His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass
From Srafopedia
The film adaptation of "Northern Lights"/"The Golden Compass" was released on the 7th of December 2007 by New Line Cinema, supposedly as the first of three films.
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Director
The original director, Chris Weitz announced his resignation on December 15, 2004. Anand Tucker took over, but in May 2006 he left the project and Weitz returned. [1]
Cast
Paul Antony-Barber .... Bolvangar Doctor
Kathy Bates .... Hester
Jim Carter .... Lord John Faa
Tom Courtenay .... Farder Coram
Daniel Craig .... Lord Asriel
Joao de Sousa .... Hunt
Sam Elliot .... Lee Scoresby
John Franklyn-Robbins .... Librarian
Freddie Highmore .... Pantalaimon
Eva Green .... Serafina Pekkala
Clare Higgins .... Ma Costa
Bill Hurst .... Police Captain
Nicole Kidman .... Mrs. Coulter
Jonathan Laury .... Younger Fellow
Steven Loton .... Tony Costa
Simon McBurney .... Fra Pavel
Ian McKellen (replaced Nonso Anozie) .... Iorek Byrnison
Ian McShane .... Ragnar Sturlusson (Iofur Raknison)
Hattie Morahan .... Sister Clara
James Rawlings .... Passing Scholar
Dakota Blue Richards .... Lyra Belacqua
Charlie Rowe .... Billy Costa
Jack Shepherd .... Master of Jordan College
Magda Szubanski .... Mrs. Lonsdale
Kristin Scott Thomas .... Stelmaria
Ben Walker .... Roger Parslow
Jason Watkins .... Bolvangar official
Lyra was cast by open audition in the spring of 2006.
Main crew
Henry Braham - Cinematographer
Anne V. Coates - Editor
Alexandre Desplat - Composer
Michael Fink - Visual Effects Supervisor
Dennis Gassner - Production Designer
Peter King - Makeup and Hair Designer
Ruth Myers - Costume Designer
Production News
"The Golden Compass" began filming on September 4, 2006.
The entire film was being shot in England, with the exception of some pickups and area shots.
Location shooting took place in Oxford, London, and Sutton Bridge.
All "North" scenes were shot green-screen.
Filming ended by February, 2007, although later pickups were filmed in Switzerland of Lord Asriel being captured by the Samoyeds.
Visual effects animation was complete as of September 16, 2007.
In early October, 2007, New Line made the decision to remove the end of the film, corresponding to the final three chapters of the book, to be placed at the beginning of the second film, should it be made.
The world premiere was November 27, 2007 in London.
Sneak preview showings of the film will take place in select theaters on December 1.
The release date in several European countries was December 5, 2007.
The US release date was December 7, 2007.
Promotion and Publicity
The Official Movie Website went on-line on December 7, 2006, unusually early for a movie website.
An extended preview of the film was shown at Cannes Film Festival 2007, accompanied by a press conference with the director and several of the stars, and a gala party.
An extended preview of the film was shown at the Comic Con Convention 2007, along with a booth with props from the film.
A sneak peek of the film was be shown at a New Line Gala in the New York Film Festival on October 5, which was attended by Nicole Kidman.
The official final trailer was released in New York City, at Rockefeller Center, at the season opening of the Rockefeller Center skating rink. The event was hosted by Sam Elliot.
The world premiere of the film was on November 27, in London. It was attended by many of the stars, as well as Philip Pullman.
Sneak preview showings of the film took place in select theaters in the United States on December 1.
Box Office Performance
As of January 17, 2008, The Golden Compass had a cumulative domestic (US) gross of $67,672,000 and a cumulative foreign gross of $245,728,619, for a total worldwide gross of $313,400,619. At 21.6% domestic and 78.4% international, The Golden Compass has been unusually reliant on its international success. New Line licensed the international distribution rights to various local distributors, so does not directly profit from international box office intake.
In the United States, the opening weekend brought in $25,783,232 (3,528 theaters, $7,308 average), representing 38.1% of the total gross. The film's widest release was 3,528 theaters.
-- Source: BoxOfficeMojo.com
Academy Award Nominations
The Golden Compass has been nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Art Direction and Best Visual Effects.
DVD
The Golden Compass will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on April 29th, 2008. There will be two editions available: A standard DVD version and a special two disc edition on both DVD and Blu-ray. The special edition will have two hours of extra footage including a Behind The Scenes look and a Lyra’s world feature.
Only the standard cut as seen in cinemas will be featured, there’s no word of an extended or director’s cut yet.
External Links
The HisDarkMaterials.org The Golden Compass Premier event
See the Movie section of HisDarkMaterials.org for more information.
Photograms from the movies in HisDarkMaterials.org
In Cittàgazze
General Movie Discussion in Cittàgazze
Soundtrack Ideas and Discussion in Cittàgazze
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