When we watched the first Harry Potter movie in 2001, I concede that I had my doubts that the producers would be able to carry out their plans to adapt all of the planned HP novels, with the original cast. The first film was a big-budget extravaganza; and such productions take huge investments of time and money to produce. While the first film did extremely well at the box office, there was no guarantee that future films would duplicate its success (indeed, several of the movies earned less than the opening one, despite rising ticket prices), or that interest in the books and movies would continue to support film projects. Most of all, there was the challenge of the cast. Children grow up, and even when watching a fantasy film an audience would find it hard to accept a 30-year-old as a boy wizard. Moreover, a good child actor isn't necessarily a good adult actor. And children who act in films often put away such childish things as adults, and drop out of acting. The producers therefore had to craft seven (or, as it turns out, eight) high-budget, high-spectacle movies within a short enough time frame that they wouldn't lose their leads.
The films that have tried to duplicate the HP formula in the last several years have shown that this is no easy task. Numerous movies based on successful young adult series, such as the Lemony Snicket books or Phillip Pullman's series -- did not progress past the first film. Even the Narnia movie series, which met generally favorable reactions at the box office (especially the first movie), switched distributors, and may not make it past the third film.
Yet the HP producers pulled it off. Doing so took vast amounts of money (although the movies and related merchandise produced mountains of cash in return), multiple directors, and a cast that managed to grow into its roles. But the second part of THE DEATHLY HALLOWS opened this weekend, to spectacular box office (preliminary estimates are that the opening weekend generated nearly $350 million worldwide)and glowing reviews.
And, in fact, the final movie is one of the best. Although it would be impenetrable to a new viewer (or anyone who didn't see the first part), the movie is both a slam-bang action epic, stuffed with spectacular set pieces, and an emotionally-satisfying end to the series. The filmmakers did this not only by dividing the final novel adaptation into two parts (letting the story breath) but finding the dividing line in tone between the sections of the novel and sending the second film on a headlong trajectory that doesn't let up until the final denouement. Further, while retaining the most important beats of the story -- which, like most of the Potter novels, is essentially a game-like quest for puzzle pieces -- the filmmakers reworked scenes to make them more cinematic. In particular, the scene in which (spoiler) Harry and a weakened Voldemort finally go wando-a-wando is not the chatfest it is in the book. Instead, it is a headlong fight that calls to mind the climactic castle swordfights of swashbucklers from Hollywood past.
The result is unprecedented. The closest analogue may be the James Bond film series -- but that series survived only by changing casts and tone constantly; and it did not deal with the quandary of child actors.
So, what now? I don't know if J.K. Rowling will succumb to what no doubt is enormous pressure to turn out further adventures (perhaps some novels about (spoiler) those rambunctious Potter and Weasley cousins and their misadventures at Hogwarts); but even if she doesn't, I doubt this is the final adaptation of this world. Past works of British fantasy, such as the Lord of The Rings trilogy and those Narnia books, have been adapted into multiple live-action and animated versions, not to mention radio dramas. I wouldn't be surprised to someday see a BBC TV series faithfully adapting the novels, with a new cast; or a series of graphic novels illustrating the adventures in slavish detail.
In any event, we have seven books and eight movies (not to mention various ancillary works Rowling has written up) and unprecedented success in translating a young adult series to film.
Showing posts with label Harry Potter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harry Potter. Show all posts
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Hallow Hallow
I'm positive that a certain percentage of the massive moviegoing crowd descending upon theaters to watch HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS has neither seen any of the previous movies nor read any of the novels, and will wander out of the theater wondering, "What the hell was that?"
Because the filmmakers aren't wasting any time trying to orient folks watching this for the first time. It's too late for that, so you either grab on and enjoy the ride or get flung off.
