Let the Harry Potter Film Watching Begin!
Here I sit, with my glass of wine and a copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone on DVD, which I stole from Val who is off at the Twilight: Eclipse midnight showing. No Twilight for me this evening (or ever, if I can help it). Tonight, I’m finally going to dive into the first film, armed with the fangirl fanaticism only someone who has actually read the books can possess.
I’ve seen this film once before when it came to theaters. I was 18 and at the time, the only thing I knew about Harry Potter was that my sister was obsessed. I mean obsessed. Room covered in posters of wizards, midnight release of the books, Every Flavor Bean eating obsessed. I just thought the movie looked cute.
Nine years later, I only remember blips of it.
When it comes to Harry Potter films, there’s a lot of grumbling about what has been left out, what has been added, and how things have been done. That said, from what I understand, Chris Columbus stayed pretty true to the text. Maybe the first two books were easier to adapt, maybe he was terrified of pissing off an eccentric British woman and all the minions of fans surrounding her, but either way, he was evidently pretty respectful of the source material. So this is where I’d usually say “I must see the following in this film for it to be a success”, but I don’t think much of the important stuff will be left out. This first time around, I think I can just watch and enjoy the world of the film as it unfolds.
That’s the one major thing I will give Columbus credit for – his films created the world of Harry Potter as we visually know it. For someone like me, who read the books after the films came out, Harry will always look like Daniel Radcliffe. Snape will always be the amazing Alan Rickman. These things will never change. It’s hard to clear your mind of these famous portrayals. So something must be said, even before I watch the film, about the immense responsibility this placed on Columbus and his creative team.
And so, without further adieu, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone…
Enjoy! I was 19, nearly 20, when I saw the first film. I’d never even HEARD of Harry Potter. I was in first year university and everyone was just going to the movies, so I went as well – and I too thought the movie just looked kind of fun. I liked it but my real obsession didn’t begin until 2005. Back in 2001, I do remember two people in my dorm who were hooked on Harry – one girl had a Gryffindor scarf and another was reading GoF. I was so clueless.
I love the movies and I’m terribly excited for the last two, but of course they can never compare to the books.
Philosophers stone is my fave FILM
Not book… but I still realllllly enjoy it!
I *almost* pulled the trigger on Sorcerer’s Stone as my fave film (ultimately went PoA), because of the factors you identify: it’s true to the book, and when I “see” Harry in the books, he looks like Daniel Radcliffe. I’m not slavishly faithful to the way the movies portray things (I don’t, for example, like Michael Gambon AT ALL as Dumbledore; he never “twinkles” or is gentle in the way Dumbledore is), but many, many of the things (including Hogwarts, Platform 9 3/4, the Great Hall, etc.) are deeply engraved in my head as accurate depictions of the novels.
*Love* Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid. “Sorry ’bout tha….”
I know what you mean! I JUST started reading them too! (Ifinished last week!) I was lucky to find a website where someone had typed ALL 7 BOOKS. And as I was reading them, I kept picturing the characters as I had come to see them in the films. Emma watson never had bushy hair in the books, exactly how she was portrayed in the movies! And I kept hearing the movie-Snapes voice when he spoke in the novel. But I never realized how great the books were until I read them! I’d always liked the movies, would go to theaters if a new one came out, but I was never obsessed. Now, I think I just might go to Diagon alley and but me a quill, wand, and maybe a firebolt. I hope you enjoyed the movie though! (: