Beyond 'The Golden Compass': The Magic of Philip Pullman

There are many universes

and many earths...

parallel to each other.

Worlds like yours...

where people's souls

live inside their bodies...

and worlds like mine...

where they walk beside us...

as animal spirits

we call daemons.

Are we going to see the child?

I should think so.

So many worlds...

but connecting them all is Dust.

Dust was here before

the witches of the air...

the Gyptians of the water...

and the bears of the ice.

In my world,

scholars invented an alethiometer...

a golden compass...

and it showed them

all that was hidden.

But the ruling power, fearing

any truth but their own...

destroyed these devices...

and forbade

the very mention of Dust.

One compass remains, however...

and only one who can read it.

You'll never get me!

Let's go get 'em, Lyra.

Come on!

Gonna get you!

I'll get you first!

Billy!

You come back here!

Leave me alone!

Faster, faster!

We're gonna get you!

Run, Roger!

You are now Gobbled!

You've gotta do whatever I say!

Go, Roger! Run!

Come on! Come on! Hurry!

- Leave us alone!

- Get him!

Come on. Run!

Hurry up, Roger,

or they'll Gobble you!

Faster!

Hurry up!

Stop!

If you value your lives,

come no further.

Why?

We Gobbled him fair and square.

This ain't no game, Billy Costa.

Don't you know what this gate is?

It's the back door

to your stupid college.

So?

There's a curse on this gate.

You Gyptians ought to know that.

Crossin' this gate...

is worse than touching

someone's dmon...

with your bare hands.

Why ain't nothin'

happened to you, then?

'Cause we live 'ere.

We got safe passage, see?

And anyway, my mother's

the one who put the curse...

on this gate in the first place.

What mother?

I heard you was an orphink...

and your uncle only left you 'ere

'cause nobody wanted you.

Come 'ere and say that.

Don't, Billy.

You should listen to your mate.

The scholars got this special room

where they deal with trespassers.

They got this poison gown, right...

and it burns you alive!

Rubbish. Hand him over.

It ain't rubbish.

I'll prove it. I'll steal it.

You can have Roger.

As long as you try it on.

All right. Bring it with you tonight.

Or else...

War.

Billy, don't!

See ya later, then.

OK.

Well done, Billy!

You ain't really gonna

hand me over to them?

Of course not.

I'll steal any old scholar's gown.

He'll never try it on anyway.

- Lord Asriel?

- Morning, Hunt.

Well, the Master will be relieved

to hear you've arrived safely.

I'm sure he will.

I wish you'd listen

to me once in a while.

Stop being such a coward.

If I weren't such a coward,

where would you be?

In the Retiring Room already.

Come on, quick.

Let's find a robe

and get out of here.

Don't be silly.

I want to look around.

You do know that if you get

a smack, I hurt too?

Oh, Lyra.

You're gonna get us caught.

Oh, no! I told you!

Lord Asriel is an eminent

fellow of the college.

And as master of Jordan,

you must force him...

to abandon his plan.

They're talking about Uncle Asriel.

I speak for the Magisterium.

The Magisterium has no authority

within these walls.

My dear fellow...

the Magisterium

has authority everywhere...

and Lord Asriel will be silenced...

one way or another.

That may be.

But while he is at Jordan,

his proposal will be heard.

I'll not dispense with centuries

of tolerance and free inquiry.

And that's my final word

on the matter.

Now, if you'll excuse me...

I shall call the Council to order.

I guess we lost that bet.

Hush, Pan.

Lyra, he's leaving. Let's go.

Lyra.

- The professor... a really hard time.

- Oh, no.

It's Stelmaria.

The master asked me to decant a bottle

of the '99 Tokay for you, Lord Asriel.

He remembered

you were partial to it.

Thank you.

- Lyra!

- It's poisoned.

- Nonsense.

- It ain't nonsense.

I saw that man

from the Magisterium...

pour some powder into the wine.

Go back in there.

Keep your eyes open

and your mouth shut.

Go on.

Ah, Lord Asriel.

This is a rare pleasure.

May I introduce

Fra Pavel of the Magisterium?

We've never met, but I've followed

your exploits closely, Lord Asriel.

That's what the smell is.

Master, gentlemen,

I shall get straight to the point.

Hunt, the lights.

This photogram was taken

at the magnetic North Pole...

in Svalbard...

kingdom of the ice bears.

Ice bears, Pan.

Lord Asriel, is that light rising up

from the man's body or coming down?

No, that's coming down from the sky,

but that's not light.

- It's Dust.

- Dust?

- What's Dust?

- I don't know.

It can't be the normal sort.

They've got plenty of that here.

Mlrablle dlctu, gentlemen.

Allow Lord Asriel to explain.

Perhaps you've made a mistake.

It could be an aberration

or malfunction of some kind.

No, it is no aberration.

The behavior of these particles

is quite unmistakable.

Dust is flowing into this man,

through his dmon...

from a city in another world.

A world much like ours in a parallel

universe coexisting with our own.

Invisible, intangible, inaccessible!

Until now.

From there, and from

a billion other worlds, Dust flows.

Worlds of infinite possibilities.

Some where men have no daemons.

Some where daemons have no men.

People without daemons.

That's impossible.

And even some where

there is no Magisterium...

and no Authority.

That is heresy.

That...

is the truth.

I wouldn't recommend the Tokay,

gentlemen. It's corked.

To discover the source of Dust,

I intend to travel to these worlds.

With a sufficient source

of energy and...

Well, a sufficient source of funds...

I can effect a crossing.

I humbly beg the College Council

to fund such a journey.

It wasn't my fault.

She wouldn't listen to me.

I will not have my niece

slithering round like an alley cat.

You're not very grateful, are you?

I've just saved your life.

Uncle, why did he try

to poison you?

- You wouldn't understand.

- Yes, I would.

Well, I don't see why.

Apparently you're

impossible to educate.

A miscreant and a liar.

What will the Magisterium

do to you now?

The Magisterium's days

are numbered.

What does that mean?

Trouble, with a bit of luck.

Did you get the money you needed?

Are you going North again?

The College Council

has defied the Magisterium.

I'm leaving immediately.

Can I come with you?

I want to see the ice bears

and glaciers...

and learn about Dust

and everything.

What do you know about Dust?

- Nothing.

- Good.

Keep it that way.

Now be a good girl

and do what you're told.

But you don't do what you're told.

You don't let anybody

tell you what to do.

Yes, and look at the welcome I got.

Hush, Pan.

I see your dmon

still changes shape.

Hasn't settled yet.

Yeah.

That's to do with Dust, isn't it?

Why kids'daemons

can change shape...

but grown-ups'daemons can't.

Lyra.

Dust is none of your business.

Now you try and behave.

My Uncle Asriel said he'd take me

to the North next time he goes. He swore it.

'Cause he needs my help, see.

What for?

Fightin', probably.

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