heresy.
Fanfic Fanatic
Age: 16
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Posts: 1968 | December 26th, 2006 at 10:29pm Book: The story opens with the unrestrained celebration of a normally-secretive wizarding world which for years had been terrorised by Lord Voldemort in his decade-long bid for power. The previous night, Voldemort, who had for months sought the hidden Potter family, discovered their refuge and killed Lily and James Potter. However, when he turned his wand against their infant son, Harry, his killing curse rebounded upon him. His soul was ripped from his body, and he fled into hiding, leaving Harry with a distinctive lightning bolt scar on his forehead, the only physical sign of Voldemort's curse. Harry's mysterious defeat of Voldemort results in him being dubbed "The Boy Who Lived" by the wizarding world.
The orphaned Harry Potter is subsequently raised by his cruel, non-magical relatives, the Dursleys, in ignorance of his magical heritage. However, as his eleventh birthday approaches, Harry has his first contact with the magical world when he receives letters from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which are stolen from him by his Aunt and Uncle before he has a chance to read them. On his eleventh birthday he is informed that he is in fact a wizard and has been invited to attend Hogwarts. He is told this by Hagrid, the gamekeeper of Hogwarts. Each book chronicles one year in Harry's life at Hogwarts, where he learns to use magic and brew potions. Harry also learns to overcome many magical, social, and emotional obstacles as he struggles through his adolescence and Voldemort's second rise to power
Movie: In 1999, Rowling sold the film rights to the first four Harry Potter books to Warner Bros. for a reported £1 million ($1.9 million US, or ca. 1.4 million €). [51] Her major demand was that the principal cast be kept strictly British. [52] Although Steven Spielberg was initially in negotiations to direct the first film, he would later decline. He wanted the movie to be an animated film, with Haley Joel Osment to do the voice of Harry Potter. For a while, it was speculated that this was due to Rowling's heavy involvement and Spielberg's dislike of an all-British cast. However, Spielberg contended that, in his opinion, it would be like "shooting ducks in a barrel... It's just like withdrawing a billion dollars and putting it into your personal bank accounts. There's no challenge."[53]
The Harry Potter movies have since gone on to even eclipse such giants as the Star Wars trilogy in worldwide box office gross receipts, finishing second all-time to only The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.[54]
In the Rubbish Bin section of her website, Rowling maintains that she personally had no role in Spielberg's choice saying, "Anyone who thinks I could (or would) have 'veto-ed' him needs their Quick-Quotes Quill serviced." [55]
In the end, Chris Columbus directed the first two films, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Alfonso Cuarón directed the third, and Mike Newell directed the fourth. The fifth, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, is currently in production and is being directed by David Yates.[56] Columbus also worked as producer on the first three films.
Rowling's first choice director was originally Terry Gilliam, but Columbus' involvement as screenwriter on the 1985 film Young Sherlock Holmes encouraged Warner Bros. to select him in preference. Reminiscent of the Harry Potter series, Young Sherlock Holmes includes three leads who bear a strong resemblance to the Harry, Ron and Hermione of Rowling's description (as does a character named Dudley to Draco Malfoy). They investigate a supernatural mystery in a Gothic boarding school, where staff include the Professor Flitwick-like Waxflatter, and sinister Rathe. Scenes from the film were used to cast the first Harry Potter film.[57]
In 2000, the virtually unknown British actors Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint were selected from thousands of auditioning children to play the roles of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley, respectively. [58] They are scheduled to return in the fifth film. [59] Other notable Potter character portrayals include Robbie Coltrane's Hagrid, Alan Rickman's Severus Snape, Tom Felton's Draco Malfoy, Maggie Smith's Minerva McGonagall, and Richard Harris and Michael Gambon's Albus Dumbledore (Gambon took over for the third film following Harris's death in 2002). Each will reprise their characters for Order of the Phoenix. along with Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy, Gary Oldman as Sirius Black, and Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort. [60]
The first four films were scripted by Steve Kloves with the direct assistance of Rowling, though she allowed Kloves what he described as "tremendous elbow room".[61] Thus the plot and tone of each film and its corresponding book are virtually the same with some changes and omissions for purposes of cinematic style and time constraints. Despite these changes, Rowling has characterised Kloves and his adaptations as being "faithful to the books."[23]
The fifth Harry Potter film, Order of the Phoenix is scheduled by Warner Bros. for release on July 13, 2007, and the sixth, Half-Blood Prince is scheduled for November 21, 2008.
[Credit: Wikipedia] |
microscopium.
Cliché Catastrophe
Age: -
Gender: -
Posts: 340 | December 26th, 2006 at 10:42pm I love Harry Potter.
I want the new book to be released already. -_- |
helen
Admin
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Posts: 12134 | December 26th, 2006 at 10:47pm I love the books more! (actually I always prefer a book)
I've heard J.K. announced the name of the last book. Does anyone know it? |
heresy.
Fanfic Fanatic
Age: 16
Gender: Female
Posts: 1968 | December 26th, 2006 at 10:58pm Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows |
I was here...
Cliché Catastrophe
Age: 15
Gender: Female
Posts: 627 | December 27th, 2006 at 03:52am I've only seen the movies.
But I want to read the books.
Because the books are probably better than the movies. |
microscopium.
Cliché Catastrophe
Age: -
Gender: -
Posts: 340 | December 27th, 2006 at 09:15am I was here...:I've only seen the movies.
