Monday, January 14, 2008

Harry Potter and the Filming Indecision


How do you wrap up a beloved blockbuster of epic proportions in one single film? Apparently, you don’t.

Rumors are swirling that the final Harry Potter film, based on the final book in the series Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is going to be split into two films. The filmmakers are saying it’s the only way to present the 776-page doorstop of a book in all its glory on screen.

In addition, the rumor mill is spitting out nuggets such as Steven Spielberg might be tapped to direct, and that the movie is chasing Oscars.

Now I’m just a small town public school girl, but I thought the Deathly Hallows was a really phenomenal book, and if done correctly it probably could garner some awards. That scene where Harry is walking into the forest to face Voldemort and he talks to the ghosts of his parents and Sirius and Lupin? Talk about tearjerker. That scene in the metaphysical King’s Cross Station with Dumbledore? Damn near spiritual.

That being said, I’m not sure I love the two-movie idea. The books are so rich in detail that ten movies could probably never capture it. My favorite Harry Potter movies have been the ones that had the loosest interpretations of the books, Prisoner of Azkaban and Order of the Phoenix. Those were films where the director kind of said to hell with fans expectations and put his own stamp on it. Prisoner became a symbol heavy mediation on time and growing up and OthP became a political thriller. Yeah, some huge chunks of fantastic plot got missed, but if viewers want that, go to the friggin’ library, lazy.

Ultimately whatever, I’ll still go opening weekend to both films. I'd just like to seem them use some imagination and turn it in to one terrific film. What do you guys think?

2 comments:

Red said...

And where would you even leave off for Part I? They should just make a 3+ hour movie. HP fans can handle it...

Sharon said...

Sorry I'm so late to commenting on this but I'm absolutely ALL FOR the 2 movie split! My biggest complaint about the films are that they're never detailed enough. While I think it's safe to say that no movie could ever encompass the level of detail the books do -- and probably shouldn't -- I think the split is a fantastic idea.

On a lighter note, want to plan a trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter -- Orlando 2009?!