The Harry Potter Retrospective, Part Two: Something Wicked This Way Comes

The best thing that ever happened to the Harry Potter film series was Chris Columbus dropping out of directing the third entry, Prisoner of Azkaban. Wanting to spend more quality time with his family, Columbus remained on as executive producer as a new director was sought to bring the most critically acclaimed Potter novel to life. Azkaban is, without a doubt, the best Harry Potter book. It's lean, intriguing, has excellent character work and adds interesting new dimensions to Rowling's world. It's a masterpiece of children's literature. Thus, a film adaptation needed a careful hand and someone with more style than Columbus' workmanlike approach. Filmmakers as diverse as Guillmero del Toro, Marc Forster and even M. Night Shayamalan (!) were considered to direct before settling on Alfonso Cuarón. Cuarón was well-known on the independent art-house circuit for his Mexican speaking films, including the critically acclaimed Y Tu Mama Tambien. He would later go onto direct sci-fi dystopian masterpiece Children of Men and eventually winning Best Director for the visually astonishing Gravity. A quick glance over Cuarón's discography reveals a weightier filmmaker, more interested in the minutia of scenes and existential issues than the Diet Spielberg of Columbus. Y Tu Mama Tambien is a coming of age road trip film centered on a group of teenagers backed against the political strife of late 1990s Mexico. With this breakout film, Cuarón would prove to be the perfect choice for Azkaban, as our child characters enter the awkward throngs of their teen years against an increasingly dark world view.

Right from Azkaban's opening scene, Cuarón's expert hand can be felt all over the framing. In my opinion, Azkaban is the only film in the series to come close to capturing the spirit of Rowling's novels. An exaggerated portrayal of the United Kingdom that has the wit of Pratchett, the wonder of Dahl and the depth of Tolkien, littered with mythical callbacks to a country long gone yet firmly set in the modern day. The tone is just the right balance between charming, darker, angsty and funny. The film picks up with Harry in Year Three, having had a major fallout with the Dursley's following an unfortunate incident with horrible family member Aunt Marge. Harry is whisked back to Hogwarts under something of a dark cloud (especially as those hormones kick in) when it is revealed that infamous Voldemort supporter, Sirius Black, breaks free from the infamous Azkaban prison. Worse still, rumours have put Black near to Hogwarts, as it is revealed that he was directly involved in betraying Harry's parents to Voldemort. Harry, angry, depressed and lonely, seeks the truth behind Sirius Black in one of the only stories of the series that does not directly tie to the series' main Big Bad. Harry also comes face-to-face with the terrifying Dementors, the guards of Azkaban.

Hormones kick in (and top buttons become undone) in the masterful Prisoner of Azkaban

So why is Azkaban the best of the lot? Several reasons really. For one, there's the acting. Radcliffe, Watson and Grint were always charming with their slightly wooden acting in the first two films but here they are clearly growing up and the audience level acceptance rises with it. All the actors have come leaps and bounds since Chamber and I argue this is the influence of Cuarón, a director who really gets involved with his actors. Radcliffe in particular has grown up a lot, as his handling of the thematically grayer material is largely excellent. A great scene in which Harry discovers that Black sold out his parents rides the line perfectly between anger, confusion and genuine upset. The scenes with Professor Lupin (David Thewlis), by far my favourite Defence Against the Dark Arts tutor, again highlights that Radcliffe can handle subtle material. Cuarón clearly knows how to play his strengths, as the quieter more introspective scenes were his acting highlights in the earlier films. Watson and Grint give their best performances yet. If Hermione was sidelined in Chamber than the reverse happens in Azkaban, with Ron sitting out of the incredible third act (more on that later). As an ensemble, the feel like the first time the three felt like natural friends.

