The Aerie
We caught Harry Potter last night... I found it VERY weird! Good, but weird.
Cuaron made a lot of daring directoral choices, not all of which worked. One big change is that EVERYTHING is tilted! The movie is filmed on hillsides and through rolling forestland, and the only flat surface seems to be the loch (for it looks much more like a Scottish Loch than a lake). Instead of being on a flat lawn in front of Hogwart's castle, Hagrid's hut is down a steep hill out a side passage. Harry and Lupin talk about Harry's parents while paused on a long covered causeway bridging a steep valley. And Hogwarts itself seems to have barely a single straight hallway.
Another change is the omnipresence of Time as a symbol. Hogwarts' main tower has somehow become giant clock-tower, with its pendulum swinging ponderously and improbably through the Great Hall. Harry stares out through the windowed face of the clock, and the camera enjoys swooping through the gears into and out of the castle.
Cuaron also had a lot of fun with this movie. His own invention of talking shrunken heads practically shouts "Cuaron was here!" A repeating theme includes hapless sparrows who try to nest in the Whomping Willow, which is also used to mark the passage of seasons in comical fashion. And despite the frantic pace of the film, he managed to take a moment here and there out of the breathless pace. In one scene we follow a leaf as it settles to the autumn lawn; in another Buckbeak the hippogriff idly trails a talon in the water while soaring above the surface of the lake. Very nice scenes that allowed the audience to catch its breath before the rollercoaster descended the next slope.
Mostly Cuaron's practically drug-induced adaptations work, (such as the choir singing "Something Wicked This Way Comes" to open the school year) others do not. The scenes at the Dursley's house look like a nightmare that Mr. Dursley is having, just enough off-kilter and dark to be fairly disturbing. The Leaky Cauldron is equally disturbing, chaotic and crowded, with several throwaway jokes (like "Housekeeping!") that don't add much even in the way of atmosphere.
I think Cuaron was right to completely ignore the notion that anyone needed any explanation for what was happening. There are ascetic Tibetan monks and yurt-dwelling Mongol tribespeople who know about Harry Potter. So quiddich was not explained, the Weasleys were not explained, no explanation was attempted for anything: you were in the movie, you were assumed to have done your homework. Good call, with a movie already racing desperately to get through a lengthy, dark, and complex novel.
The growth of the three friends was well-handled, although Rupert Grint gets short shrift as Ron. And why not? Let's let Hermione shine for a while: she certainly steals the show in this movie as a strong, intelligent and dynamic protagonist with whom Harry can barely keep pace. The growing attraction between Ron and Hermione was well done, too, although it manifested as more and more bickering (as in the books), but the hand-holding scene was very nice (although overplayed in the previews).
After two movies spent bouncing like a pinball through the machinations of others, Harry finally seems to be growing a spine and a will of his own. Radcliffe suffers a little from overacting in this movie - there's nothing about the Patronous Charm that REQUIRES one bellow at the top of one's lungs - but it's to be expected that a young man growing up in his position would try stretching his acting wings at some point. We all learn more from our mistakes.
I missed Richard Harris as Dumbledore: his replacement Michael Gambon does a creditable job, but he just doesn't (yet?) have the commanding presence that Harris brought, and Dumbledore requires.
In the scene where the Fat Lady's portrait is slashed, Gambon's Dumbledore seems like just another man in the crowd: it was easy to watch the scene and realize that Harris's Dumbledore would have immediately seized control of the situation, calmed everyone's nerves, and commanded all to gather safely in the main hall while he assessed the situation.
And what can I say about Buckbeak? Computer animation has come so very far, it's mindboggling. There was never a moment that I thought "That's a computer animation." A very convincing, solid CGI creature, excellently done. I can't say the same about the werewolf, in part because it looked so weirdly hairless and spindly that it was hard to take seriously as a monster. It looked more like one of those hairless poodles, grown large.
Finally, I really liked where Cuaron chose to end the movie, with Harry riding his new broomstick into the sky, laughing. The books uniformly end with Harry trudging glumly back to stay with the Dursleys: this was a very nice up-note on which to end the movie.
Overall, a very well done picture, a lot weirder and more "magical" than those by Chris Columbus. The score was excellent and will be fun to listen to separately. Costuming and sets were over-the-top extravagant and very captivating, and it was very interesting seeing the Hogwarts students wearing significantly more casual clothing than in previous films. Hagrid's wardrobe was extended by several very appropriate outfits. The movie was well worth watching, and will be worth watching again, I'm already looking forward to the extended-edition DVD.
A very good film, very exciting.
Posted by Albatross at June 5, 2004 5:13 PM