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1. Year 2 Theory Task Analysis:
Philip Pullman His Dark Materials:
The Golden Compass (2007) Film Analysis and comparison
with the book and it’s sequels.
Josh Eastham

2. The Golden Compass is a 2007 epic fantasy adventure film based on the Northern Lights book. The first novel in Philip Pullmans His Dark Materials Trilogy which follows the coming of
age of two children, Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry as they wander through a series of alternate universes. The Film stars Daniel Craig, Nicole Kidman, Dakota Blue Richards, Sam Elliot,
Eva Green and Ian Mckellan. Other notable cast members include Freddie Highmore, Derek Jacobi and Christopher Lee.
Despite this all-star cast and the films financial success the film received mixed and disappointing reviews by critics which meant that its planned sequels based on the following two
novels were scrapped. The main reason for this is that the film whilst keeping the basic overall plot of the book differed greatly from its source material which significantly weakened
the integrity of the story. The books have a strong but controversial anti-religious theme and nature to them. This caused the studio and several outside influences namely the catholic
church to put pressure on the film producers to remove these elements from the film which originally was more faithful to the books.
Another contributing factor is that producers were also pressured to change the ending to the film to give it a more typical Hollywood "upbeat ending." rather than the darker and
emotional ending that the books had. The original and better ending was in fact filmed but test audiences having not read the books found it hard to swallow. This meant that many
reshoots had to be done and an estimated 40 minutes of footage was cut from the movie. The result of this is a film that is only a shadow of what it could have been and an ending
that feels out of place and abrupt. Even when I first watched the film as a 7-year-old not long after its release in 2007 I noticed something was wrong and abrupt about the ending and
that was 11 years before I read the books. In an article on Digital Spy, the director Chris Weitz says this about the film which supports my point: "They felt they couldn't deal with
having a film that was going to cause religious controversy. But it would've been a different story if I'd had final cut." He also says: "It's the greatest professional regret that I have."
And that he had a "bad experience" making the film and blamed the studio for "emasculating" the project when they "took the religion out of it and tried to turn it into a popcorn
movie".(6)
To make sense of why this all happened you must first understand the lore of the books and their original stories. The first book as well as some of second and third books take place in
a parallel world ruled by a powerful church called the Magisterium that seeks to control all aspect of life. They are portrayed as one of the main antagonists of the books and parallel the
real life catholic church. This is ironic as in real life the catholic church acted much like the fictional Magisterium by trying to get the religious elements of the film removed.
This portrayal is one of the first and major parts of the books controversial nature. In this world people’s souls and spirits walk beside them as lifelong companions in animal form called
Dæmons. (This is pronounced Demons) Since Dæmons are a part of the human soul they exist as one being, meaning what one feels the other one does too. Because of this Humans
can not normally travel far from their Dæmons nor can they live fully without them. A child’s Dæmon is able to change its shape until they reach adolescence when it settles on a form
that best represents that person. (This is due to the accumulation of cosmic particles called dust, another important plot element.)

3. It is also described in the book as being "The worst breach of etiquette imaginable" to touch another person’s Dæmon as you would be literally touching someone’s soul however there are
exceptions to this such as between lovers. Dæmons are one of the most important plot elements that plays a key role in some of the underlying themes of the story.
The main protagonist of The Golden Compass is a 12-year-old girl called Lyra Belacqua (played in the film by Dakota Blue Richards) and her form changing Dæmon Pantalaimon (Voiced in the
film by Freddie Highmore). They live a carefree and rebellious life together in Jordan College, Oxford the fictional parallel to Oxford University. That is until one day she overhears a lecture her
Uncle Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig) is giving to the scholars about “Dust”, which are mysterious elementary particles that are attracted to adults more than children. Asriel then shows the scholars
an image of a parallel universe which can be seen through the Northern Lights. The College then agrees to fund his research into Dust. However, this is considered Heresy by the church
making Lord Asriel an enemy of them.
She eventually undergoes the classic heroes journey in that she is uplifted from the safety of Jorden College when her friend Roger is kidnapped by the mysterious gobblers and she is
adopted by the outwardly charming but unworldly deceitful aristocrat Mrs Coulter who lures her with the promise of adventure. Before leaving for London the Master of Jordon College gives
her an Alethiometer a truth telling device which she must keep hidden from Mrs Coulter under all circumstances. Lyra takes this to mean she needs to bring the device to her uncle in the
North. Lyra is initially happy with her new glamourous London lifestyle however she quickly begins to feel trapped and frustrated. She ends up running away when she discovers that Mrs
Coulter is the head of the General Oblation Board (gobblers) and she is the reason why children have been going missing. She is also horrified to learn that Mrs Coulter is the one behind the
experiments of intercision which the process of is severing the link between Children and their Dæmons. This is authorised by the church to prevent the accumulation of Dust on children
once they reach adolescence as the church believes that Dust is the cause of all sin.