Speaking of Thewlis, he too gives a deeply soulful performance as the troubled Lupin. There's arguably no one better to give Harry advice on how to grapple with inner demons than a man afflicted with being a werewolf. Lupin teaches Harry how to produce the Patronus charm, to ward off the Dementors. This spell is more based off emotions, which Harry is currently struggling with (more on that later). In all honesty, I always connected more with Lupin than with Sirius (spoilers, Sirius is innocent), in particular in the film series. I always felt that emotionally Sirius' arc should have been Lupin's. Here's the thing. Outside of the direct connection to Harry, Sirius offers Harry a new home to live in and the chance of a new family. However, as a father figure, I always felt that Lupin actually offered Harry words to live by. Those lovely scenes of Harry and Lupin talking and walking along the famous Hogwarts bridge (specifically designed for this film) and the surrounding woods are excellent, subtle and develop the characters. When Sirius arrives into the story, that adoptive father figure role is essentially taken from Lupin and transferred to him. If I have one niggle with the film, it's that this connection (as well as the relationship between Lupin, Black, James Potter and Wormtail) is not explored to the full degree that the books do. The films almost do a too good a job of developing Lupin and his connection to Harry then with Sirius. This is not really a fault with Azkaban but rather with the follow-up, Goblet of Fire, which we will get to. So we're going to put a pin on Sirius as represented in the films for Part Three, where we will look at adaptation in a bit more depth. Think of how more emotionally satisfying it would be (strictly through the tunnel of the film series) if Lupin ended his story in Order...controversial and unlikely but Azkaban unfortunately sets in motion how a key part of Harry's character arc is undermined by the adaptation. But that's more the fault of later filmmakers. 

David Thewlis gives a superb performance as Professor Lupin, the latest DATDA tutor. In fact, the performance and framing of the character is almost too good!

The unfortunate passing away of Richard Harris led to the casting of Michael Gambon, who brought interesting new dimensions to the character

In between Chamber and Azkaban, the great Richard Harris passed away, leaving the filmmakers in a quandary on what to do next. Harris captured a wonderful sense of magic in his performance as Dumbledore that could not be replicated. So the filmmakers, quite rightly, perused a different take on the character. Irish actor Michael Gambon (complete with this accent intact) emphasised the eccentric side of Dumbledore that felt a bit younger and livelier. If there was going to be a change in actors, even if the circumstances surrounding it were horrible, Azkaban was probably a good time. Dumbledore is not as central to the plot but has a few scenes to highlight that this is a different take on the character to allow the audience to settle in and mourn Harris. Honestly, I prefer Gambon as Dumbledore. He's controversial with some audiences (yes, yes we all know it says "calmly" in that the scene in the book of Goblet of Fire) but I think his performance was closer to the Dumbledore I imagined reading the books. Old and wise yet spritely and odd.  

Honestly though, it's the little scenes that really make this film. The first two were good literal adaptations but didn't really have time (or attention) to explore the minor details of the world. Cuarón litters the film with these moments. Harry storming off from the Dursley's house in a fit of teenage rage, then stopping in his tracks as he realises he's made an unthought out mistake. The creepy playground (complete with hidden children's laughter in the mix) that announces the arrival of a mysterious disheveled dog. Cornelius Fudge talking to Harry whilst enchanting a quill to write for him (so you get a sense of busy Fudge is and how his mind is not really concentrated on Harry). Harry grappling with his monstrous Care For Magical Creatures book. The Whomping Willow used as a signifier of the changing seasons. A hotel maid opening the door to a giant screaming monster and almost being blown away. The fact that the students now undo their top buttons (like most British teenagers) and wear normal clothes makes them feel like real people, as opposed to little angels. It's little details like this, which arguably don't need to be in the film, that make Azkaban into a richer experience than the previous entries. 

The art design is the absolute best in the series. Using medieval art and architecture as a launching point, Cuarón really plays up the gothic elements more than in the previous films. This is announced in the brilliant introduction to Hogwarts, with the school choir singing a chilling song called "Double Trouble ". Returning composer John Williams lifts lines direct from Macbeth (more on the music later) for the song. It's a great moment and sets up that Hogwarts has changed; that menace is in the air. From the dusty corridors of the Shrieking Shack to the executor, with his comically over-the-top scythe to the Tudor inspired town of Hogsmede, the art design just brings Harry's world to life in gothic detail. Cuarón also shifts the landscape of Hogwarts around significantly, the reason of which becomes clear in the time-bending finale. This just helps to give the setting a more lived-in and unique feel. Hogwarts always felt like a backdrop on the Columbus films - here it becomes a character onto itself. The same care was also extended to the filmmaking, which again is much more confident and experimental. Cuarón uses tasteful camera tricks to create a world of duality, where nothing is at it seems (such as zooming into windows which then become the frame proper). 

