| | | There Are Worlds Beyond Our Own - The Compass Will Show the Way.
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1, English, Spanish, Subtitled
Based on author Philip Pullman's bestselling and award-winning novel, The Golden Compass tells the first story in Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. The Golden Compass is an exciting fantasy adventure, set in an alternative world where people's souls manifest themselves as animals, talking bears fight wars, and Gyptians and witches co-exist. At the center of the story is Lyra (played by newcomer Dakota Blue Richards), a 12-year-old girl who starts out trying to rescue a friend who's been kidnapped by a mysterious organization known as the Gobblers - and winds up on an epic quest to save not only her world, but ours as well. The Golden Compass stars an ensemble cast that includes Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Sam Elliott, and Ian McShane.
"...the year's biggest and most ambitious fantasy." Jack Mathews, New York Daily News
"...[a] satisfying and successful version of the opening volume of the celebrated "His Dark Materials" trilogy." Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
"A demanding blend of spectacle, drama and exposition of ideas." Liam Lacey, The Globe and Mail
"Likable and eye-catching, "The Golden Compass" presents an impressively realized fantasy world." Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
"A darker, deeper fantasy epic than the "Rings" trilogy, "The Chronicles of Narnia" or the "Potter" films." Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Editor's Note
THE GOLDEN COMPASS is an adaptation of the first book in the beloved but controversial fantasy series by Phillip Pullman. The story opens with Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards) an orphan girl who lives in an alternate world that is similar to earth, but where people's souls exist outside of their bodies in animal form. The people are ruled by a shadowy and oppressive council known as the Magisterium, which is doing it's best to keep everyone from getting information about what is called "Dust." Lyra's Uncle Asriel (Daniel Craig) has been researching Dust, and he has seen to it that Lyra is given safe shelter at Jordan College. But when the visiting Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman) arrives, she asks Lyra to accompany her on a trip to the North to meet the Panserbjorne, a race of armored bears. Before Lyra leaves, the Headmaster gives her a golden compass, a device which only she can read, and from which she can intuit the truth. Lyra leaves with Mrs. Coulter, but when she learns that her friends have been kidnapped by "Gobblers," she heads out to find them, and soon joins forces with the nomadic Gyptians, some witches, and an armored bear called Iorek Byrnison (voice by Ian McKellen). Lyra finds her friends, and so discovers the evil plans the Magisterium has cooked up for the world's children. By the film's end, she has vowed to track down her Uncle Asriel, and to discover the true power of Dust.Hollywood had a tricky time of taming this tale, as Pullman's books portray religion - the Catholic Church in particular - in a less than flattering light. The film version carefully steers clear of these themes, and instead puts its enormous budget into creating visually stunning effects. While fans of the books may find fault with this streamlined version, children are sure to revel in the many talking animals and whimsical airships.
| Features | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: New Line |
| Release Date: 4/28/2009 |
| Running Time: 113 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2007 | | Catalog ID: 1000037811 | | UPC: 00794043120114 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew | Christopher Lee | | Dakota Blue Richards | | Daniel Craig | | Derek Jacobi | | Eva Green | | Nicole Kidman | | Sam Elliott | | Alexandre Desplat - Original Music By | | Andy Nicholson - Art Director | | Anne V. Coates, et. al. - Editor | | Bill Carraro - Producer | | Chris Lowe - Art Director | | Chris Weitz - Director | | Chris Weitz - Screenplay | | Dennis Gassner - Production Designer | | Freddie Highmore - Voice Of | | Henry Braham - Cinematographer | | Ian McKellen - Voice Of | | Ian McShane - Voice Of | | Kathy Bates - Voice Of | | Kristin Scott Thomas - Voice Of | | Philip Pullman - Based On Novel By | | Toby Emmerich - Executive Producer |
| Awards |
Nominee (2008) | | | British Academy Awards, Michael L. Fink, et. al., Best Special Visual Effects | | | Oscar, Dennis Gassner, Anna Pinnock, Best Achievement in Art Direction | | | Oscar, Michael L. Fink, et. al., Best Achievement in Visual Effects |
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| | Professional Reviews | Los Angeles Times
"[A] formidable piece of craftsmanship, using some 1,100 effects shots to bring forth a physical space that has the ability to take your breath away." 12/07/2007Sight and Sound
"[D]irector Chris Weitz makes a spirited job of transferring Pullman's vision to screen..." 02/01/2008 p.65 ReelViews 7 of 10
The Golden Compass, the long awaited cinematic adaptation of Philip Pullman's well-respected novel, is an adequate but not inspired translation of the source material. Writer/director Chris Weitz (one of the American Pie guys) brings a style that is more obligatory than deft. Constrained by a rushed feel and too little character development, this movie never seems to flow quite right. Passages of dense exposition are interspersed with impressively staged action/adventure sequences but the experience as a whole is less than what movies like The Lord of the Rings have shown us that fantasy adaptations can provide. One key missing element: the world in which this story takes place never feels unique. We aren't drawn into it the way we were with Middle Earth or Hogwarts. In fact, with all the airships flying around, there are times when it feels like an extension of Stardust...The film's final 45 minutes, which feature several rousing battle sequences (including an all-CGI bear-on-bear affair), will wake up those who have dozed off by that time. For the most part, The Golden Compass' first hour can be a struggle to sit through...The compromises made to get this on screen are easy to identify but it's questionable whether they have resulted in a better product. - James Berardinelli
Reel.com 8 of 10
That New Line Cinema did so well with the Lord of the Rings trilogy is both a blessing and a curse. After supporting Peter Jackson's fine work, it's a natural assumption that the company has the means and access to the appropriate talent to develop strong adaptations of youthful fantasy materials (ignoring Dungeons & Dragons, of course). It is, in fact, quite difficult to discuss another such type of film without comparing, but doing so threatens to tarnish some of the shine that The Golden Compass deserves...Writer/director Chris Weitz handles the material with ease once he becomes comfortable with it, and newcomer Dakota's spunk is entirely infectious. Kidman plays Coulter's various depths with aptitude and gracefully leaves you wondering who will aid Lyra for their own good, or for the betterment of all. There is just enough societal context to understand what is at stake, and to engender care for the outcome, without any overwhelming pedantic lessons to preach...The Golden Compass creatively evokes how a child's curiosity and care ropes people into her purpose and allows her to grow from a mischievous, unsupervised tot to a being capable of leading and working towards a greater good. - Rachel Gordon
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