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Goblet of Fire report: Cast and Crew Screening
By Kelly P.
Okay, so having to get up early in the morning to get to the Odeon for 9am when the doors opened (unreserved seating, so getting there early ensured us good seats), we arrived to find that we were far from the only people seeing this movie today. The screening was being held at three separate cinemas - the Odeon Leicester Square being the largest, holding around 1600 people, then the Empire and the Odeon West End taking up the extra people. For a screening just for crew and minor cast members to be held over three screens at three separate cinemas says something in itself about the number of people who took part in this movie. Do what I did and stay until the end of the credits, and read how many different jobs and departments had a hand in the making of this film!
So, once in the Odeon, my friend and I (her having got the tickets through her work) took seats on the front row of the upper circle, meaning we could look down at all the people sat on the floor. The Odeon is a gorgeous theatre as it is, with its soft lighting and pleasant decor. Add the Goblet of Fire soundtrack to this, and you can understand why none of us were really bothered about having to wait until the film started! Before the curtains went up, and once everyone had been seated, Mike Newell and two of his producers (one of them being Tanya) came up onto the stage. Mike took centre stage under a spotlight, and gave a small speech to thank all the people who had worked on the film. It was a very heartfelt speech, as he thanked all the little guys, such as people who painted small set pieces, and the people who did background jobs such as laying out cable... the people we generally don't think of. He admitted how green he was to make this movie, and how much he appreciated everyone, and that he certainly couldn't have done it without them. All in all, he seemed a very grounded, modest, and genuine man. Exiting the stage with a round of applause, this then cued the raising of the curtains.
You have never heard such a hush take over a room so quickly.
The movie was, for want of some better word, spectacular. My initial thought was that it was very fast paced, so I imagine being an avid book reader helped me keep up. If you haven't read Goblet of Fire, I suggest you do so, just to help you keep track of the relevance of everything. The Quidditch World Cup, though very short lived, displayed the high quality animation and computer generation we have come to expect, but never fully anticipate from a Potter film. From the Ireland and Bulgaria introductions, to the chaos caused by Death Eaters, the graphics were intense and, most importantly, believable. Unlike the other films, very few parts of this stuck to dialogue written in the books word for word and, in my opinion, this improved the feel of the film greatly. It almost made it a story in its own, for I wasn't constantly cross-referencing the movie and the book in my mind.
As the film progressed, so did the characters come into their own. I personally think that the fall-out between Ron and Harry in this movie was much more believable and intense than what you read in the book. You get the impression that Newell wanted to show us what happened between the lines to get Harry and Ron really at each other's throats. The best part was that the language was so modern, that you could imagine regular kids saying such things as Harry does after falling out with a friend. Hermione is also played better in this film than any other, and she really becomes a fully developed character of her own, as opposed to being 'part of the trio'. Her relationship with Krum is hinted upon a little more in the early parts of the film than it was in the books, and I found that to make it much more believable when they finally came to go to the ball together. The ball scene, I have to say, was amazing. The set was stunning, and the scenes filmed in it are both incredibly interesting to watch, and pretty funny.
And so the film continues. We are presented with the maze task which unfortunately missed out some of the book parts which I found the most imaginative and exciting. Still, new ideas were added, which gave it a bit more of a shock effect, as you could not expect it to happen. The character relationship between Cedric and Harry is much deeper and complex than I expected it to be portrayed, which makes the inevitable death even more sorrowful. I know for a fact I wasn't the only one in tears when Diggory's body is brought back to Hogwarts, and his father seeing him lay lifeless on the pitch. Much more emphasis was placed on this than I had foreseen, and I put any true Potter fan to the test to not feel pangs of genuine sadness at this scene.
Then, all that aside, there are our two new main characters for this film. Mad Eye Moody, much more eccentric than I felt the books made out, which served to portray him as much more formidable and threatening, as he should be. There are early signs as to his true identity... keep an eye open for them! Then, there is the big one. The one who Potter fans have been waiting to see since we found out that Chamber of Secrets was to be made into a motion picture: Lord Voldemort. Ralph Fiennes; the perfect man for such a sinister and challenging role. The make-up and mask effects are done to create the inhuman, snake-like face of Lord Voldemort echoes that which we saw so early on in the back of Quirrell's head, yet is ten times more scary, hideous, and yet at the same time so commanding and awe inspiring. His birthing is much more graphic and magical than I had expected it to be, the growth and rebirth of Voldemort very well presented with incredible graphics. The duel between him and Harry is given the intensity and grandeur it truly deserves. Even little things, such as the way Voldemort holds his wand, shows that Fiennes has got Voldemort's character to a tee.
And so it came to its ending. Talk about leaving you hungry for more! Moved away from the book entirely, this ending leaves you on the edge of your seat, desperate for it to keep on going, to not stop there. Of course, that cannot be so. Drawing to a close, applause filled the hall, and up came the credits. Seriously guys, stay for the credits, and you can really appreciate how much insane work goes into these films.
After that, my day still wasn't over. As many of you are aware, thanks to Veritaserum and other sites, Emma Watson was in London on the same day to sign autographs. Positioned in the childrens' department of Marks and Spencers at Marble Arch (near Oxford Street), the crowds were very large. Having rushed from the screening, I was hardly the first there but, with a fair deal of pushing and shoving past grown men who really should be at work, letting us young people talk to our favourite peers, I managed to get to the barrier. Emma signed my ticket for me and, after I told her I was at the screening this morning, and that I thought it was amazing, she said how glad she was that I enjoyed it. Oh, and if you think it's because of computer enhancement that she looks that good in the movies, you are so incredibly wrong. Emma Watson is quite possibly the prettiest 15 year old I have ever seen in my life. There is no doubt in my mind that she will grow into a truly stunning woman. After I got my autograph (which smudged, as one of the aforementioned men tried to grab it from my hand as I was given it back! Cheeky!), I took a free poster (also got torn by, surprise surprise, same aforementioned type of man) and got out of the insanity. Emma was bustled off out of the room literally seconds after I spoke to her. Talking to some girls outside about 30 minutes after I left, it appears that she left so quickly due to the fact so many people were pushing and shoving, and she refused to come out again in case people got hurt. That seemed to calm the crowd down enough for her to return. Still, I got my very brief chat, and my autograph, so I am more than happy!
And so ended my incredible Harry Potterific day, truly once in a lifetime. I highly doubt I'll ever get to watch an advance screening AND see one of the main actors or actresses on the same day again, so I am very privileged to have had this day. All I can say to you guys is this: you will not be disappointed!!!
Set report courtesy of Kelli P. October 30, 2005.
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Goblet of Fire Set Reports | Movie 4
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