I'm a big fan of the over-stylised and gothic sets

The Shrieking Shack is just one of the excellent new sets utilised in the film

The soundtrack as well is a key indicator of the shift in tone. This is actually fairly experimental music for John Williams. We're now used to the sweeping orchestral sounds of Williams, which is used to the max in Philosopher's and Chamber. However, it is easy to forget that, before Star Wars, Williams was a very experimental composer. Look at Altman's take on The Long Goodbye. Williams uses the title track and rearranges it in dozens of different styles over the course of the film. And weirdly, this experimental streak seems to have returned in Azkaban. Perhaps the year long break he took between films (a rarity for this high demand composer) allowed time for Williams' musical concepts to develop. The music makes great use of medieval instruments, which gives a primal sense of suspense and mystery. Williams completely understands that the world of Harry Potter is a balancing act between joyful and sorrowful moments. Better yet, the musical themes develop to something a bit more ethereal, as the famous Harry Potter themes gives way to something a bit more solemn, matching the mood of the film. The piece "A Window to the Past" becomes the key theme for Harry in this film, played during his intimate scenes with Lupin and fully developed when he summons his patronus at the film's conclusion. I find that one of the great tragedies of the series is that Williams was not allowed to develop these themes across future films. Perhaps if he had stayed on, the music of Potter could have rivaled that of Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings as an extended narrative driven piece of music.

At its heart, Azkaban is about depression. Famously, pre-Harry Potter fame, Rowling suffered deep depression as her personal life collapsed around her and even contemplated suicide. The Dementors, the terrifying apparitions "protecting" Hogwarts, are a clear metaphor for this, sucking away at life and making you feel that you can never be happy again. Depression isn't easy to overcome and more suffer from it than one realises. Particularly in Britain, there is "just get on with it" attitude that is very damaging and not conducive to overcoming depression. So, Harry Potter's openness to the topic, speaking as someone who has suffered severe depression in the past, is something I've always appreciated (even when I didn't understand that I was depressed). The film retains the novel's sensitive approach to the subject. Proper time is given to the training with Lupin and, more importantly, his conversations with him. And it's a long road to recovery. Harry struggles to overcome the Dementors. His judgements become confused. He is unable to concentrate enough to produce the Patronus charm. He becomes isolated from his friends. And he ultimately feels lonely, useless and adrift. However, Harry begins to overcome the problem by talking to others, reconnecting and eventually defeating his worst fears - metaphorical, this journey is complete when he is able to literally save himself in the time-bending conclusion by summoning a fully-produced Patrnous charm. Fans can complain all they want (and I'm not sure if there are many complaints against this film) about the adaptation but the film understands that this is the heart of the novels and needs the correct amount of time to explore and develop. The Dementors themselves are an excellent piece of fantasy design work. Different enough to the Ringwraiths, the Dementors have a creepy feel all of their own. The excellent and tasteful effects are coupled with some truly inspired sound design work to create a truly terrifying creature. The scene in which the Dementors inspect the Hogwarts Express is one of the highlights of the whole series, a chilling scene that is way too effective. 

