strange radiation: the pool of radiance archive

Adventures with an unreliable narrator.

Jun 6 04: hp III

Tonight we got a mob together and went to see Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. My verdict: go see!

This film is the first in the series not to be directed by Chris Columbus, and it’s a wonderful change. HPIII is the first of the three not to be too slavish to its source material: the attention is fixed on the meat of the story rather than the zillions of little digressions and subplots of Rowling’s book. The movie is also beautiful to look at, from the art direction (lovely architectural stuff going on with the school) to the use of long lingering looks at the natural world around the school to establish mood and signal the passage of time. The dementors are sufficiently spooky, the hippogrif is noble, and the Map is terriffic. Fans of Alan Rickman may be a little disappointed: he doesn’t get as much screen time as he might, although he’s very good when he’s around. His scene as a disoriented boggart is a little gem. (The fans who should really be howling are Maggie Smith’s. You’d barely know she showed up for work.) Yes, the actors playing the three teen protagonists are growing up, but I don’t mind that, and I thought they turned in fine performances. Hermione’s still the best of the three; Ron gets a few very funny moments.

All in all, the new movie bodes well for the future of the series. Worth your ten bucks, sez I.

Commentary

Hippogriff, as in http://www.pantheon.org/articles/h/hippogriff.html…

“A legendary animal, half horse and half griffin. Its father was a griffin and its mother was a filly. It is often found in ancient Greek art and appeared largely in medieval legends. It is a symbol of love (Ariosto: Orlando furioso, iv, 18,19) and used to signify an impossibility or incongruity.”

posted by CZR, Jun 8 04 4:39 PM

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