Just as a matter of interst, Phillip Pullman, the author of the series of books upon which the block buster film golden compass is based, compares the cutting off of the soul (in animal form) to castration in the days of the castrati. I doubt the comparison will make it to the film version of that book should the film be made. I was suprised to read this in what is essentialy a kids book.

I also doubt the mention of "castration" would ever make it passed the pollitically correct censors and into a major movie today.

In many ways, we are MORE repressed in the present day than we were thirty years ago.

would you believe 50, deacon?

tjstill (imported) wrote: Mon Dec 03, 2007 8:55 am Just as a matter of interst, Phillip Pullman, the author of the series of books upon which the block buster film golden compass is based, compares the cutting off of the soul (in animal form) to castration in the days of the castrati. I doubt the comparison will make it to the film version of that book should the film be made. I was suprised to read this in what is essentialy a kids book.

This is just my opinion... but I didn't really find the Golden Compass to be a children's book. It's that kind of Neil-Gaiman mode, where it's written in a children's literature style but targeted at adults. Just like A Series of Unfortunate Events -- it's really not meant for kids. It's (certain) adults who appreciate that kind of dark, ultra-narrative type of storytelling.

But yes, it's is highly doubtful that particular metaphor will make it into the film.

I don't think that's a sign that we're more repressed now though. The film is definitely being targeted at children -- and how many children's movies have you seen with talk of castration in them? Not many I'll wager, whether it's from the present day or from fifty years ago.

Besides, it's a bit misleading to consider hollywood movies as your yardstick as what is censored. Hollywood self-censors for the most part, just like the big television networks. Their own ideas about what they can and can't show have very little to do with the government or society at-large. Speaking as a citizen of Canada (which admittedly is a radically different environment as far as censorship and government regulation of media goes), we have channels bundled as part of basic cable that show some truly fucked-up stuff. Anyone here ever watch Showcase at night? Goddam....