The darker tone offers a chance to introduce more malicious creatures into the world

The sharper script focus and improved acting allows for a surprisingly effective exploration of depression (through the lenses of metaphor)

Azkaban builds to the best conclusion in the whole series. I could write 10,000 words on the degradation of the third act in modern blockbusters, wherein you have two strong first acts before throwing a villain at the hero that we don't care about and is just an excuse for a large battle. How wonderfully refreshing it is to revisit Azkaban's inventive and brilliant finale. Short version- the gang become emotionally attached to a Hippogriff, Buckbeak, who was unfortunately provoked by Malfoy and breaks his arm. Sentenced to execution, the gang soon learn that the world can be a cruel and unfair place. Further complications arise when Sirius Black corners them in the Shrieking Shack only to reveal that him and Lupin, he didn't betray Harry's parents and that it was Scabbers all along!! Long story short, they end up surrounded by Dementors and Harry blacks out (just as a blinding white light surrounds him). He wakes up in hospital and learns that Sirius has been captured. Dumbledore stumbles in and instructs Hermione on what to do. See, Hermione has very busy this years taking as many classes as possible. To the point where it appears she has been in two places at once. Through clever planting to the audience, we learn that Hermione has a Time Turner, a device that allows one to turn back time (leaving your past self in tact - an important detail - a la Back to The Future). Working undercover to avoid their past selves, Harry and Hermione work to free both Buckbeak and Sirius.  

My favourite section of Back to the Future Part II is revisiting the first film, just from a different angle. I argue that it's even better here as we're revisiting the film we have just watched. Cuarón plants plenty of little odd scenes that only make sense once viewed through a different angle. Hermione and Harry have to distract their past selves so they can accomplish their goals, explaining odd little moments earlier in the film, such as being hit in the head by a stone or another wolf cry to lure Werewolf Lupin away. I can't stress enough how well executed this is whole sequence is. Williams' soundtrack has a constant ticking clock (quiet enough so not to be distracting) to really push the time travelling element but also to give a sense of emergency. Time is literally running out. In the end, Harry and Hermione save the day and revert an unfair fate for the characters. I don't think undermines the message of a cruel, unfair world, more that our actions have consequences.  Both characters are given chance to shine, especially Hermione who ended up getting the raw end of the deal in Philosopher's by having her scenes cut from the final trails and being petrified in Chamber.

In conclusion, Azkaban is the pinnacle of the film series. Everything is given chance to breath and the world has a more lived in feel, emphasising the strange world Rowling created. Even if some sidesteps are taken in the adaptation, the emotional core of the book is intact. Azkaban is everything that the Harry Potter film series could and should have been. Cuarón gets Harry Potter more than the journeymen directors brought on after his departure from the series. Azkaban is the perfect mix of magical hi-jinks, high emotions and sense of wonderment that make it a family classic and the true stand out of the series.

I bemoan that this style was never returned to and I have a few theories on why. To be quite frank, I think it came down to box-office. Despite Azkaban having the best director, best script and beat visuals it was (and still is...) the lowest grossing Harry Potter film. The more artful direction maybe had no place in Warner Bros.' grand scheme for its all encompassing blockbuster franchise. It also came out during the dawn of the fantasy spectacle blockbuster - think of the films released at the time. The Lord of the Rings with its massive battles or Pirates of the Caribbean with its globetrotting swashbuckling adventure or the big, warm and emotional Pixar blockbusters. Then there's this slightly odd Harry Potter film that's all really about depression. Azkaban was a lot more introspective and smaller scale than the sweeping action seen in other blockbusters. I think these reasons led Warner Bros. to shift gears with the next entry, in an attempt to keep up with other contemporary action-adventure-family films, in what I dub "Harry Potter as spectacle". From here, Warner Bros. established their safe formula for the rest of the film series and would not return to the well-read, rich and artful days of Azkaban. Sucks.

Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire has an undercooked story, albeit with some intriguing elements and some truly spectacular action scenes. Goblet is probably Rowling's weakest book and a clear sign that she was suffering burnout, having written and published a Potter novel four years in a row (it would  three years before Order was unleashed on the world). With the film, Warner Bros. clearly realigned this one to match the "epic" level of contemporary fantasy blockbusters, perhaps to make it a bit more audience friendly. And the proof is in the numbers - Goblet earned $100 million more than Azkaban to become the second most successful film in the series at the time. 

