Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

"... happiness can be found even in the darkest of times,
when one only remembers to turn on the light."

Alfonso Cuaron's addition to the Harry Potter film franchise is divisive, to say the least. It has committed deep-cutting crimes against the integrity of the novel it is based on, and the spirit of its characters, according to people who feel strongly about it. I, however, have positive memories of the film, and recall it being one of my favorites (of the films). So... how does it stack up, these fourteen years later?

Summary:

Harry prepares for another year at Hogwarts, but a dangerous dark wizard has escaped the hell of Azkaban Prison, and has his sights on the young wizard. Facing new dangers at every turn, Harry will discover new things about his parents, about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and about his future in the wizarding world.

Pros:

A Visual Feast: Director, Alfonso Cuaron, definitely knows how to make a visually stimulating film. His shot composition is playful and gorgeous; he knows how to layer his actors in frame to establish depth of field in compelling ways; he frames the actors and the action with in-shot frames within frames (doorwarys, window frames, and other characters, even, all serve to frame conversations or dramatic events). If Chamber of Secrets upped the ante in regards to filmmaking flair, Cuaron takes the ball and runs it all the way to the goal line. He tilts his camera in subtle Dutch angles, pushes through intricate single-take tracking shots, and has the propensity of pushing towards and through windows and mirrors that serve to disorient and add a sense of magicality. This is, until now, and I suspect for the rest of the series, the most finely crafted of the Potter films. Cuaron takes what could have been simple popcorn fare, and turned it into artful powerhouse cinema.

New Talent and Growth: The kids are getting better all the time: Rupert Grint, in particular, continues to shine as Ron. His comedic timing and deep grasp of the character are impressive and fun. Michael Gambon joins the team as Dumbledore (after the passing of Richard Harris), and adds some edge and darkness to Dumbledore that contrasts to Harris' Kindly Magical Grandpa of the first two films. Gambon is aware that the series is heading to darker places, and that Dumbledore is a canny wizard with schemes of his own, and he injects that into his performance, and I like it. David Thewlis, as Remus Lupin, is a wonderful father figure for Harry: he teaches him actual, actionable Defense Against the Dark Arts, and provides Harry some valuable context about his parents: they were friends growing up, you see. And then we have Gary Oldman as Sirius Black: I cannot think of a better actor to have got this part. Oldman is capable of delivering the mania and rage of a man who's stewed in the wizarding world's worst prison for over a decade, but also shows how much he really cares for Harry. And let's not forget Emma Thompson, turning in a gloriously madcap performance as Professor Trelawney, who does not get enough screen time, but has as much fun as she can with every second of it. The films continue a fine tradition of pitch-perfect feats of casting: every major role, and some of the minor ones, feel absolutely correct.

Explore the Grounds: We get out of the castle for a majority of this film, exploring Hogwarts' grounds in fun and interesting ways. The rickety bridge where Harry and Lupin share some wonderful scenes is gorgeous; Hagrid's hut is done out with piles of giant pumpkins and swooping crows; the hills roll at dangerous angles with large shards of stone protruding from them, which allows Cuaron to set up fun shots of Hogwarts students trailing downhill towards their classes. We even get beautiful shots of the Whomping Willow that help establish each season and the passage of time: it sheds a leaf in a beautiful sequence, only to instantly drop every single leaf in the instant after; it snaps a few hummingbirds out of the air; it shakes off gathered snow, smattering the camera with slush. It's a fun, artistic touch.

Passing Time: Cuaron brings a new visual and thematic metaphor to the film that helps define its ideas and set it aside from simply being a "fantasy film." Cuaron injects those shots of the Whomping Willow, mentioned above, but also the swinging pendulum, and the the turning clockworks, often framing Harry's brooding stare, to help establish the idea of passing time: a countdown to something big and momentous. It is only a matter of time, after all, until Harry has to confront this escaped evil wizard, and Cuaron goes to lengths to let us know that the confrontation is coming, and, with it, revelations. During the Time Turner sequence, he even layers in the gentle-but-persistent ticking of a watch into the background, letting us know that Harry and Hermione are working against the clock on this one. None of the previous films took pains to work in metaphor and theme like this, and I enjoy it, because it enhances the beauty of the story and the film itself.

