It can’t be any secret that I thoroughly appreciate and
enjoy the Harry Potter series. I didn’t
expect to. When reviews of the first
book came out, I thought it was probably a simplistic book for young people,
but our grandson was, at that time, just at the age when I thought he might
enjoy what I thought was ‘that sort of book’, so I got a copy so as to keep up
with his interests. Even when the books
became totally omnipresent, I didn’t read them, although I bought them all as
they appeared. Then the first movie came
out and I became quite thoroughly hooked, even though the story was all new to
me. But not for long. After that movie, I read all the books published
up to then, which were the first four, then as soon as each book came out I
grabbed it up like a kid, then insisted on watching each subsequent movie as
they came along. At one point, when the
movie of the Half Blood Prince was due to appear, I re-read all the books through
that one. When The Deathly Hallows was
released, and the two movies of that book appeared, I was there. Our whole family shared my enthusiasm. Even those who did not choose to read the
books still enjoyed the films. And here
is why: those seven books and eight
films are simply superb. They illustrate
what I perceive the author to be saying:
that family and extended family and friendships are more important than
anything else, and that they will sustain us through even total evil. And further, that they do not prevent evil,
that evil is there, but that it can be fought.
In other words, to me, these stories are about real life. And full of life lessons. And the writing is so deceptively simple, the
stories so layered and imaginative, that it is easy to take it all for granted.
And of course that is exactly what the World of Hollywood
has done. Because, as Daniel Radcliffe,
a/k/a our Harry, has remarked, Hollywood simply took all the amazing phenomena
that is the Harry Potter World as obliviously as possible, and what recognition
was received for the films, by obscure nominations, was almost a
non-event. So what we have is the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, an organization theoretically
created to recognize creativity and art in film, which has almost completely
failed to recognize one of the most incredibly creative and artistic
accomplishments of the entire film industry.
An accomplishment of such rich writing, acting, directing and special
effects that it presented an entire world, populated by some of the best acting
talent on the planet, and encompassing an incredible eight films, with the
original cast, save for Richard Harris’s death and replacement by Michael
Gambon.
And this situation simply compels me to state that the
Academy, by failing to recognize properly such a unique and splendid entity
that is the Harry Potter oeuvre, has sadly diminished itself. So the
Academy will straggle along with its narrow and diminishing impact, choosing,
this year, a silent film of all things, charming but light, as Best Picture, while
the World of Harry Potter will live on for a very long time, in books and film
and hearts.
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