Pullman attacks Narnia film plans

BBC News ^ | 10.16.2005

[DoctorRansom]

Author Philip Pullman has attacked plans to turn The Chronicles of Narnia into a movie series, calling CS Lewis' books "racist" and "misogynistic".

The first film in the series - The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - is due to be released in December.

His Dark Materials author Pullman said the 1950s stories were "reactionary".

"If the Disney corporation wants to market this film as a great Christian story, they'll just have to tell lies about it," he told The Observer.

[. . .]

But Pullman said the Narnia books contained "a peevish blend of racist, misogynistic and reactionary prejudice" and "not a trace" of Christian charity.

"It's not the presence of Christian doctrine I object to so much as the absence of Christian virtue," he added.

"The highest virtue - we have on the authority of the New Testament itself - is love, and yet you find not a trace of that in the books."

[DoctorRansom]

Hey,

Mr. Godless Trilobite, moral-core-lacking, merely-evolved-pond-muck-minded Asinine Atheist, sir,

You don't expect me to tell you what does and does not characterize true Atheism. Similarly, you can just let the real Christians determine what does or does not constitute Christian virtues or Biblical love in a story.

Savvy?

Dr. Ransom
FaithFusion.net
Gleefully integrating church and state

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Author Philip Pullman has attacked plans to turn The Chronicles of Narnia into a movie series, calling CS Lewis' books "racist" and "misogynistic".

He called them racist and mysogynistic because he didn't want to say what really offended him, namely, that they are Christian.

[luckystarmom]

I guess I'm wrong. I always thought that Aslan, the Lion laying down his life for the young boy (Edward, Edmund??) was a great act of love.

Hmmmmm. I must be mistaken.

[DoctorRansom]

Tadalup, tadalup, tadalup. ... Let's have a "Narnia: AWAKE" update ping. Welcome back.

Dr. Ransom
FaithFusion.net
Speaking only for those with ears to hear

[Argus]

Pullman's just jealous because the Narnia movies are going to out-gross the ones being developed from his Satanic children's book franchise by a factor of ten.

[DoctorRansom]

'Tis indeed Edmund!

But again, Atheists make themselves even more foolish than they already are (Psalm 14:1) when they attempt to tell Christians what is and isn't true Christianity. Liberal churchians and trilobites at the National Center for Science Education do this all the time: "Your religion is just too precious to be tainted with government assistance or public exposure in the court houses; you must keep it alive and sacred only in private!"

Shut UP! You run your religion, I'll let the Creator run mine, thank you.

"Go back to the Abyss!"

Dr. Ransom
FaithFusion.net
Independent-sighted, yet Right-minded

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

But films such as Pulp Fiction and Sin City are.... "A MASTERPIECE!" "10 OUT OF 10!" "TWO THUMBS WAY UP!" "STYLISH AND TERRIFICLY VIOLENT!"

[DoctorRansom]

Jealous and trying to make headlines.

Harry Potter fans, you ain't seen nothing yet. All the HP fans will show up to see LWW along with all the Christians who were nervous about J.K. Rowling's worldview. That's a much larger audience than HP's and much larger than any viewers for this other jackass, what's-his-name ... I really hate even to give him the slightest bit more publicity.

Dr. Ransom
FaithFusion.net
Independent-sighted, yet Right-minded

[Mr. Lucky]

Didn't someone famous, oh, I don't know maybe a rock star or a movie actor or maybe a writer of Satanic books for children, once say:

Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

[wideawake]

(1) Pullman's His Dark Materials series was pushed by the media as a "hot new thing" but it never was. The books are terrible, kids don't like them and it didn't sell as a result.

(2) He admits that he wrote his books against Christianity and the West, that his agenda in writing was specifically to undermine traditional morality and metaphysics.

(3) Pullman will do anything he can to generate controversy and thus, potentially, sales.

(4) The Chronicles of Narnia are not racist or hateful in any way, of course. The forces of evil are portrayed in The Last Battle as being vaguely Arabic - but this looks much like uncanny foresight, not racism.

[chesley]

I re-read all the Narnia books just recently, in preparation for the movie. I have to admit, the racist and misogynistic aspects went completely over my head.

Would someone bother to point one of them out to me??

[Xenalyte]

Pulp Fiction was an astonishing movie. I adore it.

[DoctorRansom]

"... NO REDEEMING VALUE WHATSOEVER! BLOODLETTING! GORE! MORE! MOCKERIES! COMMUNISM! ALL CHRISTIAN CHARACTERS REPEAT BIBLE VERSES WHILE THEY TRY TO KILL GAYS AND MOLEST SOULFUL-EYED LITTLE PUPPIES! YEAIGGHH!"

Dr. Ransom
FaithFusion.net
Independent-sighted, yet Right-minded

[ConservativeDude]

The only way there could be love for these morons is if one of the characters was a cross-dresser or other perv....

[Captain Rhino]

It nice to know that the "Chronicles of Narnia" (in both print and movie form) will still be having a positive influence on people around the world long after Mr. Pullman has become food for the worms.

