July 1 - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Today’s movie is an action fantasy film with a scene that happens on July 1. I hope you will watch this film tonight and enjoy it.  

HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX  

Harry Potter is moping about in Little Whinging when he and his muggle cousin are attacked by dementors, the wraith-like guardians of Azkaban who suck out your soul. The attack is witnessed by Harry’s goofy neighbor Mrs. Figg, who is revealed to be a squib, or non-magical child of magical parents. Harry is taken to 12 Grimauld Place, London, the home of Sirius Black and headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, the anti-Voldemort group. The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge and his supporters try to discredit Harry and Dumbledore’s story of Voldemort’s reappearance as they think Dumbledore wants to seize power himself.  Thanks to the testimony of Mrs. Figg Harry is acquitted of illegally using magic in front of a muggle in repelling the dementor attack. At Hogwarts Harry is introduced to the quirky Luna Lovegood, who like Harry can see the normally invisible flying thestrels that pull the carriages to the school. He is punished by the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Dolores Umbridge, a supporter of Fudge, for saying Voldemort has returned. Harry starts having disturbing dreams. Umbridge is appointed “High Inquisitor” and fires Professor Trelawney. Hermione Granger organizes “Dumbledore’s Army” (the DA) to train students in the use of magic to fight Voldemort. Neville Longbottom finds the room of requirement, which will only open for people who need it, which the DA uses as a training ground. Harry has his first kiss with Cho Chang and he has a vision of Mr. Wesley being attacked and this helps save Mr. Wesley’s life. Snape tries to teach Harry occulmancy, the art of closing his mind to magical attack. Hagrid returns and there is a break-out from Azakaban prison. Umbridge gets in the room of requirement after using truth serum on Cho Chang. Dumbledore goes on the run and Umbridge is made headmaster of Hogwarts. Hagrid shows the trio that he is keeping his giant half-brother, Grawp in the Dark Forest. Harry learns why Snape hated his father and the Weasley twins leave the school.  Harry has a vision of Sirius being tortured by Voldemort. When they try to use the magical flue network to get to London, they are caught by Umbridge and have to use  Grawp to escape. They use the thestrels to fly to London. There in the Ministry of Magic’s Department of Mysteries Harry finds a prophecy about him that is wanted by Voldemort. The Death Eaters attack Harry and his friends. The Order of the Phoenix shows up but Sirius is killed. Voldemort and Dumbledore show up and engage in an epic magical battle, which ends with Voldemort fleeing after Fudge and his supporters see him, forcing them to agree he has returned. On July 1, 1996 [2:07:02 to 2:08:15] Harry, Ron and Hermione walk to the Hogwarts Express and go home.

The most action packed of the Harry Potter films. If you’re a Potter fan the synopsis is clear. If you’re not a lot is probably confusing. However, without giving a five page brief, there’s really not anyway to explain everything if you’re not familiar with the Potterverse. I apologize. 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling (Scholastic, Inc., New York, 2003) pages 864-870. We learned in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban at page 430 that the students go home on July 1.

Producer - David Heyman and David Barron

Director - David Yates

Screenplay - Michael Goldenberg

Runtime – 2 hours 18 minutes

Released – July 11, 2007

Starring –

Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter

Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley

Emma Watson as Hermione Granger

Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange

Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid

Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick

Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort

Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore

Brendan Gleeson as Mad-Eye Moody

Richard Griffiths as Vernon Dursley

Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy

Gary Oldman as Sirius Black

Alan Rickman as Severus Snape

Fiona Shaw as Petunia Dursley

Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall

Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge

David Thewlis as Remus Lupin

Emma Thompson as Sybill Trelawney

Julie Walters as Molly Weasley

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014