Friday, May 9, 2014

May 9 - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Today’s movie is a fantasy film with a scene set on May 9. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER”S STONE        
       
The wizard Dumbledore leaves the orphaned Harry Potter with his non-magical relatives the Dursleys. They treat him horribly for the next decade, but strange things happen when Harry’s around, like a python escape during a zoo visit. Then Harry gets a mysterious letter, which is seized by his Uncle Vernon, but copies of the letter continue to arrive. Vernon decides they will leave their house and go to a hut on an isolated island. On Harry’s birthday the gigantic Hagrid arrives and tells Harry he is a wizard and the letter is an invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry’s aunt and uncle oppose this, but can’t stop it.  Hagrid takes Harry to London where they visit magical Diagon Alley, Gringotts bank and Hagrid gets a package from vault 731 for Dumbledore. Harry gets his inheritance and buys his magical school supplies. Hagrid tells Harry the dark wizard Lord Voldemort killed his parents and tried to kill him, but couldn’t and vanished.  Hagrid gives him a train ticket to Hogwarts that references Platform 9¾, so Harry has to rely on the aid of a magical family he fortuitously meets to get on the platform. On the train he meets red-haired Ron Weasley and the bossy know-it-all, Hermionie Granger.  At Hogwarts Harry is sorted into Gryffyndor House, like his parents. Harry begins his study of magic, complicated by the fact that the potions professor, Snape takes an instant dislike to him. Harry learns that someone tried to break into vault 731 at Gringotts. Harry discovers he has natural ability at broomstick flying and is drafted for the Gryffyndor quidditch team. Harry, Ron and Hermionie end up in a forbidden third floor corridor and find a gigantic three-headed dog guarding a trapdoor. On Halloween, Harry and Ron save Hermionie from a troll. In the year’s first quidditch match Harry’s broom gets possessed and Ron and Hermionie are sure Snape caused it. Hagrid lets slip that that the object hidden below the trapdoor, guarded by the three headed dog he calls “Fluffy” is connected to Nicholas Flamel. At Christmas Harry gets an invisibility cloak as a gift from an undisclosed person and uses it to find the Mirror of Erised, which shows a person their deepest desires.  The three friends discover Nicholas Flamel has the last sorcerer’s stone, which can be used to make the elixir of eternal youth and that it is hidden at Hogwarts.  Hagrid acquires a dragon’s egg and it hatches on May 9, 1992  [1:38:32 to 1:42:27]. For being out of bed after hours on a visit to Hagrid they get detention, which is served in the Dark forest helping Hagrid find a wounded unicorn. Harry finds the unicorn dead and a shadowy hooded figure drinking its blood, which has the power to keep anyone alive, regardless of their condition.  The three friends learn Hagrid told the person who sold him the dragon’s egg how to get past “Fluffy”.  Harry, Ron and Hermionie sneak out after hours to stop Snape from stealing the stone, after paralyzing the clumsy Neville Longbottom. “Fluffy” is already asleep, so they go through the trapdoor. They defeat devil’s snare, use Harry’s flying skills to grab a key, and Ron’s talent at wizard chess to win a life size game. Harry presses on to find bumbling Professor Quirell and the Mirror of Erised. Harry wishes he had the stone and it appears in his pocket. Lord Voldemort, who is sharing Quirell’s body tries to talk Harry into joining him, but he refuses. Quirell attacks Harry but can’t touch him and doing so causes Quirell’s body to disintegrate. Harry wakes up in the hospital, where Dumbledore tells Harry that his mother’s sacrifice of her life to save him created a magical barrier that protects Harry from Voldemort. After Dumbldore awards some points for their actions, Gryffyndor wins the House cup.  The students return home on the train. 

If you’re a fan of the Harry Potter books, like me this is a very good film. If you’re not a Harry Potter fan, the synopsis above, though long, probably won’t help you understand what happens in this film.  You’ll just have to watch it.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic Press, New York, 1997) at pages 229-235. This event occurs after Easter (page 229), which was on April 19, 1992.  It was more than one week before exams, which are in June (page 246)

Director -  Chris Columbus

Producer -  David Heyman

Screenplay - Steve Kloves

Awards – The film was nominated for the Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design and
                  Best Original Score Oscars at the 74th Academy Awards.

Released – November 4, 2001
        
Runtime – 2 hours 32 minutes

Starring –

Daniel Redcliffe as Harry Potter
Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley
Emma Watson as Hermione Granger
John Cleese as Nearly Headless Nick
Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid
Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick
Richard Griffiths as Vernon Dursley
Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore
Ian Hart as Professor Quirrell
John Hurt as Mr. Ollivander
Alan Rickman as Severus Snape
Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy
Fiona Shaw as Petunia Dursley
Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall
Julie Walters as Molly Weasley

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.






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