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 6 wins & 32 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nicole Kidman	...	Mrs. Coulter
Daniel Craig	...	Lord Asriel
Dakota Blue Richards	...	Lyra
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:

parallel universe | quest | epic | bearded man | friend | 

---

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

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sequences of fantasy violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English Icelandic Russian French

Release Date:

7 December 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

La brújula dorada

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$180,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£7,243,984 (United Kingdom), 9 December 2007, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$25,783,232, 9 December 2007, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$70,107,728

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$346,000,000

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

Some scenes were shot in Norway, in places such as Bergen and Svalbard, but none of the actors or actresses were allowed to perform there, as the producers couldn't find an insurance company that would allow crew members to walk around with shotguns, and because the actors and actresses could fall ill, due to the extreme temperatures.

---

Goofs

When Iorek, with Lyra atop of him, is bounding across an arctic plane, the CGI breaks down for a second, for his left hind leg flickers as he runs.

---

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

On the DVD, the FBI anti-piracy warning is displayed with the Magisterium logo and has the Magisterium building behind the warning as a watermark.

---

Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Golden Compass/The Amateurs/Atonement/Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story/Grace Is Gone (2007)

---

Soundtracks

Lady in the Water
[Theme in the trailer for "The Golden Compass"]

User Reviews

A real let down

Having seen the Golden Compass I can honestly say Im hoping they don't make a follow up.

The story was truncated beyond the necessity involved in translating a book to film, the intricacies of the characters (especially Lyra) were swept over with a series of single scene expositions, that despite the talents of all the actors involved failed to accurately portray their persona's or motivations.

Whether or not you agree with Pullmans subtext in the book or not, the film failed miserably to deliver any semblance of the authors story.

On the plus side the Daemons and other effects were expertly achieved, fantastically voiced. The actors did their best with what came across as a disjointed, amateurish script. Key plot hocks were evaded, key sub text elements were missing and the directors clear priority of not offending any member of a dogmatic organised religion shone through the entire production.

In a few words: Great actors and effects in an unworthy script that was neither a faithful production of Pullmans work nor anything other than a flawed attempt to achieve box office takings.