But I want to read the books.
Because the books are probably better than the movies. They are.  . |
I was here...
Cliché Catastrophe
Age: 15
Gender: Female
Posts: 627 | December 27th, 2006 at 10:30am I think in most cases the books are better than the movies, of anything, not just Harry Potter.
So when I have money, I'm going to get a Harry Potter book or two  |
helen
Admin
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Posts: 12134 | December 27th, 2006 at 12:33pm I was here...:I think in most cases the books are better than the movies, of anything, not just Harry Potter.
So when I have money, I'm going to get a Harry Potter book or two
To me they are, because you can imagine things your way. I imagined Hogwarts rather differently than it was made in the movies. |
Bastard Son.
Moderator
Age: 19
Gender: Female
Posts: 9047 | December 27th, 2006 at 12:49pm I always prefer books. Yes, in some cases movies are better, but if a book is well-written, I'll almost always choose it over a movie.
And I L-O-V-E Harry Potter book series. Oh, yes. That woman has such an imaginative mind! Her words help me portray everything in my own way and I feel like I get sucked into their world every time I read them. I really admire that woman's talent.
And about the movies - I love those too, but not as much as I love the books. The Weasley twins so own me! And Mr. Wood as well. His accent is ADORABLE. I'll stop ranting now. xD |
Katie Did What?
Writer's Block
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Posts: 32 | December 27th, 2006 at 09:41pm Me and my friend love the books.
not even afraid to admit it
we're definitely camping outside the bookstore when the next one comes out.
anyways, I heard it's coming out July 7
cause it's like the seventh book...07/07/07.
anyone know if that's true or not?
and I agree: books are better than the films....the scenery was great, but I imagined the characters to look a lot different than the actors that were chose to play them... |
I was here...
Cliché Catastrophe
Age: 15
Gender: Female
Posts: 627 | December 28th, 2006 at 12:53pm I got the first book! Haha yeah... I hope I'll be able to imagine it well and not too much like the movie, because I've seen it a few *cough* times.
I'm gonna start reading it tomorrow, because I don't have the brain power now  |
heresy.
Fanfic Fanatic
Age: 16
Gender: Female
Posts: 1968 | December 29th, 2006 at 03:59am I'm not sure when the book's coming out. I hope it'll be in July, then I can have something to do in Europe :] (alongwithstalkingDanielRadcliffe*cough*)
I know for sure that the next movie's coming out on July 13th though. |
Eiri;Total Loser
Writer's Block
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Posts: 11 | December 29th, 2006 at 06:17am Yeah, I heard the book was coming out in July.
Though I'm not real sure |
Dark Melody
Writer's Block
Age: 15
Gender: Female
Posts: 54 | December 29th, 2006 at 02:06pm I'm a big Harry Potter fan.
I agree that the books are much more interesting than the films.The films are good too but the book is a different thing.You can imagine everything and sometimes you feel as you are in the book with all the characters.That's one of the reasons I like the books so much and I have to say that J.K. is on of the best writers of fantasy books ever
I'm really looking forward the 7th book and the 5th film.
And for now it has been said that the book will be out on 7th July ,2007 but no one can be sure. |
ema.
Amateur Author
Age: 16
Gender: Female
Posts: 191 | December 29th, 2006 at 02:56pm I think Fawkes is cute. Not what I imagined though. In my mind he's much cuter than he is in the movie. |
RICHARD III.
Cliché Catastrophe
Age: -
Gender: -
Posts: 365 | December 29th, 2006 at 08:22pm I really dunno what to expect in the last book. 
Hmm... |
Sir Pokey The Xrated
Cliché Catastrophe
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Posts: 504 | December 30th, 2006 at 02:02pm Hmm...The books are good, and the movie's ain't to bad.....Not one of my favs, but still.
After a while I thought it got very annoying with all the hysteria, even though I was one of them for a while, so when I heard that Rowling was killing Harry Potter in the seventh book I was like..HELL YEAH!
But then she changed it cause of fans that wouldn't let him die =(
It would've been a great ending. Harry Potter dead...mehe
o_o
*backs away slowly and runs before anybody has realised what she has said* |
Another Member
Amateur Author
Age: 87
Gender: Female
Posts: 147 | December 31st, 2006 at 03:30am lmfao xDD
i cried when i read... two.. books...
i dont really like the movies beside the first and second because they have the original Dumbledore and director.. the others just kinda... suck.  |
nicole; sock ownage.
Amateur Author
Age: -
Gender: Female
Posts: 151 | December 31st, 2006 at 10:30pm I'm addicted to the Harry Potter books...I started reading them in 1st grade and I still love them |
microscopium.
Cliché Catastrophe
Age: -
Gender: -
Posts: 340 | January 1st, 2007 at 07:26pm Ville Mo:Hmm...The books are good, and the movie's ain't to bad.....Not one of my favs, but still.
After a while I thought it got very annoying with all the hysteria, even though I was one of them for a while, so when I heard that Rowling was killing Harry Potter in the seventh book I was like..HELL YEAH!
But then she changed it cause of fans that wouldn't let him die =(
It would've been a great ending. Harry Potter dead...mehe
o_o
*backs away slowly and runs before anybody has realised what she has said* Nah, man.
She shouldn't kill Harry.
xD |
