Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (film)
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| Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone | ||
 International poster displaying the Philosopher's Stone title (left) and the American poster, designed by Drew Struzan, displaying the Sorcerer's Stone title (right). | ||
| Directed by | Chris Columbus | |
| Produced by | David Heyman | |
| Screenplay by | Steve Kloves | |
| Based on | Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling | |
| Starring | Daniel Radcliffe Rupert Grint Emma Watson (See below) | |
| Music by | John Williams | |
| Cinematography | John Seale | |
| Editing by | Richard Francis-Bruce | |
| Studio | Heyday Films 1492 Pictures | |
| Budget | Total (8 films): $1,155,000,000 | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures | |
| Release date(s) | 4 November 2001 (London premiere) 16 November 2001 (United States) | |
| Running time | 152 minutes | |
| Country | United Kingdom United States | |
| Language | English | |
| Budget | $125 million | |
| Box office | $974,755,371 | |
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (also known as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone) is a 2001 fantasy film directed by Chris Columbus and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. The film, which is the first instalment in the Harry Potter film series, was written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman. The story follows Harry Potter's first year at Hogwarts as he discovers that he is a famous wizard and begins his magical education. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, with Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as Harry's best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. It is followed by seven sequels with the first being Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Warner Bros. bought the film rights to the book in 1999 for a reported £million. Production began in the United Kingdom in 2000, with Columbus being chosen to create the film from a short list of directors that included Steven Spielberg and Rob Reiner. J. K. Rowling insisted that the entire cast be British or Irish, in keeping with the cultural integrity of the book and the film. The film was shot at Leavesden Film Studios and historic buildings around the U.K.
The film was released in the U.K. and U.S. in November 2001. It received positive critical reception, made more than $974 million at the worldwide box office, and was nominated for many awards, including the Academy Awards for Best Original Score, Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. As of May 2013, it is the seventeenth highest-grossing film of all time and the second highest-grossing film in the series behind the final film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.
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[edit] Plot
- Further information: Plot of the novel
Harry Potter is a seemingly ordinary boy, living with his hostile relatives, the Dursleys in Surrey. On his 11th birthday, Harry learns from a mysterious stranger, Rubeus Hagrid, that he is a wizard, famous in the Wizarding World for surviving an attack by the evil Lord Voldemort when Harry was a baby. Voldemort killed Harry's parents, but his attack on Harry rebounded, leaving only a lightning-bolt scar on Harry's forehead and rendering Voldemort powerless. Hagrid reveals to Harry that he has been invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After buying his school supplies from the hidden wizarding street, Diagon Alley, Harry boards the train to Hogwarts via the concealed Platform 9 ¾ in King's Cross Station.
On the train, Harry meets Ron Weasley, a boy from a large but poor, pure-blood wizarding family, and Hermione Granger, a witch born to Muggle (non-magical) parents. Upon arriving at the school, the first-year students are sorted into four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. As Slytherin is noted for being the house of darker wizards and witches, Harry begs the magical Sorting Hat not to put him in Slytherin. He is assigned to Gryffindor along with Ron and Hermione.
Harry begins learning wizardry and discovers more about his past and his parents. Harry inadvertently makes Gryffindor's Quidditch team (a sport in the wizarding world where people fly on broomsticks) as a Seeker, learning that his father was also on the team.
One night, Harry, Ron and Hermione find a giant three-headed dog in the Forbidden Corridor on the Third Floor of the school. After the trio incapacitate an escaped mountain troll and Harry is nearly knocked from his broom by a curse during one of the Quidditch matches, the trio assume that someone is trying to get past the dog. Harry discovers the Mirror of Erised which shows a person's heart's desire. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore moves the mirror and advises Harry against looking for it. Using information let slip by Hagrid, Hermione discovers that the dog is guarding the Philosopher's Stone, an item that can grant its owner immortality. Harry concludes that his potions teacher, Severus Snape, is trying to obtain the stone. Harry is caught out of bed at night and given detention. While helping Hagrid in the Dark Forest, Harry sees a hooded figure drinking a unicorn's blood for its healing properties. The hooded figure then attempts to attack Harry, only to be scared off away by an arriving centaur named Firenze, a close friend of Hagrid's. Harry concludes that the hooded figure was Voldemort and that Snape is trying to get the stone to restore Voldemort to full strength.
After hearing from Hagrid that the dog will fall asleep if played music and that he revealed this to a man in a local pub, Harry, Ron and Hermione conclude that Snape was the man in the pub and attempt to warn Dumbledore. Upon learning he is away on business, the trio conclude that Snape will attempt to steal the stone that night and resolve to find the stone before Snape does.
They face a series of obstacles: surviving a deadly plant, flying past hundreds of flying keys and winning a violent, life-sized chess match. The trio use their skills to overcome the obstacles. Hermione uses her knowledge of spells to get past the plant, Harry uses his skills as a seeker to get past the keys and Ron uses his skill at chess to win the chess match. However, Ron is nearly killed in the match and Hermione stays with him as Harry goes on ahead.
