Magic Moments (J. K. Rowling - A Year In The Life Of)

Member Name: mummy2harry

Product:	J. K. Rowling - A Year In The Life Of
Date:	19/01/08 (175 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A great portrait of JK Rowling

Disadvantages: Nothing

I'm a big fan of the Harry Potter books, so when I saw that a documentary was going to be shown about the books author, the now infamous JK Rowling, I wanted to be sure I was going to see it. Apparently, the film was going to contain exclusive footageof Rowling writing the Deathly Hallows, the last book of the Potter series, attending the film premiere of The Order of the Phoenix, and Rowling relaxing at home. We've never seen this side of the famous author before, so it was going to be fascinating viewing.

As the title of the show suggests, JK Rowling, or Joanne as I shall refer to her through the review from here on in, was followed by a journalist and fellow author James Runchie for a year of her life. And this was no ordinary year for Joanne. It was to be the year in which the last Harry Potter book was going to be released, probably the most eagerly anticipated book launch in history. The year also saw the premiere of the film of the 5th book, Order of the Phoenix, another huge success of the Potter franchise Joanne has created.

However, the 60 minute long film didn't just focus on the Harry Potter aspects of Joanne's life. We also got some in depth background of the author, right from her childhood. You can see how Joanne has used parts of her life when creating the Harry Potter character. Harry, up until his school life, was a very lonely boy, and when Joanne speaks of her own childhood, you get the impression it was not a joyous one and one she struggled through, especially due to her volatile relationship with her father (perhaps mirrored in Harry's struggle with his Uncle Vernon?). It was fascinating to hear Joanne speak so candidly about her early life.

The rest of the film is largely set in 2006 and 2007, seeing Joanne at the major events in her life. Some of the most intimate footage we see of the author is her secretly sitting in Balmoral Hotel in Scotland with her laptop computer literally finishing off the manuscript that will become the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. These scenes show the end of 17 years of hard work for JK Rowling, and the relief and also anguish at finishing the book is etched on her face as she saves the document on her computer. When asked about the book, she says simply "Some people will loathe it, they will absolutely loathe it. But the thing is that's how it should be, and for some people to love it others must loathe it." Afterwards, she sits listening to Lily Allen's song "Smile" reading back her work, perhaps reflecting on what a huge responsibility she has on her shoulders with the release of this novel.

The cameras also follow Joanna as she hands over the precious manuscript to her publishers, at Heathrow airport in January 2007. The security around it is massive, it is clear that Joanne and her publishers go to huge lengths to ensure the secrecy of this book. When some staff at Bloomsbury (JK's publishers) are asked about the plot, they instantly clam up saying "we just can't say anything!". She is also tailed at the premiere of the fifth film, "Order of the Phoenix" where we see her interacting with the crowds, seemingly ill at ease with the fufore going on around her.

James does ask Joanne about how she feels about the fame aspect of being such a massive success, and how it affects her life. It's clear Joanne wanted more than anything just to be published but didn't seem prepared for the huge publicity that was going to come with the success of the Potter franchise. However, she is clearly passionate about her books, and on the night of the launch of the final novel, the Deathly Hallows, Joanne sits and reads to 1700 people from the book. She then proceeds to sign autographs for each of them, taking almost 7 hours. However, this just shows her dedication and passion for her stories, you wouldn't get many other authors sitting for 7 hours scrawling their name in a book!

It was wonderful to see scenes from across the world when the book was launched. It is such a global phenomenon, children and adults alike were dressed up for the event, some queueing for days to ensure they are first into the bookstore in their town to get a copy! We see scenes from America, London, Sydney and a few more I can't remember, but it is a complete celebration everywhere the book is released. In fact, the book sold 2.65 million in the UK in just 24 hours, simply mind boggling figures for just one book.

So did I enjoy this show? The answer is most certainly a resounding yes, as for such a private author, Joanne is surprisingly candid in this interview about not only her writing work, but about her childhood and her personal life, even at one point talking about her 4 year old son's love of the Disney films Cars whilst she is baking him a birthday cake. You can see it has been the end of an era for Joanne in finishing the books, even more clear when she says that she is looking forward to her next work as people aren't expecting it and she has no deadlines to meet! I also admire her much more after finding out she has given millions of pounds about to not only charities, but individuals trying to start businesses and follow their dreams. I expect that after living in serious poverty, she could never dream of the wealth she has now, and just wants to share it, as she shared her books with us all.

The filmmaker, James Runchie, films Joanne unobtrusively, but makes sure he asks questions which will be on every fans lips. I also love the fact he managed to film JK finishing the final book, scenes I am sure she will treasure in years to come. He also does some quick fire questions with Joanne, with her giving one word answers, another honest and frank side of the notoriously private author. This was shown in ITV1 on December 20th 2007, but if you missed it first time round, I am sure they will be repeating this, so try and catch it, it's most certainly worth a watch, especially for Potter fans.

Thank you for reading!

Summary: Great programme, a must-see