'You’re A Wizard Harry…' The Definitive Harry Potter Film Guide
By Löuis-Courtney Jones – Griffindor House
As the doors of Hogwart School of Witchcraft and Wizardry prepares to open its door for the 6th term in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, we take a look back at the success of the Harry Potter books and films over the last few years…
Unless you live under a bridge and you’re best mate is a troll called Bert you will have undoubtably heard of the huge phenomenon that is Harry Potter.
THE BOOKS:
Harry Potter started life as a series of seven fantasy novels aimed primarily at children (though the series became so sucessful with adult readers as well that they released the entire Harry Potter collection with alternate adult covers just for those who don’t want to be accused of reading kids stuff!) and written by author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent Harry Potter, who along with his best friends and partners in crime, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a massive secret school built by the wizarding world to teach those who belong in the wizarding world everything they need to know to get by in life.
The central story arc in the books concerns Harry's constant struggle against the evil wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents in his quest to conquer the wizarding world when Harry was 1 year old, and subjugate non-magical (or Muggle) people to his rule.
Since the 1997 release of the first novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which was (for some unknown reason) retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States, the books have become among the most popular series of stories ever written and the last four books have consecutively set records as the fastest-selling books in history. Pretty nifty, I wouldn’t mind being J. K. Rowling sometimes I can tell you!
The seventh and final Harry Potter book; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released in the UK on 21st July 2007 and immediately became the fastest selling book ever with over 15 million copies being sold within the first 24 hours of release alone… No wonder they decided to make moves about the books!
THE MOVIES:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
After the success of the first two titles in the Harry Potter series, Warner Brothers bought the rights to the books in 1999, production on the first Harry Potter film began in 2000 and Chris Columbus was bought on board to direct. J. K. Rowling insisted on a few things before production went any further (and understandably so, this was her baby after all), she insisted that the entire cast be British in keeping with the cultural integrity of the book, however Richard Harris is of course Irish and Zöe Wannamaker was actually born in the USA, on top of that Verne Troyer (Mini Me in the Austin Powers films) who played Griphook the Goblin and Chris Columbus daughter, Eleanor Columbus, who played Susan Bones are both American. She also approved the screenplay, which had been written by Steve Kloves before filming began. Finally she personally attended and approved the auditions for the roles of Harry, Ron and Hermione herself along with casting director Susie Figgis and director Chris Columbus. Open casting calls were held for the main three roles, with only British children even being considered for them. Principal auditions took place in three parts, with those auditioning having to read a page from the book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, then if they were called back, they had to improvise a scene of the students' arrival at Hogwarts followed by a reading of several pages from the script in front of Chris Columbus. Finally, on 8 August 2000, the virtually unknown Daniel Radcliffe and newcomers Emma Watson and Rupert Grint were selected from thousands of auditioning children to play the roles of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, respectively and three new legends of the silver screen were born as the film was released in the UK and Ireland on 4th November 2001…
In the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry Potter is a seemingly ordinary 11 year old boy, living with his negligent and rather nasty relatives on his late Mothers side, the Dursleys. On the day of his eleventh birthday, after some peculiar incidents at London Zoo involving an escaping snake and what seems to be magic, Harry learns from a mysterious (and very large) stranger, Hagrid, that he is actually a wizard, famous in the wizarding world for surviving an attack by the evil dark Lord Voldemort, when He was only a year old. Voldemort managed to kill both of Harry's parents, but his attack on Harry failed, leaving only a lightning-bolt scar on Harry's forehead. After this revelation, Harry is invited to begin attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, much to the annoyance of his aunt and uncle who do not wish him to become part of such nonsense.
Harry defies his aunt and uncle however, and sets off to Kings Cross and station 9 3/4 where he catches the famed Hogwarts Express train to the school. It is here that he meets Ron Weasley, a young red headed boy from a large wizarding family, well known for their disapproval of the new vanquished Lord Voldemorts ways and urge for pure blood rights for wizards, and Hermione Granger a young headstrong young girl born of Muggle parents who has a knack for straight A magic. Together they embark on a new and mysterious journey to their new lives at Hogwarts where they begin to learn magic and make new friends, as well as enemies, among the Hogwarts students and staff. Voldemort has been near death, and in hiding, since the attack on Harry ten years earlier, but a plot is brewing for the dark lord to regain his power and strength through the acquisition of a philosopher's stone, which grants immortality to its owner. Harry, Ron and Hermione, discover the plot and seek to prevent the theft of the stone, which is hidden in a protected chamber at Hogwarts.
