Great Moments From Cinema - 20

Of Witchcraft And Wizardry
Movie: Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone (Warner Bros.; 2001)
Director: Chris Columbus
Screenplay: J.K. Rowling (book) and Steven Kloves
Major Cast: Daniel Radcliff, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Robbie Coltrane, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman and Richard Harris

Film Synopsis: ‘Harry Potter’ is an eleven years old orphan living with his aunt and uncle who treat him terribly. Then one day he discovers that his parents were magical and that he has been admitted to ‘Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry’. Once there, his adventures begin.

My Favorite Moment: ‘Harry’ arriving at ‘Hogwarts’.

Why I Like It: You must have been in a parallel universe to have not heard about ‘Harry Potter’. His is the most recognizable name amongst fictional characters and everyone from the age of 5 to 90 has probably come across it at some point in the last few years. Even J.K. Rowling may not have known that what she unleashed on Sept 1 1998 would become a phenomenon which may last forever. ‘Harry Potter’ has rabid fans who live and die by these books and they are not limited to children alone. Both young and old wait in eagerness for the next book in the series and although Rowling has plans to quit after 7 installments, ‘Harry Potter’ will forever exist owing to the immortality of his character. With this world-wide success, it was only a matter of time before the character made his way onto the cinema screen.

In the fall of 2001 the long-awaited event finally took place and the first movie was released to sold-out auditoriums. Sitting amongst the other fans, I could feel the tension of anticipation amongst everyone and to some extent we were not disappointed. Columbus had done a commendable, though not a spectacular, job of adapting the book. It is amazing how much we fantasize while reading a story. Each and every character attributes and the places they inhabit flash through our minds as we process the written words. Thus, the school of ‘Hogwarts’ had become one such place which I along with everyone else was waiting to see on the screen. The first glimpse we get of the castle is when ‘Harry’ and his friends are crossing the lake in small boats. It is indeed an imposing sight and John Williams’s score suits this occasion magnificently. It was not just ‘Harry’, but millions of other viewers who were spellbound as something which had once existed on paper was now visible for them to see. During the course of the film, along with ‘Harry’, it is our pleasure to explore this mythical place and sigh as familiar sights come into the frame.

Readers were satisfied by this film as with the next one, also directed by Columbus. But it took Alfonso Cuarón to really make a technically brilliant movie from the 3rd book, which surprisingly left the fans a little cold. Perhaps, the viewers by then had been a little enamored by these ‘other’ films being made simultaneously in New Zealand and also based on a ‘popular book’. But that discussion is for another day. I could swear that I heard this grown up girl sitting next to me sob during the scene where ‘Harry’ learns about ‘Quidditch’. That’s why I love movies. Only here can that private part of our imagination come to life and show us what we once saw in our dreams.