h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've just rewatched a trailer on YouTube and where they used to say alethiometer before, it's changed to Golden Compass

Someone tell me this is only marketing and that it will be back to alethiometer in the film.

please!

It had better be!

Should be called "Northern Lights" in all god damn hollywood mumble mumble cultural imperialism mumble mumble u571 mumble mumble wouldnt happen if steve guttenberg was in charge mumble mumble.......

The book got called 'The Golden Compass' in North America as well. At least the Canadian puplisher of the first Potter book managed to retain its proper title, despite pressure. Come to think of it, the first Potter movie had the correct title in Canada as well.

Why to names need to cahnge though.... harumph...

And I want "Marathons" "Opal Fruits" and "Jif" back thank you very much....

I'm not sure why they would have changed Northern Lights.

Apparently the Potter book was changed for the U.S. market because it was felt that U.S. readers wouldn't know what the Philosopher's Stone was.

errrr.... what? errr....

Surely no one know what a philosophers stone is until they read the book. Surely most Americans know what a philosopher is? Despite the steroetypes sometimes put forward on this site all the Americans I know are pretty clued up and well educated....

Aprat from Monsuier Butthead and his amigo Beavis that is!

Everyone remember the renaming of 'The Madness Of King George III' as 'The Madness Of King George' for the American market in case people wondered what happened to 'The Madness of King George' and 'The Madness Of King George II'?

A philosophers stone is a real concept, not something Rowling invented.

Anyway, Golden Compass is a better title than Northern Lights. Less bland and fits better with the other two titles.

I went to the pics tonight and it was referred to as an alethiometer in the trailer.

"Stardust", since you ask.

RF

Any good? I have been looking forward to that for ages...

Yup. Go see it.

Special effects good, as you'd expect these days, but also good storying and acting. Some bits of the book left out, natch. Robert De Niro was brillyunt.

RF

It is always a bit dodge when they make a film of osmething that is for you a "beloved text" but I have only heard good things (though lets face it on this one wossy is a bit compromised) so I think your reccomendation clinches it for me....

To the Ferrettcopter

"it was felt that U.S. readers wouldn't know what the Philosopher's Stone was."

What gets me though is not that this is some sort of slight about USA education, but rather an overly optimistic view of British education. Most people I asked when it came out thought that it was an actual object, albeit a mythical one.

Re: Changing the title from "Northern Lights" to "The Golden Compass"

There actually is a very simple reason for this name change. Pullman states that the name of a book is often the last thing he decides on. When he (or rather, his agent) sent a copy out to prospective American publishers, the pro tem title was, indeed, "The Golden Compass". Later, Pullman decided that "Northern Lights" was really a more appropriate title. Due to lack of proper communication across the Atlantic, this change was not noticed in America. When they did notice, it was too late: the ads had already been circulating. So rather than stopping the advertising campaign and starting a new one with the new title, it was decided to have two different titles.

By the way, when Pullman considered "The Golden Compass" as a title, it was not a compass of the north-south-telling variety, but rather a compass as shown in the old man's hand here: http://www.rgle.org.uk/ancient.jpg

Y.

"What gets me though is not that this is some sort of slight about USA education, but rather an overly optimistic view of British education. Most people I asked when it came out thought that it was an actual object, albeit a mythical one."

but it is the case, I have heard from numerous people in publishing (admittedly it could be a self inflicting cycle), that you can appeal to the UK market by using phrases that are unfamiliar but that this will damage sales in the US. As not understanding something in a title/on the cover will generally put people off in the US.

Icotan, I'm not sure what you mean when you say "Most people I asked when it came out thought that it was an actual object, albeit a mythical one."

Were you asking Brits or Americans?

I've known about Philosopher's stones - but even if I hadn't in what way would a sorceror's stone be better? Perhaps it even lead to more bad feeling towards it from the Religious Right? (who can have anything against philosopers anyway?)

Thanks Yelbakk for putting that link in there - I've seen you post it before and it saves me digging it out. That picture shows what I would call 'dividers' rather than a compass.

Anyhoo, I've come to the conclusion - based on no evidence whatsoever - that the trailer I saw is "dubbed" for the American market.

Sho - Brits.

And I meant was that many people seemed to take the phrase at face value - i.e. that there was supposed to be some form of artifact, a stone, which had special powers.

Rather than the truth of it which is that the philosopher's stone (not 'a', 'the' - there is no 'a philosopher's stone') is a mythical substance which can be used to transmute base metal into gold. The elixir of life thing does also come in here, according to some alchemists.

Admittedly it is a misleading title for an object. But as you say, how is ' sorceror's stone' any better? At least with philosopher those viewing might have a chance of doing a bit of reading and finding out about the enlightenment and the effect it had on such magical thinking.

ok, got you

Didn't I read somewhere that some of the more atheistic concepts had been removed from the film[s], Due to studio pressure ? Pretty sad if true . The American religious right pack a big punch and they are not reticent in swinging it around wildly .

best fishes.....tod