DID YOU KNOW…?
Richard Harris only agreed to taking the part of Albus Dumbledore after his eleven year old granddaughter threatened never to speak to him again.
The tabby cat used to play Mrs Norris ran away during filming and came back two days later.
While the movie used Platforms 4 and 5 at Kings Cross to represent platforms 9 and 10, there is, in fact a "Platform 9 3/4" at Kings Cross. It's located in the walkway area between the intercity section and the section where the real platforms 9 and 10 are, and was obviously put there for fans of Harry Potter.
Nicholas Flamel, mentioned as the creator of the Philosopher's Stone, was actually a real alchemist who was believed by some people to have produced the real Philosopher's Stone and who has mysterious circumstances surrounding his "death". It is rumoured that he might still be alive and, if so, he would be about the age given in the book and movie.
Alan Rickman was hand-picked to play Snape by J.K. Rowling and he received special instruction from J.K. Rowling as to his character. Rowling even provided the actor with vital details of Snape's back story not revealed until the final novel.
West Anglia Great Northern Trains, the company that owns "Platform 9 3/4", affixed one-quarter of a luggage trolley forwardly "disappearing" into the wall so as to allow fans (and their parents) to take pictures of themselves seeming to disappear into the wall.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Production for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets began on 19 November 2001, just three days after the widespread release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, this was because the producers and J. K. Rowling wanted to keep the same child actors throughout the course of the seven books-to-film should they all go ahead and the only way of ensuring that they didn’t all outgrow their parts was to film each book back to back. Filming finished in the summer of 2002 and the film was released on 15th November 2002 in the UK and Ireland (almost two weeks after the death of Richard Harris). Returning to work on the film were director Chris Columbus, screenwriter Steven Kloves, and producer David Heyman. Most of the major cast and crew from Philosopher's Stone also returned for Chamber of Secrets, including stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. However, sadly, it was the last appearance by Richard Harris as Dumbledore (and also Harris's last film) and the last Harry Potter film directed by Columbus. New key actors included Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockhart and Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy as well as a CGI Dobby, one of the more popular creature characters in the book who was disappointingly never seen again, well not so far anyway!
As the opening credits of The Chamber of Secrets finish and the film begins, we can see that Harry Potter has not had a very good summer. Not only has he had to put up with his overbearing Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon Dursley and their dread of his magical abilities, but it seems as if Harry's best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger have forgotten him completely as they haven't replied to a single one of his many letters to him. Then, suddenly and mysteriously, house-elf Dobby appears in Harry's bedroom and warns him of great danger if he should attempt to return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But despite the elf's mischievous efforts to thwart Harry's return to school, the ever determined Harry is rescued from the Dursley's dreary clutches by Ron and his brothers and their father’s flying Ford Anglia and whisked into the warmth of the Weasley household.
After more Dobby related catastrophies (including his locking of the secret platform in Kings Cross so that Harry and Ron miss the Hogwarts Express and have to steal the flying car again in order to get to their school), Harry arrives at Hogwarts and finds that his first year heroics have caused him to become the centre of much unwanted attention. His new fans include Ron's little sister Ginny; first year would-be photographer Colin Creevey; and most irritatingly, the New Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Gilderoy Lockhart. Outshone only by his own vanity, Lockhart craves the attention that Harry shuns. But not even Lockhart can offer an explanation for the sinister new terror that is gripping the school and threatens to close Hogwarts forever...
DID YOU KNOW…?
Daniel Radcliffe has said that "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is his favourite book.
Christian Coulson landed the role as Tom Riddle, even though he was 23 and exceeded the 15-17 age group set for auditions.
As Harry enters Professor Dumbledore's study, a portrait of Gandalf the Grey is included in the collection of the great wizard paintings. It is above the door-frame and slightly to Harry's right.
A cinema manager in Stavanger in Norway reported that the film was making his younger patrons ill. Evidently many children who had overindulged on sweets and popcorn were throwing up when Ron begins vomiting giant slugs. "It is not a particularly fun task for our employees to have to wash away the sick," he said.