She runs into the care of the Gyptian people whose children have been taken by the Gobblers. They travel north to Bolvanger to free them. During this journey Lyra Discovers that she can
instinctively read the alethiometer and it can answer any question she asks of it. She also learns the truth of her parentage. She grew up believing that her parents had died in an airship
accident and she had been left in the care of Jordan College by her Uncle Asriel. In fact, Asriel is her father and Mrs Coulter is her mother and that she is the result of an illicit love affair
between them. Along the way they recruit Lee Scoresby (Sam Elliot) a Texan Aeronaught and an Iorek Byrnison an armoured bear (Ian Mckellan) to help them on their journey. Arriving in
Bolvanger, Lyra discovers a boy who has been severed from his Dæmon. The boy is now soulless and eventually sickens and dies. Eventually they are ambushed, and Lyra is kidnapped and
taken to the Experimental Station the place where the Intercision process is performed. She nearly has the process performed on her herself however Mrs Coulter intervenes and saves her at
the last minute. Lyra once again escapes her and frees the other children as well as finding her friend Roger. They are then rescued by the Gyptians, Lee Scoresby and Iorek Byrnison. Lyra and
Roger then fly away in Lee Scoresbys air balloon with the knowledge that they have to bring Lord Asriel the Alethiometer and that once they have “sorted some things out” everything will be
ok.
This is the point where the film ends, and it differs from the book. In the book they reach Lord Asriel who doesn’t want the Alethiometer and instead uses Roger as a sacrifice by severing his
Dæmon to cause a huge release of energy which rips open a portal to another world. This release of energy brutally kills Roger in the process horrifying Lyra as she believes she betrayed him
by bringing him there. This also causes her to hate her father making Lord Asriel one of the anti-heroes of the trilogy the second being Mrs Coulter as despite her actions she genuinely loves
Lyra and tries to keep her safe despite Lyra despising her. Asriel then travels to this new world as whilst he is apposed to the Magisterium he shares their belief that Dust is a sin and sets out
to destroy it from its source. Lyra then realises that dust is a good thing and she and Pan follow Asriel into the new world with the intent of stopping him.

4. In terms of character influences Pullman says that he didn’t necessarily base the child characters on anyone specifically especially Lyra. His reasoning for this is because he wanted to show
that the characters were ordinary people that children could relate to. They just found themselves involved in extraordinary events. “There’s nothing divinely gifted about them. They’re not
special children. When I was a teacher, there was a Malcolm in every class and a Lyra in every class. I didn’t base them on actual children, but I based them on the notion of children that I
formed during that period. Children are capable of extraordinary feats of courage, of affection and determination and I was glad to discover Malcolm wandering in my mind.”(6)
Since the Northern Lights is set in a parallel universe it is difficult to draw on current events at the time that may have influenced his writing even though much of other two books in the
trilogy take place in our own world. However, there is one obvious thing that Pullman may have taken ideas from even though it isn’t directly referenced is the Catholic Church abuse scandal
that received significant media attention during the 1990s the decade in which these books were written. In fact, in the books the process of intercision is described as “just a little cut” and
the character of Lord Asriel then describes that there was a precedent and compares it with castration. This extract is taken from page 591 of His Dark Materials Complete Trilogy.
"You know what they were doing! Why did the Church let them do anything like that?"
"There was a precedent. Something like it had happened before. Do you know what the word castration means? It means removing the sexual organs of a boy so that he never develops the
characteristics of a man. A castrate keeps his high treble voice all his life, which is why the Church allowed it: so useful in Church music. Some castrati became great singers, wonderful
artists. Many just became fat spoiled half-men. Some died from the effects of the operation. But the Church wouldn't flinch at the idea of a little cut, you see. There was a precedent.”(5)
Given that this is a very obvious analogy to the catholic church’s castration of boys which went on for about 280 years after it was first started in 1599 it becomes clearer as to why the
catholic church pressured the studio into removing all mentions of “The Church” and some of the more blatant references to the heinous acts of the real catholic church in the film adaption.
