My review on first viewing

[Hillman, Lee]

Hi, everyone!
 
Well, I've seen the movie once, and am about to go again, but wanted to jot
down my initial thoughts/reactions before the second round muddies up my
first assessment. This is going to be long and rambly, but I hope I'll get
to all the important bits.
 
Okay. To start with, I agree with everyone who said that Richard Harris's
problems with Dumbledore are to be blamed on the script. Where there was
humour written in the scene, he did manage to play it reasonably well. It
was very disjointed to have him stand twice--they should have proceeded
straight to Sorting and then had him say all his bit at once (and I agree
that the "reminder" struck me as odd, as well.
 
I really liked the Dursley sequences, and I thought they did establish
Harry's abusive situation. Particularly after the zoo, when Vernon grabs his
hair and locks him in the cupboard. I also didn't at all mind the seque to
the hut on the rock--I think it worked just fine and made sense to cut the
material in between for time.
 
I have to second the idea that the film script sets up the possibility that
the Evans's were Squibs, though it could easily still be that there was
rampant favouritism in the family (or at least Petunia perceived it so) such
that if it was Lily it was a Good Thing; if it was Petunia it was a Bad
Thing. Jury's still out on that, but Fiona Shaw was chillingly good there.
Only minor quibble: Vernon calls Harry Harry on Sunday.
 
Diagon Alley--I saw the Leaky Cauldron sign, but I think I misinterpreted
Rowling's hint and was looking above it, so I didn't detect anything
special. Yes, a few more wizards thronging around him would have been nice.
 
Did anyone else notice the little Hogwarts banners outside certain shops? I
think it's so funny but yet completely consistent that stores on DA would
advertise "Buy Official Hogwarts Gear Here." Also, there was another wand
shop--but I don't remember the name.
 
Ollivander's: I missed Hagrid not being there, though it makes sense to get
him the owl in that amount of time. I LOVED John Hurt, but I also missed his
nattering on about what's in each wand. There was no soundtrack in this
scene--they were saving the music for the phoenix feather wand--and I was
somehow really conscious of the lack of dialogue and the silences that
stretched while Harry took each wand and tried it out. I felt that the
silence should have been filled with Ollivander talking about the wands.
 
The flashback, etc. - I think this could be either Hagrid's imagination or
Harry's. I don't think it's inconsistent with what Harry hears. Lily never
puts him in the crib; it looks more to me like she's trying to figure out
where to run. The f/b is sketchy, so it would be reasonable that the
dialogue between her and Voldy isn't covered here. It doesn't mean it didn't
happen--but as Hagrid wasn't there and Harry can't remember it yet, it's
reasonably absent.
 
King's Cross - I was also perturbed that Hagrid hands him his ticket and
it's suddenly time to use it. This is one of those times when a simple film
effect could have showed time passing--change Hagrid's line to say "remember
it's first september at 11:00" and then have him disappear. Then cut to a
tight shot of Harry standing in the station, do a fast dissolve around him
and perhaps a voice over or a tight close-up of Vernon laughing at him with
the line, "Nine and Three-Quarters? Barking mad--well, have a good term--if
you can find the platform!" all nasty like. Ta-da. Harry obviously went home
and got dropped off.
 
Weasleys - Percy and Ginny were thrown away, yes. I also would have liked to
see Mrs. Weasley in robes rather than Muggle clothes. Loved the twins.
Didn't particularly miss the rest of the getting on scene, though I was
conscious they skipped it all.
 
Sorting - Like I said, they should have just gone straight to it and kept
D's speech for afterward. I completely agree the order is contrived. I
didn't like the dangly bits on the hat, either. What's up with that? Loved
the special effect of it talking, but they totally blew that it should have
been more private. 
 
Passage of time in general: I think the establishing shots did enough to
show that time was passing, though a few montages would have been nice.
Seeing even snips of other classes and taking exams--maybe just the old
"calendar on the wall" trick, combined with a couple silent shots of them
poring through the library, would have helped.
 
Seamus/Neville: agreed. All of it. Lose Seamus, give it all to Neville. I
did love the look on Nev's face, though, when he told Harry that Hermione
had been crying (he got the gossip from Parvati, did y'all catch that?)--his
face so clearly said, "I've done that myself a fair few times." Poor little
guy. Oh, skipping backward--his broomstick ride! Holy Hanging by a Thread,
Batman! Like I said, poor guy!
 
So getting back to the flying thing--I loved how Draco mounts his broom,
very casually, as if he's done it thousands of times. It reminded me of how
kids frequently push off on the pedal of their bikes and throw their other
leg over after the bike's already in motion. Cool.
 
