January 26, 2011: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Following my viewing of the first Harry Potter film out of interest in the storyline, since then I’ve typically only seen them when Oscar nominations force me to do so. Art Direction and Visual Effects this year led me to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.
Having read the first book but none of the later ones, the plot of these stories has moved far beyond what can be conveyed in even a relatively long film. I’ve seen the Death Eater characters several times now but the movies have never bothered to explain exactly what they are. As the books have swelled, the films have been reduced to covering the absolute plot basics and a handful of the tense battles. I expect it’s a wise and necessary move to split this final book into two films, despite the cynical suggestions of moviegoers that the filmmakers are simply trying to milk the series for all it’s worth. Despite the quieter and more introspective pace of this film compared with the others, the story is still proceeding at a breakneck pace and clearly not geting into enough detail for the unfamiliar viewer to figure out what the hell is going on. I find myself not particularly interested in the characters or their fates, and a lot of the allegiances and absolutes in this universe strike me as more and more unlikely with each entry. This is a complex story and I certainly don’t wish to detract at all from the books and their mythic scale, but the movies really are not well suited to anyone who hasn’t read the books.
Speaking of unfamiliarity with the story, the ending of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 reminded me of the first time I saw Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. I had not planned to let Tolkien’s legendary stories be entirely ruined by the films but I felt that the first film would be a good primer for me to understand the setting, so I saw the first film before reading the first book, then read the successive books prior to seeing each of their film adaptations. Going back to the first film, imagine my surprise when at the end, with this motley crew having run off to throw a ring into a fiery mountain, the credits rolled when they reached the top of some random hill and I had to wait another year to see what would happen next. So it was with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 as Voldemort triumphantly held up a wand he had sought to acquire, and up came the credits. I guess I’ll find out later this year how the story ends.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 again brings together some of the top British acting talent working today, along with the three core stars who have grown nicely into their roles, and gives us the most superficial possible treatment of a story which has captured the hearts of millions. But the visual effects and art direction are noteworthy.
I guess they can’t stop now.
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