You’re a wizard Harry (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (DVD))

Member Name: dragonone

Product:	Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (DVD)
Date:	22/05/02 (1136 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent Cast, Good Quality sound and vision

Disadvantages: not a directors edition

Early on Saturday morning, 11 May 2002, I am awoken by my wife dropping two items on top of me. The first is my daughter dispensing morning kisses; the second is a brown cardboard package from Amazon.co.uk. Opening this package I find two books and a new DVD – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: Wide screen Edition. I ask my daughter ‘What’s this Pud?’ a big grin appears on her face, with a cry of ‘Potty, potty’ she grabs the DVD case and runs for the living room. By the time I arrive, the TV and DVD are on and she is trying to break open the plastic wrapping. So starts the first screening of the day, with a brief pause to kiss my wife goodbye as she departs for work.

I first watched this movie with my wife in the Philippines, where it is distibuted under the US title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The first question most people ask is ‘Why the different title?’ When the book was first published in the US of A, the publishers did not think the US children would understand what a Philosopher was, but they know what a Sorcerer is. I wonder what does this tells us? This movie is an adaptation of the book by JK Rowling, and is the first in a series of seven of which four have already been published: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, The Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire. The fifth was slated to be published late last year or early this, however if you believe the rumours, the text has not been completed. Has JK Rowling lost the plot?

I have read all four of the published books and have enjoyed them immensely, my wife has not, after all she is not a fan of Sci-Fi & Fantasy. When we left the cinema after watching the movie, she asked to borrow the book.

~~~ The Plot ~~~

This is an opinion on the DVD, not on the movie it’s self, so I will not dwell too long on the movie:

Harry Potter is an eleven year old orp
han boy grudgingly brought up by his Aunt and Uncle after his parents were killed in an ‘accident’ that Harry managed to escape with only a lightning shaped scar on the forehead. Harry believes he is an ordinary boy until a large man, Hagrid, arrives and tells Harry that he is to go to school at Hogwarts and train to be a Wizard. The film follows Harry’s adventures as he makes new friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, discovers a talent playing the wizards game of Quidditch and discovers what Fluffy the triple headed dog is guarding on the third floor. While doing this he has to take lessons in Transfiguration from Professor McGonagall, avoid being poisoned by the oily Professor Snape in Potions.

~~~ The Cast ~~~

Harry Potter – Daniel Radcliffe
Ronald Weasley – Rupert Grint
Hermione Granger – Emma Watson
Rubeus Hagrid – Robbie Coltrane
Albus Dumbledore – Richard Harris
Prof. Snape – Alan Rickman
Prof. Minerva McGonagall – Maggie Smith

Others: John Cleese, Warwick Davis, Richard Griffiths, Ian Hart, Fiona Shaw and Julie Walters.

This has been one of the best cast movies in recent years; each actor brought their characters to life in a believable way. The three young stars carried their roles reasonably well, however it was Robbie Coltrane’s Hagrid that really stood out.

~~~ Technical Crew ~~~

Exec Producers – Chris Columbus, Mark Radcliffe, Michael Barnathan and Duncan Henderson
Producer – David Hayman
Director – Chris Columbus
Music By – John Williams

The sets in this movie were extremely well designed and executed, the attention to detail was amazing, from the people walking past Ollivander’s in Diagon Alley while Harry is buying his wand, to the breath taking Quidditch match. The musical score by John Williams really brought home the excitement and mystery of the sto
ryline.

~~~ The Case & Folder ~~~

OK enough about the movie; you may have gathered I liked it. This opinion is on the DVD not the movie. Harry Potter comes in a dark blue cardboard slipcase with a picture of young Harry on the front surrounded by images of the major characters: Dumbledore, Ron & Hermione, Professors Snape & McGonagall and Hagrid. Also featured are the Hogwarts Express, the forbidden forest, Hogwarts and Harry’s owl Hedwig. On the reverse side of the sleeve is Harry on his broom during a Quidditch match, a list of Special Features and the list of cast and crew.

