Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ was one of the first films I ever watched, though I can't conclusively confirm it. It might have been after watching something more child-friendly like ‘The Lion King' and ‘Finding Nemo', but I don't believe either (or any other) left as large an impact as ‘Prisoner of Azkaban’. It was the first horror film I ever watched in full (at least child-horror), inspiring Dementor and Werewolf-filled nightmares. But I kept rewatching, as I grew older. I went through each film, ending with an incredibly memorable cinema trip with my older sister, but I never forgot how terrifying, how addictive and how perfect ‘Prisoner' was to me.
The film’s concept is unlike any other children's film you’ll encounter. A serial killer breaks loose from a diabolical asylum, presumably to murder an innocent 13-year-old child, in order to bring the leader of his cult back to power. When you say it out loud, you can't help questioning how the hell J.K. Rowling thought that kind of content was suitable for her target demographic. But it only makes the film that much more exciting. As kids, there were plenty of films we wanted to see but couldn't. We weren't allowed to see ‘Deadpool’ or ‘Ted’ or ‘The Wolf Of Wall Street', but ‘Prisoner’ felt like a creative bypass of the classification system.
In ‘The Prisoner Of Azkaban’, Harry finds himself hunted by Sirius Black, an assumed follower of Lord Voldemort. When Black is sighted around and later inside Hogwarts Castle, Harry must learn to defend himself against Black as well as the guards of Azkaban Prison, the Dementors. To help him on his journey is the new Defense Against The Dark Arts professor, Remus Lupin, who begins mentoring Harry in the Patronus Charm. Alas, he’s never completely safe, as many around him harbour dark and disturbing secrets.
Daniel Radcliffe strips away any childlike attitudes and moods present in the previous films for ‘Prisoner’. From the first scene, we see he's become more assertive, more independent and much less accommodating to people who don't offer the same treatment to him. When I watch the film, it feels as if Harry has become a man and is understanding how his life is going to turn out. It feels as if he understands it's going to be filled with disappointment, but that there'll be more than a few golden moments to make it all worthwhile.
Meanwhile, Rupert Grint shows little to no changes in his acting style, but then again, you should never fix what's not broken. He still nails every comic relief moment and every fearful reaction that made Ron Weasley such a likeable character in the first place. If anything, he's given those same moments more realism here. I firmly believe the train breakdown scene is as exciting and terrifying as it is through Grint’s recitations of “Bloody hell! What's happening?! I think something's moving out there…”
Emma Watson shows similar changes to Grint, offering more realistic performances. In the previous two films, her character had been performed as snobby, but thankfully in ‘Prisoner’, she appears more sympathetic. Watson's best scene is no doubt in the Shrieking Shack, where Harry confronts Sirius Black for the first time. There's something so satisfying about the way she shouts at Professor Lupin, “No! He trusted you! And all this time, you've been his friend…”
‘Prisoner’ contains one of my favourite soundtracks of all time, composed by the legendary John Williams, who gave the film a nice gothic tone. I feel as if he takes a more Shakespearean inspiration with this film, implementing the musical style of Norman-era England. This can be heard through the pieces ‘Hagrid the Professor’, ‘A Window To The Past’ and ‘Double Trouble’ where Williams places significant focus on the woodwind section of his orchestra. One of the exceptions to the Shakespearean tone, is ‘Buckbeak’s Flight’, which features sweeping strings that build from a low lull to a big, high, beautiful climax before settling back down. Another piece I absolutely love is ‘The Patronus Light', which is completely vocal. Placed during Harry’s most powerful cast of the Patronus charm, the choir emulate the pulses and exert their voices just as Harry exerts his energy into the charm.
‘Prisoner Of Azkaban’ will always be my favourite Harry Potter film. Maybe it's simply because it was my first experience with the franchise, maybe it's because it was an introduction to the horror genre. In any case, it's a film you can't go wrong with. ‘Prisoner’ offers an emancipation from childhood, a story that says “now you're ready for the mature stuff”. Children's films can feel too generic. ‘Prisoner Of Azkaban' changes all that.
