My Sources Tell Me...
Movies
- The Sorcerer's(philosopher's) Stone
- The Chamber of Secrets
- The Prisoner of Azkaban
Trivia for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) Richard Harris only agreed to taking the part of Albus Dumbledore after his eleven year old granddaughter threatened never to speak to him again.
Author J.K. Rowling insisted that the principal cast be British and she got her wish, with two exceptions - Richard Harris was, of course, Irish, and 'Wanamaker, ZoÎ' , though she has made her name as a "British" actress, is actually a US citizen. Other non-Brits in the cast include Verne Troyer, born in Michigan, USA, who plays Griphook (the second Goblin in Gringots' Bank) and Christopher Columbus' daughter, Eleanor, who played Susan Bones.
Steven Spielberg was offered the position as director, but was later refused when he couldn't agree with JK Rowling's insistence on an all-British cast. He wanted to use Haley Joel Osment for the part of Harry.
In addition to Steven Spielberg, other candidates for the director's job were Jonathan Demme, Brad Silberling and Terry Gilliam. Gilliam was Rowling's initial favorite but the studio finally picked Chris Columbus to direct because he had experience directing child actors. Columbus was also asked many times by his daughter to direct and he agreed after he read her book.
The trouble-making poltergeist Peeves (played by Rik Mayall) does not, in the end, appear in the movie.
Although Daniel Radcliffe's voice broke during production, he did speak all the lines in the movie. The scenes were filmed in order and his voice changes slowly throughout the movie. It was erroneously reported by a London tabloid that a young actor who spoke lines for the action figure dubbed his lines in the movie.
There was a huge media outcry in Gloucester, England when it was decided to use the local Cathedral for some of the Hogwarts scenes. Protesters wrote letters by the sack-load to local newspapers, claiming it was blasphemy and promising to block the film-crew's access. In the end, only one protester turned up.
The movie is known as "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" everywhere except the USA and so every scene in which the Philosopher's Stone was mentioned was filmed twice, once with the actors saying "Philosopher's" and once with the actors saying "Sorcerer's".
The hut used during the filming as Hagrid's hut has since been demolished in case fans of the film swamped it.
The tabby cat used ran away during filming and came back two days later.
Platform 9 3/4 was filmed at Kings Cross, but on platforms 4 and 5. J.K. Rowling has admitted that she mixed up the layout of London's King's Cross railway station when she assigned the Hogwarts Express to platform 9 3/4, reached by using magic between platforms 9 and 10. She meant the location to be in the Inter-City part of the station, but 9 and 10 are actually among the rather less grand suburban platforms. The movie conformed to Rowling's original intent: the platforms seen as 9 and 10 are in real life inter-city platforms 4 and 5.
During filming, actor Daniel Radcliffe changed the screen on Robbie Coltrane's cellphone to Turkish. Coltrane had to phone hair designer Eithne Fennel's Turkish father in order to find out the Turkish for "Change Language".
At one point, when Harry, Ron, and Hermione are approaching Hagrid, he can be seen playing a wind instrument. He is playing the Harry Potter theme.
Among the portraits on the shifting staircase, you can clearly see a painting of Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII's second wife and the mother of Queen Elizabeth I. Anne Boleyn was popularly believed to be a witch.
This movie has the distinction of opening on more screens in the USA than any other (3762).
By February 2002 this was the second highest grossing film worldwide after Titanic (1997).
Harry Potter's birthday is reported in the books as being "somewhere in July". Author J.K. Rowling, and actors Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) and Richard Griffiths (I) (Uncle Vernon) were all reported to have their birthdays on 31 July. It was later revealed that Radcliffe's birthday is, in fact, 23rd July and that the claim that his birthday was the same as Harry Potter's was merely a publicity stunt.
On the Quidditch trophy that has Harry's father's name on it, there are additional inscriptions for M. McGonagall and R.J.H. King.
The name of Filch's cat ("Mrs. Norris") is not mentioned anywhere in the movie, nor is the name of Harry's owl ("Hedwig").
The inscription around the Mirror of Erised says: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. Reading the inscription backwards it says, "I show not your face but your heart's desire."
The word 'bloody' appears in the film six times, along with one 'arse', one 'bugger', and two 'blasted's. This, and some very scary scenes in the haunted forest, led to its PG certificate.
The film reveals that the 12th use for dragon's blood is an oven cleaner.
Nicholas Flamel, mentioned as the creator of the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone, was actually a real alchemist who was believed by some people to have produced the Philosopher's Stone and who has mysterious circumstances surrounding his "death". It is rumored that he might still be alive and, if so, he would be about the age given in the book and movie.