[ark_girl]

Hold in mind, there were groups that claimed "The Passion of the Christ" was racist. That was movie that lays out what Christians believe...no more...no less.

There are just some folks who hate Christianity at it's core. They don't understand what we believe and they don't care to. Just the way it is.

[DoctorRansom]

I have to like Pullman for this reason only: In a media world in which Christians far too often rip off of secular trends and titles in an effort to "sell" Christianity (i.e. "Harry Potter" clones), Pullman carnivorously and shamelessly rips off of Narnia in an effort to sell his Atheism.

Doesn't he know it's supposed to be vice-versa? Seems to be a graduate of the Al Franken school of Hilariously Uncreative and Narcissistic Self-Promotion.

Meaning, of course, that our discussion of the fabricated "controversy" only gives this Godless intellectual gigolo exactly what he wants. But, but, it's fun.

Dr. Ransom
FaithFusion.net
Speaking only for those with ears to hear

[chesley]

Thanks, I knew that. It was a rhetorical question, but I appreciate your replying.

[wideawake]

In The Last Battle the Calormenes and their demon-god Tash seem vaguely Arabic/Muslim.

This is supposed to be proof of racism.

Why?

Apparently because a lot of Calormenes are fanatical adherents of an anti-Aslanist cult and they invade non-Calormene lands and force the people to submit to their desert religion.

Nothing like Arabs and Muslims in real life or anything.

[Lady Heron]

Having read 2 of Pullmans disgusting kids books (thank goodness I did before I allowed my children to), which I quickly threw in the trash....There is no question of where Pullman is coming from.

Where Pullman seeks darkness Lewis seeks light!

[wideawake]

Good points.

[DoctorRansom]

FReeper flashback: Bush would be perfect kids' villain - author Pullman.

Ann Coulter has an excellent Slander chapter about liberals going into repeated sessions of ecstasy over the next Big Liberal Book -- only to have it suffer horrendous sales. Meanwhile, conservative books shooting up the best-seller lists are always referred to as "surprise" best-sellers: well, surprising to those whose memories evidently become re-formatted at the beginning of every month.

Dr. Ransom
FaithFusion.net
Speaking only for those with ears to hear

[DoctorRansom]

Oh, what the heck. One more time, before Dave reassumes his rightful place:

(((NARNIA ... AWAKE)))

You are being pinged because of your interest in Walden Media’s December 9th release of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Freep-mail [DaveLoneRanger] if you want on/off this list.

Dr. Ransom
FaithFusion.net: "Narnia: AWAKE"
Speaking only for those with ears to hear ...

[Servant of the 9]

Pullman is a Jerkoff.

SO9

[WestVirginiaRebel]

"Not a trace of Christian charity..."Funny, I seem to recall Aslan being very much a Christ-like figure and later perhaps even God Himself? "And as He spoke to them, He no longer looked like a lion..." Also, Aslan was very forgiving to a Calormene soldier, saying that the Tash he had followed was not the true Tash.

[orionblamblam]

..."Funny, I seem to recall Aslan being very much a Christ-like figure..."



RRRRRROOOOWWWRRRR!!!!

[Borges]

Hey now PF is a masterpiece indeed. And it's not that violent.

[Joe 6-pack]

He is not a tame Lion.

[Unam Sanctam]

What a small minded pinhead! I had read the first of Pullman's series, and might have read the rest eventually (it was not a priority), but now rather think I probably won't get around to it.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Actually, more than a few critics called Sin City mysogynistic too. But I get your point.

[DoctorRansom]

Blast! Forgot to say Barf Alert.

Dr. Ransom
FaithFusion.net
Speaking only for those with ears to hear

[orionblamblam]

> had read the first of Pullman's series, and might have read the rest eventually (it was not a priority), but now rather think I probably won't get around to it.

The series is... ok. Not spectacular. Doesn't approach Harry Potter, let alone Tolkein. The theology in it is distinctly non-Christian, but hardly the satanic view that many seem to have.

[ROTB]

>The highest virtue - we have on the authority of the New
>Testament itself - is love, and yet you find not a trace of
>that in the books."

As much as God is loving, He is equally holy, and the stain of sin is not tolerated in His loving presence.

Faith in Jesus Christ, washes this sin away with Christ's blood, so we can go to Heaven.

[orionblamblam]

> He is not a tame Lion.


Nothing sadder'n a tame lion. Lions are carnivores and what's more... predators. Their purpose is to kill and devour (and make little killin' and devourin' lions). Taming them... just very, very wrong.

But as the guy in the photo found... preaching to a lion is *also* very, very wrong.

[ROTB]

> but this looks much like uncanny foresight, not racism.

In Genesis it it prophecied that the descendants of Ishmael would push against all other nations ... and that all other nations would push back.

[JenB]

I have never decided what I more despise Pullman for: using his books as a vehicle for his hatred of Truth, deceptive advertising with the first volume of the series being enjoyable and even meaningful, without too much poison, or the way he abused and destroyed his own story in the last book in order to just go off into a tirade.

I have respect for the rare atheist who can construct a consistent and beautiful fantasy. It's hard, because a good fantasy must mirror Truth if it is to pull off denying reality. Pullman couldn't manage. His books could have been, not gold, but silver perhaps, if he hadn't consciously removed any hint of Good and Beauty from them.

[tortoise]

If the trailers are indicative, it looks like it is gonna suck anyway.

[orionblamblam]

> the stain of sin is not tolerated in His loving presence.


Heard this often, but there seems to be a logical flaw:
1: The "stain of sin" would seem to be all around us.
2: Is, or is not, God *here*? (I've often heard that Hell is where God ain't, and as much as Earth can suck sometimes, it ain't Hell)
3: If God is here, then clearly the "stain of sin" is tolerated in Gods presense.

[tortoise]

But films such as Pulp Fiction and Sin City are...

Pulp Fiction was a brilliant movie.

[magslinger]

The forces of evil are portrayed in The Last Battle as being vaguely Arabic - but this looks much like uncanny foresight, not racism.

The Chronicles of Narnia were written prior to the sixth century? I don't see how the Chronicles could be considered prescient otherwise, the Islamic-World War has been going on since the seventh.

I would probably agree with the rest of your post wholeheatedly, except I have never heard of this Pullman fellow.

It's amazing how much whine he can make out of sour grapes.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Certainly not like Reservoir Dogs. Geez

[Borges]

They're violent mostly by suggestion. The famous ear scene from RD actually takes place off screen.

[tortoise]

I had read the first of Pullman's series, and might have read the rest eventually (it was not a priority), but now rather think I probably won't get around to it.

Just as well, as the books get sequentially worse. The first was the only one that held its own reasonably well.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Well an innocent woman is carhijacked and shot (by a cop), there is a shootout in the hideout, the cop is wounded and dying throughout and eventually killed. There is plenty of onscreen violence and gore. Still fascinating though.

[IVC1974]

Racist, misogynistic...the power words of the PC crowd.

I have some words to describe mainstream Hollyweird but they can't be printed here.

[XJarhead]

arry Potter fans, you ain't seen nothing yet. All the HP fans will show up to see LWW along with all the Christians who were nervous about J.K. Rowling's worldview.

I've read both series, and seen the HP movies. In terms of which is the more exciting, interesting, etc., I think HP has it all over Narnia. I recently reread Narnia to my daughter, and those books get mighty slow in some places, though LWW is the best of the lot.

On the other hand, there's no question that Narnia contains some great moral lessons and a good Christian message, and I'm definitely taking my kids to see LWW. Probably better for younger audiences than HP.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***"... NO REDEEMING VALUE WHATSOEVER! BLOODLETTING! GORE! MORE! MOCKERIES! COMMUNISM! ALL CHRISTIAN CHARACTERS REPEAT BIBLE VERSES WHILE THEY TRY TO KILL GAYS AND MOLEST SOULFUL-EYED LITTLE PUPPIES! YEAIGGHH!" ***

Just wait till they get a look at the epic movie PILGRIM'S PROGRESS!

[tom h]

"Pullman attacks Narnia film plans."

"I guess I'm wrong. I always thought that Aslan, the Lion laying down his life for [Edmund] was a great act of love."

Tsk, tsk, you just don't understand. ;) In the liberal mind, Aslan wouldn't lay down his life, but he would appeal to the Narnian equivalent of the UN, and the aggressors (e.g., the White Witch) would listen to reason and lay down their arms because the Secretary General of the UN (Geena Davis, dressed like a droid) asked them nicely.

You know, the same way that things work today with the Palestinians, Al Qaeda, Robert Mugabe, Muammar Kaddafi, the Chechen rebels, that butthole that runs Iran, and the communist Chinese.

[Alexander Rubin]

More than just atheist, Pullman's work verges on the satanic. "Pullman's acclaimed "His Dark Materials" trilogy tells of a battle against the church and a fight to overthrow G-d."

I've read the Pullman books. They are well-written. But they contain such wonderful ideas as homosexual angels, an evil totalitarian church, physically incarnated souls (in the form of animals best representing your nature), and, most importantly, the entire book is about people waging a war to kill G-d. Who, by the way, is apparently an impostor. He's just a very, very old being who claimed to be G-d and made up an elaborate story and then brainwashed people. Even though I'm Jewish, I am very much looking forward to the Chronicles of Narnia. Their messages are wonderful, inspiring, heroic and heartwarming. They are gorgeously written, and unlike Pullman's books, a good influence on children. I think all children should see it. And I think everyone should and will take away something very positive from the film.

[Alexander Rubin]

What about the war on G-d? And the homosexual angels? And the evil, evil Church? And the human sacrifices?

Not to mention, the more minor but still disturbing, physically incarnated souls (in the form of animals), the idea that you can be parted from your soul, killing angels, the subtle knife (which definitely has satanic properties and connotations), etc. etc.