Harry🅿️otter and the🅿️risoner of Azkaban
Cuarón been 🅿️ushing 🅿️
Just over the Christmas holiday it seemed like everyone was either watching or re-watching the beloved Harry Potter series as it had just become accessible through HBO. Harry Potter is a Christmas movie after all:
The entire series is a joy to watch if not only to feel nostalgic about childhood and wonder. The first few films of the franchise were great for setting the story and building the magical wizard world but the visual effects pale in comparison to modern day technology. So much so that it makes me wonder what a Game of Thrones type (post)production budget re-imagining of the series would look like today. This isn't to discredit the early works of the film as it effectively introduced the characters in a way that made the viewer care deeply for them. Each of the three central characters had distinct upbringings and clear reasons for their personality type. Harry, the reluctant but courageous chosen one, Ron, the lovable boy who came from a less than well off family and Hermione who was as the wizards call "a mud-blood". Every young person reading or watching these stories can find a common place or relatability with one or some of these characters. Philosopher's Stone and Chamber of Secrets were both directed by Chris Columbus1 (not that one), who brought a childlike innocence to the films. He made them fun to watch with a lot of goofy jokes and juvenile humour. It is no wonder that the same director of the first two Home Alone films also helmed the first two Harry Potter films. (I like to think of the Weasleys as the British version of the McAllisters). Both films are seen through the lens of a child, we see the characters finding themselves in moments and situations that feel far too big for such a young person yet are still able to overcome and (maybe more often) scheme their way out of dangerous situations. The first two films are fun and entertaining and made an audience of mostly young children yearn for adventure within a world of misfits. However it isn't until the third film in the franchise that the series takes its turn for the better.
The third instalment; The Prisoner of Azkaban was directed by Alfonso Cuarón who has since gone on to win multiple Academy Awards for Roma and Gravity, as well as making other films I consider some of the best of the 2000s. Before Azkaban and before Cuarón came on board with his kinetic camera, the films served as escapist children cinema. There was a simplicity to the effects, the visual language and the storytelling. The stakes and consequences for the young characters' actions weren't as high and there was a general sense of safety surrounding the films conclusions (much like Home Alone). Cut to Azkaban and we have these flying, cloaked grim reaper type creatures painfully siphoning the soul out of our beloved Harry. With the arrival of Cuarón came darkness and dread. The colours on the screen went from this:
to this:
We went from going on this exciting train ride to Hogwarts, the place where we take flying broom lessons and eat booger flavoured candy to boarding the train to the underworld. What Cuarón brought with him was his maturity and vision but also a needed sense of scale. The photography was no longer warm and welcoming but instead dark and foreboding. There was a chance that the third film could be the end for our friends. Azkaban turned the lovable children franchise into this coming of age young adult story. Harry Potter in the first two films was a passive character, he let the events happen to him. The third films deals with Harry and the void left from his parents death. His grief evolves into rage as he wants to hunt down and kill Sirius Black. We see a vengeful Harry like we have never seen previously. The boy who lived wanted to be the boy who caught bodies. Maybe he was just going through puberty.
Aside from the thematic and visual changes in the series, Cuarón was lucky to have (in my opinion) the best source material in the series. SPOILERS ON AN INSANELY POPULAR AND ACCESSIBLE 14 YEAR OLD FILM AHEAD: The film has some of my favourite wizarding world things.
the Marauders Map would be the single most useful tool for a kid in a boarding school to get into infinite amount of trouble.
Time travel: The fact that Hermione needed time travel to attend all of her classes is some real sicko shit. Productivity apps have nothing on the power of time travel and a woman’s will.
Mutating wizards: werewolves are objectively cool.