Pull the four-way folder out of the sleeve and you will have a duplicate of the front image on the slipcase. On the back of the folder is a picture of Harry, Ron and Hermione on a giant wizards chessboard. Opening up the folder reveals a summary of the extra feature. Open the left side of this section will reveal Disk 1, the actual movie and the first half of the scene index. Open out the right side and you will find Sisk2: Special Features and the second half of the scene index.

~~~ Disk 1 ~~~

The Movie disk has a clear label with Harry occupying the left hand side and the image of the boats approaching Hogwarts on the right. The running time of the movie is 147 minutes and has a BBFC rating of PG. I have described the basic plot of the movie above, so I will not dwell on it here. When Chris Columbus first showed the movie to the studio heads at Warner, they said four hours was too long for the movie, so Chris had to cut a few bits. The two things I remember from the book that I would have liked to have seen were:

- Peeves the poltergeist, who was played by Rik Mayall,
- In the move, Hagrid’s baby dragon, Norbert, was sent to Romania after Draco Malfoy reported Harry & co for being out of bed after hours. In the book Harry and the gang arranged to send Norbert to the dragon sanctuary and were caught out of bed when the ret
urned from seeing the little dragon off.

When you place this disk in your DVD player, the Warder Bros. Logo will appear, and will taken on a journey through a clouded sky with images from the film fading in and out. After a few seconds you will read the main menu with a backdrop of Hogwarts at night. Do nothing on this menu to about a minute and the movie will start.

There are four items on the main menu:

Play Move : The movie starts with Albus Dumbledore arrival at Privet Drive the night of Harry Potter’s parents’ death. The Picture is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen (a full frame version is also available as a separate purchase package). The image is rich and clear and a joy top watch. The sound is encoded as Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, producing a clean and strong audio experience that really compliments John William’s score.

Special Features: Leeds to another menu with a portrait of Harry’s Aunt, Uncle and Cousin. Four items on the menu are: Cast & Crew, Theatrical Trailer, Teaser Trailer and Main Menu

Scene Selection: Choose to start the movie from one of 35 scenes, the End Credits or go back to the Main Menu.

Languages: Select the Language the film is dubbed in, or the subtitles.

<Added 28 May 2002>Use the controls on the remote to highlight the 'Play Movie' option, Move right and you will highlight Hedwig flying over Hogwarts. Select 'Enter' and you will beable to read the letter accepting you as a student at Hogwarts.

~~~ Disk 2 ~~~

Disk two is where the fun starts as it is entirely given over to ‘Special Features’. Again the Disks label is well designed and features Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. When you place this disk in the DVD player you will be presented with a menu with two language options. Selecting the English, you are taken on a short journey into Hogwarts Great hall and up to the teacher’s table; y
ou will her a short commentary from Jim Dale instructing you on what to do. Use the direction keys on your remote to select one of seven options represented by various items at the table.

Hedwig the owl represents a trip to Diagon Alley, to enter the alley you must tap on the same stones in the wall as Hagrid did in the movie. I hope you were paying attention, as a clue start on the left and move clockwise. In Diagon Alley you can visit Eelops owl emporium, Ollivander’s, and Gringotts bank – don’t forget to collect the key or you cannot buy your wand.

The Floating Candle on the right takes you on an interactive tour of Hogwarts.

The Sorting Hat will tell you more about the four houses at Hogwarts.

The Lamp will show interviews with the producers and directors of the movie with quite a lot of background information on the making of the movie and what is coming in the next.

Mrs Norris the cat takes to on a tour of the Hogwarts grounds and into Hagrid’s Hut.

The pile of books in the bottom left takes you to the library, select a book and you will see some movie clips.

The Wand on the table allows you to enter the classrooms only if you have a wand from Ollivander’s. There are four classrooms listed: ‘Defence against the Dark Arts’, ‘Spells and Charms’, ‘Transfiguration’ and ‘ Potions’. Each of the first three classrooms has clues for solving the puzzle in ‘Potions’. ‘Potions’ leads you to the Philosophers stone and the deleted scenes, but only if you mix three potions correctly, catch the correct winged key and drink the correct option to get you through the flames that guard the Stone.

The Scroll in the bottom centre of the screen leads to ‘Extra Credits’; this is the DVD ROM features for the PC. Go online and Collect Wizard Trading Cards, Be Sorted in to you Hogwarts House by the sort
ing hat, Download a Screen Saver and a Remembrall and Receive Owl emails.

<Added 28 May 2002>As you wander around you will find a number of boxes of 'Bertie Botts every flavoured beans'. Select these and see if you can find the good ones.

~ The Deleted Scenes ~

I am tempted to describe how to get to the deleted scenes, but I do not want to spoil it for you. If enough people ask I can be persuaded to update this opinion with this information. The scenes are: -

Scene 1 - Smeltings uniform
Scene 2 - Letters in Eggs
Scene 3 - Hagrid and Harry on the Underground
Scene 4 - Harry and Ron befriends Hermione
Scene 5 - More Christmas
Scene 6 - Dumbledore's Card and Neville's leg binding
Scene 7 - Extended Potions Class

~~~ Conclusion ~~~

On the whole the two discs of this DVD represent good value for money, the extra features should keep the kids amused for another hour after the movie and the interviews are interesting. I was disappointed with the deleted scenes, there were not enough of them. The movie it’s self was the same as I watched in the cinema, I would love to have the option of including the deleted scenes in the movie. What I also would have liked was the full version of the movie before it was shortened. I will keep my fingers crossed for a ‘Directors Cut’ of the movie.

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