Dir. Chris Weitz, US/UK, 2007, 113 mins
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards
Review by Carol Allen
This eagerly anticipated film is based on "Northern Lights", the first volume of Philip Pullman's hugely successful trilogy "His Dark Materials". If you haven't read the books and didn't see the National Theatre's brilliantly theatrical adaptation of them a few years ago, the premise is set out immediately and succinctly in a voice over by Lyra (Richards), the story's twelve year old heroine. The premise is that there are many alternative worlds, linked by an invisible dust (which could be seen as the life force of the universe) and that while in some worlds humans carry their souls within them, in Lyra's world they take the form of exterior daemons in animal form, providing their owners with an ever present best friend and companion.
In many ways Lyra's world is similar to our own. An orphan, she is being brought up by the master of Jordan College, part of an Oxford reminiscent of our own Oxford in the nineteenth century. She has been placed there by her uncle Lord Asriel (Craig), a scientist and explorer, who has returned to the college to seek funding for his expedition to the Arctic Circle, where he is on the verge of discovering the secret of dust. The repressive Magisterium, who rule this world and whose raison d'être is to control the people and keep them in ignorance, are determined to sabotage Asriel's enterprise. When Lyra becomes the protégé of Jordan's patron, Mrs Coulter (Kidman), who takes her to London, setting in motion what becomes a quest to rescue her friend Roger, who has been abducted by the mysterious Gobblers, the Master of Jordan (Jack Shepherd) entrusts her with the golden compass of the title, a relic of older, more enlightened times, which in the right hands will give its user guidance and wisdom.
This is a really good tale well told. Visually the film captures perfectly the flavour of Pullman's created world, drawing on echoes of many periods in ours. The children of the town, who are Lyra's playmates, have a Dickensian feel. Lord Asriel has the look of a Victoria n/Edwardian man of science and Mrs Coulter's world is reminiscent of the elegance of London society in the thirties, also giving Kidman the opportunity to wear some absolutely stunning gowns and ride around in an imaginatively luxurious version of a Zeppelin. Performances, too, strike a faithful Pullman note. Kidman gives her character the right mix of charm and ruthlessness, Craig has the appropriate charisma for Asriel in his limited screen time and Richards, in her first screen role at the centre of story, makes a feisty, independent minded and totally engaging young heroine.
One of the many delights is the depiction of the daemons - Coulter's cunning golden monkey, Asriel's magnificent snow leopard and Lyra's beloved Pantalaimon (voiced by Freddie Highmore)who, because she is a child and still changing, is too constantly changing his form from stoat to mouse to cat to bird, reflecting her different moods. The creative animation of the warrior bear Iorek Byrnison (Ian McKellan), whom Lyra rescues from drunken despair to become her friend and protector, is equally impressive, particularly in his one to one fight with the vain and credulous king of the bears (Ian McShane).
The film also features a positive feast of further acting talent, including Tom Courtenay, Jim Carter and Clare Higgins as the seafaring Gyptians, Eva Green as the witch Serafina Pekkala and Sam Elliott as the rather Wild Bill Hickok style aviator Lee Scoresby, all of whom help Lyra in her quest. Some amendments have been made to the book, in that the Magisterium, which has a strong resemblance to the medieval church originally, has become a more secular ruler, probably to avoid alienating Christian audiences. And the film story finishes before that of the book's, but with promise that the story will be continued. If you can't wait however, you could always read Pullman 's books in the meantime. They're not just for teenagers. They're an intriguing and engrossing read for all ages. |