However, it gets deeper and much darker in the books. The Northern Lights Chapter 16: The Silver Guillotine is one of the most harrowing and difficult things I have ever read. As I previously
stated, the books say that “It is the worst breach of etiquette imaginable to touch another person’s Demon, though there are exemptions such as between lovers” However the way this
chapter is written, and the language used when someone touches a Dæmon without consent makes it seem like a metaphor for sexual assault. In this extract Lyra has been discovered by
the doctors at the Experimental Station overhearing a secret meeting. To silence her the Doctors take her to undergo the Intercision Process.

5. "But do you remember the first experiments, when she was so keen to see them pulled apart "
Lyra couldn’t help it: a little cry escaped her, and at the same time she tensed and shivered, and her foot knocked against a stanchion.
"What was that?"
"in the ceiling"
"Quick!"
The sound of chairs being thrown aside, feet running, a table pulled across the floor. Lyra tried to scramble away, but there was so little space, and before she could move more than a few yards
the ceiling panel beside her was thrust up suddenly, and she was looking into the startled face of a man. She was close enough to see every hair in his moustache. He was as startled as she was,
but with more freedom to move, he was able to thrust a hand into the gap and seize her arm.
"A child!"
"Don't let her go� "
Lyra sank her teeth into his large freckled hand. He cried out, but didn't let go, even when she drew blood. Pantalaimon was snarling and spitting, but it was no good, the man was much stronger
than she was, and he pulled and pulled until her other hand, desperately clinging to the stanchion, had to loosen, and she half-fell through into the room. Still she didn't utter a sound. She hooked
her legs over the sharp edge of the metal above, and struggled upside down, scratching, biting, punching, spitting in passionate fury. The men were gasping and grunting with pain or exertion, but
they pulled and pulled.
And suddenly all the strength went out of her. It was as if an alien hand had reached right inside where no hand had a right to be and wrenched at something deep and precious. She felt faint,
dizzy, sick, disgusted, limp with shock.
One of the men was holding Pantalaimon.
He had seized Lyra's daemon in his human hands, and poor Pan was shaking, nearly out of his mind with horror and disgust. His wildcat shape, his fur now dull with weakness, now sparking
glints of anbaric alarm... He curved toward his Lyra as she reached with both hands for him....
They fell still. They were captured.
She felt those hands.... It wasn't allowed.... Not supposed to touch... Wrong....
"Was she on her own?"
A man was peering into the ceiling space.
"Seems to be on her own...."
"Who is she?"
"The new child."
"The one that the Samoyed hunters found?"
"Yes."

6. "You don't suppose she... the daemons..."
"Could well be. But not on her own, surely?"
"Should we tell "
"I think that would put the seal on things, don't you?"
"I agree. Better she doesn't hear at all."
"But what can we do about this?"
"She can't go back with the other children."
"Impossible!"
"There's only one thing we can do, it seems to me."
"Now?"
"Have to. Can't leave it till the morning. She wants to watch." "We could do it ourselves. No need to involve anyone else."
The man who seemed to be in charge, the man who wasn't holding either Lyra or Pantalaimon, tapped his teeth with a thumbnail. His eyes were never still; they flicked and slid and darted this
way and that. Finally, he nodded. "Now. Do it now," he said. "Otherwise she'll talk. The shock will prevent that, at least. She won't remember who she is, what she saw, what she heard.... Come
on."
Lyra couldn't speak. She could hardly breathe. She had to let herself be carried through the station, along white empty corridors, past rooms humming with anbaric power, past the dormitories
where children slept with their deamons on the pillow beside them, sharing their dreams; and every second of the way she watched Pantalaimon, and he reached for her, and their eyes never
left each other.
Then a door which opened by means of a large wheel; a hiss of air; and a brilliantly lit chamber with dazzling white tiles and stainless steel. The fear she felt was almost a physical pain; it was
a physical pain, as they pulled her and Pantalaimon over toward a large cage of pale silver mesh, above which a great pale silver blade hung poised to separate them forever and ever. She
found a voice at last and screamed. The sound echoed loudly off the shiny surfaces, but the heavy door had hissed shut; she could scream and scream forever, and not a sound would escape.
But Pantalaimon, in answer, had twisted free of those hateful hands he was a lion, an eagle; he tore at them with vicious talons, great wings beat wildly, and then he was a wolf, a bear, a
polecat darting, snarling, slashing, a succession of transformations too quick to register, and all the time leaping, flying, dodging from one spot to another as their clumsy hands flailed and
snatched at the empty air.
But they had daemons too, of course. It wasn't two against three, it was two against six. A badger, an owl, and a baboon were all just as intent to pin Pantalaimon down, and Lyra was crying to
them: "Why? Why are you doing this? Help us! You shouldn't be helping them!"
