Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

2010, Rated PG-13, 146 Minutes, Directed by David Yates, Produced by Lionel Wigram, Screenplay by Steve Kloves based on the novel by J.K. Rowling, Cinematography by Eduardo Serra, Original Music by Alexandre Desplat

With: Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), Rupert Grind (Ron Weasley), Alan Rickman (Severus Snape), Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort), Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange)

I left the theater feeling slightly disappointed; part one of the most successful franchise in history had left me wanting so much more. It often felt slow and more introspective than the in your face adventure you might expect from Harry and his friends trying to save the wizarding world, no, all of humanity from the evil exploits of Lord Voldemort. As time wore on, however, I grew to appreciate the finer qualities of the film and even more the finer qualities of the story itself. Rowling’s story, Kloves screenplay and Yates movie proved itself to be a thoroughly satisfying penultimate film in the Harry Potter series.

The movie starts where the The Half-Blood Prince left off: Harry has decided not to return to Hogwarts for his final year so that he can fully focus on the ambiguous task that the late Dumbeldore left him: destroy the Horcruxes and Lord Voldemort. Harry begrudgingly allows Ron and Hermione to join him after their persistence in taking on the quest together. Once they set out on their own they begin to realize even more how uncertain they are of their next step and how young they are to be taking on such a momentous task. Much of the film takes place in the forest as they hideaway and try to figure out their next move. These scenes are punctuated with various action scenes as they venture out into the wizarding world in search of answers and Horcruxes. And of course there is no surprise when the movie ends in the midst of the plot and leaves the audience with an excruciating eight month wait until the conclusion of the film and the series.

What was it that left me unsatisfied upon the initial conclusion of the film? I am so glad you asked. The film seemed to move very slowly and not much happened in a lot of the story. I know that is how the first half of the book evolves but I was hoping they would have spiced up the moments in the woods a bit more. Unlike many movies that race through dialogue just to get to the action DH part 1 did the opposite. Granted they had a lot of plot to get through to bring the audience up to speed but they did not need to speed through the action so quickly. It would have served the movie much better to really savor the climatic action sequences of the first half. This was the main element of dislike in the film. On a more specific note, the movie employed the gradual fade scene transition way too many times; every time they used this tactic, it significantly detracted from the flow of the film. The slow scene fade needs to adhere to the same rules as the slow clap: use very sparingly and the moment must be dramatically perfect to pull it off.

The movie was not all bad by any stretch of the imagination. The more I think about the film, the more I grow to appreciate it. Ironically, the initial negative elements turned out to be quite positive, enjoyable and ponderous. The movie was slow and took place mainly in the woods with only 2-3 of the main characters. These elongated moments, however, really gave you a chance to connect with each of the characters and sympathize with their plight, feel more a part of their journey and be able to celebrate their successes and empathize with them in their frustrations. They enabled you to feel part of the film: the slow revelations punctuated with rapid action. It also allowed you to remember that these characters are only 17 years old and their struggle is great. Like The Half Blood Prince, Yates did an excellent job of reminding us of their youth and the struggles that adolescence brings. And although many moments felt slow, I was surprised when the lights came on as it felt like only an hour had transpired.

You learn a lot about Ron, Harry and Hermione in the film, just a little about their quest, and only get an introduction to the Deathly Hallows. This is more than adequate for the first installment of the final chapter in the series. The action sequences could have been a bit more drawn out but I suppose with a 2:30 runtime as it is, cuts had to be made somewhere and Yates made a great decision to focus more on the personal elements than elongate the action. Deathly Hallows Part 1 is a great example of how a 2 part movie should be made: significant focus on the characters and teasing elements of a climatic conclusions. Eight months is a long time to wait.

B+

Content Advisory

This is yet again a darker installment in the series and the content reflects that. There are several violent moments including murder, deep bloody gashes and several intense moments. A very slight use of profanity

Food for thought/discussion

1. Ron, Harry and Hermione all express frustration over Dumbledore’s cryptic instructions and lack of direction. Is this an effective means for teaching them or is he placing them in too much danger by not revealing everything he knows?

2. What strains Ron, Harry and Hermione’s friendship? What brings them back together? Does the locket Horcrux in any way parallel the lizard in C.S Lewis’ The Great Divorce?

3. Compare and contrast Voldemort and Dumbeldore (knowledge of the entire series is required to effectively discuss this)

4. Voldemort never “goes public” when the ministry falls and instead rules through a puppet regime. While there are many changes in the Ministry of Magic, business continues and many continue with their jobs out of fear. Should they speak out more or less? How about the Order of the Phoenix?