In the final room, Harry finds out that it was not Snape who wanted the stone, but Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Professor Quirrell. Quirrell reveals that he let the troll in and tried to kill Harry in the Quidditch match. He also reveals that Snape has been protecting Harry and trying to stop Quirrell all year. Then, Professor Quirrell forces Harry to look in the Mirror of Erised. Due to an enchantment placed by Dumbledore, Harry finds the stone in his pocket after looking in the mirror. After trying to get Harry to answer what he has seen in the mirror, Quirrell removes his turban and reveals Voldemort to be living on the back of his head. Harry tries to escape but Quirrell starts a fire by clicking his fingers to trap him. Voldemort tries to convince Harry to give him the stone by pledging to bring his parents back from the dead, but Harry refuses. Quirrell then tries to kill him but Harry's touch prevents him from hurting him and causes him to turn into dust and die. When Harry gets up, Voldemort's spirit forms and passes through Harry, knocking him unconscious before fleeing.
Harry wakes up in the school's hospital wing. Professor Dumbledore explains that the stone has been destroyed and that Hermione and Ron are fine. Quirrell burned at Harry's touch because, when Harry's mother died to save him, her death gave Harry a love-based protection against Voldemort. Before Harry and the rest of the students leave for the summer, Harry realises that while every other student is going home, Hogwarts is truly his home.
[edit] Cast
- Further information: List of Harry Potter films cast members
Rowling personally insisted that the cast be kept British. Susie Figgis was appointed as casting director, working with both Columbus and Rowling in auditioning the lead roles of Harry, Ron and Hermione. Open casting calls were held for the main three roles, with only British children being considered. The principal auditions took place in three parts, with those auditioning having to read a page from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, then if called back, they had to improvise a scene of the students' arrival at Hogwarts, they were then given several pages from the script to read in front of Columbus. Scenes from Columbus' script for the 1985 film Young Sherlock Holmes were also used in auditions. On 11 July 2000, Figgis left the production, complaining that Columbus did not consider any of the thousands of children they had auditioned "worthy". On 8 August 2000, the virtually unknown Daniel Radcliffe and newcomers Emma Watson and Rupert Grint were selected to play Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, respectively.
- Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter. Columbus had wanted Radcliffe for the role since he saw him in the BBC's production of David Copperfield, before the open casting sessions had taken place, but had been told by Figgis that Radcliffe's protective parents would not allow their son to take the part. Columbus explained that his persistence in giving Radcliffe the role was responsible for Figgis' resignation. Radcliffe was asked to audition in 2000, when Heyman and Kloves met him and his parents at a production of Stones in His Pockets in London. Heyman and Columbus successfully managed to convince Radcliffe's parents that their son would be protected from media intrusion, and they agreed to let him play Harry. Rowling approved of Radcliffe's casting, stating that "having seen [his] screen test I don't think Chris Columbus could have found a better Harry." Radcliffe was reportedly paid £1 million for the film, although he felt the fee was not "that important".William Moseley, who was later cast as Peter Pevensie in The Chronicles of Narnia series, also auditioned for the role.
- Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, Harry's best friend at Hogwarts. He decided he would be perfect for the part "because [he has got] ginger hair," and was a fan of the series. Having seen a Newsround report about the open casting he sent in a video of himself rapping about how he wished to receive the part. His attempt was successful as the casting team asked for a meeting with him.
- Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, Harry's other best friend and the trio's brains. Watson's Oxford theatre teacher passed her name on to the casting agents and she had to do over five interviews before she got the part. Watson took her audition seriously, but "never really thought [she] had any chance of getting the role." The producers were impressed by Watson's self-confidence and she outperformed the thousands of other girls who had applied.
- John Cleese as Nearly Headless Nick, the ghost of Hogwarts' Gryffindor House.
- Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid, a half-giant and Hogwarts' Groundskeeper. Coltrane was Rowling's first choice for the part. Coltrane, who was already a fan of the books, prepared for the role by talking with Rowling about Hagrid's past and future.
- Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick, The Charms Master and head of Hogwarts' Ravenclaw House.
- Richard Griffiths as Vernon Dursley, Harry's Muggle (non-magical) uncle.
- Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts' Headmaster and one of the most famous and powerful wizards of all time. Harris initially rejected the role of Dumbledore, only to reverse his decision after his granddaughter stated she would never speak to him again if he did not take it.
- Ian Hart as Professor Quirrell, the slightly nervous Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, and also Lord Voldemort's voice. David Thewlis auditioned for the part; he would later be cast as Remus Lupin in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
- John Hurt as Mr. Ollivander, the owner of Ollivanders, the finest wand producers in the wizarding world since 382 B.C.
- Alan Rickman as Severus Snape, the Potions Master and head of Hogwarts' Slytherin House. Tim Roth was the original choice for the role, but he turned it down for Planet of the Apes.
- Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy, Harry's enemy.
- Fiona Shaw as Petunia Dursley, Harry's Muggle aunt.
- Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress, head of Gryffindor and transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts. Smith was Rowling's personal choice for the part.
- Julie Walters as Molly Weasley, Ron's caring mother. She shows Harry how to get to Platform 9 ¾. Before Walters was cast, American actress Rosie O'Donnell held talks with Columbus about playing Mrs. Weasley.
Rik Mayall was cast in the role of Peeves, a poltergeist who likes to prank students in the novel. Mayall had to shout his lines off camera during takes, but the scene ended up being cut from the film.
[edit] Production
[edit] Development
[edit] Filming
[edit] Design and special effects
[edit] Music
- Main article: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (soundtrack)
