And we're back . . .
The first time I saw Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban my ex and I were at an odd place to see a movie -- a water park. No really . . . a water park. The park by my house is called NRH2O. In the summer while it's open, they will feature a movie almost every Friday night. Everyone gets into the wave pool with a flotation device and watches the movie. It was super crowded, but it was pretty awesome watching a movie while somewhat swimming.
I know that this isn't the favorite movie of many people especially because of the Time Turner portion where you see the same shots from a different view. I guess I'm just weird. Prisoner is tied with two other books as my favorite in the series because you get to learn so much about Harry's parents and their friends, and you also get to see a different side of the Wizarding World with dementors, and escaped prisoners along with a deeper, complexity of the characters who are growing up. I just love it.
Prisoner deviates from the feeling given in Stone and Chamber. We see the magical world outside Hogwarts in Hogsmeade and on the Knight Bus. We are also introduced to the fact that not everything is happy in the Wizarding World even though Voldemort is assumed to be dead and gone. The prominent problem in this film is that Sirius Black as broken out of wizard prison presumably to kill Harry. As the story continues, Harry learns about how and why his parents died while eavesdropping, and through the dementors, Harry begins to remember what happened on the night his parents died as he hears his mother scream in his head. Anger coaxes Harry into seeking to out Sirius Black even though he promised that he wouldn't to avenge his parents. Harry must also help Hagrid with Buckbeak as well as learn how to defeat the dementors because they affect him to a greater degree than the students around him. I can't say much else without spoiling the plot, but Harry and Hermione have an adventure all on their own and successfully save two beings from wrongful death and imprisonment.
Another deviation from Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets is that this movie saw a change in director.
It must have been strange for the actors to not work with Columbus, but he needed a break -- completely understandable given that there wasn't much time between filming Stone and Chamber. But I think it was a necessary change. During Prisoner, the audience were introduced to a new facet of the story. The awe and wonder of Hogwarts had slowly decreased since the students and audience had been there twice, and now it was time to paint a more realistic picture of the Wizarding World that had big problems such as Sirius Black escaping from Azkaban among other things. Plus, the golden trio and their classmates are now at the age where they can start seeing the problems around them. Thus, a new director was needed.
Cuaron also makes some changes in the color and aura of the movie. For example, did you ever notice the color of the Harry Potter logo was changed from gold to silver? That was Cuaron's idea because gold didn't seem to fit the series any more. Also, did you notice that the uniforms have changed from grey to black? How about the lining of robes? They've gone from black to matching their house color. Again, Cuaron wanted that darker, arguably more sophisticated feel in every facet of the movie in the subtlest of ways. The fact that it is raining and / or snowing during most of the movie hints at a darker, more depressing feeling that accompanies Prisoner of Azkaban.
Moreover, Cuaron allows each actor to add their personal, individual style into their characters. For example, he encouraged the actors to put their own twist on their uniforms, such as rolling up the sleeves of their white shirts or removing the sweater or wearing the tie in an odd way. He did this to help his actors and actresses reach a deeper understanding of their character, especially Dan, Emma, and Rupert who were each asked to write a paper about where their respective character was mentally during this film. Dan did an adequate job; Emma overdid it; Rupert completely forgot.
The coolest thing Cuaron did, however, was with the wands. In Stone and Chamber, every one had a variation of the same wand style. Cuaron picked up on the "every wand is different" statement Ollivander made in Stone and had the prop masters to design a wand for every character that would reflect their personalities. The only character whose wand didn't really change is Harry's which makes sense because the audience has seen his wand the most and would notice if it changed in any definite way.
Outside of Cuaron's work, there was definite progress in the younger actors' performances. This could be attributed to the fact that there were a two year break between Chamber and Prisoner, so they had a chance not only to grow up physically, but as actors and actresses as well. Personally, however, I feel like that time was used to bring the actors closer to their characters. Specifically, I am thinking of Emma Watson. In Prisoner, Hermione has a rough year: she is over-worked and therefore over-stressed due to her class work; she gets enough gumption to leave Professor Trelawney's class -- something she would never have done in the past; and she snaps, punching Malfoy in the face out of righteous anger. Emma had to adjust her portrayal of Hermione to include these changes and I believe she does this brilliantly.
Emma is not the only actor who has her work cut out for her. Emma Thompson, Gary Oldman, David Thewlis and Timothy Spall join the Harry Potter cast as Professor Trelawney, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew.
Emma Thompson is brilliant. She has a wide range of talent and ability that allows her to be switch between over-the-top dramatic with a splash of crazy and a vague hint of vacancy in the brain department and a true Seer able to make actual prophecies easily and quickly, making her the perfect candidate to bring life to Sybil Trelawney. I truly cannot imagine anyone doing a better job.
And then there is Gary Oldman. He never ceases to amaze me. He is so versatile and can play almost any role. Recently, I've watched Prisoner of Azkaban, Dark Knight Rises, and Fifth Element. He is completely different in each role in look, dialect, and personality. It astounds me and I am so glad they found a role for him to play because he truly is amazing.
Unlike Ms. Thompson and Mr. Oldman, this was the first time I was introduced David Thewlis. He totally came through as Professor Lupin. He was able to successfully bring a necessary complexity to Lupin as the fun, cool teacher and then as the werewolf struggling to remain as human as possible. I was impressed even though I feel like book Lupin was a tad bit more epic that film Lupin.
Finally, Timothy Spall. Visually, there is no one better. He seriously has a rat-like face, so casting him as a wizard who can turn into a rat was a brilliant decision on the casting directors part. After all, if you got it, flaunt it, so work that rat-face Mr. Spall.
Attention must also be given to Michael Gambon who was chosen to replace the late Richard Harris as Professor Dumbledore. The nice thing is that Gambon chose to put his own spin on Dumbledore rather than recreating Harris's portrayal. In that way, I feel like Gambon was honoring Harris by not trying to replace him, but rather play the same character differently. It makes me think about step-parents. The step-parent will generally say "I'm not trying to nor will I ever be able to replace your mom/dad, but I still want to be a part of your life." Now, just imagine Gambon saying that to every Harry Potter fan in the world.
One last piece I want to touch on is the song the Hogwarts choir sings in the Great Hall. It was brilliantly written, but there is one line that stands out in my mind: "Something wicked this way comes." While it does make for a good song, it is a foreshadowing of things to come . . . not just Sirius Black, but Voldemort and everything that will happen during the series right up until Voldemort's death at the end of Deathly Hallows.
It's perfect and haunting and I love it. (I also love that this scene changed Professor Flitwick's look completely. It's so much better that way).
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