Nurses were drafted into the production when an outbreak of head lice occurred among the young cast.
Full-size models replaced the actors in scenes where their characters had been petrified.
The script originally said that Hermione would hug Harry and Ron in the final scene. As the then 11-year-old Emma Watson was embarrassed about having to hug the boys in front of the entire cast, Chris Columbus allowed her to change the scene so that Hermione just hugs Harry then starts to hug Ron but the two get embarrassed and resolve to only shake hands. Watson also stated in a recent interview that she kept letting Daniel Radcliffe go too quickly, so the film was "frozen" for a few seconds to make the hug look like it lasted longer than it actually did.
When Lockhart turns to show his other profile to the photographer, several red leatherbound editions of Harry Potter books can be seen on the shelves behind him.
When Lucius Malfoy tries to curse Harry at the end, he mutters,"Avada..." As mentioned in the 4th book, this is the beginning of an Unforgivable Curse named Avada Kedevra, or the killing curse.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Direction for the third film in the series; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was taken over by Mexican film maker Alfonso Cuarón, Returning to the cast as usual were Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as Harry's best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger while Gary Oldman and David Thewlis joined the cast as the characters of Sirius Black and Remus Lupin and Albus Dumbledore was played by Michael Gambon who took over from the late Richard Harris who had sadly died from Hodgkin's disease a few months beforehand. Chris Columbus (the director of the previous two films) became a producer, alongside David Heyman. The film was released on 31 May 2004 in the UK and Ireland. With Prisoner of Azkaban production of the Harry Potter films switched to an 18-month cycle, which producer David Heyman explained was "to give each film the time it required.” Principal photography began on 24 February 2003, at Leavesden Film Studios, and concluded in October 2003. J.K. Rowling allowed Alfonso Cuarón to make minor changes to the book, on the condition that he stuck to the book's spirit. She allowed him to place a sundial on the Hogwarts' grounds, but rejected a graveyard, as that would play an important part in the then unreleased sixth book. Rowling said she "got goosebumps" when she saw several moments in the film, as they inadvertently referred to events in the final two books, she stated "people are going to look back on the film and think that those were put in deliberately as clues.".
As always at the beginning of the Harry Potter films, we beging the third instalment with the now thirteen year-old Harry, who has reluctantly spent yet another summer with the horrible Dursleys, his dismal relatives, "behaving himself" and not practicing any magic. That is, until Uncle Vernon's bullying sister, Aunt Marge, comes to visit. Aunt Marge has always been particularly horrible to Harry and this time pushes him so far that he "accidentally" causes her to inflate like a monstrous balloon and drift away!
Fearing punishment from his Aunt and Uncle and, more importantly, repercussions from Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic, which strictly forbids students from using magic in the non-magic world, Harry escapes into the night and finds his way to Diagon Alley and eventually Hogwarts with a little bit of help from the mysterious knightbus, Hermione and the Weasleys and of course the Hogwarts Express. But this term isn’t going to be any easier than the last two as Harry is being followed by a mysterious black dog and is reportedly being hunted by escaped prisoner of Azkaban, the terrifying Sirius Black.
Along the way, Harry will try to make sense of Hermione’s puzzling appearances and disappearances every day, with the help of Ron and the giant Hagrid, who has taken on a new position at Hogwarts as the new Care of Magical Creatures professor. A confrontation between Harry and the menacing Sirius Black seems inevitable, but what exactly is Professor Lupin, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor’s relationship with Black? What is Professor Lupins own secret? What is the dark secret that Professor Snape is so eager to reveal? And just why is Ron’s pet rat Scabbers so frantic to escape his grasp? Harry will need all of the courage, magic and support he can muster to answer these questions and uncover the truth behind Sirius Black and his ties to the gifted young wizard’s mysterious past.
DID YOU KNOW…?
Honeydukes "is floor-to-ceiling psychedelia" and includes Mexican skulls made of sugar. The cast was told that the Honeydukes candy was lacquer-coated, when in fact it wasn't, to prevent candy from disappearing between takes.
Illusionist Paul Kieve served as a consultant. He taught magic to several members of the cast including Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson (Harry and Hermione) and worked extensively to create physical magical effects. He is the first illusionist to have worked on any of the series of films. He is also to make a cameo appearance in the film in a scene in the Three Broomsticks pub.
Filming was halted following the vandalization of the train used as the Hogwarts Express.
The tattoos on Sirius Black's body and hands are borrowed from Russian prison gangs. They are markings which identify the person as a man to be feared and respected.
Alfonso Cuarón coached Daniel Radcliffe in one scene where the latter had to act awed: "Pretend you're seeing Cameron Diaz in a G-string". It worked.
Warner Brothers supplied ushers at cinemas with night vision goggles to prevent illegal recording and pirating of the film.
Ian McKellen turned down the role of Dumbledore. Having appeared as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, he said, "I had enough trouble living up to one legend. Two would be too much to hope for."
Alfonso Cuarón had an idea for there to be tiny people inhabiting Hogwarts, and jumping on piano keys in one scene. J.K. Rowling firmly vetoed it, saying tiny people were completely foreign to the world of her books.
A clause in Alfonso Cuarón's contract forbade the director from swearing in front of the kids on set.
In order to acquaint himself with his three lead actors, director Alfonso Cuarón had each of them write an essay about their characters, from a first-person point of view. Emma Watson, in true Hermione fashion, went a little overboard and wrote a 16-page essay. Daniel Radcliffe wrote a simple one-page summary, and Rupert Grint never even turned his in!
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Goblet of Fire is the fourth installment in the series of Harry Potter films. This time around, the film was directed by Mike Newell and produced once more by David Heyman. The three main stars once again returned to their roles as Harry, Ron and Hermione and introduced a few new school characters including Cedric Diggory (played by Robert Pattinson who most will now know as Edward Cullen in the Twilight films), Cho Chang (Katie Leung), Harrys first crush, Alistor ‘Mad Eye’ Moody, an ex-auror and Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts played by Irish actor Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes as the evil Lord Voldemort and Rita Skeeter, an interfering journalist played by Miranda Richardson, there was even an appearance by Doctor Who himself, David Tennant! Filming began in early 2004 and was released internationally on November 18th 2005, becoming the highest grossing film of 2005 and the 12th highest grossing film of all time. The film won BAFTA Award for Best Production Design making it the only Potter film to win a BAFTA award. This was also the first Harry Potter film to receive a 12A rating for sequences of fantasy violence and frightening images, the preceding films and the upcoming Half-Blood Prince film adaptation having been rated PG.
As The Goblet of Fire begins, it’s nice to see Harry enjoying himself before school term starts for once, beset by nightmares, he is all too happy to escape his disturbing dreams by attending the Quidditch World Cup with Hermione, Ron and his family. But something sinister ignites the skies at the Quidditch campsite, the Dark Mark, the sign of the evil Lord Voldemort that has not been seen for years. It has been conjured by his followers, the evil and mysterious Death Eaters, who haven't dared to appear in public since Voldemort was last seen thirteen years ago, the same night that he murdered Harry's parents and tried to murder Harry himself.
After the horrifying events that take place at the Quidditch World Cup, Harry wants nothing more than to get back inside the safe walls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where Professor Dumbledore can protect him. But Dumbledore has more exciting news for the school this term and he announces that Hogwarts will be hosting the infamous Triwizard Tournament, one of the most exciting and dangerous of the wizarding community's magical competitions. One champion will be selected from each of the three most prestigious wizarding schools in the world to compete in a series of life-threatening tasks in pursuit of winning the coveted Triwizard Cup.
The Ministry of Magic official Barty Crouch and Professor Dumbledore are present at Hogwarts to preside over a candlelit ceremony as the enchanted Goblet of Fire selects one student from each school to compete in the tournament. Amidst a hail of sparks and flames, the cup names Durmstrang's Institute's Quidditch superstar Victor Krum, followed by Beauxbatons' Academy exquisite Fleur Delacour and finally, Hogwarts' popular all-around golden boy Cedric Diggory. But then, inexplicably, the Goblet spits out one final name; Harry Potter’s. Suspecting that whoever entered Harry's name wants to put him in grave danger, Dumbledore asks Alastor ‘Mad-Eye’ Moody, the eccentric new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, to keep his magical eye trained on the teenage wizard as he gets ready for the challenge of his young life.
