M: Possible Casting for The Subtle Knife

[Northen_Lights]

I heard that Zac Effron would be cast as Will

* performs a comedic double-take*

* faints *

Are you being serious? Zac Effron is NOT Will.

[Philharmonic]

As I was reading the books, the person I pictured in my mind as Lord Boreal was Ian Richardson. Other than being dead, I think he would be perfect for the part.

BTW, I thought that the one with the snake dæmon in the film might have been Lord Boreal, but I also am open to the possibility that this is wrong..

Engineer Scholar

Maybe if he was alive I definitely would have approved of him being boreal.

Despite lack of hair

Matt, I think we all agree. Zac Efron should stick to High School Musical.

I know this is a little off topic, but this is about the director. I saw something on 'Mock the Week' yesterday, the 'If this is the answer, what is the question?' round, the answer was 1476 days or something like that, and I thought, 'Accounting for the thoroughness of his wrecking of The Golden Compass, and my current levels of wrath against him, what is Chris Weitz's life expectancy as of today?' (today being Thursday 28th August 2008)

[Northen_Lights]

I agree with the Ian Richardson idea. Maybe they could see Lord Boreal's ghost when they go to the Land of the Dead. Ian Richardson would be perfect then...?

[daemon_light]

nah, i don't think boreal would be much fatter than him. thats why i don't think the guy from wolverhampton would do. Has to be Murray Melvin. Sorry dl but i think he just looks like boreal.

Fair enough. I always imagined him stocky or heavy... so naturally I'm going to disagree with you. i was almost sure he was described like that in the book.

christopher lee? no, hold on, he already had a stupid little scene thanks to el wrekerro o la filmo(chris weitz).

Ummm... that was definently not Weitz' fault. New Line definently had to be behind getting a scene for them to squeeze their Saruman into Golden Compass. You blame Weitz way more than he deserves. I personally thought he created a good picture!

I want to know why the hell he put in stupid little scenes here there and everywhere like those stupid magesterium scenes (not to mention the explanationm on the zeppelin). He actually said in the commentary thathe didnt want the film too explanatory for people who have read the book, but not too unexplanatory for those who haven't. He managed the second one a bit too much...

You have to remember that a film is supposed to stand alone... apart from the book. It can't just assume the audience knows everything already, even thought half of them do anyway. A film needs to make coherent sense... and I disagree with you. First, the zeppelin scene had some of the greatest dialogue in the whole movie. I don't know why you hate it. Second, I think that the film needed more explination, and was one of the movie's downfall, (due largly in part to the last minute editing of the second half). It needed to be 2 and half hours, and it would have been a better movie for both the book readers and the non.

[furbaby]

What makes you think Malone is Irish?

1. Her name.
2. The fact that she has been a nun.

She may not be Irish by birth, but very likely her parents were Irish; and it is much more common for Irish girls to enter a convent then it is for English girls.

Re Lord Boreal. I guessed from the short glimpse of the character with the snake daemon that he might be intended to fill the role of Lord Boreal. The actor (Edward de Souza, is it?) looks the part to me. He is one of those actors whose name is not very well-known, but has a long CV of solid supporting roles. I recognised him at once , but couldn't put a name to him. He'd do for me, although I'd agree Brian Cox would be a good pick if we were starting from scratch.

[Northen_Lights]

Yeah, it was Edward de Souza, but I don't think he'd be the greatest Lord Boreal.

[Philharmonic]

What makes you think Malone is Irish?

1. Her name.
2. The fact that she has been a nun.

She may not be Irish by birth, but very likely her parents were Irish; and it is much more common for Irish girls to enter a convent then it is for English girls.

Re Lord Boreal. I guessed from the short glimpse of the character with the snake dæmon that he might be intended to fill the role of Lord Boreal. The actor (Edward de Souza, is it?) looks the part to me. He is one of those actors whose name is not very well-known, but has a long CV of solid supporting roles. I recognised him at once , but couldn't put a name to him. He'd do for me, although I'd agree Brian Cox would be a good pick if we were starting from scratch.

How can being a nun instantly make you irish?

So she might have had irish ancestry, and she might have LIVED in ireland for a while, but i failed to see, at any point in the books, any trace of an irish ancestry, nationality, or any TRACE of Ireland at all.

You have to remember that a film is supposed to stand alone... apart from the book. It can't just assume the audience knows everything already, even thought half of them do anyway. A film needs to make coherent sense... and I disagree with you. First, the zeppelin scene had some of the greatest dialogue in the whole movie. I don't know why you hate it. Second, I think that the film needed more explination, and was one of the movie's downfall, (due largly in part to the last minute editing of the second half). It needed to be 2 and half hours, and it would have been a better movie for both the book readers and the non.

more explanation? sam, grow up-they had that stupid introduction scene (nl's trademark after Fellowship of the Ring, methinks) which was largely unneeded because most of that could have been explained at the Roping, which should have been at the Zaal in the Fens anyway, not on the Nooderlicht, then at the beginning, explaining the sort of things that happen in Lyra's universe as normal conversation, then they had the stupid thing in the zeppelin. I think it would have been impossible to put any more explanation in than they managed. it ended up being stupid, and treating the readers like idiots, and the non-idiots, while i think everyone has enough common sense-maybe not to avoid a Darwin Award-but to work things out for themselves. Such as the magesterium is the church, and the church is bad, that dæmons will feel pain if their human gets hurt...

The only things they needed to explain was touching another dæmon is just wrong, maybe that this is another universe, and the history of the alethiometer which could have been achieved at the Roping, with a little from the Master of Jordan.

Locations went bad too-I always pictured the Retiring Room as a dimly lit room, no windows, although their photograms and projector were good. The wardrobe shouldn't have had windows, and-damn, ive set myself off again...

[daemon_light]

more explanation? sam, grow up-

Don't tell me to grow up.

And what exactly is it that set you off so much about the zeppelin scene. It developed both Lyra's and Coulter's character smoothly, and explained important plot elements effectively. I never felt like I was being treated like an idiot during that scene...

Locations went bad too-I always pictured the Retiring Room as a dimly lit room, no windows, although their photograms and projector were good. The wardrobe shouldn't have had windows, and-damn, ive set myself off again...

I thought the locations were fantastic... close to perfect I'd say. I think most people thought they were good, but obviously you're going to have your own image, which is something the filmmakers can't help. I think you're criticising and dwelling on very minimal details in the film.

[furbaby]

What makes you think Malone is Irish?

1. Her name.
2. The fact that she has been a nun.

How can being a nun instantly make you irish?

So she might have had irish ancestry, and she might have LIVED in ireland for a while, but i failed to see, at any point in the books, any trace of an irish ancestry, nationality, or any TRACE of Ireland at all.

No, we don't hear anything about her ancestry at all, but Mary Malone is most certainly an Irish name and suggests to me that she is at least of Irish descent. And I didn't say being a nun "instantly made you Irish". Read what I said again. You have, by your own admission, failed to pick up these hints, but perhaps you have little experience of Ireland and its people.

[Philharmonic]

good point i've only been there once. and i'm not really up to date on names-all i know is smith is english anything with two ls a y and a w is welsh along with jones, and ferguson is scottish.
is the name malone irish or something?

[Northen_Lights]

Yeah, it is, I think.