I was reading a story on the new Harry Potter flick (and the new director, Alfonso Cuaron), and had the following reactions:
Huh?!?
Cuaron also reimagined the role of Professor Dumbledore after Richard Harris's death. British actor Michael Gambon now plays the Hogwarts headmaster as an elegant old hippie.
And double (if not triple) huh?!?
Cuaron’s outspokenness is also new to the franchise. Does the evil wizard Voldemort still remind him of George W. Bush, as he said recently? “In combination with Saddam,” he says. “They both have selfish interests and are very much in love with power. Also, a disregard for the environment. A love for manipulating people. I read books four and five, and Fudge”—Rowling’s slippery Minister of Magic—”is similar to Tony Blair. He’s the ultimate politician. He’s in denial about many things. And everything is for the sake of his own persona, his own power. The way the Iraq thing was handled was not unlike the way Fudge handled affairs in book four.” Cuaron’s scrappiness is either refreshing or worrying, depending on your stock portfolio.
Nothing like a the infusion of unnecessary politics into a fairy tale.
And this may be a good thing:
As for Cuaron, his tour of duty in Harryland will end with “Azkaban.”
Althought I will reserve judgement until I see the film.
Posted by Steven at July 27, 2024 04:50 PM | TrackBack