So re-reading the series, I’m remembering that the first two films are the most accurate to the novels. From the third, its still the same storyline but they added a lot more “movie magic” which takes up a lot of the viewing time but nonetheless, you still don’t feel as though theres two completely different works happening. From Goblet of Fire, that’s when it starts getting super patchy. And not because they didn’t want to add as much as possible but if you just pick up the book, you’ll understand. Its huge. It’d be impossible to condense it to a two hour film without stripping out half the story, unfortunately. So as cautious as I am about the new HBO series, its reasons such as these, I’d like to see what they can do.
If you’ve read the book or not, you may know its a small read. I think I was so excited the first time I picked it up, I read it in less than a day. Possibly two days for Chamber of Secrets. But no matter how many times I read it, I always pick up on something I’ve forgotten or missed. When you go back, you start to see the eggs and plots JK had been dropping off along the way, like Snape’s role of course and Hagrid’s secret umbrella/history at the school when he was a student. But also the things that you can tell she hadn’t decided on until later in the series but it all worked out anyway. For example, the invisibility cloak and outsiders travelling within Hogwarts grounds, etc.
As someone with a pretty wild imagination, I am in complete adoration of Rowling. She never ceases to amaze me. Sure a magical world, a castle school, spells and potions are all already extraordinary and beautiful to imagine, but she has every little detail covered. The different modes of transport and communication, down to the types of candy that would be available in a magical world. A few things that tickle my fancy is The Mirror of Erised. Wow. What a creation. And I will say, the props department nailed this one, as they did for most of it. Exactly how I picture it in my head. I will never forget when Harry asks Dumbledore what he sees in the mirror and not until after the fact and he is retiring to bed, Harry realises how personal of a question that may be to ask. How she came up with a famous international sport on broomsticks is just brilliant. I’ve read the small print of ‘Quiddich Through The Ages’ and its as thorough as you’d expect any documentation of a several hundred year old sport. Its hard to disbelieve it. All the Wizarding laws and political history. It’s just brilliant. Over the year’s she’s revealed the contents of a few of the books mentioned on Harry’s school book list like ‘A History of Magic’ and ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’. I am hopeful that she will reveal more of the rest.
Not to mention, she has a great sense of humour. How she depicts Percy and his uptightness is quite amusing. And Dumbledores quirks and evident familiarity with the muggle world.
There are always things that the big screen can capture that sometimes you just can’t from letters on paper. The lighting, the music in the background, the angles, etc. When Harry receives his wand at Ollivanders or when he touches Quirrell’s skin when facing Voldemort. They made some good choices with the final scene of them going through the trapped door but I guess everyone would have a different opinion on that. I won’t say I mind missing out on the school song but it will be cool to see how they relay it to the tv show version. Also, nothing is quite as iconic as the birthday cake from Hagrid or the life size chess set, or how the bricks part when entering Diagon Alley with the tap of Hagrid’s “umbrella”. I hope treasures like this from the films that aren’t quite how its described in the book are kept in the series but only time will tell. All the more reason why having both book and film are a huge blessing. They compliment each other.
I am finding that now going back after seeing these films more than I could ever guess, my brain seems to memorise exactly how the soundtrack was playing leading up to the scene while i’m flipping through the pages. Which reminds me, I actually used to listen to the soundtrack when I would read the books to ya know, set the mood… embarrassing, I know.
I had a flick through the special features disc 2 and its cute. They have a sorting house section, you can go to Ollivander’s and get your wand, Gringott’s and collect your money before buying your owl. I had a listen to the interviews again and I forgot that all the owls in the films are real and trained. Its amazing and that’s exactly why these films are timeless. CGI will always continue to improve and therefore will forever age. Nothing beats real actors, real animals and practical effects.
Thing’s I’d love to ask J.K Rowling:
- Was what Dumbeldore saw in The Mirror of Erised, always what you imagined or is that something that changed over time or didn’t come up with until the series was over
- Did you always plan for where the Resurrection Stone would be from the beginning
- What ethnicity was Quirrell supposed to be
And to end this love letter to Philosopher’s Stone, my favourite quote from it by the headmaster himself…
“To a well organised mind, death is but the next great adventure”.