EVA GREEN - GREEN DEFENDS FILM AGAINST ANTI-CATHOLICISM CLAIMS

Actress EVA GREEN has dismissed criticism her new movie THE GOLDEN COMPASS is an attack on Catholicism as a "fuss about nothing". The Casino Royale star insists author Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials literary trilogy, of which The Golden Compass is the first book, is morally sound, despite its thinly-veiled critique of the Roman Catholic church. She says, "I am amazed people are so bored. They are making a fuss about nothing. "In past regimes in Russia and China, everyone controlled beliefs. This is more about free will, freedom of speech and fate. Although the story evolves a lot. It is very religious in the third book." The anti-religious content has reportedly been toned down in the film version of The Golden Compass on the orders of studio executives at New Line cinema, who feared a backlash in America. The film's star Nicole Kidman was also said to be concerned over perceived anti-Catholic sentiment in the original story.