The DEATHLY HALLOWS is one of the best of the film series. Not only has director David Yates (who directed the previous two movies as well) found his storytelling tone for this movie, but the film benefits greatly from three developments. One is cutting the final Potter novel into two parts, allowing time for this movie to actually tell a cinematic story rather than be consumed by the labrythine plot. Another is that the characters and cast have become young adults -- which makes some of the plot developments and scenes a lot less creepy (in the non-entertaining sense) than they would otherwise be. And finally, the story breaks away from that damned school, allowing Harry, Ron and Hermione to traipse and apparate over the length and breadth of England, from the heart of London to the cliffs of Dover, as they become a guerilla band of resistance fighters, sort of Harry Potter and His Hogwarts Commandos.
Another great touch is a scene in which Hermione tells a folk story integral to the plot, which the filmmakers depict in animation which recalls shadow puppets and El Greco art.
And the production values are stunning. Little expense has been spared, with a cast of thousands including lots of characters from previous movies.
Unfortunately, the slow, depressing segment of the novel -- in which the characters wander around, accomplishing nothing but getting on each other's nerves -- is here in its entirety, just as slow and just as depressing. True, there's some quality character development in the segment (one scene with Harry and Hermione, added for the movie, is just delightful). But it's a bit of a slog. Fortunately, the action scenes more than make up for the slow sections. (The segments with Voldemort's giant snake pal, Nagini, are truly cringeworthy.)
We saw the film at a 9:30 a.m. Imax presentation. The presentation was sold out. To me, that indicates the film is going to make a huge chunk of change this weekend -- as will the final film this summer. But the folks watching this won't care. They'll just enjoy a well-made fantasy adventure.
Because the filmmakers aren't wasting any time trying to orient folks watching this for the first time. It's too late for that, so you either grab on and enjoy the ride or get flung off.
The DEATHLY HALLOWS is one of the best of the film series. Not only has director David Yates (who directed the previous two movies as well) found his storytelling tone for this movie, but the film benefits greatly from three developments. One is cutting the final Potter novel into two parts, allowing time for this movie to actually tell a cinematic story rather than be consumed by the labrythine plot. Another is that the characters and cast have become young adults -- which makes some of the plot developments and scenes a lot less creepy (in the non-entertaining sense) than they would otherwise be. And finally, the story breaks away from that damned school, allowing Harry, Ron and Hermione to traipse and apparate over the length and breadth of England, from the heart of London to the cliffs of Dover, as they become a guerilla band of resistance fighters, sort of Harry Potter and His Hogwarts Commandos.
Another great touch is a scene in which Hermione tells a folk story integral to the plot, which the filmmakers depict in animation which recalls shadow puppets and El Greco art.
And the production values are stunning. Little expense has been spared, with a cast of thousands including lots of characters from previous movies.
Unfortunately, the slow, depressing segment of the novel -- in which the characters wander around, accomplishing nothing but getting on each other's nerves -- is here in its entirety, just as slow and just as depressing. True, there's some quality character development in the segment (one scene with Harry and Hermione, added for the movie, is just delightful). But it's a bit of a slog. Fortunately, the action scenes more than make up for the slow sections. (The segments with Voldemort's giant snake pal, Nagini, are truly cringeworthy.)
We saw the film at a 9:30 a.m. Imax presentation. The presentation was sold out. To me, that indicates the film is going to make a huge chunk of change this weekend -- as will the final film this summer. But the folks watching this won't care. They'll just enjoy a well-made fantasy adventure.
Monday, September 08, 2008
Not Feeling the Magic
According to Publisher's Weekly, J.K. Rowling has won her lawsuit against RDR books and the author of The Harry Potter Lexicon. Rowling alleged that the Lexicon consisted primarily of quotes from her Harry Potter books, with a few pieces of commentary linking them together. She had no objection when the Lexicon was a Website; but when the writer found a publisher and stated a plan to put it out as a book, for profit (and potentially in competition with the Harry Potter encylopedia Rowling is going to put out), she denied permission and eventually sued.
