Quidditch in New Movie Although there was an outpouring of protest at the refusal to recast the role of Oliver Wood, Gryffindor House’s long beleaguered Quidditch Captain, in the brand new Muggle film Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, to the credit of the director and producers, there was Quidditch in the new movie. And you might have seen it too—so long as you didn’t blink. Taking liberties with the description of Harry’s first Third Year Quidditch match, in which he and the rest of the Gryffindors struggled through a blinding rainstorm against Hufflepuff House, the film version of the story abbreviates Harry’s struggle—pausing only to show his “attack” by the Dementors—before landing him briefly in the hospital wing. The entire match is shortened to about two minutes of actual screen time, but as is the case for most muggle movies, is two minutes of high-paced, unbelievable action. And, as one might suppose for such an abbreviated scene, quite a bit has been changed, added, or left out. There is no need for Hermione Granger, one of Harry Potter’s best friends, to enchant his glasses with an Impervio spell, because Harry wears goggles. And though the character of Cedric Diggory will become quite important in next year’s movie version of Mr. Potter’s Fourth year at Hogwarts, he wasn’t cast as of this movie—which means the young seeker who fails to capture the Snitch ahead of Harry wasn’t Cedric. The most significant addition to the scene was of the Dementors pursuing Harry relentless through the misty, rain-filled skies. In the film, the Dementors cause everything around them to freeze; so it is with the rain that pelts Harry’s face, slicing him with icy daggers. Harry is also forced to evade these creatures; whereas in the actual story he sees them below on the Quidditch field and falls, he actually manages some fairly fancy flying maneuvers before eventually being cornered and forced into a frightening downward spiral. And that, along with the nearly perfected CGI the muggle animators used to create the match, is what makes it a fantastic scene, despite its brevity. Harry’s terrifying plummet from the sky does feel real; you are watching, as Hermione and Ron are, in horror as he careens towards the ground. Even the unique vision of the cloud-like Grim that appear before the Dementors attack is chilling and unexpected; although it is not a part of the true story of Harry, for the purposes of entertainment, it was enjoyable nonetheless. Though true sports wizards will always lament the loss of the chapter of Mr. Potter’s story that tells of his final victory for Gryffindor against Slytherin, it was a necessary cut in a movie that was, overall, enchanting. Just as Harry’s (brief) but exciting Quidditch match appeared to be. Young Wizards Prepare for the “REAL” thing Hogwarts, UK—Although there is buzz about the muggle world due to the newest version of Harry Potter’s exciting life, life itself is returning to normal for the students at Hogwarts. June is wrapping up, which means two things for young witches and wizards in training. Finals…and Quidditch. “Its been ages since we’ve had a decent round of Quidditch matches,” sighs Ginny Weasley, a Chaser on the First Place Gryffindor team. “Last year, Gryffindor won, but we had so much to deal with, what with Umbridge and all.” Miss Weasley refers to Dolores Umbridge, the Hogwarts High Inquisitor, Defenses Against the Dark Arts Professor, Assistant to the Minister of Magic, and eventual temporary Headmistress of Hogwarts, who replaced Albus Dumbledore when he was (falsely) accused of treachery against the Ministry. The House standings are as they have been in years past—Gryffindor in first, with Slytherin in second, Ravenclaw in third and Hufflepuff following up. The final match of the School Quidditch Season will be Gryffindor versus Slytherin, following the routine rotation of House matches. Details as to the state of minds of the two teams are sketchy this time around; more will be known later. But as strong a rivalry as Slytherin and Gryffindor have, there is no mistaking that this match will indeed be one to remember. “Potter and his cronies have humiliated us long enough,” snarls Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin Seeker. “I’ll admit that Weasley and Weasley can be good enough, but since they’re so poor they basically have to share a scuffed up old broom, we’ll be sure to beat them out.” Potter, who returns this year as the Gryffindor Seeker, is just as confident as Malfoy. “He speaks big, but then, he always did,” says The Boy Who Lived with an easy smile. “But the history, and the teamwork, are on our side. Defeating Slytherin will be as simple as it has always been.” And should make for an interesting match to boot. Quidditch Scores Hogwarts Standings: Gryffindor: 3-0 Slytherin: 2-1 Ravenclaw: 2-1 Hufflepuff: 0-3 National Team updates were not available as of this printing; please see May archives for latest updates. |