DVD Review: Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts
(DVD 791.437 Har)

Absolutely charming and nostalgia-filled visit with many of the actors from the Harry Potter films, as they gathered in 2021 for interviews and private conversations to discuss the experience of being part of the Harry Potter film universe on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone‘s 2001 release.

 

To make things even more special, the interviews/conversations were filmed on the standing sets from the films, which have been available for tourists to visit since around 2013. In addition to the interviews/conversations, this documentary features a ton of behind-the-scenes footage from the filming of all 8 movies, as well as “home movie” footage and media-sourced coverage. Most of the primary cast are here — of course Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, who share what it was like growing up relying on each other’s friendship, but also under the eyes of the worldwide media. Directors Chris Columbus (#1 and #2), Alfonso Cuaron (#3), Mike Newell (#4), and David Yates (#5-8) offer their fascinating takes on the making of the movies. And a huge cast of other significant Harry Potter actor also offer their memories as well — Gary Oldman, Jason Isaacs, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Bonnie Wright, Tom Felton, Evanna Lynch, Matthew Lewis, Toby Jones, James and Oliver Phelps, and Robbie Coltrane, in his last on-screen appearance before his passing in 2022. The producers also pay tribute to the many Harry Potter actors who’ve passed away in the intervening years — including Richard Harris, Alan Rickman, John Hurt, Richard Griffiths and Helen McCrory.

 

For anyone who isn’t a Harry Potter fan or who hasn’t seen all the films in the series, this is not for you. But if you grew up on the Potter films and novels, and feel close to the actors and characters, this 102-minute documentary reassures you that these performers all still love each other and realize how important this series of films is to so many people all around the world.

 

I loved this program, and only subtract 1 point from a perfect “10” rating for the unfortunate absence of several of the film actors who weren’t able to participate in the making of the documentary, like Maggie Smith.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try all of the Harry Potter films in the 8-film series)

 

( Internet Movie Database entry for this documentary )

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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Book Review: Doctor Who - The Key to Time by Peter Haining

Doctor Who: The Key to Time – A Year-by-Year Record
by Peter Haining [791.457 DocYh]

Doctor Who: The Key to Time – A Year-by-Year Record by Peter Haining documents the 1963-1989 classic British science fiction television series, from the arrival of creator Sydney Newman at the BBC on April 23rd 1963 through the premiere of Colin Baker’s first episode as the Sixth Doctor; March 22nd 1984. Each chapter of the book is devoted to a specific year in the show’s run, with dated entries interspersed by official photographs and fan art. Published to time with the show’s 21st anniversary, it is an interesting time capsule in genre media fandom and supplementary reference work.

Peter Haining (1940-2007), a journalist-turned-author/editor, specialized in anthologies and reference books devoted to genre fiction and other subjects such as horror, Sherlock Holmes, and the historicity of Sweeney Todd. “The Key to Time” was the second of six books focused on the original series of Doctor Who published between 1983 and 1999. The Lincoln City Libraries maintain the first four of these volumes.

Of Haining’s four books in the LCL catalog, I would recommend “The Key to Time” above the rest, due to the possession of an editorial focus that the rest of them lack. By concentrating on a chronological documentation of what happened when, it avoids the tarnished reading experience one gets when flipping through “A Celebration” or “The Doctor Who File”: chaotically lurching from topic to topic with smatterings of random photos and artwork. The Key to Time also has the advantage of covering the program’s first twenty years and the whole tenure of the first five Doctors. The promotional and production photographs break up the text nicely, and while the fan art varies wildly in quality, it also provides an interesting glimpse into a side of historical media fandom most don’t normally see outside the world of fanzines.

Another vintage text I would recommend in the LCL system is Doctor Who – The Early Years (1986, 791.457 qDocYb) by Jeremy Bentham. The Early Years focuses key stories from the first three seasons with first Doctor William Hartnell, and includes production insights, behind-the-scenes photos, concept art and model blueprints, in addition to summaries and stills of certain stories that had been deleted from the BBC Archives through the 1960s and 1970s.

[ Wikipedia page for the multi-episode Doctor Who arc The Key to Time ] | [ Wikiepedia page for Peter Haining ]

Recommended by Dave D.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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DVD Review: Back in Time

Back in Time
[DVD 791.437 Bac]

I absolutely love Back to the Future. The first tilm in that trilogy is what I consider to be a “perfect” film, and although the second and third aren’t quite as flawless, they’re still highly entertaining and form a marvelous story arc. 2015 saw multiple celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the original film, including this charming 95-minute documentary about the impact the trilogy has had.

The first half of this documentary is about the making of the movie, with the writers, director (Robert Zemeckis), producers (including Steven Spielberg), cast members (Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson and more), score composer (Alan Silvestri), special effects supervisors and more all reminiscing about how the movies were created. The second half then looks at the fervent fan base this series of films has generated — including the many people who’ve purchased Delorean cars and modified them into the film’s iconic time machine, individuals who’ve dedicated themselves to sharing the word about Fox’s Parkinson’s organization, collectors, convention attendees, and so much more.

Producer/Director Jason Aaron has assembled dozens of interviews, creating a very “personal” feel to this documentary. Interspersed with the interviews are rare pieces of behind-the-scenes footage from the filming of the trilogy (including a few clips of “original” Marty McFly, Eric Stoltz, in scenes that had to be jettisoned after the role was recast 6 weeks into filming).

