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The Magical World of Harry Potter: The Unauthorized Story of J.K. Rowling

The Magical World of Harry Potter: The Unauthorized Story of J.K. Rowling

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Features:
  • Color


Description:

Filmed before the hype and hoopla that greeted the fourth Harry Potter book (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, for those of you who are out of the loop), The Magic of Harry Potter is a quickie introduction to author J.K. Rowling and a cursory history of her life before the magical novels and the acclaimed that greeted her after they were published. By now, the tale of the author who wrote the first Harry Potter book in an espresso bar while on welfare is old news; however, you may be pleasantly surprised by Rowling's down-to-earth demeanor. Despite the use of only a little film footage (namely a press conference and Rowling's acceptance of a British book award), the author's humor and warmth come shining through. However, it's obvious that the filmmakers didn't have access to Rowling per se, so they use their footage judiciously and concentrate on the phenomenon that is Harry Potter, talking to young readers, booksellers, and even Rowling's childhood neighbors, the Potters, from whom she stole their surname for her hero. Despite their obvious appreciation for the Harry Potter books, though, this half-hour video plays more as an introduction to Rowling and her characters than an appreciation for fans, who will probably learn little that they didn't already know. Still, like the Harry Potter books themselves, The Magic of Harry Potter is free of hype and superficiality. --Mark Englehart
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