With a dragon to fight, mermaids to outwit and a terrifying maze to find his way thought, Harry certainly has his work cut out for him in his fourth term at Hogwarts, to make matters more confusing still he finds himself with a crush on Cedric Diggorys’ girl, Cho Chang who seems to like him too and he has to make it through a night of merriment at the traditional Yule Ball. Events soon take an ominous turn towards the end of the tournament however as someone is murdered right in front of Harrys eyes. As he edges closer and closer to winning the Triwizard Tournament, Harry soon finds himself hurtling toward a terrifying encounter with true evil and his own uncertain destiny.
DID YOU KNOW…?
At least one full-scale dragon was constructed on set, which could even blow real fire.
According to rumours that circulated the Internet, both Rowan Atkinson and John Malkovich were considered for the role of Lord Voldemort. Both rumours were proven to be untrue.
During the underwater filming Daniel Radcliffe, a couple of the cast members, and all of the underwater crew posed for a photo which he later sent out as a Christmas card with Rudolph noses and antlers Photoshopped on everyone's faces.
Safety divers swam in with scuba regulators to allow them to breathe without having to surface. These scenes were shot in a huge purpose-built tank with a blue-screen background. Daniel Radcliffe alone logged around 41 hours 38 minutes underwater during the course of filming. At one point during training he inadvertently signaled that he was drowning, sending the crew into a huge panic to bring him back up to surface.
While filming his scenes as Professor Dumbledore, Michael Gambon wore street clothes under his flimsy costume. He also kept his cigarettes tucked into his socks.
The elves Dobby and Winky were cut due to time constraints. However, if you watch carefully in the first campsite scene, right after Ginny points to something and says "Look!" you can see two House Elves riding on llamas. They go by very fast, so they're hard to see.
Katie Leung hadn't intended to audition for the role of Cho Chang. Her father had told her where the audition was being held and she decided to go before her shopping trip.
The rock band at the Yule Ball is comprised mostly of members of Pulp and Radiohead.
Icelandic moviegoers (particularly the younger crowd) tended to crack up unexpectedly in theaters when Rita Skeeter first introduces herself. Apparently the audience weren't expecting the pronunciation of her last name, Skeeter, to sound so close to the Icelandic verb "skíta", which happens to be a rather crude word for defecating.
The occasional tongue flick done by the character of Barty Crouch Jr. was, in fact, not in the book at all, and was improvised, on the spot, by David Tennant.
In the scene with Dumbledore, Harry and the Pensieve, pay close attention to the glass cabinet Dumbledore approaches while explaining the Pensieve. In the top left corner is a 3D model of what becomes an important symbol in the final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The Order of the Phoenix, is, up to this year and the release of Half Blood Prince, the last film to be released from the Harry Potter series. Directed by David Yates and again produced by David Heyman, the film features the same cast as the previous titles in the recurring roles along with the new additions of Helena Bonham-Carter as Bellatrix LeStrange, Imelda Staunton as Professor Delores Umbridge and Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood. The film is also famous for featuring Harry Potters first kiss with Cho Chang though does not focus on their actual relationship as the book did. Live-action filming took place in England and Scotland for exterior locations and Leavesden Film Studios in Watford for interior locations from February to November 2006 and after post-production was released in the UK and Ireland on the 12th July 2007. It is the unadjusted 7th-highest grossing film of all time, and a critical and commercial success, acclaimed as "the best one yet" by J.K. Rowling, who has consistently offered praise for the film adaptations of her work. It was reported about a month before the release of the final book that Kreacher, the Black family's house-elf, was cut from this film in one draft of the script. However, after J.K. Rowling prodded the filmmakers to include him, saying, "You know, I wouldn't [cut him] if I were you. Or you can, but if you get to make a seventh film, you'll be tied in knots", he was thankfully added back into the script. Other minor roles were cut with subsequent drafts of the script. Former Hogwarts professor Gilderoy Lockhart, played by Kenneth Branagh in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, was in the first draft of the script for Phoenix. However, neither Branagh nor the character of Lockhart appears in the final version. Tiana Benjamin was scheduled to return for the film in the role of Angelina Johnson, the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, but she had to withdraw due to a commitment to playing Chelsea Fox in EastEnders. The character, as well as the entire Quidditch subplot, was ultimately cut from the film. She did, however, record sound clips for the Order of the Phoenix video game.