Harry returns to Hogwarts, after attending the Quidditch World Cup that was subsequently trampled by Death Eaters (followers of Voldemort), to learn that an exciting event is happening - the year long Tri-Wizard Tournament. This sees three European wizarding schools coming together for a year and selecting a champion from each school (would Brexit affect this tournament?). They must take part in three deadly and dangerous to obtain the honour of becoming the Tri-Wizard champion. Older students (i.e. older than Harry) place their names in the Goblet of Fire, which than randomly selects three students from each school. Only this time, a fourth student is selected - and it's ... Harry Potter!

 

I always think of Harry and Ron's mullets when I cast my mind to Goblet of Fire...

I think Goblet does a good job of expanding the world outside of Hogwarts. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of the Qudditich World Cup scenes, all the new additions do add another dimension to Harry's world. I wish a bit more time could be given to explore the relationship between the different schools but what we have is pretty passable. It's a neat visual reminder that there is life outside of Hogwarts, even if the film doesn't really engage with what this means. I will give the Qudditch World Cup scenes this though - the attack on the camp site by Death Eaters at the end of the sequence has more relevance now than it did back when the book was first published. For all intents and purposes, it is a terrorist attack. Director Mike Newell tries to emphasises the Hitchcockian mystery side of the story but the plot itself doesn't really make a lot of sense (which I'll get to). His handling of the more "epic" material is great, in particular during the first task in which Harry has to retrieve an egg being guarded by a dragon. My ultimate issue with Goblet is that all the plot strands don't really add up to much and some are outright abandoned. There's the main plot involving the three tasks to become the Tri-Wizard champion. Then there's the mystery of who put Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire (with some red herrings in there). And the Barty Crouch sub-plot. Then, finally, this all leads to the return of Voldemort. This creates a blur of a seemingly complex mystery story, when in reality it's all a bit of a mess. 

On a re-watch, the issues with the story have really became apparent. There is a lot of filler (Quidditch World Cup...) and plenty of inconsistencies in the story.  My issue with the book is that Rowling took the device of the Red Herring one step too far. What do I mean by this? Well in Philosopher's, the audience was led onto think Snape was behind it all but in reality it was Professor Quirrell. There are multiple identities thrown around in Chamber before the true Heir of Slytherin is revealed. We think Sirius is a notorious back-stabbing murderer before it is revealed it was the work of Peter Pettingrew. In Goblet, the Red Herring is the Tri-Wizard Tournament itself as we are led to think that Gorgoroth (headmaster of one of the arriving schools and a former Death Eater) is up to something when in reality it was escaped criminal Barty Crouch Jr. disguised as Mad-Eyed Moody who created a port key in the trophy that led to the Riddle family home and also ensured that Harry won the tournament so he could become a sacrificial body to help in a ritual to resurrect Voldemort after successfully obtaining the trophy...So while the scenes in the film are fun, well-constructed and, when they need to be, emotionally charged, the actual central plot of Goblet doesn't really make a lot of sense upon any kind of closer inspections. It's almost like the Tri-Wizard tournament and the resurrection of Voldemort were two separate stories that were meshed together. In the book, a bit more time is allowed is explain Crouch Jr.'s motives and how he accomplished his plan (in probably one of the weakest chapters of any Potter novel) that essentially stops the novel's pace in its tracks (the previous scene was the death of Cedric Diggory and the resurrection of Voldemort) but does allow some explanation time. The film spares us this but doesn't really find a way to cover this information in an inventive way, so Barty's plan is left a bit .. empty. I also don't like how it robs a chance to get to know the real Mad-Eye Moody and this is a problem I have both with the book and the film. We think we know him but it turns out it was a doppelganger and then we don't really get a chance to know the real Mad-Eye. Just one scene at the end of the film would have been enough. 

Mad-Eye is not the only one that gets the short shrift in the films; Sirius Black, a recurring figure in the novel is reduced to just one scene in the film. I can understand from a fimmaking point-of-view to reduce all of Sirius' conversations into one scene. However, this also actively means that the next time we see Sirius, it's in his final film. It's a big shame because Gary Oldman is great in the role. He's just the right amount of disheveled masking a true intelligence and warmth underneath. However, we are not afforded enough time to get to know him as a character and correctly set up his emotional link with Harry. Some of this is saved in the next film but Goblet should have been crucial piece in establishing their standing relationship. This again just makes me think that the emotional link between Harry and Lupin was so much stronger in the films. 

