The Golden Compass (2007)
Adventure, Family, Fantasy |.
The Golden Compass is fantasy adventure film based on the 1995 book Northern Lights, the first novel in Philip Pullman’s trilogy His Dark Materials. Written and directed by Chris Weitz, it stars Nicole Kidman, Dakota Blue Richards, Daniel Craig, Sam Elliott, Eva Green, and Ian McKellen. The project was announced in February 2002, but difficulties over the script and the selection of a director caused significant delays. At US$180 million, it was one of New Line Cinema’s most expensive projects ever, and its disappointing results in the US contributed to New Line’s February 2008 restructuring.
The film depicts the adventures of Lyra Belacqua, an orphan living in a parallel universe where a dogmatic ruling power called the Magisterium opposes free inquiry. Children in that universe are being kidnapped by an unknown group called the Gobblers who are supported by the Magisterium. Lyra joins a tribe of seafarers on a trip to the far North, the land of the armoured polar bears, in search of the missing children.
The story is set in an alternate Earth dominated by a powerful church called the Magisterium that strictly controls the populace’s beliefs and teachings. In this world, every person’s inner spirit partially exists outside their body, manifesting itself as an animal companion called a dæmon. The dæmon communicates with the person and must remain in close physical proximity. Witches, however, have bird-shape dæmons able to travel long distances from their bodies.
Lyra Belacqua, whose dæmon is named Pantalaimon or “Pan”, is an orphan being raised at Jordan College in Oxford. Her uncle, Lord Asriel, a noted explorer and scholar, has been absent seeking the elusive Dust, a cosmic particle that the Magisterium forbids to be mentioned.
Director: Chris Weitz
Writers: Chris Weitz (screenplay), Philip Pullman (novel)
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards, Ben Walker, Freddie Highmore, Ian McKellen, Eva Green
Cast:
| Nicole Kidman | … | Mrs. Coulter |
| Daniel Craig | … | Lord Asriel |
| Dakota Blue Richards | … | Lyra |
| Ben Walker | … | Roger |
| Freddie Highmore | … | Pantalaimon (voice) |
| Ian McKellen | … | Iorek Byrnison (voice) |
| Eva Green | … | Serafina Pekkala |
| Jim Carter | … | John Faa |
| Tom Courtenay | … | Farder Coram |
| Ian McShane | … | Ragnar Sturlusson (voice) |
| Sam Elliott | … | Lee Scoresby |
| Christopher Lee | … | First High Councilor |
| Kristin Scott Thomas | … | Stelmaria (voice) |
| Edward de Souza | … | Second High Councilor |
| Kathy Bates | … | Hester (voice) |
| Simon McBurney | … | Fra Pavel |
| Jack Shepherd | … | Master |
| Magda Szubanski | … | Mrs. Lonsdale |
| Derek Jacobi | … | Magisterial Emissary |
| Clare Higgins | … | Ma Costa |
| Charlie Rowe | … | Billy Costa |
| Steven Loton | … | Tony Costa |
| Michael Antoniou | … | Kerim Costa |
| Mark Mottram | … | Jaxer Costa |
| Paul Antony-Barber | … | Bolvangar Doctor |
| Jason Watkins | … | Bolvangar Official |
| Jody Halse | … | Bolvangar Orderly |
| Hattie Morahan | … | Sister Clara |
| John Bett | … | Thorold |
| John Franklyn-Robbins | … | Librarian |
| Jonathan Laury | … | Younger Fellow |
| Tommy Luther | … | Jacob Huismans / Daemon Puppeteer |
| James Rawlings | … | Passing Scholar |
| Joao de Sousa | … | Hunt |
| Habib Nasib Nader | … | Ragnar |
| Theo Fraser Steele | … | Magisterial Officer |
| Bill Hurst | … | Police Captain |
| Elliot Cowan | … | Commanding Officer |
| Sam Hoare | … | Second in Command |
| Thomas Arnold | … | Gobbler |
| David Garrick | … | Gobbler |
| Brian Nickels | … | Gobbler |
| Gary Kane | … | Gobbler |
| Alfred Harmsworth | … | Gyptian Kid |
| Charles Evanson | … | Gyptian Chief |
| Patrick Cleary | … | Gyptian Chief |
| Tarek Khalil | … | Gyptian Chief |
| Madrios Ohannessian | … | Gyptian Chief |
| Sandra Wolfe | … | Gyptian Chief |
| Hewson Osbourne | … | Fellow |
| Albert Kenrick | … | Fellow |
| John Cartier | … | Fellow |
| Chris Abbott | … | Fellow |
| Alexander Mercury | … | Tartar Officer (as Alex Terentyev) |
| David Forman | … | Samoyed Kidnapper |
| Martin Alexander | … | Student (uncredited) |
| Jamie Anderson | … | Student (uncredited) |
| Caridad Angus | … | Witch (uncredited) |
| Martin Ballantyne | … | Trollesundian (uncredited) |
| Tom Barker | … | Gyptian Child (uncredited) |
| Christian Black | … | Scholar (uncredited) |
| Douglas Bunn | … | Tartar Guard (uncredited) |
| Jonny Dickens | … | Ben (uncredited) |
| Clive Elkington | … | Student (uncredited) |
| Tim Glanfield | … | Magisterial Guard (uncredited) |
| Chris Hastings | … | Tartar Guard (uncredited) |
| Michael Hennessy | … | Shoe Shop Customer (uncredited) |
| Kevin Hudson | … | Tartar Guard (uncredited) |
| Forbes KB | … | Tartar Guard (uncredited) |
| Pamela Kempthorne | … | Gyptian (uncredited) |
| Jose Pecino | … | Magisterium Police Officer (uncredited) |
| David Roker | … | Magesterial Official (uncredited) |
| Frederick Roll | … | Barman (uncredited) |
| Kit Sinnett | … | Tartar Nomad (uncredited) |
| John Snowden | … | Trollesund Fishmonger (uncredited) |
| Helen Soraya | … | Witch (uncredited) |
| Richard Stoker | … | Clerk of the Court (uncredited) |
| Harry Taylor | … | Ship’s Captain (uncredited) |
| J.P. Turner | … | Trollesundian (uncredited) |
| John Warman | … | Magisterial Guard (uncredited) |
| Spencer Wilding | … | Giant Gyptian (uncredited) |
| Chris Wilson | … | Magisterial Guard (uncredited) |
| Phil Wright | … | Gyptian Warrior (uncredited) |
| Liang Yang | … | Samoyed Kidnapper (uncredited) |
Sources: imdb & wikipedia