As his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry approaches, the 15-year-old Harry Potter is in full-blown adolescence, complete with regular outbursts of rage, a nearly debilitating crush, and the blooming of a powerful sense of rebellion. It's been yet another infuriating and boring summer with the despicable Dursleys, this time with minimal contact from our hero's non-Muggle friends from school. Harry is feeling especially edgy at the lack of news from the magic world, wondering when the freshly revived evil Lord Voldemort will strike. Returning to Hogwarts will be a relief or will it?
Eventually rescued from his unfortunate family prison by a special guard from a group known as The Order of the Phoenix, Harry soon finds himself at a London address which belongs to his godfather Sirius Black and serves as the headquarters for The Order, a group which includes Mr & Mrs Weasley, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Nymphodora Tonks, Mad Eye Moody, Severus Snape and others including of course Albus Dumbledore, who for some reason is doing his very best to avoid any contact with Harry at all. The Order are pledged to stop Voldemort at any costs and now news of his return is eminent people are viewing Harry with stranger eyes than usual, should they believe him or not?
To make matters worse, after saving his cousin Dudley from a couple of Dementors, Harry has a hearing at the Ministry of Magic to attend in order to see if he will be permitted to return to his beloved Hogwarts for his fifth term and his O.W.L. exams after using magic in the muggle world. Unfortunately the Ministry also wants to keep a close eye on Harry and events at Hogwarts and sends the despicable and sickly sweet Delores Umbridge to do her dirty work on behalf of those in power.
Add to this the blossoming romance between Harry and Cho Chang, the disturbing and very real nightmares that keep repeating in Harrys head each and every night, private tutoring sessions with his least favourite professor, Severus Snape, wondering what his friend Hagrid is secretly up to in the Forbidden Forest and also being thrown in the deep end as the leader and tutor of a new and upcoming group of fighters who believe that Voldemort has returned, named the DA (Dumbledores Army), Harry really has his work cut out for him this year…!
DID YOU KNOW…?
Helen McCrory was originally cast as Bellatrix Lestrange, but due to pregnancy she had to be replaced by Helena Bonham Carter. McCrory was later cast as Narcissa Malfoy, who is Bellatrix's sister, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009).
The radish earrings worn by Luna Lovegood were actually made by Evanna Lynch.
Daniel Radcliffe came up with the idea that, as a gesture of respect to a teacher that Harry most certainly looked up to, he would wear a certain type of clothes that resemble the outfit worn by Professor Lupin in his lessons from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, during his teachings. The director liked the suggestion, so that became the basis for his look during those scenes.
In the scene where Harry, Ron, and Hermione are discussing Harry's kiss with Cho, the three begin to crack up near the end of the scene when Hermione tells Ron he has the emotional range of a teaspoon. This was all real laughter from the three actors. The director thought it was good for the scene and kept rolling.
J. K. Rowling provided over 70 names for the Black family tree tapestry, complete with details of relations between each and every member, whose were to be scorched and so on.
In late 2005, Anna Friel lobbied for the role of Tonks so that she can work with her real-life partner David Thewlis. She was turned down by the producers.
Dumbledore's line "Don't fight him, Harry, you can't win" was featured prominently in just about every trailer and TV-spot, yet it is nowhere in the final version of the film, nor in the DVD's extended scenes.
Daniel Radcliffe can't tolerate contact lens, so in the scene where Harry is possessed, his eyes are digitally changed.
Sirius Black's (Gary Oldman) death was foreshadowed and mentioned by Sybil Trelawney in the third novel Prisoner of Azkaban. J.K. Rowling's text line mentioned: "When thirteen dine together, the first to rise will be the first to die." In the dining room in Grimmauld Place, we see thirteen people including Sirius dining together and during a commotion with Mrs. Weasley, he got up first. When Sirius fell at the Department of Mysteries, this means that what Trelawney mentioned was accurate.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Which brings us to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince the latest and sixth film in the Harry Potter series and possibly one of the most anticipated so far. Due for release on July 15th 2009, it has been directed by David Yates, the director of Order of the Phoenix with David Heyman and David Barron producing. All of the cast are returning as before with the addition of Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn, Helen McCrory as Narcissa Malfoy and Dave Legeno, Fenrir Greyback the werewolf and Jessie Cave and Lavender Brown, Rons first love interest. Filming began on 24th September 2007, and the film was originally planned for release on 21th November 2008, but on 14th August 2008, it was announced that the release date for the film was to be delayed to 17th July 2009, but this date was later changed to 15th July 2009.