Sean Biggerstaff! Whoo-hoo! He has so few lines and he really nails (for me)
the way Quidditch is this kid's life. I really liked the details in the
chest that holds the balls, too. One of my fave lines added in the movie was
his about getting hit by a bludger in the head and waking a week later. Hee!
Bless you, Alan Rickman.
 
And speaking of Alan.... heh. hehhehhehheh. Oh, yes. More Alan, more Alan,
more Alan. I came out of the movie saying, "skip CoS--show me PoA NOW!"
Because of all the Snape interaction. I absolutely loved the palate the
costume designer used for his stuff--all very textured, very tactile. The
row of buttons on his trouser cuffs! The slightly purplish tint of his tunic
and the crisp white lines of undertunic. His nubbly wool cloak that catches
fire. And the bifurcated cape! I wanted more scenes of him walking away to
see the way that cape flowed. Yes, it should be "stopper death," but I'll
forgive them that because he's saying it. Interestingly, the way that the
speech was rearranged, and his line reading, makes it sound like, "There
will be no wand waving" is a prohibition, not a comparison. Just like my man
Snape! I really found it interesting that Harry was shown faithfully taking
notes and Snape assumed he was doodling. It does beg the question though of
why Harry didn't show him the pad. It was plain notebook paper, too, though
he was using a quill. 
 
I agree with Amanda about his expressions in the Q match, and the bit about
reaching out for the invisibility cloak. He's got good instincts, this Snape
fellow. And the slightly pained expression when he says good luck to Harry.
Though I have mixed feelings about this (my Snape wouldn't say a kind word
under any circumstances, even with the qualified follow-up comment), it
seems he's also not sure why exactly he's doing it. Great inner conflict.
 
Two Quidditch quibbles: 1. The circling the broom thing bugged me. Given
cushioning charms, etc., I rather imagined they would manoeuver like that,
but that they would take the brooms with them, not leave it stationary like
a gymnast on parallel bars. 2. I wanted more active referree'ing by Hooch.
Seems to me there were a number of fouls that weren't called. It would have
given the audience a better sense of the game--rather than an "anything
goes" kind of thing. 
 
Quidditch good stuff: Loved the speed, the non-stop ness of the action.
Loved Oliver. I really liked that the hoops were at different heights. And
while the stadium is the real Quidditch layout, I have to say the tower
thing worked for Hermione's problem--having to climb down from her stand,
run round to Snape's, and back up all those stairs. Also not having her
knock Quirrell was I thought a good touch. For one thing, it always kind of
bugged me that Qurrell and Snape were evidently standing next to one another
just incanting spells. If Snape's that worried, why doesn't he
surreptitiously just elbow Quirrell in the gut? That they weren't directly
next to one another helped I think.
 
It's nearly 3 and I have to go to my other date for the movie. Really
important stuff: Mirror. I wish we could have seen the script more
clearly--I figured out the first time in the book that it was written
backward. Am I the only person who always got from the books that Ron's a
bit of a potty mouth? He's _always_ saying things in the books that
scandalize Hermione or merit stern looks from others. "Language, Weasley." I
_like_ that about him--I'm sure his older brothers are a poor influence!
 
Agree with Heidi--some of the longer no-dialogue sequences could have been
shortened to make room for more other stuff. 
 
Flitwick: I hate this visual version of Flitwick. Has anyone seen the show
Boston Public? This season there's a chemistry teacher who is what I
visualize as Flitwick. I don't have time to find a picture now, but maybe
tomorrow I can look for one. 
 
I loved the keys in the final challenge. Agree that the Devil's Snare should
have had "are you a witch or not?" I also would have moved Snape's potion
challenge to before the chess set and kept it in, because they've made such
a big deal out of him being a teacher protecting the stone. I would have let
Hermione shine on that one, but had enough potion for all three of them to
get through and still have the chess scene, which was great. Though I did
find myself saying to Ron, 'just dismount, you silly!"
 
Yes, the ending would have been better if we'd had just one indication that
Slytherin's streak had been broken, and yes, we needed better Neville ahead
of time to fix that hollow victory. However, a parting Alan shot: loved the
look on his face, the fixed smile, when Dumbledore starts mucking with
points.
 
Oh, and for those people who mentioned Pomfrey's headgear: It's called a
hennin, and yes, it surprised me, too!
 
Everything else others have said. I'll probably post tomorrow with reactions
from the second time through. I haven't made up my mind yet whether Williams
just knocked off the score without caring or whether he really put in an
effort. More on that later.
 
Gwen