Or Rather, Una Nueva Voz… The majority of muggle excitement surrounding the release of the new Potter film is not so much about the new look of the teenage actors, or the amazing sets, or even the fantastic music. While the kids, the special effects, the costumes, and more are all fresh and have been highly touted, it is the new Director, Mexican-born Alfonso Cuaron, who is receiving the greatest accolades. Previously acclaimed for his work on the Warner Bros. children’s movie A Little Princess, Cuaron initially did not even look at the Harry Potter script sent his way. A few friends convinced him, however, to read it over, and to the delight of Harry Potter’s muggle fans, he did. The story won him over with its darker elements and focus on teenage emotion. Having worked (and been praised for working) with teenagers before, he looked forward to the opportunity to shape the kids into his version of Harry’s turbulent entry into adulthood. "I got them at the best moment,” he told a muggle newspaper, The Arizona Reporter, “Now that they were 13, they were taking themselves seriously as actors and wanting to explore emotional territories." He also attempted to bring his own flair to the series, emulating the darkness Prisoner of Azkaban brings to the magical stories, including focusing on the more humanistic elements of our young wizard’s maturation. “It's about a kid trying to come to terms with being a teenager, with being 13 and having an awareness of things," Cuarón told the Reporter. "It's the moment when you realize that the monster is not under the bed or in the closet, but inside you - and the only weapon to fight that monster also resides inside you.” The director steps into the shoes of previous director Chris Columbus, and has diverged from the more opulent, happy-go-lucky versions of Mr. Potter’s story in favor of a more visually stunning, and certainly gritter, tale. Not as many laughs will be had in this newest installment of the muggle movies, but it has already been recognized as having a more complicated, and perhaps more enjoyable, feel. Cuaron is Mexican born and has proudly lived there for most of his life; most of his credits are Spanish-language films, which also happens to be his first language. His film credits include Director, Producer, Writer, Editor, and cameraman, and his next film will be Mexico ’68, expected to be released in 2006, although it appears certain that there will be a call for him to return to the HP franchise. |