The judge who heard the case awarded Rowling a permanent injunction against the Lexicon's release; and a total of $6,750 in damages -- which likely does not cover Potter's plane fare for traveling to the U.S. to testify.
The suit illustrates the tightrope fan writers walk when they put out material like this. If the owner of the rights to whatever the fan is writing about is okay with the fan's work, or at least does not object, all is good. But if a fan goes against the creator's wishes (which sounds to me like an odd way to express appreciation for the creator of the property you admire so much you're writing about it), the fan is walking on hazardous territory.
The judge who heard the case awarded Rowling a permanent injunction against the Lexicon's release; and a total of $6,750 in damages -- which likely does not cover Potter's plane fare for traveling to the U.S. to testify.
The suit illustrates the tightrope fan writers walk when they put out material like this. If the owner of the rights to whatever the fan is writing about is okay with the fan's work, or at least does not object, all is good. But if a fan goes against the creator's wishes (which sounds to me like an odd way to express appreciation for the creator of the property you admire so much you're writing about it), the fan is walking on hazardous territory.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Harry Potter Delayed is Harry Potter Denied
What posseses the dominant entertainment conglomerate in the world to take a huge-budgeted movie in one of the highest-grossing franchises in history, set to open in three months, and push its opening back to July 17, 2009 -- a change tantamount to, say, pushing the Normandy invasion back to 1945?
Two things. One, a phemonemon called "The Dark Knight." The other, a summer bereft of the sort of "tent pole" movies that made a lot of executives rich this summer.
Hence, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" -- by all accounts, the sort of dark fantasy that would benefit from the gloom of November -- will debut around the same time that "Dark Knight" debuted this year.
No word yet on how this will be harmonized with the planned releases of parts I and II of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the last two films in the series. (At least until the computer-generated animated prequel. Kidding.)
Two things. One, a phemonemon called "The Dark Knight." The other, a summer bereft of the sort of "tent pole" movies that made a lot of executives rich this summer.
Hence, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" -- by all accounts, the sort of dark fantasy that would benefit from the gloom of November -- will debut around the same time that "Dark Knight" debuted this year.
No word yet on how this will be harmonized with the planned releases of parts I and II of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the last two films in the series. (At least until the computer-generated animated prequel. Kidding.)
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Full-Blooded Trailer for Half-Blood Prince
The teaser trailer for November's adaptation of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is certifiably chilling. Particularly effective is the casting of Voldemort actor Ralph Fiennes's nephew as the young Tom Riddle, aka the future Voldemort.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
The Devil Cites Scripture to His Purpose
A couple of blog posts about religious zeal run amok:
My cousin Burl Barer lists some choice quotes from public figures illustrating the fine arts of intolerance, bigotry, and half-assedness.
Colleen Doran, meanwhile, posted two panels from a religious tract by Jack Chick in which Uncle Bob explains why "[T]he [Harry] Potter books open a doorway that will put untold millions of kids into hell." (Oddly, I've read the Harry Potter books, and I've never found references to Ouija boards or tarot cards. And the crystal balls usually don't work -- except as blunt objects bounced off heads.)
My cousin Burl Barer lists some choice quotes from public figures illustrating the fine arts of intolerance, bigotry, and half-assedness.
Colleen Doran, meanwhile, posted two panels from a religious tract by Jack Chick in which Uncle Bob explains why "[T]he [Harry] Potter books open a doorway that will put untold millions of kids into hell." (Oddly, I've read the Harry Potter books, and I've never found references to Ouija boards or tarot cards. And the crystal balls usually don't work -- except as blunt objects bounced off heads.)
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Finished It!
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, that is. Now no one can spoil it for me!
Fastest 759 pages I've ever read.
No spoilers, but I do think it's the best of all the books. And if the eventual movie version (slated for 2009 or 2010) stays faithful to the book, they're going to drain the investors dry paying for it.
