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Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

Harry Potter And The Goblet of Fire

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01:40 / 07.12.05

Actors and actresses are not the same age as the characters they portray, Slim, especially not across two separate films.

Thanks, Haus. Don't ever let anyone tell you you ain't the shiznit.

22:15 / 08.12.05

Just catching up on my inbox. Is this the story, Haus? If not, I want to hear it.

[Courtesy of popbitch]
Back in the 80s, Harris was starring in a play at the London Palladium. During the day he spent most of his time getting drunk in Soho. One afternoon he got chatting to a beautiful blonde. Harris explained he was in a play, and that she had to see it. He then got a friend to run round to the theatre and get him two comp tickets.
Many hours later, Harris and the blonde were hammered. He reached in to his pocket, finds the tickets and takes the blonde to the theatre. They take their seats. About 10 minutes in to the play, Harris suddenly stands up, loudly exclaiming "Oh fuck, I'm in this! And runs off backstage to get changed.

22:24 / 08.12.05

I sooo want that to be true.

02:17 / 09.12.05

The Richard Harris story I heard (saw him tell it on Letterman years ago) is that he and Richard Burton (I believe the second guy was Burton, this is where my memory is weak on the anecdote) were in a play together and went to a pub across the street to get tanked at intermission.

Upon returning and starting the second half, Burton made his entrance, totally drunk out of his mind. A woman in the first few rows loudly exclaimed "My God, he's DRUNK!" And Burton looked right at her and said with mock dignity and classical elocution: "Madam, if you think *I'm* drunk, wait 'til Harris makes his entrance!"

ONLY NICE THINGS

07:38 / 09.12.05

Yeah, both of those. Drinking to excess is, of course, never clever, but it does sometimes lead to clever lines.

22:31 / 09.12.05

saw this the other night and, like many of you was both impressed at just how much had been cut away (no awful Dursleys, which to my mind is a blessing as I always skipped them when watching the other three on DVD) and lamented the lack of the major characters I was looking forward too (Gary Oldman as the face in the fire I mean really).

One odd thing I noticed and perhaps someone can help/correct me on it: okay so they have different directors but surely someone in wardrobe, editing or special effects could of mentioned that Professor Flitwick was a little hairy fellow in the first few movies and not the Edwardian fella with the licked down hair and hitler mustache (sic) he has in this one. And Gambon's accent did travel from upper class to bad impression of Richard Harris at times (and makes me worry about the next three films as Dumbledore's role is steadily increasing)

Still they did manage to slip in my favourite line from the book (Harry's comment on girls roaming in packs).

And as much as I wish I could end on the image of Richard HArris lying drunk in the boot of a car, alas google has failled me...

Regrettable Juvenilia

08:19 / 12.12.05

"Harry, I've put you in terrible danger this year."

"Has it really been a whole school year, sir? It's felt like about a couple of months at most! But don't worry about the danger thing. I'm sure you had no idea."

"Well..."

"It's not as if I was having expository dreams or anything, which you then told me not to worry about."

"Mmmm."

"And it's not as if there were any clues, like the father of a famous traitor being murdered, that would make you call up the famously inescapable Azcaban and azk them to check that the main suspect's cell isn't empty..."

"Ah well you see, in the book..."

"But don't worry, Mr Dumbledore sir, it wasn't your fault. Cedric being dead isn't your fault either. His blood isn't on your hands and all over your beard or anything. After all, it's not like you made us take part in a life-endangering competition for the sake of the school's prestige, is it?"

"..."

"It's not as if you tied our friends up at the bottom of a lake and then dropped witty punning clues about it, is it?"

"Well, ah, that is to say..."

"And I'm sure if it had been all your fault, then when you made your speech in which you positioned yourself as the fearless voice of truth speaking out in spite of teh Man's attempts to censor you, then you would have put your hands up and said 'I can't help but feel partly responsible, Diggery's blood is on my beard', wouldn't you?"

"Look, Harry, the point is, I've put you in terrible danger this year. And I'm very sorry. But I want you to know..."

"...It's okay, sir. Really."

"I want you to know..."

"Yes sir?"

"I want you to know that I can't guarantee I won't do it again next year."

"Right. If anyone wants me I'll be in the Prefects' bathroom."

Regrettable Juvenilia

08:40 / 12.12.05

Which is all another way of saying, that as a former participant in the Assisted Place scheme myself, I really appreciated that this film (and I assume novel) has moved beyond "English Public Schools are great!" to "English Public Schools will happily jeopardise the physical and psychological well-being of their pupils for the sake of doing well in a competition or keeping up with an insane and cruel old tradition".

Nina Skryty suggested to me, rather brilliantly, that the reason Harry saves the younger sister from the lake rather than just Ron is that Krum and Diggery assume the staff of Hogwarts will rescue any leftover 'treasures' from the lake after the event, whereas Harry has enough first-hand experience of the staff's competence to know that this is far from guaranteed.

So yes, very realistic in a sense, as was all the stuff about what school balls are like, as Haus says. Particularly accurate, I thought, was the way Harry and Ron sit there on the sidelines being glum without really needing to - whereas they could actually enjoy themselfs, like Neville, if only they'd stop being so alienated. That's what being 14 is all about. See also: pointless feuds with your closest friends. I would have liked that to get more of a look in, really.

Our Lady Has Left the Building

09:53 / 12.12.05

If Harry and Ron aren't played as big old Goths in the next film I'll be really disappointed.

11:16 / 02.02.06

Order of the Phoenix starts filming this week, with David Yates in the big chair. Amusingly, his IMDb bio has been amended since he got the Potter gig—apparently all those exercise videos were directed by another David Yates.

Imelda Staunton of Vera Drake and "Little Britain" has been confirmed as Dolores Umbridge.

16:46 / 02.02.06

so this director has only directed TV and some small British films before...? Interesting...

07:57 / 05.02.06

Probably got it off the back of state of play or girl in the cafe, both quite well received state side - so is this one going to be a conspiratorial sexual drama?

Our Lady Has Left the Building

14:23 / 05.02.06

Hmmm, methinks we need a new thread...

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