Book-Movie Comparison: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

The Prisoner of Azkaban is the first of the movies to make really significants cuts from/changes to the book, even though it doesn’t have the excuse that The Goblet of Fire and on do:  their staggering length.  Rereading this book really reminded me how just how much the movie leaves out, but even though it’s not as faithful as The Sorcerer’s Stone or The Chamber of Secrets, I still maintain that it’s a great movie (spoilers.)

Lots of stuff on the cutting room floor, the hardest of which is the majority of the Marauders stuff.  In this movie, the climactic info-dump gets cut to ribbons, and as a result, we miss out on a lot of interesting backstory on James, Sirius, Lupin, and Pettigrew, backstory that’s been fan-favorite material for years (I believe this is the main reason The Prisoner of Azkaban gets on some fans’ shit lists.)  Additionally, it means the explanations for things like who really betrayed the Potters and why are kind of skimmed over.  I can’t say for sure, since I of course read the book before seeing the movie for the first time, but I feel like this sequence might have been confusing had I not been able to fill in the gaps from the book.

Plenty of other things get taken out, with different levels of importance.  The majority of the Quidditch season is excised, which means Cho and Cedric aren’t introduced in this movie; neither is super crucial at this juncture, but it means they both just pop up in The Goblet of Fire, which does take away just a bit from that film.  Harry gets his Firebolt at the end of the movie instead of the middle, which winds up taking away a big part of the motivation behind Ron and Hermione feuding – because she suspects in the book that the broom came from Sirius Black, the teachers take it away for weeks to check it for jinxes, and Ron is furious that she’d commit such a “crime” against a primo broom.  They’ve only just made up when Scabbers goes missing and sets the whole thing off again.  In the movie, there just isn’t as much brewing.

Some changes are less noticeable, like skipping Harry overhearing Mr. and Mrs. Weasley talking about Sirius Black and just going straight to Mr. Weasley warning Harry.  And there’s always the usual minor character/flavor moments, like Oliver Wood’s desperation to finally win the Quidditch Cup (a casualty of removing most of the Quidditch) or Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil becoming devotees of Professor Trelawney.

A lot of these cuts were made, not so much because they couldn’t fit, but because Alfonso Cuarón wanted to make room for more stylistic sequences and flourishes.  It’s easily the most cinematic film of the franchise; I love the changing-seasons motif with the Whomping Willow, the additions to the single-timeline bent of the Time Turner sequence, and the little moments of casual magic use that make the world feel more well-rounded.

When it comes to casting, David Thewlis and Gary Oldman are, for my money, right on the mark for Lupin and Sirius.  Yes, they’re way too old to be playing their respective characters – domino effects from Alan Rickman’s casting as Snape – but this movie was my introduction to both of them (wow, 2004 was a long time ago,) and they’re both so effective in their roles.  Even though the Shrieking Shack scene is so chopped up, it’s still great due to Thewlis and Oldman’s back-and-forth, with bonus Rickman, and the scene of Sirius asking Harry to come live with him is so lovely.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999)

This was the book that really kicked things up a notch for me.  While the first two are enjoyable (and I definitely feel The Chamber of Secrets improves on The Sorcerer’s Stone,) The Prisoner of Azkaban made me sit up in my seat and take notice.  I was reading it, not just to read it, but really to find out what was going to happen, and the new characters pulled me in in a big way.

The central plot focuses less on our heroes investigating a mystery.  Instead, it’s more personal – notorious criminal Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban, the impregnable wizard prison, and all signs suggest he wants to finish the job Voldemort started 13 years ago (a.k.a. killing Harry).  Harry is bewildered by an early entreaty not to go looking for the vicious killer, but the more he learns about Sirius Black, the more he realizes how unalterably his life is tied to the fugitive wizard’s.  Top-notch new characters, fine intrigue, and serious emotional stakes are all in store.

This is probably the most successful book in the series for me.  While there are certainly other high points to come, the later books also have quite a bit of flab that break up the momentum of the great stuff.  The Prisoner of Azkaban, however, hits basically the whole package without overstaying its welcome.  Best of all is the introduction of new characters Remus Lupin and Sirius Black, each for different reasons.  Lupin is a great mentor to Harry and I enjoy seeing what a “cool teacher” looks like at Hogwarts, and Black’s part of the story rolls out in interesting ways that allow Harry to learn a lot more about himself and his history.