Monday, July 16, 2007
"I Must Not Tell Lies"
This past weekend I (like a good chunk of the world's population)went to see HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX. As anyone who has read the book knows, Harry's world darkens considerably in this story. It comes off the climax of the previous book (and movie), which featured murder, graverobbing, dismemberment, mayhem, and torture of a child -- pretty much in that order. This story takes that atmosphere of joy and pretty much spreads it through the whole installment.
Voldemort and his power-hungry sycophants loom large in the story, of course, but the central villains are exponentially scarier --because they are so realistic. Those blackguards would be, of course, Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge (who proves full of "fudge" indeed) and his toady, Delores Umbridge. Umbridge -- played to perfection by Imelda Staunton -- is the treacle-voice Ministry bigwig who arrives at Hogwarts ostensibly as the latest Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher (a job akin to drummer for Spinal Tap), but in fact as the political officer meant to keep Hogwarts, Dumbledore, and especially Harry in step with the Ministry's party line.
Yes, it's the first post-9/11 Harry Potter novel, and the one that brings political satire to the fore. The plot hints of Britain under Blair and America under Cheney -- er, Bush; but Rowling did not tie it to any particular time or government -- it also contains elements of pre-World War II England under Chamberlain.
Meanwhile, Harry himself is dealing not only with the normal adolescent moodiness, but also his Dickensian history: his abusive upbringing; the horrors he's encountered; and in particular, big doses of survivor's guilt and post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from the end of the previous installment. All that makes for one tense magic-boy. Daniel Radcliffe,who's grown tremendously as an actor, gives life to a Harry who's increasingly deep -- who goes to school and takes exams, but is plainly not just a kid anymore.
The movie adaptation of this story is perhaps the most economic of all of the HP movies. One of the benefits of constantly changing directors after the first two movies is that no one installment (again, after the first two) looks or feels like any other. Chapters one and two were brightly-colored jewelry boxes; chapter three was a painting; chapter four was a transition from light to dark. This one shows Potter's magical universe cracking around him, as nearly all of his adult support systems either distance themselves from him or are taken away. Director David Yates (who, incredibly, reportedly makes his feature debut with this $250 million movie) establishes the mood with the first, brilliant scene: Harry sitting in a nearly-deserted playground, clearly smack-dab in our world, drenched in late-summer sun, watching with quiet envy as a mother plays with her young child. Along the way, Yates and screenwriter Michael Goldenberg manage to shove in major adult characters from all of the previous movies -- plus a passel of new characters -- build suspense, show some spectacular action and set pieces, and yet devote lots of quality time to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and even their pubescent supporting cast. None of the character scenes with the kids seem rushed, even as the plot moves inexorably forward.
I don't want to give the impression that it's all doom and gloom. There's lots of visual fun too. I may be jaded by watching decades of special effects, but I still watched amazed as Harry and a passel of wizards (each on a broom reflecting that character's personality) zoom low over the Thames, dodging ships; or when a yuppie apartment building in downtown London telescopes out to reveal Sirius Black's family manse. Then there's the slam-bang finale -- perhaps the best of all the novels published so far -- in which everybody throws down heavy and goes to wand city.
Although the movie, like the previous two, slices out huge gobbets of the book's plot in a Procrustean effort to fit a fat book into a thin playing time, it adds to the story as well. In the hands of gifted actor Alan Rickman, Snape -- who often comes across in the novels as a one-note mustache twirler -- is lent depth; even as he verbally tears into Harry, and commits the unforgivable crime of visiting Harry's fathers sins upon the son, there is a weird sense of paternal caring when Snape tutors Harry in blocking mind-probes. When he tells Harry, "Life -- is -- unfair," he's not taunting the boy; he's giving him sound advice. Similarly, first-time actress Evanna Lynch gives Rowling's "wise fool," the moon-eyed Luna Lovegood, a caring and affection (and attraction) for Harry that is at most implied in the books.
This is a terrific installment in the series. It deserves the success it's receiving.