And she kicked and bit more passionately than ever, until the man holding her gasped and let go for a moment and she was free, and Pantalaimon sprang toward her like a spark of lightning,
and she clutched him to her fierce breast, and he dug his wildcat claws into her flesh, and every stab of pain was dear to her.
"Never! Never! Never!" she cried and backed against the wall to defend him to their death.
But they fell on her again, three big brutal men, and she was only a child, shocked and terrified; and they tore Pantalaimon away, and threw her into one side of the cage of mesh and carried
him, struggling still, around to the other. There was a mesh barrier between them, but he was still part of her, they were still joined. For a second or so more, he was still her own dear soul.
Above the panting of the men, above her own sobs, above the high wild howl of her daemon, Lyra heard a humming sound, and saw one man (bleeding from the nose) operate a bank of
switches. The other two looked up, and her eyes followed theirs. The great pale silver blade was rising slowly, catching the brilliant light. The last moment in her complete life was going to be
the worst by far.
.

7. I think that this extract supports my point that Pullman was influenced by the Catholic Church abuse scandals that happened in the 90s when he was writing this book. My reasoning for
this is because in the book the process of Intercision as shown in this extract is authorized by “the Church” much in the same way castration was authorized by the real catholic church. I
think the reason Pullman chooses to portray organized religion as one of the main antagonistic elements of this story is because of his own personal views on religion and the fact he is
an atheist. Indeed he has made many statement to support this such as that he is “"a Church of England atheist, and a 1662 Book of Common Prayer atheist, because that's the tradition
I was brought up in“ (6) Despite this Pullman has also called himself agnostic and has been very vocal about his views on Christianity. “Atheism suggests a degree of certainty that I'm
not quite willing to accede. I suppose technically, you'd have to put me down as an agnostic. But if there is a God, and he is as the Christians describe him, then he deserves to be put
down and rebelled against. As you look back over the history of the Christian church, it's a record of terrible infamy and cruelty and persecution and tyranny. How they have the bloody
nerve to go on Thought for the Day and tell us all to be good when, given the slightest chance, they'd be hanging the rest of us and flogging the homosexuals and persecuting the
witches.“(6)
This quote does indeed represent one of the larger story arcs of the His Dark Materials series as a whole. In the series Pullman depicts god as an entity calling itself the authority that is
not in actual fact the creator but a corrupt angel who stole the throne in heaven through winning an earlier war in heaven. It is revealed in the books that Lord Asriel’s ultimate goal is to
wage a second war in heaven and overthrow not only the earth bound power of “the church” but of the authority itself thus overthrowing god. Allegedly Pullman has stated that this
argument can extend to all religions however has been accused by Peter Hitchins of pursuing an anti Christiana agenda. Hitchens cited a quote from Pullman that states: "I'm trying to
undermine the basis of Christian belief.“(6)
Interestingly some believe that these themes in His Dark Materials book series to be a direct rebuttal to The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S Lewis. Pullman has often
described the Chronicles of Narnia as "blatantly racist" and "monumentally disparaging of women“. He has also criticized the religious themes of the book stating that "I
realized that what he was up to was propaganda in the cause of the religion he believed in. It is monumentally disparaging of girls and women. It is blatantly racist. One
girl was sent to hell because she was getting interested in clothes and boys.“
Based on this evidence it is entirely likely that His Dark Materials was written as a response to the Chronicles of Narnia and the underlying themes and narrative of the
book is really about Pullman denouncing the beliefs of C.S. Lewis and as a result the beliefs of Christianity. Indeed there are several narrative contrasts between Narnia
and His Dark Materials. One of the obvious ones being the main character of HDM who is the female Lyra Belacqua who is depicted as being unruly, tomboyish, highly
intelligent and brave. Even in the 2nd Book the Subtle Knife when a male character the same age as Lyra, Will Parry is introduced it is not done to undermine the strength
of the female character and to resort to gender stereotypes. He is meant to contrast Lyra in that unlike her he is quiet and serious with a strong sense of morality. He is
shown as being courageous like Lyra but he dislikes fighting. He is also shown to be fiercely independent and has an ability to cook unlike Lyra who is shown to be not
very good at domestic things like cooking.
I believe this is done to contrast the gender stereotypes especially those of the 1950s which is when The Chronicles of Narnia was written. Indeed the chronicles of Narnia does show its
age with these 1950s stereotypes and ideals which it has received criticism for. An example of this would be the Characters of Peter & Lucy Pevensie as in the book peter is gifted a
sword and Lucy a dagger and a healing potion. This gender stereotyping also links into another narrative contrast between the two series which is the theme of growing up and the loss
of innocence.

