Children's literature has a tradition of telling this story, although the protagonist is more often a girl. From The Wizard of Oz to The Secret Garden, books and movies aimed at young adolescents have often addressed the transition from childhood to adulthood through the metaphor of magical powers.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone follows confidently in the footsteps of its predecessors. Where Dorothy Gale had her ruby red slippers, Harry is equipped with a magic wand and flying broomstick.
This is not to suggest, however, that the film is of the same caliber as The Wizard of Oz.
Though directed with great care by Chris Columbus (Mrs. Doubtfire), Harry Potter too easily follows its title character from life as a second-class citizen in the home of his mortal aunt and uncle to outright stardom at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Some of the tension in that transition has been muted by screenwriter Steve Kloves's decision to underplay the genuine cruelty with which Harry's "Muggle" relatives treat him at the beginning of the story.
At the risk of holding the film too accountable to the high standards set by the clever J.K. Rowling novel on which it is based, one must mention that the movie does tend to gloss over Harry's setbacks and rivalries, thereby reducing to some extent our satisfaction with his triumphs.
Having said that, however, one must give credit where it is due. Filmed in Great Britain with a British cast and crew (apart from the director), the movie offers visual delights that startlingly realize the fantastic world imagined by Rowling.
Through the course of the film, we are treated to a captivating Quidditch match, in which children fly through the air on broomsticks, a nerve-racking sequence involving a giant troll, and a number of other brilliant set pieces that faithfully recreate the novel's firm sense of place and time.
The cast, which features cameos by the likes of John Cleese and Julie Walters, is uniformly stellar. The three children at the center of the film seem well cast, Richard Harris shines as headmaster Dumbledore, and Dame Maggie Smith is a nice fit as the caring Professor McGonagall.
Ultimately, the film works best on the same subtextual level at which The Wizard of Oz and The Secret Garden function most profoundly. We follow the story of an orphaned child who, upon reaching a certain age, discovers the power and independence with which he must struggle as he leaves behind childhood and faces adulthood.
Children can relate to the character's sense of confusion and isolation from parents, and ultimately to his mastery of these new circumstances. And adults can look back with a knowing smile, appreciating the mystery of the transition.
Grade: B
PG, 2 hours, 32 minutes