Voldemort and his power-hungry sycophants loom large in the story, of course, but the central villains are exponentially scarier --because they are so realistic. Those blackguards would be, of course, Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge (who proves full of "fudge" indeed) and his toady, Delores Umbridge. Umbridge -- played to perfection by Imelda Staunton -- is the treacle-voice Ministry bigwig who arrives at Hogwarts ostensibly as the latest Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher (a job akin to drummer for Spinal Tap), but in fact as the political officer meant to keep Hogwarts, Dumbledore, and especially Harry in step with the Ministry's party line.
Yes, it's the first post-9/11 Harry Potter novel, and the one that brings political satire to the fore. The plot hints of Britain under Blair and America under Cheney -- er, Bush; but Rowling did not tie it to any particular time or government -- it also contains elements of pre-World War II England under Chamberlain.
Meanwhile, Harry himself is dealing not only with the normal adolescent moodiness, but also his Dickensian history: his abusive upbringing; the horrors he's encountered; and in particular, big doses of survivor's guilt and post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from the end of the previous installment. All that makes for one tense magic-boy. Daniel Radcliffe,who's grown tremendously as an actor, gives life to a Harry who's increasingly deep -- who goes to school and takes exams, but is plainly not just a kid anymore.
The movie adaptation of this story is perhaps the most economic of all of the HP movies. One of the benefits of constantly changing directors after the first two movies is that no one installment (again, after the first two) looks or feels like any other. Chapters one and two were brightly-colored jewelry boxes; chapter three was a painting; chapter four was a transition from light to dark. This one shows Potter's magical universe cracking around him, as nearly all of his adult support systems either distance themselves from him or are taken away. Director David Yates (who, incredibly, reportedly makes his feature debut with this $250 million movie) establishes the mood with the first, brilliant scene: Harry sitting in a nearly-deserted playground, clearly smack-dab in our world, drenched in late-summer sun, watching with quiet envy as a mother plays with her young child. Along the way, Yates and screenwriter Michael Goldenberg manage to shove in major adult characters from all of the previous movies -- plus a passel of new characters -- build suspense, show some spectacular action and set pieces, and yet devote lots of quality time to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and even their pubescent supporting cast. None of the character scenes with the kids seem rushed, even as the plot moves inexorably forward.
I don't want to give the impression that it's all doom and gloom. There's lots of visual fun too. I may be jaded by watching decades of special effects, but I still watched amazed as Harry and a passel of wizards (each on a broom reflecting that character's personality) zoom low over the Thames, dodging ships; or when a yuppie apartment building in downtown London telescopes out to reveal Sirius Black's family manse. Then there's the slam-bang finale -- perhaps the best of all the novels published so far -- in which everybody throws down heavy and goes to wand city.
Although the movie, like the previous two, slices out huge gobbets of the book's plot in a Procrustean effort to fit a fat book into a thin playing time, it adds to the story as well. In the hands of gifted actor Alan Rickman, Snape -- who often comes across in the novels as a one-note mustache twirler -- is lent depth; even as he verbally tears into Harry, and commits the unforgivable crime of visiting Harry's fathers sins upon the son, there is a weird sense of paternal caring when Snape tutors Harry in blocking mind-probes. When he tells Harry, "Life -- is -- unfair," he's not taunting the boy; he's giving him sound advice. Similarly, first-time actress Evanna Lynch gives Rowling's "wise fool," the moon-eyed Luna Lovegood, a caring and affection (and attraction) for Harry that is at most implied in the books.
This is a terrific installment in the series. It deserves the success it's receiving.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Hallow, Hallow
The title of the final Harry Potter book has been revealed: HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS.
Since this book will likely tug along with it the combined readership of all the previous HP novels, it will likely be one of the best-selling books ever, propelling its author -- already a billionaire -- into another stratosphere of wealth.
Since this book will likely tug along with it the combined readership of all the previous HP novels, it will likely be one of the best-selling books ever, propelling its author -- already a billionaire -- into another stratosphere of wealth.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)