SlowFood Guru

I have been a fan of Philip Pullman and this wonderful trilogy since I bought the books for my now 30-year-old daughter when she was 8. She didn't come to appreciate them fully until she was old enough to understand the tradition of Anglican Atheism to which Philip Pullman, an agnostic, subscribes. These stories, contrary to popular belief, were not written with children or even young adult readership exclusively and were originally intended for an a adult audience. They have captured the imagination of two generations of readers and have been adapted to the stage and the big screen, both versions which failed to capture the deeper meaning and epic proportions of the novels, the latter because it pandered to American Evangelical Christians who apparently do not believe in freedom of expression and wish to foist their belief system on all of us. So, when I heard that HBO would be adapting the trilogy to the small screen, I was at once thrilled and apprehensive--thrilled at the prospect of them getting it right, but worried that they would botch it or put the likes of Benioff and Weiss (Dumb and Dumber) in charge of the project. Need I say more about that? I have been both thrilled and surprised at the outcome and felt this version, thought not as sweepingly beautiful as the 2007 movie, The Golden Compass, which failed narratively thanks to the Christian Right's incessant whining and fascist aspirations, at least in the first season (production improved dramatically in seasons 2 and 3), but is much better written, paced, and casted (with the exception of Lin-Manuel Miranda in the role of Lee Scoresby, filled by Sam Elliott in the 2007 film, whom they should have asked back to reprise the role). Also, the deeper message of the novels, their authorial intent, which distinguish them as great literature that will stand the test of time, was completely lost in the movie, again, because Hollywood, as usual, chose to cater to the lowest common denominator (popular taste and sentiment). Lucky for us, HBO does not pander to the stupid and narrow, which is why their programming is still the best out there. And, for me to give them credit for anything after the Game of Thrones debacle, and their infuriating refusal to own it, does not come easy. So, HBO, you done good in all the ways that count in THIS world's first successful adaptation of a great work of literature, Philip Pullman's epic trilogy, His Dark Materials. I absolutely adored it. Try not to squander our good will.