Description
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (released in the United States, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) is a 2001 fantasy film directed by Chris Columbus and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. The film, which is the first instalment in the Harry Potter film series, was written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman. The story follows Harry Potter’s first year at Hogwarts as he discovers that he is a famous wizard and begins his magical education. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, with Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger. It is followed by seven sequels in total, beginning with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Warner Bros. bought the film rights to the book in 1999 for a reported £1 million. Production began in the United Kingdom in 2000, with Columbus being chosen to create the film from a short list of directors that included Steven Spielberg and Rob Reiner. J. K. Rowling insisted that the entire cast be British or Irish, in keeping with the cultural integrity of the book. The film was shot at Leavesden Film Studios and historic buildings around the UK.
The film was released in the UK and US in November 2001. It received positive critical reception, made more than $980 million at the worldwide box office, and was nominated for many awards, including the Academy Awards for Best Original Score, Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. As of August 2014, it is the 21st highest-grossing film of all time and the second highest-grossing film in the series behind the final film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.
Harry Potter is a seemingly ordinary boy, living with his hostile relatives, the Dursleys in Surrey. On his 11th birthday, Harry learns from a mysterious stranger, Rubeus Hagrid, that he is a wizard, famous in the Wizarding World for surviving an attack by the evil Lord Voldemort when Harry was a baby. Voldemort killed Harry’s parents, but his attack on Harry rebounded, leaving only a lightning-bolt scar on Harry’s forehead and rendering Voldemort powerless. Hagrid reveals to Harry that he has been invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After purchasing school supplies from the hidden wizarding street, Diagon Alley, Harry boards the train to Hogwarts via the concealed Platform 9 3/4 in King’s Cross Station.
Because the film’s American title was different, all scenes that mention the philosopher’s stone by name had to be reshot, once with the actors saying “philosopher’s” and once with “sorcerer’s”. The children filmed for four hours and then did three hours of schoolwork. They also developed a liking for fake facial injuries from the makeup staff. Daniel Radcliffe was initially meant to wear green contact lenses as his eyes are blue, and not green like Harry’s, but the lenses gave Radcliffe extreme irritation, and upon consultation with Rowling it was agreed that Harry could have blue eyes.
The film was nominated for three Academy Award nominations: Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Score for John Williams.
Harry inadvertently makes Gryffindor’s Quidditch team (a sport in the wizarding world where people fly on broomsticks) as a Seeker while defending another student from Draco Malfoy, a Slytherin first year, subsequently learning that his father had also been on the team.
Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born 23 July 1989) is an English actor who rose to prominence as the title character in the Harry Potter film series. He made his acting debut at 10 years of age in BBC One’s 1999 television movie David Copperfield, followed by his film debut in 2001’s The Tailor of Panama. At age 11, he was cast as Harry Potter in the first Harry Potter film, and starred in the series for 10 years until the release of the eighth and final film in 2011.
Radcliffe began to branch out to stage acting in 2007, starring in the London and New York productions of Equus, and in the 2011 Broadway revival of the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. He starred in the 2012 horror film The Woman in Black, and played beat poet Allen Ginsberg in the 2013 independent film Kill Your Darlings. He has contributed to many charities, including Demelza House Children’s Hospice and The Trevor Project. He also made public service announcements for the latter. In 2011, he was awarded the Trevor Project’s “Hero Award.”
In 2000, producer David Heyman asked Radcliffe to audition for the role of Harry Potter for the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the best-selling book by British author J. K. Rowling. Rowling had been searching for an unknown British actor to personify the character; however, Radcliffe’s parents did not want him to audition for the role, as the contract required shooting all seven films in Los Angeles, California, and so they did not tell him. The movie’s director Chris Columbus recalled thinking, “This is what I want. This is Harry Potter”, after he saw a video of the young actor in David Copperfield. Eight months later, and after several auditions, Radcliffe was selected to play the part. Rowling also endorsed the selection saying, “I don’t think Chris Columbus could have found a better Harry.” Radcliffe’s parents originally turned down the offer, as they had been told that it would involve six films shot in Los Angeles. Warner Bros. instead offered Radcliffe a two-movie contract with shooting in the UK though, when signing up, Radcliffe was unsure if he would do any more pictures.
The release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (released as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the United States) took place in 2001. The story follows Harry, a young boy who learns he is a wizard and is sent to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to begin his education; gaining the help of friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) along the way. Radcliffe received a seven figure salary for the lead role, but asserted that the fee was “not that important” to him; his parents chose to invest the money for him.20 The film broke records for opening-day sales and opening-weekend takings, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2001. With a total of US $974 million in ticket sales, Philosopher’s Stone stands as the second most commercially successful in the series behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, the final instalment.
The adaptation was met with positive reviews and critics took notice of Radcliffe: “Radcliffe is the embodiment of every reader’s imagination. It is wonderful to see a young hero who is so scholarly looking and filled with curiosity and who connects with very real emotions, from solemn intelligence and the delight of discovery to deep family longing,” wrote Bob Graham of the San Francisco Chronicle.
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