This film expanded the Harry Potter world (or Potterverse), both physically and metaphorically. The grounds feel more expansive, walking between place to place feels exhausting. Because of the cooler colour grading, the winter snowy scenes actually feel cold. Cuarón allowed us to see moments of the characters just growing up and being a teenager, hanging out in the dormitories and going off without supervision. These are now growing teenagers battling with raging hormones and emotions. Azkaban was also the starting point for the legend that is Harry, the prophecy, it brought more of the fantasy element of the stories while still making it feel grounded with these human characters. We no longer were in awe of magic but understood the dangers and fears that can stem from the powers of magic in the wrong hands. The safety of Hogwarts disappeared with the dementors flying around like some sort of police surveillance squad (never forget that they are essentially cops).
Cuarón was not afraid give the camera a magical element through smooth movements and long takes. This may be one of the more magical moments in the series camera wise. It evolves and moves through the space while the wizards within the scene exist beyond the world of just Harry and his friends. This scene marks a transition in the series from the precarious children adventure story to the ever growing doom of the wizard world. Aside from the ultimate conclusion of the series, this film has the most satisfying conclusion. There is catharsis seeing Harry travel back in time to save himself with his own spell when he and the audience were under the impression it was his father who stopped the dementors from killing him and Sirius. It is at that moment that Harry understands his power and role in the greater story.
Following this film we get the much darker (and triumphant) conclusion to the series that owes a lot to Cuarón's direction. This was also the last film scored by the great John Williams, although the music remained pretty significant and worthy all the way to the end. Before being tapped to direct Azkaban, Cuarón mostly worked in his native country Mexico making small independent films. He had however made the move to American films with some regret until being convinced by fellow acclaimed director and friend Guillermo Del Toro to return and make Harry Potter. Guillermo Del Toro was also rumoured to direct Harry Potter films and one can only wonder what monsters he would have unearthed should he have ever gotten the chance. The film Cuarón made before Azkaban was Y Tu Mamá También. A film about three young people on a road trip attempting to understand themselves, each other and relationships. (Mind you, a film for much more mature audiences). While the two films differ greatly in subject material, the same themes of coming of age are there. Both films share a lot of Cuarón’s affinity for a moving camera and his fascination for showing character’s vulnerability. What Cuarón brought to the Harry Potter franchise was this invaluable sense of growth, both within the filmmaking and the characters. A lot of the visual language as well as the tone echoes that of this film.
Whatever your relationship is with this series of novels or films, Azkaban proves to be horcrux of the story. It is the film that catapults the series into its new direction. None of the films are perfect examples of cinema but each has its own relative charm. Audiences can argue about which is the best and which is the worst but there is something special about the dark turn that takes place in this film. It not only raises the stakes but changes the story. It is no longer the boy who lived and the misadventures of kid wizards but the story of fulfilling prophecy and overcoming loss.
No matter what you think of these films now or your relationship you had with it as a child, these films will live on. There was an entire generation captivated by these novels and a lot of positive reading habits I’m sure could be attributed to J.K. Rowling’s writing2. I hold the films of the franchise to the same standard. Some kid with an oversized imagination who finds themselves just on the outside of society will stumble upon this film and feel seen or accepted and that’s the true magic of these stories. Or maybe they will think The Lord of the Rings is better and that’s cool too.
RANKINGS:
Yes, I absolutely watched the entire series so these rankings are top of mind:
Prisoner of Azkaban
Deathly Hollows II
Half Blood Prince
Philosopher’s Stone
Deathly Hollows I
Goblet of Fire
Chamber of Secrets
Order of the Phoenix
The Prisoner of Azkaban Ranking:
7.5/10 Soul sucking dementors.
After every review on a film, I will give out a few recommendations. Think the “more like this” feature on Netflix but better.
FILMS TO WATCH IF YOU LIKED THIS ONE:
Because this film is a part of a franchise and a fantasy adaption I’m just going with Cuarón films to recommend.
Y Tu Mamá También 2001
Children of Men 2006
Roma 2018 (Netflix)
Thank you for reading!
Chris Columbus has a bit of a mixed bag of director credits but undoubtedly owns Christmas between Home Alone and Harry Potter.