A blog post after a long, long time. When this year began, I wrote a post urging everyone to update their blogs regularly, saying how bad I felt not to get a peak into the minds of my fellow bloggers anymore. But after my last post on this blog in September, I myself disappeared. No, I wasn't that occupied with other things, or particularly depressed for any reason. Frankly, I don't think I had anything to write about. But today, I have a very good reason to write a post. What better reason to write a post than the advent into our lives once more of the boy wizard? Yes, its Harry Potter I'm talking about.
No matter which city I live in, how could I miss a Harry Potter movie? 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows(Part 1)' is here and is here with great expectations, which I'm sure it will satisfy. Based on J.K. Rowling's last book of the Harry Potter franchise, this is the first part of the entire movie, the second part of which is scheduled for release in July 2011(so, its not completely over yet:-)). I think this division into two parts has been the wisest decision that the production team has taken. The seventh book, although shorter in length than its two immediate predecessors, is cramped with much more information. In fact, only after reading the seventh book does one realize that there's a lot more to the story than one thought there was at the end of the sixth book. So, a movie of even three hours couldn't have done justice to the book, and this is the reason for which the movie automatically becomes more engaging. It has stuck so well to the book that when I saw some of the scenes, I remembered that had pictured them exactly like that while reading the book. It doesn't eliminate the important stuff, provides the audience with the details and doesn't leave inconsistencies and jumble-ups like the sixth movie. The tense moments are really tense and the dark moments are really, really frightening, specially the two sequences featuring the snake. However, amidst all the violence and horror, the humourous bits wont escape the audience's notice. That is, I guess, the brilliancy of David Yates' direction and the actors' dialogue delivery.
Speaking about acting, I'm totally enchanted by Rupert Grint after watching this movie. He was, in a way, the best thing about the movie. All those paroxysms of jealousy against Harry, the dilemma, , the moments of realisation, the love for Hermione--the expression in Rupert's eyes are just like what Rowling had described in Ron's case in the book. Emma Watson again delivers this good, consistent performance as always and Daniel Radcliffe is actually a bit of a letdown in some scenes. But, its Rupert Grint who brings alive the sequences featuring the three of them. A special mention for the three actors who played the roles of the people into whom Harry, Ron and Hermione are transformed after drinking Polyjuice Potion: they were a hilarious trio. I also liked Tom Felton and Alan Rickman in their tiny portions in this movie. Their real parts though, come in the next one.
There are some people, even in my college, who are saying that this movie is not good. But, they belong to that roup who have always criticised Harry Potter movies and books. For people like me though, its different. My room mate and I were discussing last night that we have grown up with Harry. So, he's within us. We identify with him in many situations of our life. For us, the feelings associated with a a Harry Potter movie are bound to be different. From a very impartial perspective, this movie was much better, truly much better than the fifth and sixth movie and it was very good as a movie. But, even if there are some fine points of criticism, I'm bound to overlook them because every time, there's some new addition to the Harry Potter collection, life becomes happier and more energetic, like it has for the last one week. My spirit just got lifted a thousand times more!
4 comments:
I saw it yesterday. Although I am not such a Pottermaniac as you guys are, I can understand what you mean when you say you grew up with Harry. I liked the direction very much - specially the part where the story of the three brothers is told, it was absolutely brilliant.
@Subhadipda
Oh yes, I forgot to talk about the Three Brothers bit here. It was really good.
Hi!
Provided that Harry Potter isn’t just a victim of temporary popularity (it has yet to be proved) I think you may be lucky that you are of the age that you could grow with him. In the same way as I have to imagine how it should have been to have new Blyton books published every now and then, children will ask you later how it was to have new Harry Potter books spread out over your teenager years and to be able to grow with the characters. How nice that you say: “So, he's within us.” Can you tell me what you mean with your next sentence “We identify with him in many situations of our life.”?
I have not read one single HP book, and I have only seen two of the movies. They didn’t appeal to me that much. I think you must have read the book to like the movies. Would this last movie be different, do you think? Would it be worth watching it without knowing much of HP?
I also liked your sentence: “It has stuck so well to the book that when I saw some of the scenes, I remembered that I had pictured them exactly like that while reading the book.” That is a compliment to the director. But also to the author. Because somehow she must have described the scene so that everyone has got the same picture: the one she meant to create!
And then amongst your last sentences: “because every time, there's some new addition to the Harry Potter collection, life becomes happier and more energetic” I think that is the ultimate goal for a writer. Forget making nice sentences: look at the effect that your books have on people. When they lift people up, they are good.
And people who criticize will always be there: they just want to add something of themselves to it.
Greetings!
nanny
@Nanny
:-) Well, I mean that the little scenes of friendship between Harry and his friends, the conflict in his teenage soul, a thirst to prove himself--all this is something that even we experience in our lives.
I wouldn't encourage you to go and watch an HP movie without knowing much about the story because the whole thing will appear very confusing then. I would suggest you read the books first, in strict order from HP1 to HP7,because like you said, I did like the books first and only then, the movies.
And, Rowling definitely needs to be complimented for creating scenes which can be universally imagined so well. After all, if the script has no substance, its difficult for the director to make a masterpiece out of it.
I'm so glad you understood exactly what I meant by those last lines. :-)
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