Monday, November 21, 2005

Wonderful Wizardry

Yesterday, after waiting in a line that wrapped around the block, I finally got to see Harry Potter. It was good - better than I expected. The Quidditch World Cup scene was breathtaking, with the ranks of seats going up and up, and the impression of terrific, dizzying space in the arena. So was Harry's flight from the horntail, particularly the part where it's clinging to the roof tiles and, menacingly, searching for him. I also loved just about every scene with the Weasley twins. I never really took to them as characters in the books, but they were great on camera. I've got criticisms too, but I'll leave that to the more die-hard fans who are no doubt at this very moment debating the finer points of the film in chat rooms.

One of the things that struck me about the making of the Harry Potter series was that since it spans ages 11-17, with one book/movie per year, they had to cast actors at a young age and follow them right through adolescence. Imagine having the most awkward years of your life filmed and watched by millions of people. Granted, they have a crew of makeup specialists and special effects artists to help them look cool, but even so. There's only so much you can fake. Like Emma Watson's flawless complexion. How many of us had perfect skin at age 15? How does she do it? I still don't have skin that good, and when I was her age, it was a disaster. How did they know, casting her at age 11, that she would grow up lovely? did they look at her parents? can you examine pre-teen skin and predict how it will respond to puberty? Or is it sheer luck?

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