Golden Compass

Theatrical Release Date: 2007 12 07 (USA)

UPC: 794043120114

Studio: New Line Home Video

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:[Violence]

Summary: A young girl embarks on a perilous journey to rescue her best friend and fight the forces of darkness in director Chris Weitz's adaptation of the first installment of author Philip Pullman's best-selling fantasy trilogy. Screen newcomer Dakota Blue Richards stars as young heroine Lyra Belacqua, Casino Royale star Daniel Craig appears as Lyra's ruthless adventurer uncle, Lord Asriel, and Nicole Kidman assumes the glamorous guise of the villainous Mrs. Coulter. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Category: Fantasy

Awards: Best Young Actress – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Family Film – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Picture - Animated or Mixed Media – Golden Satellite Award Best Art Direction in a Fantasy Film – Art Directors Guild Best Special Visual Effects – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Special Visual Effects – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Special Visual Effects – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Special Visual Effects – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Visual Effects – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Visual Effects – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Visual Effects – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Visual Effects – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Features: cc

Golden Compass

Format: DVD

Release Date: 04/29/2008

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Cinemascope

Audio: DTS-ESD Digital Theater 6.1 System, DD-EX Dolby Digital Surround EX (simulated 6.1), DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 113 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Golden Compass
1. Prologue: Many Worlds [:00]
2. The Decanter of Tokay [:00]
3. The Idea of North [:00]
4. Lyra's Jordan [:00]
5. The Alethiometer [:00]
6. Mrs. Coulter [:00]
7. The Throwing Nets [4:40]
8. John Faa [4:11]
9. The Spies [4:12]
10. Serafina Pekkala [5:52]
11. The Aeronaut and the Bear [3:00]
12. Armour [7:16]
13. The Lost Boy [4:25]
14. Captivity [5:59]
15. Mortal Combat [5:48]
16. Bolvanger Lights [2:43]
17. The Silver Guillotine [5:47]
18. The Witches [5:53]
19. A Prophesy [1:42]
20. End Credits [6:30]

Tracie Cooper

The His Dark Materials series has worn a fair share of hats since it was published in 1995. After making the gamut of British best-seller lists and performing well in the United States (a particularly impressive feat considering the Potter phenomenon), author Philip Pullman's fantasy series has been referred to as Lord of the Rings for tots, a highbrow version of Harry Potter, a courageous proponent of free thought, and an act of blasphemy designed to corrupt the souls of children. Unlike the Potter series' fanciful spiritual notions scattered about a stronger message of common-sense goodwill to others, His Dark Materials relies less on invoking the golden rule and more on questioning that which represents absolute authority, whether it be an ill-intentioned adult, organized religion, or God. It's no surprise that the announcement of a film adaptation of The Golden Compass, the first installation in the series, inspired its share of boycotts, blustery mass e-mails, and book burnings. Judging by the film's mediocre performance in theaters, the protestors were successful; however, The Golden Compass, while flawed, is a solid, thoughtful film. Ironically, one of the film's flaws is the lack of religious symbolism. While Compass contains the least amount of religious undertones in the trilogy, the film has next to none. It's difficult to determine exactly what the forces of good are rebelling against since the Magisterium was reduced from the fantasy world's version of the Catholic Church to a vague group of authoritarians who pop up occasionally to slip poison into wine and speak threateningly to wizened academics. Still, while most moviegoers wouldn't see religion as the antagonist (or be able to figure out what the heck "Dust" is), it's still easy enough to surmise that the battle is to maintain one's free will, and that free will is no less than the soul itself. Leading the charge in the adventure is Lyra, who is entrusted with a rare truth-measuring device called an alethiometer. Newcomer Dakota Blue Richards is perfect in the role; as in the book, she is plain enough to make her tall tales believable, and charismatic enough to befriend armored bears and toughened men. In Lyra's Oxford -- a parallel dimension resembling a scene from Victorian England with updated architecture and fancy zeppelins -- the human soul exists as a spiritually connected yet entirely physical animal referred to as a daemon. The idea of a human without a daemon is a highly disturbing and largely incomprehensible thought among Lyra's world, with the exception of the powerful Magisterium, who find the notion of easily controlled (albeit soulless) human automatons quite desirable indeed. Claiming they are merely preserving innocence, they enlist the ambitious Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman) to kidnap impoverished children and use them to help perfect the process of splitting the daemon from the body. Kidman displays just the right amount of rage threatening to betray her otherwise icily elegant exterior, excluding a moment in which she slaps her daemon (which is not in the book, and who slaps their own soul, anyway?); it's a pleasure to watch her unravel as Lyra slowly but surely destroys what she worked so hard to build. Though the film ends two or fifteen chapters earlier than the book, and despite a speech from Lyra that comes across as very set-up-for-sequel-in-two-minutes-or-less, Compass, on the whole, is a great adventure with two important morals: think for yourself and don't cross an angry polar bear. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Bill Carraro  Producer 
Alexandre Desplat  Composer (Music Score) 
Ileen Maisel  Executive Producer 
Mark Ordesky  Executive Producer 
Deborah A. Forte  Producer 
Chris Weitz  Director 
Chris Weitz  Screenwriter 
Paul Weitz  Executive Producer 
Toby Emmerich  Executive Producer 
Michael Lynne  Executive Producer 
Andrew Miano  Executive Producer 
Bob Shaye  Executive Producer 
Nicole Kidman  Actor 
Dakota Blue Richards  Actor 
Daniel Craig  Actor 
Sam Elliott  Actor 
Eva Green  Actor 
Christopher Lee  Actor 
Tom Courtenay  Actor 
Derek Jacobi  Actor 
Ben Walker  Actor 
Adam Godley  Actor 
Simon McBurney  Actor 
Jim Carter  Actor 
Nonso Anozie  Actor 
Charlie Rowe  Actor 
Clare Higgins  Actor 
Jack Shepherd  Actor 
Steven Loton  Actor 
Magda Szubanski  Actor 
Edward de Souza  Actor 
John Bett  Actor 
Ian McKellen  Actor 
Ian McShane  Actor 
John Franklyn-Robbins  Actor 
Freddie Highmore  Actor 
Jonathan Laury  Actor 
Kathy Bates  Actor 
Paul Antony-Barber  Actor 
Kristin Scott Thomas  Actor 
Jason Watkins  Actor 
Hattie Morahan  Actor 
Jay Rawlings  Actor 
Joao de Sousa  Actor 
Tommy Luther  Actor 

Country: USA