Music: I wasn't entirely convinced that John Williams had done the score for this one. It's darker, more mysterious than the first two films, and doesn't bear the usual Williams sound. I particularly enjoyed the choir singing "Double Trouble" as the audience's welcome to Hogwarts for the year: it's a beautiful and haunting piece that establishes the tone quite nicely. Williams stretches his muscles, here, and proves that he can compose music that doesn't sound anything like his oeuvre, but that is as equally beautiful and powerful as his most iconic work.

Magical Touches: The effects team did wonderful work on this one, making the spells special and distinct with little touches. The lumos spell pulses with gentle waves of light, and spells make tiny, but unique, noises as they are cast. This makes the magic feel alive, and I really loved it.

Darker, Still: Cuaron's Wizarding World is dark, which reflects the increasing stakes as Voldemort's power grows, and Harry starts to understand that even this world of magic isn't as innocent and fun as he thought it would be. The film gets desaturated, with imposing shades of blue and pale white light, that casts everything in harsh extremes. Even the Hogwarts Express sequence, which, in the past, was shown with rolling hills and grand vistas, gets drowned out in pouring rain and overbearing clouds of fog. The danger used to start well into the school year, but we don't even get that luxury this time out, as Harry is assaulted by a Dementor on the train to school. There is danger EVERYWHERE now, and nowhere is safe.

Representative of Rowling's Prose: Cuaron is constantly balancing the darkness with light: scenes of the boys in Gryffindor tower eating magic candies; Ron being ridiculous; a strange innkeeper with a comically-large hunchback; a living, animalistic textbook scuttling around on the ground. The sense of silliness helps alleviate the impending dread, and manages to reflect the power of J.K. Rowling's writing wonderfully. She takes great joy in her wizarding world, but never betrays the stakes at hand. I think Prisoner of Azkaban deserves some serious credit for striking this balance with skill.

Cons:

Cuts: The third book is not long, especially when you consider later volumes, but it is longer than the previous volumes, and contains a lot of lore and valuable information. A lot of this gets streamlined, or cut outright from the film. I cannot blame Cuaron, or returning scribe Steve Kloves, but I must acknowledge book fans' complaints: there is a lot left on the cutting room floor. Some scenes that take chapters in the book are relegated to a line or two, and if you aren't paying absolute attention, and you might not be, this being a kids' film and all, you might miss some of that vital information. I think Kloves does an admirable job adapting an increasingly difficult, layered story into a workable film, and I think Cuaron deftly balances his own artistic sensibilities with those of Rowling's over-arching story. But, hey, people are mad at this movie, and I understand why. Even if there's nothing that can be done about it.

In Conclusion:

I love this movie. I love it as a movie, and I love it as an addition to Potter canon. It streamlines and expands where necessary to deliver its own product, separate from the books, but still somehow inextricably linked. Cuaron was a gamble: tapping an auteur to direct a big-budget franchise is always a bit of balancing act. But I believe it paid off, and granted the franchise some wonderful street cred as a legitimate film that refuses to be hand-waved away by cinephiles. Each film, however, has gotten better and better, more assured and beautiful as we go. I can't wait to cross the halfway point with Goblet of Fire.

Should You Watch It?

As a filmmaking milestone for the series, I think this film is essential.

Miscellany:

- Cuaron had each of the lead actors, Radcliffe, Grint and Watson, write him an essay about their character, so he could acquaint himself better with the roles and the actors. Watson turned in a 16-page essay, Radcliffe turned in a simple one-page write-up, and Grint never turned in anything at all. Perfect.

- Ian McKellen turned down the role of Dumbledore.
- Rowling has said that she based the Dementors on her experiences battling sever depression.
- Cuaron had the idea to establish a fixed layout for Hogwarts: that is why certain scenes go longer to transition into new locations, to show how the campus links up and where everything is situated. His establishment of the grounds would remain largely intact for the remainder of the series.
- Chris Columbus was originally contracted to direct all of the Harry Potter films. He quickly realized that he would miss valuable time with his family, watching his kids grow up. He stayed on as producer for the third film, but, ultimately, dropped out of involvement after.
- Cuaron had never read Harry Potter or seen the previous films. Apparently Guillermo Del Toro urged him to fix that, saying, "Don't be stupid: read them immediately."
- This is the last Harry Potter film to feature a score by John Williams.
- Professional illusionist Paul Kieve was brought in as a consultant. He taught Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson real illusion tricks, and consulted on many of the practical effects in the film.
- This was the last Potter film released on VHS.