![]() ![]() The films were largely faithful to Hagrid’s story, but they had a tendency to poke fun and gawk at the character. He’s the kind of oddball who took precious care of man-eating spiders and frightful dragons, who named a terrifying three-headed dog “Fluffy,” but christened a docile bloodhound “Fang.” He took pride in being a part of the staff but ached to practice magic as freely as they did, and he often drank himself silly. The groundskeeper at Hogwarts after being expelled from the magical institution in his youth, Hagrid was a bit of a child himself, just overgrown. In the books, the character was eccentric, an adult whom Harry and his friends were comfortable visiting regularly for casual chats over tea-or for the occasional bit of intel they needed to accomplish an illicit mission, given Hagrid’s loose lips. In doing so, he subtly pushed against the scripts’ inclinations to turn the character into mere comic relief or an adorable buffoon. Coltrane, across a decade of movies, imbued in him a depth and warmth that made him feel not just instantly memorable, but real. ![]() Yet the challenge of being Hagrid wasn’t merely physical. In the role, Coltrane, already standing at 6-foot-1, had to perform with extra-small props and sets, don a padded overcoat, and stand on platforms to tower over his co-stars. The character, as written on the page, was a clumsy, delightful, and ever-loyal ally to Harry and his friends, his outward appearance and affection for vicious magical creatures concealing a gentle core. Such was the power of Robbie Coltrane, the Scottish actor who died yesterday at the age of 72, and who, to a generation of Potter fans, was best known for his work playing Hagrid across eight films. Indeed, he might even be feeling a tad guilty over causing such a ruckus in the middle of the night. ![]() Hagrid’s no fearsome monster, but a friendly visitor. With three little words and a sheepish raise of his eyebrows, the tension dissipates. “Sorry about that,” he sighs, placing the hunk of wood back in its frame. The Dursleys cower and scream as he knocks, rain pummels the roof, and the sweeping John Williams score crescendos-until Hagrid breaks down the door and steps inside. But the messenger arrives anyway, in the form of a half-giant named Hagrid. Harry and the disagreeable Dursleys-his uncle, aunt, and cousin-have escaped to a cottage on a remote island, attempting to outrun the letters alerting Harry to his magic. The first Harry Potter film initially depicts the night Harry learns he’s a wizard like a scene from a horror movie. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |