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By
WAYNE KLEIN
Harry Potter and Cinderella
should hook up for a blind date. Between wicked
guardians and stepsisters, I'm sure they'd find a
lot in common. The darkest to date of the Harry
Potter movies, with "Prisoner of Azkaban" director
Alfonso Cuaron and screenwriter Steven Kloves have
shaved most of the subplots that plumped up the
book it's based on. This may be heresy but they've
actually improved the story by focusing on the
trio of characters that are at the heart of both
the books and the films.
Surprisingly, "Azkaban" works amazingly well and,
in fact, is more atmospheric than any of the other
films. Director Chris Columbus had no style to
speak of, and the more generic atmospheric touches
are abandoned for a darker look more in keeping
with this transitional coming-of-age story.
When wizard Silas Black (Gary Oldman) escapes from
prison, the dreaded Dementors are sent out to try
and find him. It seems that Black was convicted of
murdering Harry's parents on behalf of
you-know-who. Harry discovers a dark quality to
his usually sunny nature as he finally strikes out
at one of his wicked relatives, leaving him
homeless for a brief period of time. Finally Harry
discovers some disturbing truths about himself.
The school has a brand new Professor by the name
of Lupine (David Thewlis) teaching defense against
the Dark Arts and is haunted by a terrible secret.
Director's Cuaron's sure hand and deft atmospheric
direction make "Prisoner" perhaps the best of the
three Potter films. The script by Kolves stays
true to much of Rowling's universe while taking a
number of risks in simplifying a narrative that
would be far too complex to portray in a 2½-hour
film. Those who only know Potter from the movies
(and there are a few that are happy as clams not
to dive into Rowling's books) won't know the
difference, while hardcore fans will probably
object stating that the book was so much better
than the movie. I can't imagine Rowling's book,
despite her considerable skills as a writer,
capturing the nuanced performance of Gary Oldman
as Silas Black or David Thewlis thoughtful
performance as Lupine. That being said, there was
also room for an expanded edition a la "Lord of
the Rings" that would have appealed to both sets.
Surprisingly, no one is interested in pursuing
this approach with these films since none of them
has been longer in their DVD incarnation than
their theatrical release.
With an occasionally stunning anamorphic transfer,
"Azkaban" looks like the best of the three films
released to DVD so far. The clear, vivid colors
and solid blacks are occasionally undercut by a
picture that is occasionally less than sharp.
Still, on the whole, "Azkaban" looks extremely
good on DVD. The sharp reproduction of the
theatrical soundtrack and John Williams' powerful
score make this film almost as memorable in the
sound department.
"Azkaban" comes with more extras than there are
spells in Lupine's book. We get little in the way
of actual behind-the-scenes features as the makers
decided to focus much more on games than
featurettes or documentaries. Since the series was
and is primarily aimed at children, that's no
surprise. "Creating the Vision" features
interviews with Cuaron, Kloves and others about
their decision to excise much of the material and
Rowling's reaction to the finished product. There
is footage never before seen here but it isn't
integrated back into the movie.
Although it's a lot darker than the previous films
in the series, "Potter" maintains its integrity
even though much of the subplots from the novel
are cut out. The pacing, dark look and overall
story bodes well for a continuation of the series.
Generating considerably magic, the third "Potter"
film would keep audiences spellbound. |