8. This extract from the Chronicles of Narnia Book 7 The Last Battle re enforces my point as well as Pullmans accusations towards Lewis. "Oh Susan!" said Jill, "she's interested in nothing now-a-
days except nylons and lipstick and invitations. She always was a jolly sight too keen on being grown-up.“ "Grown-up, indeed," said the Lady Polly. "I wish she would grow up. She wasted all her
school time wanting to be the age she is now, and she'll waste all the rest of her life trying to stay that age. Her whole idea is to race on to the silliest time of one's life as quick as she can and
then stop there as long as she can.“(5) Philip Pullmans opinions on Lewis also reflects this view which is taken from an article on the Guardian written by Pullman himself.: “In other words,
Susan, like Cinderella, is undergoing a transition from one phase of her life to another. Lewis didn't approve of that. He didn't like women in general, or sexuality at all, at least at the stage in his
life when he wrote the Narnia books. He was frightened and appalled at the notion of wanting to grow up. Susan, who did want to grow up, and who might have been the most interesting
character in the whole cycle if she'd been allowed to, is a Cinderella in a story where the Ugly Sisters win.” (6)
These statements make it seem like C.S Lewis was indeed a person who disliked the notion of growing up and sexuality and who perhaps still wished he was a child. Indeed this may be a factor
as to why Lewis was so good at writing for children. Lewis also had no biological children of his own having only two stepsons from his wife’s first marriage. When It comes to including these
themes in his novels. It is also interesting to note that the Pevensie children in Narnia do grow up while they rule over Narnia for 15 years reaching their late 20s. However once they leave
Narnia no time has passed and they are in fact children again. Perhaps this is a metaphor for a hidden wish Lewis may have had about himself which is that he would have liked to not grow up.
It is also interesting that originally his marriage to American wife Joy Davidman seemed to be one of convenience so that she could continue to live in the UK despite the fact that at that point
he only considered her as an “agreeable intellectual companion and personal friend”(5) Interestingly the relationship apparently did develop to the point were they “sought an official Christian
ceremony.” (5)
Pullman differs when it comes to exploring these themes in His Dark Materials. Instead of portraying them in a negative way like Lewis does, Pullman embraces them making them one of the
core themes making His Dark Materials a coming of age story. For example in the first book the character of Lyra starts out naive and carefree as she runs amok round Jordan College and plays
with the local children and her friend Roger who works in the kitchens. She then is uplifted from the safety of Jordon College by Mrs Coulter and discovers she is capable of extreme courage in
the face of danger such as when she frees the children from Bolvanger and follows her Uncle Asriel into a parallel world. In the 2nd book and 3rd she undergoes a loss of innocence as she
becomes more aware of evil, pain and suffering in the world. She experiences this herself through emotional pain such as the death of Roger and later physical pain through having to travel far
away from her Dæmon in order to enter the land of the dead in The Amber Spyglass. (6) In the 2nd book she also meets Will Parry a boy from our own world and learns what it means to trust
someone. In the third book she then finds out what it means to fall in love. She then finds out what it is like to loose the person you love and deal with those subsequent emotions such as grief
when it transpires that she and Will cannot live outside their birth worlds for long and that the gateway between worlds must be sealed. The end of the series Will and Lyra’s Dæmon’s settle
into final animal forms as is there nature which is meant to symbolise there transition into adolescence.
Unfortunately none of these themes can be seen singularly in The Northern Lights/The golden compass alone as you have to look at the overarching plot of the 3 books. This is partly why the
Golden Compass film in hindsight also fails as an adaption. Perhaps if the film sequels had been made and the character arcs, themes and plots had been resolved then people would look back
on the film much more favorably like they do the books. However since this never happened. The Golden Compass is looked back on as a standalone film which it doesn’t work as. This is
perhaps the producers fault for gambling on the fact that the sequels would have been made. However the argument could be made that the reason why they changed the ending as well as
removing some of the controversial plot elements was to try and make it work as a standalone film as well as to avoid offending the catholic church. However by doing that the film still fails as
an adaptation because again it is no longer representative of its source material and looses much of what makes it a compelling story.

9. Perhaps the obvious conclusion is that His Dark Materials is too complex for a film adaptation and instead would be better suited to an small screen adaptation in the form of a Television
Series. Indeed that consensus seems to have already been reached. In late 2018 Filming for the first series of a His Dark Materials TV adaptation by the BBC was completed with a projected
airdate of mid to late 2019. A second season has already been ordered. Each series will consist of 8 episodes and will focus on one of the books which will allow more time to tell the story
rather then cramming it into the runtime of a film. The series stars James McAvoy as Lord Asriel, Dafne Keen as Lyra Belacqua and Ruth Wilson as Mrs Coulter. The producers of the TV series
promise to be faithful to the books and the original plot in the way the film wasn't. Since this isn’t a Hollywood movie the producers of the series aren’t being pressured to remove
controversial elements from the series like the film did.