Anyone who’s a Back to the Future fan will enjoy this, but it should also appeal to any fan of moving-making and general pop culture. My only complaint, and it is a minor one, is that the pacing of this film is very slow and laconic, almost like a slow Ken Burns documentary — an odd choice considering how peppy and fast-paced the movies are. None-the-less, I highly enjoyed this and strongly recommend it to fellow BTTF aficionados.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Back to the Future movie trilogy, Back to the Future Animate Series or We Don’t Need Roads: The Making of the Back to the Future Trilogy by Caseen Gaines.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Back in Time Facebook feed ]

Read Kristen A.’s review of the Back to the Future film trilogy, from October 2013
Read Scott C.’s review of We Don’t Need Roads: The Making of the Back to the Future Trilogy by Caseen Gaines, from November 2015

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Young Frankenstein - The Story of the Making of the Film by Mel Brooks

Young Frankenstein: A Mel Brooks Film – The Story of the Making of the Film
by Mel Brooks [on order] 

Following the recent passing of actor Gene Wilder, a special live-streamed-in-theatres showing of Young Frankenstein, hosted by Mel Brooks, filled movie theaters across the country with fans of this goofy yet sentimental parody of horror films. During that live showing, Mel Brooks promoting his (at that time) upcoming book Young Frankenstein: A Mel Brooks Film – The Story of the Making of the Film, and I was thrilled to see that it was coming out in late October 2016. I bought my copy the day it came out and recommended it for the libraries’ collection, and I’m hoping they’ll get it.

This is a marvelous behind-the-scenes look at the making of 1974’s Young Frankenstein, featuring tons of photos previously never seen, plus interviews with some of the actors and production personnel, and recapped past interviews with the actors who have passed on in the intervening years. You can tell, from everyone’s comments, that anyone associated with this production holds this film (and their experiences making it) in high esteem. If you are a fan of Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Madeleine Kahn, Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman or Terri Garr, and what to know what the origins of this film were, and what kinds of shenanigans took place during the filming, you’ll love this volume. If you’re a fan of film-making in general, this offers a marvelous look at the production of one single, memorable film. My only complaint? It wasn’t large enough and didn’t have enough interviews! “What hump?” “Give him a sedagive?!” “Put the candle back!” “Frau Blucher!” “It could be raining” “Werewolf? There wolf!” “Puttin’ on the Riiiitttzzz!”

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the DVD of Young Frankenstein, directed by Mel Brooks, or check out the sheet music or soundtrack album to the Young Frankenstein Musical, also by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan.] [ publisher’s official Young Frankenstein: The Making of the Film web site ] | [ official Mel Brooks web site – currently off-line ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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We Don't Need Roads by Caseen Gaines

We Don’t Need Roads
by Caseen Gaines [not yet in library] 

 

2015 marks several significant anniversaries for the Back to the Future film trilogy. The first film in the trilogy came out in July 1985, and we just passed the date — October 21 2015 — that Marty McFly travels to in “the future” in the second film in the series. As part of the anniversary celebrations, this new “making of” volume came out in early 2015, written by Caseen Gaines. This is one of the better “behind the scenes” filmmaking volumes I’ve read in recent years, mainly because Gaines did a tremendous amount of research, and managed to interview a large number of folks responsible for the trilogy’s success. This book covers all three films, with a strong emphasis on the first film in the trilogy, and all the details that had to come together to make it happen. Did you remember that Michael J. Fox wasn’t the first actor hired to be Marty McFly — no, that honor went to Eric Stolz (Mask), who was “let go” early in the filming, when it became clear he wasn’t giving the filmmakers what they wanted in the role! Learn about how difficult it was to work with a DeLorean car as Doc Brown’s time machine. Find out more details about why Crispin Glover did not reprise his role as Marty’s dad, George McFly in the sequels. Cringe at the description of stunt work gone awry! Hear from the actors about the impact that BTTF has had on their lives and careers! Truly a fun read, especially for anyone with a soft spot for this terrific film series.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to watch the films, particularly the very first one!] [ official Back to the Future web site ] | [ official Caseen Gaines web site ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

The Sound of Music Companion by Laurence Maslo

The Sound of Music Companion
by Laurence Maslon [Music 782.14 qRodZm] 

This edition of this book came out in 2007, to coincide with a British stage revival of The Sound of Music, being produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber — who writes the introduction to this volume. The book has subsequently been re-edited and re-released in a 2015 “50th Anniversary” edition as well.

2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the feature film version of The Sound of Music, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s masterful musical, starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. This musical, adapted from the stage musical, which itself was a highly fictionalized version of the life of real life Austrian musical family The Trapp Family Singers, has enjoyed constant and unending popular success in all its many iterations over the years. This book seeks to provide an overview of the history of The Sound of Music‘s development into both stage and film productions. Filled with rare and wonderful photos, lyrics from all the famous songs, and reproductions of rare handwritten documents from the producers, writers, lyricists and directors of many different versions of the show, this should be a must-read for anyone with a love for the movie. Having enjoyed seeing TSoM on the big screen during this year’s 50th anniversary tour, I found this tome fascinating and it really enhanced my viewing of the movie.

[If you like this item, you might like these too – There are several other books that chronicle the history of this movie (and stage show), often in more detail, and I also recommend the biographies of the various actors, actresses and musical industry personnel who were associated with The Sound of Music in its many incarnations.]

[ Sound of Music film page on Wikipedia ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!