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What’s
not to like about Harry Potter? Written
by J.K. Rowling, the series follows the
exploits of Harry as he learns and grows
amongst other wizards-to-be at Hogwart’s
School. The books are ripe with adventure
and mystery, and are written in such a way
as to help children make the transition
from ‘kiddie books’ to more
adult fare. (And in some parts of the country,
I understand they’ve helped some adults
make the transition, too.) The great thing
about the movies, unlike many books made
into films, is there is a concerted effort
to stick to the story with minimal changes.
I did not become a fan of the series until
the first film came out. “Harry Potter
and the Sorcerer’s Stone” sparked
my imagination and prompted me to start
reading the book to my son. I continued
to follow each film and have yet to be disappointed.
I’m almost sad that the saga will
soon be coming to an end with the two films
that will encompass the final book if the
series.
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But where I have been truly given a new appreciation
of the world of Harry Potter is with the listening
to the audio book presentations performed by the
great Jim Dale (“Pete’s Dragon”,
“Barnum”). He reads from an actor’s
perspective, giving each character a life of their
own. And getting the full story that you cannot
always get in the movie, just makes the movie
experience all the richer. I highly recommend
listening to these if you ever get a chance.
Oddly enough, there are a lot of detractors to
the series out there. Many religious groups seem
to think the books and movies are evil, and teach
our children to believe in something other than
God. They see their kids going around pretending
to be Harry and casting spells against their imaginary
enemies and somehow this is a bad thing. This
is complete and utter hogwash. Have these people
forgotten ‘Cowboys and Indians’, ‘Cops
and Robbers’ or playing ‘Army?’
Playing ‘Harry’ is no different. Kids
have imaginations that should be nurtured, and
that’s what the Harry Potter series does.
If child has a problem understanding the difference
between what is real and imagined, I believe the
problem lies with the parents (though they’ll
scream and holler otherwise).
Then there’s the film ‘purists’
that believe that any movie that makes money is
a commercial sell-out intended to be a cash cow
with no redeemable cinematic value. I’d
like to remind these ‘intellectually challenged’
people that while there is room for films that
teach or enlighten, there is nothing wrong with
films that merely entertain.
But that’s not really what I’m here
to talk about today; rather I would like to make
another recommendation. Warner Home Video is releasing
all of the Harry Potter films in multiple disc
“Ultimate Editions.” These sets are
going to offer both the Theatrical and Extended
Versions of the films. They are not doing this
all at one time, with the first two releasing
back in December of 2009. They have since released
3 & 4 and are now ready for films 5 &
6. The last two of the series will undoubtedly
be parts 1 & 2 of “The Deathly Hallows”.
(Of course I’m wondering if they might not
just do a massive single edition.)
I was fortunate enough to have been sent these
Bluray sets for review and I have been amazed
by the sheer size of the package. The slipcover
sleeve comes off to reveal a book style casing
that folds open. Inside you will find a package
containing the discs for the film, another holding
some collectible cards and a 48 page book that
acts as a companion piece to the new documentaries.
And speaking of documentaries, these sets include
an eight part series called “Creating the
World of Harry Potter.” Each set offers
one part of this all-encompassing documentary.
Each runs a little over an hour and they are some
of the better documentaries I have seen. They
are not made up a lot of promotional fluff, but
really get to the nitty gritty of creating this
series. So far the first 6 parts have been terrific.
The sets include all of the games and features
that were available on previous sets, but they’ve
also added an “In Movie Experience”
which acts as a kind of picture-in-picture video
commentary, complete with storyboards and the
like. These are only available on the Theatrical
Versions of the film though. There is also an
introduction by Daniel Radcliffe, a little promo
piece on the film, and several deleted scenes.
Truth be told, these are marvelous sets Warners
are putting together for this series. I’ve
included a listing of special features for these
new sets below.
I’m very excited about these sets coming
out and adding the ones for the very last film.
Bring on “Deathly Hallows!!!”
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Ultimate Edition (Bluray)
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grant, Emma
Watson, Robbie Coltrane, Helena Bonham Carter,
Warwick Davis, Richard Griffiths, Michael Gambon,
Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith
Extras: Additional Scenes; Trailing Tonks: Natalia
Tena (aka Nymphadora Tonks) Leads a Very Personal
Film Set Tour; Harry Potter: The Magic of Editing:
Director David Yates and Editor Mark Day Show
What a Difference a Good Edit Makes; Creating
the World of Harry Potter Part 5: Evolution; Harry
Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Behind the
Magic; Building the Magic: The Sets of Harry Potter;
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: The
Rebellion Begins; Harry Potter and the Order of
the Phoenix: Fulfilling a Prophecy; Featurette
Gallery: 28 Short Segments Covering People, Places,
Creatures and the Moviemaking Magic Behind Them;
Theatrical Trailers Collectibles include:; 48-Page
Book with Rare Images from Years 1-7; Year 5 Lenticular
Card; Limited Edition Character Cards; #9 Luna
Lovegood; #10 Dolores Umbridge ; Digital Download
Specifications: 1080p/VC-1 (2.40:1); English DTS-HD
6.1 Surround Sound (Theatrical); English DTS-HD
5.1; Surround Sound (Extended); Spanish Dolby
Digital 5.1 EX Surround Sound (Theatrical); Spanish
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound (Extended)
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Ultimate Edition (Bluray)
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grant, Emma
Watson, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Richard
Griffiths, Michael Gambon, Jason Isaacs, Alan
Rickman, Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent
Extras: Additional Scenes; J.K. Rowling: A Year
in the Life: A Personal Look at the Journey in
Creating and Launching the Final Book; Close Up
with the Cast of Harry Potter: Cast Members Are
Your Personal Guides to Aspects of Moviemaking
That Include Editing, Makeup, Stunt, Set Design,
Props, Costumes and More!; The Wizarding World
of Harry Potter: Get a Sneak Peak; What’s
on Your Mind?: Lightning-Round Q&A with Cast/Crew;
One-Minute Drills: Cast Members Sum Up Their Characters;
Creating the World of Harry Potter Part 6: Magical
Effects; Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince:
Behind the Magic; Featurette Gallery: 14 Short
Segments That Unlock More Moviemaking Secrets;
Gallery of Five Distinctive Harry Potter and the
Half-Blood Prince ABC Family Promo Spots; Theatrical
Trailers Collectibles include:; 44-Page Book with
Rare Images from Years 1-7; Year 5 Lenticular
Card; Limited Edition Character Cards; #11 Draco
Malfoy; #12 Albus Dumbledore; Digital Download
Specifications: 1080p/VC-1 (2.40:1); English DTS-HD
6.1 Surround Sound (Theatrical); English DTS-HD
5.1; Surround Sound (Extended); Spanish Dolby
Digital 5.1 EX Surround Sound (Theatrical); Spanish
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound (Extended)
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 6/14/2011
MPAA Rating: PG (Scary Moments, Some Creature
Violence and Mild Language)
http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/home.html
We'll give Harry Potter Ultimate Editions 5&6
(Bluray) both an A+.
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