Harry Potter: In the Beginning

By Casey Wren


Harry Potter is a series of seven books written by J.K. Rowling. Harry thinks he’s a regular kid until, one day, a giant of a man reveals the truth--he’s a wizard!


The first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (published in 1997) was
adapted into a movie in 2001. The main character, Harry, was played by Daniel
Radcliffe. Radcliffe had some previous experience acting before this role (in movies
David Copperfield and the Tailor of Panama). Ronald Weasley is played by Rupert Grint 
and Hermione Granger is played by Emma Watson. Both only had experience
beforehand in school plays. All three children (considering their age) gave decent
performances, with problems like overacting smoothing out with experience in later
movies.

Tom Felton was a fantastic choice to play Harry’s rival, Draco Malfoy. Felton’s facial
expressions accurately portray what the character is thinking. A talented young actor, I
feel he was the perfect choice to play this part.

Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore is another excellent choice. I liked his
performance overall, but I had pictured the character as a little less frail. Other than this
small nit-pick, he Harris did a fine job.

Professor McGonagall was played by Maggie Smith, and I can’t say enough how
much I love this choice. Rowling’s personal pick for the part, Smith gives a fantastic
performance. She brings out the character’s serious demeanor as well as her dry witty
side perfectly. Another nit-pick would have to be her hair. It’s described as black in
the book, but is gray in the movie. But, since it doesn’t de-rail the plot in any way, it
remains a small inconsistency.

Alan Rickman as Severus Snape...well, Alan Rickman IS Severus Snape. Rickman’s
is one of my favourite performances here and throughout the rest of the series. Besides
having a voice that’s easy on the ears, every line drips with the hatred the character
seems to have of the world and many of the people in it. A very talented actor to play a
very complex character.

Robbie Coltrane gave a fine performance as Rubeus Hagrid, the lovable giant of a
man. As Harry’s (and our) introduction to the wizarding world, Coltrane seems to step
right out of the pages to bring us a character we endear quickly to.

Ian Hart does a good job as Professor Quirrell, the nervous and fidgety Defense
Against the Dark Arts Teacher. Hart creates a believable character in a fantastic world,
who may not be everything he appears to be.


Fiona Shaw (Petunia Dursley) and Richard Griffiths (Vernon Dursley) bring the love-
to-hate characters of Harry’s aunt and uncle to life. Harry Melling gives an impressive
performance as Harry’s cousin, Dudley Dursley. Like Tom Felton, Melling’s facial
expressions stuck with me. They match up perfectly with what is happening, and he
doesn’t need to say anything for the audience to know what’s on the character’s mind.


The cast isn’t the only impressive part of this movie. The settings were also very well
thought out. The Dursley’s house is so normal, it’s almost boring. It reflects their
extreme commitment to normalcy perfectly. I liked that they paid attention to little details.
As mentioned in the book, there are plenty of pictures of Dudley, while there are none of
Harry.


Diagon Alley is amazing. With bright colours, interesting sights, and people walking
around in beautiful robes, it’s magical. It’s just as someone reading the book would
imagine, and is my personal favourite setting.

Hogwarts was incredibly well done. The moving staircases, the grand hall, even the
student quarters were arranged perfectly (and had good effects, for the time).You would
swear they had filmed in an actual witch and wizarding school.

Last but not least, we have the Forbidden Forrest. Fog billows around dead trees,
and the gloom hides the potential threats lurking within. It’s dark and foreboding, just as
I imagine a forbidden forest would look like.

The costumes and special effects were fairly well done. Every costume is made
perfectly to reflect the character in it. Dudley’s hand-me-down clothes that don’t fit Harry,
Dumbledore’s colourful robes, Snape’s dark and subdued wardrobe. Every costume is
what you imagined the character wearing in the book. One set of costumes I should
point out are the goblins. The goblins of Gringotts Bank look absolutely amazing,
and I would say they’re my favourite costumes of the movie.

As for the special effects, they were passable for the time. As a child, I watched in
awe as people zoomed around on broomsticks and magical creature pranced around
the screen. Today, some of that magic is gone. Compared to the new and improved
special effects gracing our screens today, the ones in this movie seem pretty outdated
(and indeed, they are). While they may not be top-notch by today’s standards, they get
the job done. I feel they really don’t take away from the movie too much.

All in all, I was impressed with the movie. With a wonderfully talented cast and
fantastic settings, this movie is a worthy adaptation of a great book. What did you think
of the movie adaptation? Who were your favourite actors? What were your favourite
settings and effects and costumes? Post a comment or visit our Facebook page.

Wizarding expert Casey Wren