If you haven’t heard of the Harry Potter books or movies, then I wonder if you’ve been
cooped up in a guarded basement with the Sorcerer’s Stone. The Harry Potter movie is
magically enhanced with amazing special effects. So, if you’re not into the Potter craze
that has taken over every dimension as we know it, you may want to catch a sneak peek at
this very long movie just to see the effects. Keep an eye out for the Broomstick game.
Oh, and the acting is also a delightful surprise!
Harry Potter enthusiasts have been delving deep into thought on the
alt.fan.harry-potter newsgroup. Definitely check it out to soothe any Harry Potter withdrawal you may be
experiencing. Before we get into the nitty gritty, here’s a brief synopsis of the story:
Harry Potter (DANIEL RADCLIFFE) has learned to live with his bullying Uncle Vernon
(RICHARD GRIFFITHS), his callous Aunt Petunia (FIONA SHAW) and the constant whining of his
greedy, spoiled cousin Dudley. He’s even learned to live with sleeping in the cupboard
under the stairs.
Harry’s relatives have just as reluctantly learned to live with the unwelcome presence of
their orphaned relation, a constant reminder of Petunia’s “wayward" sister and
brother-in-law and their mysterious and untimely demise.
Even the impending arrival of his 11th birthday offers no excitement for Harry – as usual,
there’s little chance of cards, presents or any kind of birthday treat.
This year, however, is different. Based on the first of J.K. Rowling’s popular children’s
novels about Harry Potter, the live action family adventure film Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer’s Stone tells the story of a boy who learns on his 11th birthday that he is the
orphaned son of two powerful wizards and possesses unique magical powers of his own.
Invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry embarks on the
adventure of a lifetime. At Hogwarts, he finds the home and the family he has never had.
Director Chris Columbus, renowned for directing the blockbuster hits Home Alone and Mrs.
Doubtfire, made the short list of those considered for the daunting but prestigious task
of turning author J.K. Rowling’s book into a film. Columbus recalls, “My daughter Eleanor
was reading the book at the time and insisted that I read it as well. I started reading
it, finished it in one day and couldn’t stop thinking about turning it into a film. But,
at that point, the film was already in the hands of another director. A few months later,
I received a call from my agent, telling me the book was again available. There was only
one problem: several directors were now also interested in making the film. Warner Bros.
and producer David Heyman began a lengthy process of interviewing the potential candidates. Nevertheless, I wasn’t intimidated by this. I felt that if I could
articulate my passion and obsession with the material, if I could clearly specify how I
would make the film, and the Studio would realize that I was the man for the job."
British producer David Heyman looked into his crystal ball and realized Chris Columbus was
the director who would bring life to the Harry Potter books.
Next on the list was finding the young actor who would portray Harry Potter. By March
2000, Chris Columbus and David Heyman were deep into pre-production. The search for a boy
to play the role of the beloved wizard had yielded no convincing results. Heyman and the
Potter casting directors had been auditioning hopeful young actors since 1999, meeting
thousands through open casting calls and advertisements, but they had yet to find the
Harry.
“It was not easy to find a boy who embodied the many qualities of Harry Potter," Heyman
explains. “We wanted someone who could combine a sense of wonder and curiosity, the sense
of having lived a life, having experienced pain; an old soul in a child’s body. He needed
to be open and generous to those around him and have good judgment. Harry is not great at
academics; he has flaws. But that’s what makes him so compelling, so human – that he’s
not perfect. Harry has an ‘everyman’ quality, yet he is capable of great things. He
makes us all believe that magic is possible."
Columbus was also ensconced in the seemingly endless quest. “We had auditioned hundreds
of potential Harry Potters, and I was still unhappy with the results," he recalls. “The
first casting director, in a fit of total frustration, threw up her arms and said ‘I just
don’t know what you want!’ Sitting on a shelf in the office was a video copy of David
Copperfield, starring Daniel Radcliffe. I picked up the video box, pointed to Dan’s face
and said ‘This is who I want! This is Harry Potter!’ The casting director said, ‘I’ve told
you before, he is unavailable and his parents aren’t interested in him doing this film.’"
The search continued. Ironically, a few months later, Heyman and Harry Potter
screenwriter Steven Kloves decided to take a break and go to the theatre. “We bumped into
an agent I know, Alan Radcliffe," says Heyman, who was immediately struck by the look of
the child sitting with the agent. “Alan and his wife Marcia introduced us to their son
Dan during the intermission. It was all the clichés – lightning struck and the skies
opened! All through the second half of the play, I couldn’t concentrate. The Radcliffes
left before I had a chance to speak to them, so I had a very sleepless night before
calling Alan the next morning."
The Radcliffes expressed caution when approached about involving their only son Daniel in
Harry Potter. “I completely understood their reticence and caution in allowing their
child to play a role that would inevitably change his life," Heyman says. “But, we
arranged a meeting over tea that afternoon with Dan. We talked for an hour and a half.
His energy and enthusiasm were wonderful. I had a feeling then that this was our Harry."
“To the Radcliffes’ credit, they were totally aware of the enormity of the project and for
the sake of their child, were not going to make this decision lightly," says Columbus.
“We made it very clear to the them that we would protect their son. We knew from the
start that Dan was Harry Potter. He has the magic, the inner depth and darkness that is
very rare in an eleven year-old. He also has a sense of wisdom and intelligence that I
haven’t seen in many other kids his age. We knew we had made the right choice after
sending Jo [Rowling] a copy of Daniel’s screen test. Jo’s comment was something to the
effect of ‘I feel as if I’ve been reunited with my long lost son.’"
Eleven year-old Daniel Radcliffe had first been tipped off about the auditions for the
much sought-after role some months earlier by a school friend, but had dismissed his
chances. “I thought, there are millions of boys auditioning for that part and I know I
won’t get it!" Radcliffe remembers fondly.
After completing several auditions and that fateful screen test, Daniel’s life-changing
phone call finally came. “I was in the bath and talking to my Mum when the phone rang and
Dad came in and told me I’d got the part," Radcliffe recalls with wonder. “I was so
happy, I cried a lot! That night I woke up at two in the morning and woke up Mum and Dad
and I asked them ‘Is it real? Am I dreaming?’ I was so excited!"
And what a wonderful dream it is!
"Bottomless Pit of Potter"