Sequence Analysis: London From The Golden Compass Film
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrFO4u-OGxU
The reason I have chosen this sequence from the film to analyze is because it is one of the most visually stunning and informative sequences throughout the entire film. This is our first
glimpse of Lyra’s world and we see how it differs greatly to our own. It does this through the use of direct exposition such as when Mrs Coulter is explaining to Lyra what the Magisterium is
for and what it does, as well as visual non direct exposition as we are seeing things visually depicted on screen that can offer us just as much explanation. One of the clever things about
this scene is how it puts us in the perspective of Lyra as we see parts of the scene from her POV. Another thing though it that we are learning about this world and seeing it for the first time
at the same time Lyra is as this is her first time (that she can remember) leaving oxford and seeing London. One amusing thing about this scene is that Mrs Coulter says to Lyra “You have
been living in an ivory tower” in a patronizing response to her ignorance. This plays on the childlike curiosity of Lyra and the audience as it would further make the audience feel like they
were seeing the world from Lyra’s eyes. Another way that we see how Lyra's world is different from ours is that we actually get a brief glimpse of a map when Lyra is looking for Svalbard on
it. We can briefly see that the land masses look similar but different and that some of the names are similar but also different.
The first interesting thing is how the technology and the society differs to our world. Whether this is due to the influence of the Church or humans having Dæmons it is unknown. However
it is important to remember that there are many other naturally occurring things in Lyra’s world that are not in our own such as Dust, witches and talking polar bears. Because this world is
so different to ours we can deduce that what it depicted is a completely alternate universe rather then the idea that our world and Lyra’s world were once the same but historic events
happened differently and as a result created a completely alternate timeline. We do know however that despite the obvious technological differences of our world and Lyra’s the time
period is supposed to be the present day. The books were published between 1995 to 2000 and that is stated by Pullman in an interview from 2000 to be the case. “The notion is that it’s
the present day, because when she comes through into our world, or when Will goes into the world where they meet, it’s the present day for Will: it’s our …you know, 2000. So it’s the

10. • Since Pullman has stated that Lyra’s world is in the present day. It has caused fans to theorize on why the technology is so different. One interesting thing to note is that the
architecture, design styles and clothing is shown in some scenes as being very late 19th to mid 20th century era. However in some areas the technology is shown as being a mixed of
primitive and advanced. An example of this is the use of a zeppelin for air travel something which never caught on in our world especially after the Hindenburg disaster. In the books
Lyra expresses surprise that the lights in Mrs Coulters house are Anbaric (Electrical). Something which also shows an advanced form of technology however is the way the carriage in
this scene is propelled as we see it is not done a combustion engine like a car but in fact by some strange spinning ball of energy within the front wheel. This creates a very retro
futuristic styling for the film.
• It is difficult to find official information about this by Pullman as he seems to deliberately left this ambiguous. One fans theory about the technology that to me makes the most sense
was posted on a web forum and is as follows: “Thinking logically, if there wasn't a split between Catholicism and Protestantism (for whatever reason, perhaps because people get
along better by being better acquainted with their daemons) then Europe wouldn't have been at war with itself, first in the 17th Century and then probably onwards, as many future
wars are partially caused by previous grievances. If the Magesterium went on to spread globally, then the lack of religious difference would again reduce war and conflict. As well as
lack of war removing one great pressure for innovation, there's the authors probable bias that organized religion is opposed to science (as we see from it's control over various
researches). This all adds up to a society that's behind ours technologically even though the same amount of time has passed.”(6)
• This idea that war is a pressure for technological innovation is true and is reflected in our own world such as the development of Computers, radar and rocketry technology amongst
many other things which was caused by one side trying to get an advantage over the other. The other point about the authors biased opinion on organized religion and how it is
portrayed in the trilogy as being opposed to science is also a nice point as it links in with what I have previously stated and provided evidence on about Pullmans views on religion.
Having stated how he has included those themes in his writing I can now see how they are being explored visually. This visual exploration shows us a world that has been ruled over
by organized religion with an iron fist that considers elements of science to be heresy and therefore unknowingly stifles technological progress consequently giving us a very
backwards and archaic world compared to our own.
