Harry Potter Ends with Excitement!
The Harry Potter series concludes on a big note with intense action, a solid story and satisfying finale.
Ending was bittersweet. Reportedly, there was not a dry eye in the house during the last day of filming according to producers David Heyman and David Barron who shared quite a bit of the behind-the-scenes of the Harry Potter franchise, one of the most successful in movie history.
Based on the best-selling novels by J.K. Rowling, the films have all stayed close to the source material. The last installment, told in two parts, ends with Deathly Hallows, Part 2. Heyman and Barron state, “Well, each book posed its own challenge. We always knew we were making the film ahead so when we were making the first one, we knew we were going to do the second. When we were making the second one, we knew we were going to make the third and so on. Each time, the films were treated as self-contained units --as books-- that we wanted to adapt to make into the best film we could. Inevitably with each incoming director there was certain competitiveness, with each other and within themselves, wanting to make the best film yet. David Yates (director) wanted to make each film different and better than the one before. Actually, the books themselves allowed for that difference because each book was about a different year in the lives of the characters who were different from the age of 11 than at 12 and 13 and 14.
Speaking of the beginning, both were reflective on how it all began. According to David Heyman’s account, “I moved from New York back to London in 1996, and had what’s called a ‘first look deal’ with Warner Bros. I persuaded them that I spoke both languages, English and American (laughter), and they fell for it.
“I decided to make books the foundation of my business. I love to read and books have a very successful turn, in terms of going from development to films; books are among the most successful. Also, England is still that island off the coast of Europe that is not often thought of as a source of incredible material. So, you need something concrete to send them [film studios] -- the executives in California.
“I had two people in my office: a very bright lady called Tanya who became head of the U.K. film development council fund and my secretary, Nisha. Each weekend we’d take home stuff to read. I had three shelves: priority, medium priority and low priority. Tanya had read an article in Bookseller Magazine, a literary trade publication about this book that had not yet been published that she thought sounded interesting.
“It came in and sat firmly on the bottom shelf; that Friday, Nisha, who always read the rubbish --because she wasn’t hired as a reader, always read things from the bottom shelf-- took this book home. On Monday morning, we had our meeting. It sounds very grand, three of us sitting in an office, having a conversation; by the way, my office is on Demark Street, which is Tin Pan Alley where all the guitar shops are, endless terrible renditions of Stairway to Heaven, never a good one.
“So, as that was going on downstairs we started talking about what we’d read that weekend and Nisha said, ‘well, I read this book…’ and I said, what was it called, and she said, ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.’ I said, that’s a terrible title, what’s it about? She said, ‘well, it’s about a young boy who goes to wizard school.’ Then I said, well that’s a really good idea, and I took it home that night. I began to read and I couldn’t stop and around 3:30 or 4:00 in the morning, I finished it. I had fallen in love [with the book] and had no idea what the next 14 years would hold, not a clue. I just liked it; I loved it and I thought it was something that I could share with my younger [half] brother and sister who are 22 and 26 years younger than I am. I just loved it and thought it would be fun. One thing I love about the books and hopefully the films is that they didn’t patronize; they were books that parents could enjoy with their children, could enjoy too; I think therein lies one of their great pleasures.”
Commenting on author J.K. Rowling’s concerns, Barron stated, “I’ve known Jo since 1997. She has rarely expressed concern, once she handed over the book to be adapted into film, she’s been nothing but a support. She was not one who said, ‘oh, this or that; that’s not her approach. She understands that there are different mediums, by the very fact that she’s taken a producer credit on these last two films. She’s really proud of the films. I think one of the reasons she wanted to take credit is because she was not on set every day but she’s always there if we need her. If we had a question, if we were uncertain about something, if we wanted to talk something through, we’d call her up or we’d have a meeting with her to discuss. Her knowledge of this world, her generosity with which she shares it is incredible. I mean she has these endless notebooks filled with information; she was always there to support us, never there to criticize.”
Heyman added, “She completely supported the splitting of the book into two films even though we set off with the notion that the DNA of the series was one book, one film. Previously, even in the very thick books, the fourth book, there’s plenty of color and character and really enjoyable action, certainly enough for two films but there was never enough story for two films. I think they would have felt thin. When we first set out, when we read the books, we said, ‘oh, my God, this is extraordinary,’ but one book, one film. With the last book, Steve Kloves (screenwriter) was the first one who suggested that it’s too much for one film. Jo was very happy with that because it meant that we wouldn’t be trying to expunge anything from the final book where everything really is important.”
