It was ITV's fault. First they showed
Holiday on the Buses, then we came in on the comically young-looking trio of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson and decided we had to revisit the film / series, which is great fun and boasts a stellar line up including Robbie Coltrane, Richard Harris, Maggie Smith ("I knew that Jean Brodie accent would come in handy again"), Alan Rickman (hilariously camp - the pantomime bad guy), Ian Hart, Richard Griffiths, Zoe Wanamaker (terrific, but she reportedly priced herself out of any more), Julie Walters, John Hurt etc. I was thinking "Warwick Davis missed out here", but of course he is not only a goblin but Professor Flitwick as well (did he get paid twice?) Of the youngsters, Tom Felton as Draco is the most assured (possibly because it's easier to act the bad guy?)
Chris Columbus no doubt got the job on the back of
Home Alone - "you know, he's good with kids!" Though as film snobs like me will have it, the job should have gone to the director of the third and best film (
Azkeban) Alfonso Cuaron, who's good with kids, magic
and startling imagery.
Some of the effects in the Quidditch game and around the Cloak of Invisibility are really not much better than they were in
King Kong and
The Invisible Man in the thirties
. Great attention to detail and sets:
John Williams' score is peerless. John Seale shot it. Adapted by Steve Kloves, fortunately without changing any of the story or characters.
Film is like a Charles Dickens reinterpretation of one of those boarding school kids' books. Also features a damned fine looking cat:
I like the name Nicholas Flamel, and may start using it.
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