• This alternate history of Lyra’s world as well as alternate technology is also represented in the terminology used in Lyra’s world. Pullman renames various common objects, places and
locations found in our world and Lyra’s with archaic terms or terms of his own. Examples of this would be “Aerodock” instead of Airport, “Anbar/Anbaric” for electric and electrical
respectively (Derived from the electrostatic properties of Amber) and Brytain for Britain. There are many more different terminologies for different items and locations which are all
listed on Wikpedia. I think the use of archaic terms coupled with an amalgamation of modern and archiac technology was a fantastic choice by Pullman and the films designers as it
defiantly makes Lyra’s world feel more realistic as it builds up the idea that it has as much history to it as our own does. It is a good way of subtly representing the differences between
the two worlds whilst translating basic elements to make them familiar but different. This quote by the films production designer Dennis Gassner supports my point. "The whole
project is about translation—translation from something you would understand into something that is in a different vernacular. So, it's a new signature, looking into another world
that seems familiar but is still unique. There's a term I use—called 'cludging'—it's taking one element and combining it with another element to make something new. It's a hybrid or
amalgamation, and that's what this movie is about from a design perspective. It's about amalgamating ideas and concepts and theoretical and physical environments."(5)
• Expanding on the subject of costume. Mrs Coulters costume is very modern compared to what is worn by most of the other characters. She tends to be seen wearing modern party
dresses that show of her figure and attractiveness. I believe this is done deliberately. In the books Mrs Coulter is described as very beautiful and alluring with a soft musical voice and
at several points in the trilogy is shown as using this to her advantage to get what she wants particularly from men. Therefore her modern costume of tight dresses is used in contrast
with the older fashioned 19th/20th century clothing of the other characters as a visual portrayal of her attractiveness especially for men watching the film. One other clever visual note
is that the costumes of both the Doctors running the Experimental Station at Bolvanger (were the Intercision process is performed) and the children that are being held captive there
are very modern and almost futuristic. I think this is done to be a subtle hint that Mrs Coulter is linked to them. it is of course later revealed that she is the head of the General

11. The scene is very bright in terms of coloring. Interestingly we see a lot of gold, brass and scarlet colors particularly in the buildings of London as well as Lyra’s coat, her hair and the zeppelin. I
think this is done to deliberately evoke an industrial revolution, steam punk feel to the environment which further reinforces the idea of an archaic world. These dark colors are suddenly
contrasted however by the bright white and beige colors of Mrs Coulters house. These bright white colors were probably used to be a contrast to Mrs Coulters dark personality but to also
represent the purity, innocence and naivety of Lyra in this scene as she is experiencing the world beyond oxford for the first time. This also relates back to the coming of age theme that the
books in the trilogy have as this is Lyra before she experiences the pain and trials of her forthcoming adventures.
I think that different groups only have minor representation in this scene, as the only other characters scene in detail here are the servants and housekeepers of Jordon College and Mrs
Coulters house.
The representation here is by no means negative as they are just background characters. If
anything they are average people that work these honest jobs to make a living. They are
shown in a positive way as being respectful to Mrs Coulter and Lyra by bowing to them or
by hat tipping as they are obviously of a higher social class to the servants. Whether it is a
good thing or not that such a class system exists however is irrelevant and depends on the
views of a specific person. Personally I believe there is nothing wrong with it as such a
system exists in our society and if you can afford servants and housekeepers, as long as
they are paid fairly then that’s fair enough.
I can’t see how things such as age, and sexuality are relevant to this scene other then that all of the servants are male and the housekeepers are female however that doesn’t work as a
point since the roles are the same it is just the title of their jobs is something that is defined by gender. A Butler is a male that is in charge of male servants and a housekeeper is a female
that is in charge of female servants. One interesting thing to note however is the Dæmons of the servants are all dogs. Perhaps this is because they are servants and are comfortable
following orders in much the same way a dog follows commands.
The editing in this sequence and the way the shots are put together are done in a really interesting way. The shots of the scenery and surrounding areas are done in a really fast paced
way almost like a slideshow of photo's. I think this is done to showcase the best bits of this alternate world such as the 19th century architecture and styling, the carriage being
propelled by the strange engine and the opulence of Mrs. Coulters house. There is a point in this sequence when it slows down and we focus on one particular scene which is were Mrs.
Coulter is explaining to Lyra about the magisterium. This break in the visuals is a good way of providing a good pace to the sequence in order to avoid it feeling like it is too fast. Whilst
making sure it isn't too long either.
The idea that we are everything from Lyra's first time perspective is confirmed when at 2:25 into the sequence the camera switches to Lyra's point of view. It does this several other
times throughout the sequence. As a result we see things from a much lower height which makes everything seem much more larger and grander. This is done to emphasize Mrs.
