,984 (UK) (7 December 2007)

Gross:

$70,083,519 (USA) (29 February 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, Ingenious Film Partners, Scholastic Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sam Elliott proclaimed that this was by far the most exciting CGI film he has been involved in.

---

Goofs

The first shot of Lyra in the Experimental Station is a reverse angle of her walking through a doorway with double doors at 01:22:35. When the shot changes to the front at 01:22:42, the doors are closed.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Serafina Pekkala: There are many universes and many Earths parallel to each other. Worlds like yours, where people's souls live inside their bodies, and worlds like mine, where they walk beside us, as animal spirits we call daemons.
Stelmaria: Are we going to see the child?
Lord Asriel: I should think so.
Serafina Pekkala: So many worlds. But connecting them all is Dust. Dust was here before the witches of the air, the Gyptians of the water, and the bears of the ice. In my world, scholars invented an alethiometer - a golden compass - and it...

---

Crazy Credits

The FBI anti-piracy warning, typically on US-distributed DVD's, is displayed with the Magisterium's logo above the warning and the Magisterium building behind the warning as a water mark -- it plays after the feature ends.

---

Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: 2010 College Championship Quarterfinal 3 (2010)

---

Soundtracks

"Lyra"
Written and Performed by Kate Bush
Featuring The Choristers of Magdalen College Choir, Oxford
Conductor: Bill Ives
With Thanks to Andrew Halls
Kate Bush appears courtesy of Noble and Brite Limited / EMI Records Limited

User Reviews

Surprisingly Good

For some strange reason, a theater in the middle of the cornfield in Indiana had a sneak preview of the Golden Compass, and being a fan of the books I decided to take advantage of it. I wasn't sure what I was getting into, as there seems to be a rather large glut of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings wannabes crowding theaters now and in the near future. This version of the Golden Compass beautifully brings the books to life and was very pleasing to watch with rather nice visuals. The acting is quite good, especially from the young lead, and the animation makes one wonder what they can't do with computers these days. The only true complaint I have about this movie is that it is difficult to understand and follow if one is not familiar with the books. Some scenes at the beginning seems disconnected, but after the halfway point the story comes together. The Golden Compass series is rather dark in its nature, and I'm glad that the movie didn't pull any punches with the supernatural combat (which is awesome, specifically when the witches and bears do battle). Some liberty is taken with the story as expected, and many church references are renamed, but the quality of the story never suffers. I recommend the movie and I look forward to seeing the rest of the trilogy completed.