Chris Weitz Defends Golden Compass Against Hanna Rosin

Director Chris Weitz writes the Atlantic’s editors a stern letter regarding Hanna Rosin’s piece about The Golden Compass. He calls it a hatchet job, and complains that she accused him of “selling out” author Philip Pullman’s books. Rosin replies, claiming that she was just trying to explain how hard it was to make a profitable movie, but not offend the religious types who Pullman distains.

All this would be fine, until she reveals that she never actually saw the movie:

At the time I wrote the story, neither Weitz nor the studio would let me see the film. My story was based on the shooting script, as well as several earlier versions.

Then Rosin’s piece is pretty much balderdash, isn’t it? Why didn’t the editors hold off? Her review of the actual film, as opposed to the script, is here, not that she’s any happier with it. Rosin knows all about religion but nothing about movies.

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