Also, let’s be real:  this book introduces the Marauders’ Map.  That alone is enough to get it extra points.

Once again, I’m impressed on reread by how neatly things tie together, all those little notes that add up to big clues later.  Honestly, almost nothing is a throw-away moment.  It will be interesting to see if this hindsight will give me a better opinion on the length of the later books (my instinct says I’ll probably still think Rowling could’ve used a more forthcoming editor, but I’m willing to be proven wrong.)  The exposition-climax is also probably my favorite of the series, and the ending of the book goes to some neat, unexpected places.

It’s also a strong book for character content, particularly for Harry.  Even though the previous two books have featured him confronting the dark wizard who tried to murder him as a baby after killing his parents, it feels even more personal this time.  Perhaps it’s because, mass murderer escaped from Azkaban or not, Black is less shadowy and seemingly-inhuman than Voldemort.  He feels more like a person, and the more Harry learns about him and the connections Black has to Harry’s past, the more he’s given to think about, both in terms of his family history and in terms of who he, Harry, really is and what he’s capable of.

Warnings

Violence, scary moments, drinking, and thematic elements.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004, PG)

Book three was the first in the series that was more than a passing enjoyment for me, and this film is much the same.  While I like The Sorcerer’s Stone and The Chamber of Secrets, this is just a terrifically-made movie, tons of fun with a lot of character. No, it’s not perfect, but it makes for excellent viewing, and it’s still, for my money, one of the best in the franchise.

The central plot focuses less on our heroes investigating a mystery.  Instead, it’s more personal – notorious criminal Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban, the impregnable wizard prison, and all signs suggest he wants to finish the job Voldemort started 13 years ago (a.k.a. killing Harry).  Harry is bewildered by an early entreaty not to go looking for the vicious killer, but the more he learns about Sirius Black, the more he realizes how unalterably his life is tied to the fugitive wizard’s.  Top-notch new characters, fine intrigue, and serious emotional stakes are all in store.

Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity, y tu mamá también, and my beloved A Little Princess) is the director this time, and it really shows.  More than most in the franchise, this is just a great film.  The dramatic, comic, and action set-pieces are stylishly filmed with a careful hand; Lupin’s Boggart lesson and Harry’s midnight encounter with Snape are just two of the many fantastic sequences.  Small, deft touches give the movie a more lived-in tone, and the use of the Weeping Willow to mark the seasons is inspired.  Also, I love how Cuarón’s wizarding world is jam-packed with casual magic use.  In the first two films, magic tends to be a Big Deal, and each demonstration gets its own specific beat and focus.  This movie, though, reminds us that magic is part of everyday life for witches and wizards, and as such, can occur without fanfare.  Some good examples are the enchanted note Draco passes to Harry, the Gryffindor boys goofing around with charmed candy, and the various ways folks at the Leaky Cauldron use magic for the little things.

But like I said, as great as the movie is, it’s not all it could’ve been.  The screenplay doesn’t match up to the direction – there are some inconsistencies with the established rules of the world, a few plots are foreshadowed a bit too strongly (especially the question of Hermione’s workload,) and it’s a little too cavalier about cutting things.  In particular, the big third-act info-dump is majorly truncated, a sore point for many fans.  I can understand that, the way it’s shot, a long explanation would undercut the dramatic momentum, but I still wish there could be just a bit more of the Marauders.  It could’ve even moved closer to the end, maybe to Harry’s final conversation with Lupin.  Another handful of lines would’ve been enough to tie it all together.

My only other significant complaint is recasting Dumbledore with Michael Gambon.  Even though, with Richard Harris’s unfortunate passing, something had to be done, Gambon just does not work for me, especially after the impeccable Harris.  Other new cast members continue the winning streak, though.  Emma Thompson is a hoot as hippy-dippy Professor Trelawney, David Thewlis brings warmth and intelligence to Harry’s mentor/confidante Professor Lupin, and Gary Oldman gives a tremendous performance as Sirius Black.  I’ve said before that this is the role that made Oldman catch my eye, and watching the film again reminds me how great he is.

Warnings

Scary stuff, some violence, and light swearing.