Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1
Written by Steve Kloves
Directed by David Yates
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
The Harry Potter series, being the cash cow it was, was also destined to be flogged to a phenomenal degree, whether it had died in the process or not. As such, the colossal seventh (and final) book by the now stupidly wealthy J.K. Rowling was cleaved into two films rather than just one. It turns out that this was not such a bad idea, as the extended play time has given director David Yates space to breath, and the result is a more nuanced and emotional film riddled with death, darkness and prolonged gazing into space.
Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) would be studying for his final year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry, were it not for the death of his mentor Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) and the inevitable rise of his mortal enemy, Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). With the battle between the wizarding community and Voldemort's henchmen, the Death-Eaters, bleeding into the human world, Harry and his stalwart companions Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) must go in search of a means to defeat the dark lord. But where to begin?
If you haven't read the books recently, or at all, you will be utterly lost with this penultimate installment. There is a thick density of references to the previous installments, including nods to concepts and story elements that never made it into the six other films. Nevertheless, the pace is well set, and this train of events is on an ineffable course that will slow for no-one; it's hard to accuse the film of throwing you in the deep end when it is based on the most popular book series of all time. From the startling opening - a speech by the ever-magnificent Bill Nighy followed by a rather harrowing onscreen murder - to the conclusion, there's barely time to shed a tear for loved ones lost.
And there are many loved ones lost. Fans of the book know well the tragedies that await at the series' end, but it is startling to see such beloved characters dropping like flies even in this first edition. Rowling had a producer's credit for this one, allowing her to reshape the deaths she had already wrought in ink. Her brilliant strategy of aging the books with the audience has come full-circle in this truly dark film, and it could not be further from children's viewing. This point is driven home by the lovely animated sequence explaining the origins of the eponymous Deathly Hallows - grim stuff indeed, and unfortunately somewhat out of place.
The casting agent needs a round of applause for Part 1 - the assembled are really something to behold, especially those who have already cemented themselves in their roles. Helena Bonham Carter is a personal favourite*, with many other cameos in tow.
What is strongest about this installation is the emotional core: the three central actors have come a long way, though Watson is still prone to unnecessary huffing and puffing. Yates has relied just a little too much on his remarkable cinematographer Eduardo Serra to provide beautiful scenic shots where Harry or Hermione stare whimsically, and in these nothing happens to drive the plot - the first time, it communicates just how lost they are, but by the fourth panorama it's just irritating. There are pangs of melodrama, particularly in the unsatisfying final scene, but most of the young wizards' reactions are justified by the brutality of the world around them.
Riddled with genuine tension and showing a great deal of promise, Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is an exciting journey, though it may be for fans only.
*The first time I came across the character Bellatrix Lestrange on the page, I said out loud, "this is Helena Bonham Carter". Turns out I was right.
Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) would be studying for his final year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry, were it not for the death of his mentor Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) and the inevitable rise of his mortal enemy, Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). With the battle between the wizarding community and Voldemort's henchmen, the Death-Eaters, bleeding into the human world, Harry and his stalwart companions Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) must go in search of a means to defeat the dark lord. But where to begin?
If you haven't read the books recently, or at all, you will be utterly lost with this penultimate installment. There is a thick density of references to the previous installments, including nods to concepts and story elements that never made it into the six other films. Nevertheless, the pace is well set, and this train of events is on an ineffable course that will slow for no-one; it's hard to accuse the film of throwing you in the deep end when it is based on the most popular book series of all time. From the startling opening - a speech by the ever-magnificent Bill Nighy followed by a rather harrowing onscreen murder - to the conclusion, there's barely time to shed a tear for loved ones lost.
And there are many loved ones lost. Fans of the book know well the tragedies that await at the series' end, but it is startling to see such beloved characters dropping like flies even in this first edition. Rowling had a producer's credit for this one, allowing her to reshape the deaths she had already wrought in ink. Her brilliant strategy of aging the books with the audience has come full-circle in this truly dark film, and it could not be further from children's viewing. This point is driven home by the lovely animated sequence explaining the origins of the eponymous Deathly Hallows - grim stuff indeed, and unfortunately somewhat out of place.
The casting agent needs a round of applause for Part 1 - the assembled are really something to behold, especially those who have already cemented themselves in their roles. Helena Bonham Carter is a personal favourite*, with many other cameos in tow.
What is strongest about this installation is the emotional core: the three central actors have come a long way, though Watson is still prone to unnecessary huffing and puffing. Yates has relied just a little too much on his remarkable cinematographer Eduardo Serra to provide beautiful scenic shots where Harry or Hermione stare whimsically, and in these nothing happens to drive the plot - the first time, it communicates just how lost they are, but by the fourth panorama it's just irritating. There are pangs of melodrama, particularly in the unsatisfying final scene, but most of the young wizards' reactions are justified by the brutality of the world around them.
Riddled with genuine tension and showing a great deal of promise, Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is an exciting journey, though it may be for fans only.
*The first time I came across the character Bellatrix Lestrange on the page, I said out loud, "this is Helena Bonham Carter". Turns out I was right.
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