Emboldened by the return of Lord Voldemort, the Death Eaters are wreaking havoc in both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that new dangers may lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. He needs Harry to help him uncover a vital key to unlocking Voldemort's defenses critical information known only to Hogwarts' former Potions Professor, Horace Slughorn. With that in mind, Dumbledore manipulates his old colleague into returning to his previous post with promises of more money, a bigger office and the chance to teach the famous Harry Potter.
Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry's long friendship with Ginny Weasley is growing into something deeper, but standing in the way is Ginny's boyfriend, Dean Thomas, not to mention her big brother Ron. But Ron's got romantic entanglements of his own to worry about, with Lavender Brown lavishing her affections on him, leaving Hermione simmering with jealousy yet determined not to show her feelings. And then a box of love potion-laced chocolates ends up in the wrong hands and changes everything. As romance blossoms, one student remains aloof with far more important matters on his mind. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.
DID YOU KNOW…?
Hero Fiennes-Tiffin has been cast as Tom Riddle, Age 11, while his uncle, Ralph Fiennes plays Lord Voldemort (formerly Tom Riddle). His parents are Martha Fiennes (Ralph's sister) and George Tiffin.
Quidditch at Hogwarts makes a grand (and much publicized) return, after being completely absent since the fourth installment, and barely present in the third. A full game of Quidditch has in fact not been featured since the 2nd film.
Robert Knox, who plays Marcus Belby, was tragically stabbed to death on May 24, 2008, just days after filming wrapped.
Director David Yates says that he hired Hero Fiennes-Tiffin to play the young Voldemort/Tom Riddle because of his resemblance to his uncle Ralph Fiennes (who plays Voldemort/Tom Riddle as an adult) but not specifically because he was the actor's nephew. He liked the dark haunted quality about the young actor.
Christian Coulson, who played the 16-year-old Tom Marvolo Riddle in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), was long rumored to be reprising his role for this film, but, at the age of 30, it was decided that he was too old for the part.
There is a scene in this movie in which Death Eaters, led by Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) and Fenrir Greyback (Dave Legeno), attack The Burrow where Harry, The Weasley's, Lupin, and Tonks are staying. This particular scene was not in the book, but was made just for the movie to serve as a representative of all the news reports, which are scattered around in the source novel, about various attacks by Death Eaters on the wizard community. It was considered to provide better pacing for a movie to have Harry actually experience one such attack first hand, rather than hearing/reading about those that kept happening to some other students, or their relatives.
The Backstage Magic of Harry Potter
Night time dashes on buses, tables beaten with chains and sets that have survived nine years under the feet of hundreds of children – this is a look at the magic behind the Harry Potter films.
With the sixth Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, about to hit cinemas this July, we take a look behind the scenes and reveal some of the secrets that went into the making of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - all available on DVD and Blu-ray disc from the 15th June 2009.
Harry Potter - the Animals
Hundreds of weird and wonderful animals, birds and creatures have been used in the Harry Potter films throughout the years including monkeys, maggots and even a bush baby! Of course, one of the most recognisable creatures is Hedwig, Harry’s beautiful Snowy Owl. The character of Hedwig made her first appearance in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone alongside the young Daniel Radcliffe and over the years has been played by many different owls and most recently by Wton, Sprout and Elmo who are all currently sharing the role.
Owls come in all shapes and sizes and can weigh anything from 350 to 2200 grams. Beautiful they may be, but easy to work with they are not. They are birds of prey, but contrary to the saying ‘as wise as an owl’ they are not the brightest of birds! There are 15 other owls on set which are all trained to carry letters, however, this ‘trick’ was not taught over night and took six months for the owls to learn. To put that into perspective an animal trainer could teach a raven or crow to do that in about a week!