Mad Eye Moody, a great character - only we connect to Barty Crouch Jr. disguised as Mad-Eye...

I always felt with Goblet that the one truly great scene that the rest of the story is built around is the Yule Ball. Some of that teenage awkwardness from Azkaban returns here, as Harry and Ron try on ill-fitting formal attire and attempt to ask the opposite sex out on a date. And in true high school fashion, everyone ends up going out with people they don't really want to. One of my favourite scenes in the film is Harry and Ron, down in the dumps and not happy with the situation they are in. The whole 20-minute sequence is handled well, from the playful montage of preparing for the ball (and an awkward dance with McGonagall) to the rock band playing at the end of a night (watch out for cameos from Jarvis Cocker and Johnny Greenwood from Radiohead). They actually feel like .. students! Now that said, I don't think all the teen angst elements work, in particular Ron's forced conflict with Harry. Friends sometimes misunderstand other friend's motives and great angry at each other - that's fine. Ron being a bit peed off at Harry for somehow being able to place his name in the goblet without telling him (spoilers - Harry didn't do it) could be the source of some frustration but after all the things these two have been through together, you'd have thought some kind of understanding would be reached sooner. You could put it down to the hormones but .. I just don't buy it. The flipside though is that the love ... triangle ... square...octagon (?) does work well. I'll admit it - I am a bit of a sucker for this kind of thing. I think the difference with Goblet when compared to other YA stories is that it does build up correctly. There's no more perfect image than Hermione at the end crying on the main staircase in her ball gown as her hormones and feelings for Ron explode. 

All my little story issues aside, the final 30 minutes are pitched perfectly. After reaching the end of the maze for the third task, Harry is faced with a situation for the first time that he can't win. There's no last minute magical something to save him or a Back To The Future style time-travelling shenanigans. Just a dead friend. And the way that it happens is quick and cruel. Voldemort's return is handled very well and Ralph Fiennes makes an instant impact as comically over-the-top villain. I think he's a bit better in Goblet then in subsequent films, as he seems to switch between emotions seemingly on a whim. The crazy plot twist, the ritual, the death of Cedric, Voldemort's duel with Harry - it happens all so quickly, that it is disorientating. Whether through intention or not, I think this really works. We're feel like Harry - hurt and very confused. 

So I have a lot less to say about Goblet of Fire than Azkaban. It's a solid two-and-a-half hours that has plenty of great moments even if the main story doesn't really come together. It's a perfectly serviceable family fantasy film that is held up by some great performances and a confident visual style. However, upon a re-watch there are a number of issues that simply get in the way of my overall enjoyment. The main plot is very messy and the emotional arc only really comes into play in the final section of the film. Outside of the Yule Ball scenes, the arrival of the other schools don't really add much to the main story outside of window dressing. 

With the success of Goblet, the makers of the series were faced with their biggest challenge yet - adapting The Order of the Phoenix, the infamously long and bloated fifth novel. However, somehow, they pulled it off with one of the leanest and entertaining Potter films. Then watch as they fall back into bad habits with film six, Half-Blood Prince. Both of these films will be explored in part three - The Art of the Adaptation. 

Side-Note

So it took me a while to publish this one for several reasons. This entry was being composed just as I was moving home from Huddersfield to Manchester. It was a manic time but Part Two of my Potter retrospective was just about done for moving date. But I was unsatisfied. It felt unfinished. And as boxes began to empty and we made our new home feel like our home I couldn't put my finger on what it needed. Then several months passed. Doh. I re-read it today though and I'm actually mostly happy with it, in particular the Azkaban section, so I thought "what hey, why not publish it". Hopefully, I can get this rounded off this year. The Ghibli Retrospectives have been on a short hiatus, as the Princess Mononoke article has proven to be a massive undertaking. Hopefully, I will be able to publish both parts this week and get moving onto the next films in the back catalogue.