The Hogwarts motto, "Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus" means "never tickle a sleeping dragon".
Three owls play Hedwig, Ook, Gizmo and Sprout, but mainly Ook.
In the final credits, Will Theakston is mistakenly credited as playing Marcus Flint and Scott Fearn is also erroneously credited with playing Terence Higgs. Warner Brothers, apparently, mixed up their names and characters when they released a memo to the press (they subsequently corrected their mistake with the press), however, they failed to correct the credits thus the mistake remains (for the record, Will Theakston played Terence Higgs and Scott Fern played Marcus Flint).
Warwick Davis, who played Professor Flitwick and the first Gringotts Goblin, also provided the voice for Griphook who was physically played by Verne Troyer.
In the original draft, Drew Barrymore, a self-exclaimed Harry Potter fan, had a cameo.
John Williams composed a piece of music specifically for the movie's trailer, and it is found on the soundtrack as "The Prologue". As of March 2002, he has done this only once before, for Steven Spielberg's Hook (1991).
Rosie O'Donnell and Robin Williams were two of the celebrities who had asked for a role in the movie without pay. However they did not film any scenes for the movie.
Tim Roth was a leading contender for the role of Professor Severus Snape. Roth dropped out of contention, however, to pursue his role as General Thade in Tim Burton's adaptation of Planet of the Apes (2001)
In the script, the flashbacks to Voldemort killing Harry's parents were written by J.K. Rowling herself. The producers knew she was the only one who knew exactly what happened.
The "Hogwart's Express" locomotive portrayed in this film, a 1937 4-6-0 "Hall" class steam engine number 5972, originally belonged to the Great Western Railway and went under the name of "Olton Hall".
Trivia for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Daniel Radcliffe has said that Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is his favorite book.
Hugh Grant was originally cast as Gilderoy Lockhart but was forced to withdraw at the last moment because of scheduling conflicts. Alan Cumming was also considered.
Zoë Wanamaker does not appear in this film as Hogwarts' flying instructor, Madam Hooch. Her character was written out.
Daniel Radcliffe was initially only offered £125,000 (approximately US$181,500) to film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The Actor's Union Equity stepped in, however, and negotiated new terms that increased his salary to roughly £2,000,000 (US$3,000,000).
Many Harry Potter fans went to see Scooby-Doo (2002) just to see a Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets trailer.
Christian Coulson landed the role as Tom Riddle, even though he is 23 and exceeds the 15-17 age group set for auditions.
Fourteen Ford Anglias were destroyed to create the scene where Harry and Ron crash into the Womping Willow.
As Hagrid is taking Harry away from Knockturn Alley, we see, in one of the shop windows in the background, an entire set of Harry Potter books.
The "Let's just hope Mr. Potter will always be around to save the day" dialogue (see quotes) was improvised by Radcliffe and Isaacs.
During the shoot, the part of Dobby was played by an orange ball on a stick (he was added digitally later, of course).
The train station interior used in the film is Kings Cross in North London, whereas the exterior shot is actually St Pancras. The two stations are adjacent to one another, but not the same building. This was done because the architecture of St Pancras is much more visually appealing.
The punch line for the "Japanese golfer" joke told by Uncle Vernon that Harry Potter ruins is actually quite vulgar and not at all appropriate for young children or mixed company.
As Harry enters Prof. Dumbledore's study, a portrait of Gandalf the Grey is included in the collection of the great wizard paintings. It is above the doorframe and slightly to Harry's right.
Harry Taylor (V) reprises his brief role as the Train Station Guard from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001).
A cinema manager in Stavanger in Norway reported that the film was making his younger patrons ill. Evidently many children who had overindulged on sweets and popcorn were throwing up when Ron begins vomiting giant slugs. "It is not a particularly fun task for our employees to have to wash away the sick," he said.
Some of the portraits in Hogwarts are actually faces of production designer Stuart Craig (I) and executive producer Mark Radcliffe (I).
While chatting with the Grangers at the bookshop, Mr. Weasley says, "I understand that other muggles are afraid of you." This makes little sense unless you know that both Hermione's parents are dentists. Emma Watson (II) broke her left wrist during filming and you can just about see a cast under her sleeve in some scenes.
The script originally said that Hermione would hug Harry and Ron in the final scene. Because Emma Watson was embarrassed about having to hug them in front of the entire cast, Chris Columbus changed the scene. Hermione just hugs Harry, and starts to hug Ron, but the two get embarrassed and shake hands instead. Columbus thought that it was good buildup for the upcoming romance between Ron and Hermione.
Loaded DVD Includes Never-Before-Seen Footage, Exclusive Interviews and Much More!
