After reading this article, I am predicting that the third Harry Potter movie will be horrible.
The first two Harry Potter films, “The Sorcerer’s Stone” and “The Chamber of Secrets,” both directed by the family-friendly Columbus, were earnestly mainstream affairs. Some critics shrugged, but each film grossed nearly $1 billion worldwide. Now, with the series’ two lightest chapters out of the way, the stage is set for an adventurer like Cuaron, who got an Oscar nomination last year for the teen-sex romp “Y Tu Mama Tambien.” By now, every fan of the franchise has torn through the thunderous new book, “The Order of the Phoenix,” at least once, meaning the onus of keeping the insatiable Potter machine humming is about to shift back to Hollywood. Chronicling the erotic adventures of two Mexican teens might not seem like a job qualification for a Harry Potter movie, but hey, give Warner Brothers credit for showing some chutzpah.
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set designer Stuart Craig labored to avoid a “pretty, chocolate-box” village, creating a main street that swerves zanily. Honeydukes, the candy store, is floor-to-ceiling psychedelia, with tangles of licorice and—a Cuaron touch—Mexican skulls made of sugar.
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Cuaron also reimagined the role of Professor Dumbledore after Richard Harris’s death. British actor Michael Gambon now plays the Hogwarts headmaster as an elegant old hippie [Emphasis added]. Cuaron’s outspokenness is also new to the franchise. Does the evil wizard Voldemort still remind him of George W. Bush, as he said recently? “In combination with Saddam,” he says. “They both have selfish interests and are very much in love with power. Also, a disregard for the environment. A love for manipulating people. [Emphasis added] I read books four and five, and Fudge”—Rowling’s slippery Minister of Magic—”is similar to Tony Blair. He’s the ultimate politician. He’s in denial about many things. And everything is for the sake of his own persona, his own power.
I sincerely hope that I am wrong, becuase I thoroughly enjoyed the first two films. What angers me the most at this news is the “reimagination” of Professor Dumbledore as an “elegant old hippie.” I really hope that the personal views of this idiot (the director) do not harm the story further than indiciated in this article. Regarding my prediction that this third movie of the Harry Potter series will be horrible, I sincerely hope that I am wrong.
I totally agree. I feel Chris Columbus did a good job sticking to the book when directing the first two films. The idea of Dumbledore as a hippy disgusts me. Of course I will be seeing the third movie as well, but I hope also that it will be better than I’m expecting it to be. Let’s just hope that this idiot director doesnt chop it up too much. I just wish I knew how J.K. Rowling thinks of the idea.
Comment by Jen 8/6/2003 @ 9:22 pm
1. Cuaron using HP as a political platform annoys me.
2. He has even modernized the look of the movie, he has Hogwarts students going off to Hogsmeade in modern trendy clothing. Wizard culture is meant to be old-fashioned and robes and cloaks are common clothing. Why students should dress like muggles when visiting an all wizard village is just plain weird.
Comment by 9/17/2003 @ 3:33 am