Caution: Wizard at Work (Harry Potter director compares W to Voldemort)

MSNBC.com ^ | 8-04-03 | Carla Power and Devin Gordon

[Paul Atreides]

Behind the Magic: The Harry Potter movie franchise has a new director and a new Dumbledore. Things are getting Sirius. An exclusive visit to 2004’s ‘Prisoner of Azkaban’

By Carla Power and Devin Gordon NEWSWEEK

Aug. 4 issue — Between takes at the shrieking shack—a ghoulish, precariously quaking house on the fringes of the wizard village Hogsmeade—actor Daniel Radcliffe fiddles with his magic wand. Today’s scene is a doozy: Harry Potter finally confronts the sinister (for now) Sirius Black.

OVER THE SCREECHING din of the shack, Radcliffe repeatedly shouts, “You betrayed my parents! You’re the reason they’re dead!” During a break in the action, though, he twirls his wand genially like a baton. Wait, sorry, it’s not a baton—that’d be so 12 years old. Radcliffe, who turned 14 last week, is bashing the air feverishly. He’s doing a drum solo.

____________________________________________________

Cuaron’s outspokenness is also new to the franchise. Does the evil wizard Voldemort still remind him of George W. Bush, as he said recently? “In combination with Saddam,” he says. “They both have selfish interests and are very much in love with power. Also, a disregard for the environment. A love for manipulating people. I read books four and five, and Fudge”—Rowling’s slippery Minister of Magic—”is similar to Tony Blair. He’s the ultimate politician. He’s in denial about many things. And everything is for the sake of his own persona, his own power. The way the Iraq thing was handled was not unlike the way Fudge handled affairs in book four.” Cuaron’s scrappiness is either refreshing or worrying, depending on your stock portfolio.

[Spyder]

Wait till you get to the fifth book. Umbridge is Hillary personified - down to a pink cardigan and overall toad-like look (no, no crusty though). She wants more and more edicts put on the school insuring her rise to power over Dumbledore.

[Paul Atreides]

It first dawned on me during the second book, with all the talk of Mudbloods and the purifying of Hogwarts of the Mudbloods and Voldemort's role in it all.

[Paul Atreides]

She is just like Hillary when she smiles so sickeningly while being a b*tch.

[Spyder]

Yes, I noticed that too. The book is even more fun than it would be otherwise by picturing Hillary in her place...

[lilylangtree]

Sounds like the director has W confused with 8 years of Clintoonian power madness. What other power couple after snaking off 8 years at the White House while selling America to the highest bidder, then proceeded to snake off the senatorial seat of New York, home of the now missing Twin Towers.

[bd476]

"This is all about indoctrinating kids. They know that kids will read anything about Harry Potter and if they can insert their little propaganda, they might have some believers on their hands "

Agreed, if by "they" you mean the disgusting, twisted and thoroughly depressing MSNBC and other similar conglomeratti they bed down with.

(Note to self: get thee away from the computer and take a brisk walk after reading bad news. Good will out, darkest before the dawn and it will all come out in the wash etc.)

[Paul Atreides]

The left has to tear down this president, who is a real man, by any means necessary. It is why they are all weeping and gnashing their teeth over the deaths of the Husseins sons.

[Sanjuro68]

If the third movie is in the hands of someone so feeble he can't even understand the plot of the new book, they're in trouble. Fudge is constantly DENYING that there is any danger. If this had any meaningful connection to Iraq, then Fudge would be the left, requesting more inspectors see if Voldemort is really, truly back. It takes a very special kind of idiot to make that kind of analogy. (Hell, if you wanted to press it, you could easily say that Dumbledore and Harry are Blair and Bush: the only people willing to believe in a clear, immanent threat.)

[Old Sarge]

But, read on, Folks, and here's a neat bit:

Of course, Cuaron doesn’t have full run of the joint. (Chris) Columbus, who says he was “too physically exhausted” to direct the third movie, is serving as producer—and he makes no bones about the fact that he’s doing it to “protect” the Potter world he adores.

And THAT, FRiends, is a biggie. Double-checked with some movie gossip I know. Seems our little "artiste" is a loose cannon on the set with his "progressive" thoughts, and it interferes with the film.

[Paul Atreides]

So true!

[Paul Atreides]

Seems our little "artiste" is a loose cannon on the set with his "progressive" thoughts, and it interferes with the film.

I bet he can't break wind without it being a "political statement."

[chuckwalla]

These miserable ignorant people don't realize that the jihadists want them dead too and that finally we have a pres that has the guts to stand up. Not a pres that doesn't want to interfere with his sexual excapades by doing his job and all they do is complain. They say whatever the party bosses want them to say without any independent thought. I guess that's how despots happen though

[I still care]

I read it. Probably one of the main theme of the books is the overreaching bumbling of the "ministry of magic" (government) and how it messes everything it touches, interferes with everyones lives, imprisons the innocent and frees the guilty, and in general just does everything wrong. And it is in control of everything - even the kids have no freedom.

All these points are conveiently left out of the movies, while the subplot of racism is much more to their liking, so the movie makers make a nice big deal of that one.


I thought, this woman has to be a conservative.

[NovemberCharlie]

I read it. Probably one of the main theme of the books is the overreaching bumbling of the "ministry of magic" (government) and how it messes everything it touches, interferes with everyones lives, imprisons the innocent and frees the guilty, and in general just does everything wrong. And it is in control of everything - even the kids have no freedom.

All these points are conveiently left out of the movies, while the subplot of racism is much more to their liking, so the movie makers make a nice big deal of that one.

I thought, this woman has to be a conservative.

To be fair, the nonsensical antics of the government don't really start until the third book.

[I still care]

A lot of it yes, but in book 2 Harry is sent a notice that he used an unauthorized "hover charm" and will be expelled if he uses it again. (Although he didn't do it.)

That part is totally left out of the movie, and while I figured that well, it probably just didn't figure into the story, now that I know the director is a liberal I think maybe they just didn't want to explore that part of the book.

[NovemberCharlie]

You know the new director is a liberal; who knows what Columbus thought.

I think the most disturbing part of that scene was the fact that the Ministry of Magic knew about and responded to the incident in a matter of minutes, a point even Rowling didn't delve into.

[Sanjuro68]

I think the most disturbing part of that scene was the fact that the Ministry of Magic knew about and responded to the incident in a matter of minutes, a point even Rowling didn't delve into.

That was like a scene out of Brazil, which is probably why Terry Gilliam was Rowling's first choice of director. The fascinating thing is that Gilliam could make one of the most caustic anti-government films ever, and still be a complete socialist. I just don't get that.

[retrokitten]

I was really looking forward to this movie, because this is where the story really starts to take off. Now, I'm not. Did anyone read the part of the article about the directors last film?? It's described as a teen sex romp. Then of course, there was this...

Cuaron also reimagined the role of Professor Dumbledore after Richard Harris’s death. British actor Michael Gambon now plays the Hogwarts headmaster as an elegant old hippie.

This guy is a tool.