Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

November 17, 2005
Filed under Showcase

Hogwarts, Quidditch and hippogriffs. The magical world of Harry Potter is once again coming to the big screen in the fourth installment of the series, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” which opens in movie theaters Friday.

The movie will be shown at the London Square Cinema, 3109 Mall Drive, and includes a special screening tonight at midnight.

The Harry Potter books, written by J.K. Rowling, are about the adventures of Harry Potter, a teenage wizard attending the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

This movie includes adventures such as the International Quidditch Cup, Harry’s first crush and the Tri-Wizard Tournament, in which students from different magical schools come to Hogwarts.

At this point, six of the seven books in the series have been released.

While the books were primarily aimed for children, adults have begun to read them as well.

“Adults use Harry Potter as a way to make connections with other adults,” said Kelly Jo Wright, assistant director of forensics and senior lecturer in the communications and journalism department. “They find communication in the books. It’s a cool opportunity to talk to adults about (plot) theories.”

Students and faculty at UW-Eau Claire are getting ready in different ways for the movie’s release, including buying their tickets early.

Wright, who purchased her movie ticket ahead of time, said she is dressing up for the occasion.

She said she has a Gryffindor outfit, complete with a tie, as well as a magic wand and Harry Potter glasses in her prescription.

“I’ve dressed up for opening night in the past,” said sophomore Alia Groth, who also bought her ticket early. She added it is fun to see people in costume at the movies.

Senior Caitlyn Christensen said she and her friends are heading out to dinner to celebrate a friend’s birthday prior to seeing the movie.

The group purchased tickets early to ensure they would be able to attend.

Christensen said she has participated in Harry Potter events in the past.

“I went to the Midnight Madness Party at Barnes and Noble,” she said about the release of the sixth book, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”

There are numerous clubs on Facebook that students and faculty from Eau Claire can join, including “Harry Potter Rocks,” which has a membership of 324 individuals.

The number of students who have entered Harry Potter as an interest in their profile is more than 500.

And Eau Claire isn’t the only area that shows an interest in this subject.

According to the United Kingdom Film Council, the third film, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” grossed $249.4 million from box office sales in the United States and $789 million worldwide.

The movie became the top performing UK film at the U.S. box office in 2004, according to the UKFC.

All three movies – “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” and “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” – have been the top three United Kingdom films in 35 European countries between 2000 to 2004. They were released in 2001, 2002 and 2004, respectively.

In the United States, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” replaced the title of the “Philosopher’s Stone,” which was the title of the book in the United Kingdom.

With so much adventure in the fourth book, faculty and students have a hard time choosing their favorite scene from the book which they are most excited to see onscreen.

Christensen said she’s most excited to see the fight between Harry and his nemesis, Lord Voldemort.

“It’ll be cool to see how they (film) it,” she said. “It’ll also be interesting to see the underwater scenes with the mermaids.”

Mike Newell is the first British director of the film. American director Chris Columbus directed the first two films and Mexican director Alfonso Cuar¢n shot the third.

Wright said she is looking forward to seeing how the new director will portray the film, especially “the English boarding school from a British perspective.”

Wright said she’s psyched about the Tri-Wizard Tournament at the beginning of the fourth book.

Groth said there are several parts of the movie she is especially excited to see.

“I’m really excited to meet the characters from the different schools,” she said, “and Sirius talking through the fire.”

Groth also said the Yule Ball should be interesting to see on the big screen as well.

Students from other nations who are studying at Eau Claire are planning on seeing the film as well.

Junior Denis Thrich, from Germany, said he plans to see the movie after he viewed the movie trailer for it, even though he hasn’t read any of the books.

Thrich saw the DVDs for the other Harry Potter films in Germany.

“Normally, Harry Potter is for teenagers and young people,” he said, “but the movies are different. The characters are growing up. The impact is different on you as a consumer.”

Freshman Claudia Lozano Aguirre, from Bolivia, said she and her sister, sophomore Silvia Lozano Aguirre, read the books in English in Bolivia.

“My dad went to Houston and bought numbers one, two and three and brought them home,” she said. “I got numbers four and five from a teacher and number six from my dad after he went to Houston again.”

Lozano Aguirre said she has seen the translated version of the books in Spanish, but they appear to be smaller than the English version and certain parts were not as funny in the Spanish version.

She also said she is excited to see how the maze scene is adapted from the book onto the screen

“I saw the first (movie) in Bolivia translated into Spanish,” Lozano Aguirre said.

She said she is looking forward to seeing the movie in English because she didn’t like the translation into Spanish when viewing the first movie.

“I am excited because number four is my favorite book (of the series),” Lozano Aguirre said.

Local businesses have prepared for the Harry Potter fans.

Ian Jacoby, an employee at Waldenbooks, located in the Oakwood Mall, 4800 Golf Road, said for the release of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” this summer, the store had about 500 copies placed on reserve.

“We couldn’t keep it on the shelves,” he said.

While the sixth book was a hit, Jacoby said the rush to buy the fourth book before the movie “is not as big as I would have expected it to be.”

He said this is most likely due to the fact that most people already own the book.

Fellow employee Meredith Bomber agreed but said she has recently sold several copies of “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” in a set with the series.

“We’ve got stock on pretty much everything Harry Potter,” said Mark Dieres, general manager of Borders, 4030 Commonwealth Ave.

He said beyond the Harry Potter books, the store carries the DVDs, books on tape and CDs.

The movie soundtrack, which will be released on Tuesday, is also in stock, Dieres said.

With the movie having a rating of PG-13, Christensen said there will probably be fewer small children in attendance.

“It’s the first one to be rated PG-13,” she said.

Groth agreed.

“It’s a little scarier than the last three,” she said.

However, Christensen said even if you’re not a huge Harry Potter fan, students should see the movie anyway.

“If you have read the books and liked them, then it’s going to be worth a shot at going,” she said.

Sophomore Allison Perse said the movies are doing a pretty good job at keeping the film close to the book.

“I’ve looked so forward to (the movie) for so long,” she said. “I’ve talked to so many friends about it and am really excited.”

Wright said even if viewers haven’t read the books, they still can enjoy the plot and the movie.

“If you enjoy a combination of adventure and intensity and ultimately (a movie) about relationships,” Wright said, “this has the potential to be a movie you could really enjoy.”