I a new interview Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II director David Yates discusses the film and Ala Rickman. He also talks about the theme park and how he couldn’t attend the grand opening this past Spring because he was finishing Deathly Hallows 2.
We hadn’t the chance to speak at the theatrical release of the film, but I must ask what your inspiration was behind the pre-credits sequence which recaps Voldemort stealing the Elder Wand from Dumbledore’s grave, then centers on haunting images of Professor Snape in the turrets overlooking Hogwarts. There’s no dialog, only some sound effects and music. It’s a stunning and heartbreaking way to begin a film.
DY: I wanted to start with Snape because he’s so integral to the story and we discover so much about him in the movie. And Alan Rickman is so amazing as an actor, and what I love about him and the way he works is he thinks rather than shows. I know we usually open the movies with big bangs and bridges falling down and all sorts of stuff, but to open on an actor’s face, quite close was so compelling. And it’s actually quite an enigmatic expression; he’s not giving away too much, but it completely pulls you in. And then visually, just this notion of this shape, this black shape, and you’ve seen these Dementors just floating there in the ether and he’s almost like another Dementor. Visually, that felt quite strong, and also we needed to remind the audience of where we left the last movie. It was just a nice, neat reminder of our characters are in trouble, this is the guy who’s got the Elder Wand, it’s going to be scary. So, all those things just rolled together in the first few minutes.
How did you get such completely different feel from each of the films based on this one book
DY: It was always my intention. I wanted the first one to feel like a European road movie. It’s very slow, very gentle, very intimate. Someone said to me the other day, “I can’t believe you got away with that. It felt like an art house movie, and it was like a blockbuster film. Didn’t Warner’s give you a hard time? Didn’t they watch the first film and say, ‘What are you doing? This is Harry Potter, for God’s sake!’?” Ironically, Warner’s was so supportive, they absolutely loved that approach, and I wanted the second one to be more of an operatic spectacle and that was always the intention. I didn’t want them to feel very similar.
Warner Bros. has released a second ‘For Your Consideration’ video that shows various reviews of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II. They are hoping that the film, and its actors are nominated for Academy Awards. It can be viewed below, thanks to SS! The first video may be seen in this post.
I, like many others I’m sure, hope Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II pulls a Lord of the Rings: Return of the King and gets nominated for a ton of awards and wins them all! I still remember watching the Oscars that year and screaming every time it won, hopefully history repeats itself with Potter! It definitely deserves the recognition.
Harry Potter: The Quest has released another new featurette. This one is called Finding Luna: A Dream Come True and shows us one of Evanna Lynch’s first screen tests with Daniel Radcliffe!
This morning Warner Bros have sent over some official footage from the Harry Potter Celebration that was held at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter this weekend. The video includes interviews with the various cast members in attendance and highlights from the weekend. The film was released on DVD in the US last week and will come out in the UK on December 2nd!
US fans may order the movie through the following links:
WB have emailed this afternoon with a fun pieces of news! You have the chance to win a visit from Rupert Grint to your school for a special Q&A session! The press release is as follows:
In celebration of the UK release of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows™ – Part 2” on 3D Blu-ray™, Blu-ray Triple Play and DVD on the 2nd December, Warner Home Video and Sainsbury’s will be offering one lucky person the chance to win a visit to their UK secondary school from Rupert Grint!
One of the stars of the world’s most successful film franchise, Rupert Grint, will visit the winning UK school for an exclusive Q&A session and personal delivery of copies of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows™ – Part 2” on Blu-ray.
To find out more go to http://www.sainsburysharrypottercompetition.com. Terms and conditions apply. No purchase necessary. All entries must be received by midnight on Monday 28th November.
E!Online have uploaded their interviews from yesterday’s red carpet event at the Harry Potter Celebration at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando. Many of the cast and crew were there to celebrate the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II on DVD and BluRay. I can’t embed the videos without them autoplaying and being annoying so use the following links to watch until I find a better way to do this:
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