One of the biggest animals on the set is the Neapolitan Mastiff which plays Hagrid’s dog, Fang. Weighing in at 10 stone Fang is a very large canine character which has been played by many dogs over the years. Neopolitan Mastiffs make very unsuitable pets with a tendency to chew furniture and to slobber over anything and everything. They are also extremely strong and can be very aggressive. And thus some dogs find themselves without a home and if not saved are likely to be put to sleep. And this is why our Harry Potter animal handlers prefer to rescue Mastiff’s where possible to play the role of Fang knowing that they are not only giving them a good home but possibly saving them from being destroyed. Currently there are three Mastiff’s which play Fang including Monkey, a rescue dog. The most famous of the Mastiff’s to have played the role of Fang, however, must be Hugo best known for inadvertently spitting into This Morning presenter Fearn Britton’s mouth on a rare TV appearance in 2003. Needless to say he has not been invited back!
Completing the Harry Potter animal family are the cats that play Hermonie’s cat Crookshanks and caretaker Filch’s cat, Mrs Norris. Crookshanks is played by a Red Persian which Daniel Radcliffe once described as “looking like she had been smacked in the face with a frying pan” due to her rather squashed face. Mrs Norris is played by a Maine Coon, which is an American breed of cat not normally found in the UK. The character is currently played by three cats each immaculately groomed. However, Mrs Norris is supposed to be very unkempt and unclean so a little bit ‘cat makeup’ is used to create this effect. Tricks include applying a water based lubricant such as KY Jelly to her fur and clipping on disgarded hairballs to give her that mangy look.
In the nine years that the Harry Potter films have taken to film, the Harry Potter animals have eaten over 65,000 kilos of food!
Harry Potter – the costumes
The making of the first five Harry Potter films included the production of approximately 20,000 Hogwart’s school uniforms. Special costumes made for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince include Luna Lovegood’s Christmas dress which took two months to produce.
Harry Potter - the Sets and props
One of the first sets ever to be created for Harry Potter was the Great Hall which was built over nine years ago for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The hall is 120ft long by 40ft wide and includes tables and benches made especially for the film with oak tables distressed by chains and axes. The children have kindly helped the aging process over the years, although the eagle eyed prop team are quick to spot the unsuitable graffiti!
Complimenting the Great Hall set is the house point system, a beautiful mechanism made for the first film. Each hour glass contains tens of thousands of glass beads and rumour has it that when it was first made nine years ago the Harry Potter team where responsible for a national shortage of beads!
The only other set that was built for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was the Gryffindor common room which remained intact for many years including the four poster beds that were made for the cast when they were a tad smaller than they are now. Sadly, the common room was finally taken down in 2009 as it will not be required for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Dumbledore’s office was built for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and is still standing to this day. The office is in fact surrounded by a large library of books which, to let you into a little secret, most contain either copies of telephone directories or the yellow pages!
One of the most complicated set pieces is the Knight Bus which makes its first appearance in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. In the film you see the bus rush Harry through the streets of London and despite its three decks, this was not achieved through Computer imagery. The bus was actually driven down to London, a task which required a whole lot of planning especially as it is constructed out of two double decker buses basically glued together to make a triple decker. Taking the height of the bus into consideration the route into London had to be seriously mapped out as bridges were clearly out of the question.
Another key vehicle in the Harry Potter world is the blue Ford Anglia which Harry and Ron fly to Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, before crashing into the fearful Whomping Willow. The car then abandons them in the wood and drives off under its own steam. There were actually 12 versions of this car produced showing its various stages of decline once it runs of into the woods. The final stage was dubbed the ‘Rambo Anglia’ in honour of a well known film character who equally went wild in the wood!
The sets also feature many different books and the creation of these is a mammoth task in itself with 12,000 handmade books produced over the nine years along with 25,000 printed pages of newspaper ‘The Quibbler’.
In addition, over 3,000 wands have been designed and manufactured for the films along with 1,700 wandboxes. There have also been over 170 portraits produced for the films.
Harry Potter - the Edit Suite
The productions have used almost six million feet of exposed film to create the five Harry Potter films and another 1.2 million feet to create Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. If all the exposed film was laid down it would run the length of the Hogwarts Express’ route (London to Scotland) four times over!!!
Harry Potter Years 1-5 is available to buy on DVD and Blu-ray from 15th June 2009
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is out in cinemas from the 15th July 2009