Jan 22, 2003 GMT BURBANK, CA (January 21, 2003) On April 11, unlock the magic with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on an extra features-loaded double disc DVD and VHS.
The DVD delivers another adventure with more magic, more laughs and more thrills and with 19 additional/extended scenes, self-guided tours including background characters, an exclusive interview with author J.K. Rowling and screenwriter Steve Kloves and all-new interactive challenges. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets will also be released on DVD and VHS in key territories such as the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia on April 11, 2003.
The Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets loaded, two-disc DVD will cast a spell on fans everywhere with magical features including the following:
19 additional/extended scenes, including more Dobby mischief, more flying car adventure, a frightening encounter with the Malfoys in Borgin and Burkes and much more!
Crystal-clear, self-guided tours, which for the first time include background characters, let viewers have an up-close experience, allowing them to linger on the details of the Chamber of Secrets, Dumbledore's office and Diagon Alley - including places never shown in the film such as more Diagon Alley shops, the sitting room in Dumbledore's office and more!
Interviews with Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Rupert Grint (Ron), Emma Watson (Hermione) and other cast members who talk about making the film, favorite scenes, what their friends think and more.
An exclusive interview with author J.K. Rowling and screenwriter Steve Kloves about rendering the adventure to the screen.
Fun-filled activities allow viewers to escape the Forbidden Forest, sneak into the Chamber and more.
Visit Lockhart's class, and get a closer look at his photos and memorabilia through the use of still galleries.
Feature film available in English and Spanish; subtitles available in English, French and Spanish.
The DVD-ROM has more than 15 special features including the following:
The One Voice DVD technology will allow users to navigate through the DVD-ROM features and access set top features using only their voices.
An animated, interactive Hogwarts timeline provides important dates in Hogwarts history with mini pop-up videos from the Harry Potter films. A slider puzzle challenge featuring motion video.
Printable magic trading cards to collect and share with friends.
Jigsaw puzzles, matching challenges, downloadable screensavers and much more! Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets grossed more than $88 million in its opening weekend, the third largest opening 3-day weekend of all time just behind Spider-Man and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Price Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is releasing on DVD in both widescreen and full-frame DVD formats for $29.95 SRP and for $24.99 SRP on VHS.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón
Writing credits J.K. Rowling (novel) Steven Kloves (screenplay)
Plot Outline: When a notorious prisoner escapes from the prison for wizards, Harry is believed to be his target for death. (more)
Production Notes/Status: Status: Announced
Comments: Shooting scheduled to begin in early 2003. Status Updated: 12 September 2002
Note: Since this project is categorized as being in production, the data is subject to change or could be removed completely.
Credited cast:
Daniel Radcliffe
.... Harry Potter
Rupert Grint
.... Ronald 'Ron' Weasley
Emma Watson (II)
.... Hermione Granger
Robbie Coltrane
.... Hagrid
rest of cast listed alphabetically
Sean Biggerstaff
.... Oliver Wood
David Bradley (IV)
.... Caretaker Argus Filch
John Cleese
.... Nearly Headless Nick
Emily Dale
.... Katie Bell
Warwick Davis
.... Professor Filius Flitwick
Alfred Enoch
.... Dean Thomas
Tom Felton
.... Draco Malfoy
Pam Ferris
.... Aunt Marge
Michael Gambon
.... Aldus Dumbledore
Richard Griffiths (I)
.... Uncle Vernon Dursley
Joshua Herdman
.... Gregory Goyle
Matthew Lewis (III)
.... Neville Longbottom
Miriam Margolyes
.... Professor Sprout
Harry Melling
.... Dudley Dursley
Devon Murray
.... Seamus Finnigan
Gary Oldman
.... Sirius Black
James Phelps (I)
.... Fred Weasley
Oliver Phelps
.... George Weasley
Chris Rankin
.... Percy Weasley
Alan Rickman
.... Professor Snape
Fiona Shaw
.... Aunt Petunia
Maggie Smith
.... Professor McGonagall
Timothy Spall
.... Peter Pettigrew
Leilah Sutherland
.... Alicia Spinnet
Danielle Tabor
.... Angelina Johnson
Jim Tavaré
.... Tom, Landlord Of The Leaky Cauldron
David Thewlis
.... Professor Lupin
Julie Walters
.... Mrs. Weasley
Jamie Waylett
.... Vincent Crabbe
Mark Williams (I)
.... Mr. Weasley
Bonnie Wright
.... Ginny Weasley
Luke Youngblood
.... Lee Jordan
trivia and cast information courtesy of imdb.com
azkban picture courtesy of zanzaro.com/azkaban/index.html
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