Coulters power both over Lyra as well as her social power as she is obviously a rich women with high up connections. The idea that the directors are also trying to connect the audience
to Lyra is also re enforced with the use of tracking and pan shots throughout the segments when Lyra is first seeing Mrs. Coulters house. The tracking shots are done in the third person
so that Lyra is still in the shot when normally the actress would have moved out of the shot. This again is a good way of showing of the size of the room she is in. It is also done to make
it seem more realistic and immersive as if the audience can see all of the set in one continues shot then it makes it easier to forget that there is a film crew their as you see shots from
angles were the crew would normally be stood. The pan shots from Lyra's point of view also plays into the idea that we are seeing things from Lyra's perspective as it follows her eye

12. In terms of Audio and sound design this film excels with an immense attention to detail that compliments the visuals. On of the standout things about this sequence in particular is the
soundtrack by Alexandre Desplat. This particular track is called "Sky Ferry" the name referencing the zeppelin ferry that Lyra & Mrs. Coulter take to London. The full track can be listened to
here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hoR2dELGbc&index=2&list=PL90305573E0C72C78 One of the most obvious things about this soundtrack is how upbeat and wonderous it is. This is done deliberately to reflect
Lyra's childlike wonder and astonishment of seeing the world beyond Oxford for the first time. As previously stated this is also the audiences first look at Lyra's world beyond Oxford and
during this scene she is still at the point in her life were she is innocent and naive having not yet lived though any of the traumatic ordeals of her forthcoming adventures. This links back to
the coming of age theme in the books. The soundtrack also helps the audience to share in Lyra's wonder and amazement but also adds a mystery factor to it as to the audience the
archaic and retro futuristic styling will stand out a lot more. The music is also very fast paced which is likely done to reflect the fast paced life of the city. Indeed the same soundtrack is also
used again in the following scene which shows Lyra's life with Mrs. Coulter. The shots during this scene are cut together really fast to emphasize a fast paced and busy lifestyle. At one point
in the soundtrack from 0:55 to 1:34 the soundtrack becomes quieter and foreboding. This happens when Lyra sees the headquarters of the Magisterium and asks Mrs. Coulter about them.
Mrs. coulter then goes onto explain what they do and how they are a force for good. We can tell that none of this is true though based on what we have already seen in the film. This means
the soundtrack is showing the Magisterium to be an antagonist foreshadowing their danger to Lyra as well as their evil acts.
Moving on from the soundtrack and looking simply at the audio effects, the sequence is still just as detailed. One thing we can throughout the sequence is some sort of electrical hissing
and buzzing sound. You can here this when the airship is about to take of from the courtyard of Jorden College, when it passes the camera and when the carriage that Mrs. Coulter and Lyra
are in drives past.
This is obviously done to accompany those spinning blue balls of energy that are
seen to propel these two vehicles. This again is to show the fact that this world has
archaic technology however they are more advanced in some areas as in our world
we don't have anything like these devices. It also makes these things stand out
more as if their no audio cue these things are more likely to be missed. However
with the audio cue people are more likely to pick up on these things and since they
are not explained it adds to the mystery factor.
Another nice attention to detail is that when we zoom into the zeppelin and see Lyra and Mrs. Coulter looking out of the window we can here the engine noise of the zeppelin. It sound like a
deep rumbling sound similar to propeller planes. This was again likely done to tie into the visual theme of different but similar technology in Lyra's world.
One thing they do throughout the film which can be seen at the end of the sequence here. It use gentle
and soothing almost musical sound effects to represent the workings of the Alethiometer. The
Alethiometer whilst being one of the most important plot elements is also one of the most mysterious.
How the device actually works is never actually described in much detail other then how it is used and
that it has something to do with dust. This mysteriousness almost makes it seem magical. The use of
gentle musical sound effects could also be representative of the fact that it is a delicate instrument as
well as of Lyra's curiosity of it.

13. Bibliography
• All my individual references are listed in the notes section of each
slide as per the briefs instructions.
• Throughout this whole essay I have discussed, analysed and
referenced the entire works of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials
book trilogy as well as the Film adaption of The Northern Lights. The
Golden Compass (2007) Film.
• Philip Pullman (1995-2000). His Dark Materials Books 1-3 (Apple
Books Complete Digital Collection). United Kingdom: Scholastic
Corporation. (All Pages) 1-2038.
• The Golden Compass. (2007). [DVD] Directed by C. Weitz. United
States/United Kingdom: New Line Cinema.