Opening At The Close: The Beginning Of The End

Over the course of cinema history, particularly in recent years and in this modern day-and-age, there is a tendency for films to be split into multiple parts; whether it’s for creative purposes or for financial gain. Of course, with this film ‘trend’ of splitting successful books into multiple sections, there have been criticisms of this approach. While it’s understandable to recognise that this splitting manoeuvre ‘cheaply’ maximises box-office returns for the blockbuster franchises, it’s also comprehensible to understand that this method diminishes the chance of producing lengthy films that would negate the viewing quality for the cinema-goer. This practise of a singular story branching off into multiple features, is now something that we do see within book-influenced adaptations. The first of many novel-based films to do this was David Yates’ The Deathly Hallows Part 1. the beginning of the end of Harry Potter’s dark journey that emotionally fleshes out harrowing qualities to satisfy a penultimate action-orientated instalment. Indeed, unlike most of the past features within this lauded franchise, The Deathly Hallows Part 1 asserts its attention to the intricacies of friendship, darkness and death…

After the harrowing events that took place at the end of The Half Blood Prince, the wizarding world is indeed a much more darker place than it was. Lord Voldemort, with every move that he makes, is asserting his dominance by controlling not only the Ministry of Magic, but also Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Knowing this, Harry Potter, along with his friends of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, must race against time and evil to finish off what Dumbledore started, to find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes. While it may seem clear for the central trio to obliterate these pieces of Voldemort’s soul, old myths resurface as Harry and friends learn upon the existence of three of the most powerful objects in the wizarding world, The Deathly Hallows…

Unlike the majority of the previous films which necessarily needed thorough exposition to progress Harry’s journey into darkness, The Deathly Hallows Part 1 conceivably goes about its story without explaining too much of what has happened before-hand, which is a good thing. The fact of the matter is, being that this is the first half of the last book of the Potter series, there doesn’t need to be any excessive re-telling of story-points that many audiences would have known already. Having said this, Yates opens this film in a clever and impactful manner; by firstly having Rufus Scrimgeour, Minister of Magic, boldly addressing to the zoomed-in frame of the Ministry’s strength over Voldemort’s dominance which is then subsequently followed up with not only a montage sequence of Harry and his friends readying themselves for the task ahead of them, but also a short scene involving Voldemort and his Death Eaters discussing their motives to kill Harry Potter, which does serve to be a good explanation as to what will inevitably happen. The obvious point that crops up in reviewing The Deathly Hallows Part 1 is whether this last story warranted two films. Even though it isn’t the longest Potter tale, The Deathly Hallows, with it’s main crux following Harry, Ron and Hermione’s harrowing expedition and their relationship with one another which tests their friendship within a deadly backdrop, validated a need to have a split in-between. While it’s understandable to state that this last Potter outing needed to be a singular feature that would have moulded dramatised aspects with the haunting conflictions that we do see in Part 2, it’s clear that Yates and everyone involved in the final stages of this franchise had a clear vision of what needed to be shown on the silver-screen. Indeed, Part 1 is kept surprisingly muted being that so much happens in terms of character deaths and secrets that determine the outcome of good vs. evil. However, what it lacks in a few action sequences (which are done better than most action-sequences that we have seen in past Potter films), it gains in excellent story depth. While we do have the dark storm clouds or war gathering in the background, in the foreground we are presented with the central triad of friends and their relationship with one-another being tested through emotion and isolation. In the last film, Yates’ characterisation within The Half-Blood Prince was one of the better aesthetics to look at since it combined the many different perspectives with subtle-yet-effective camera movement that gave the 6th feature a sense of forward momentum. This is very much applied in Part 1 and how this immense voyage takes a toll on Harry and Ron’s brotherly bondship with Ron growing suspicious of Hermione’s affections with Harry. Yates certainly has an inkling of presenting adolescent romance and angst (and a little bit of lust as well) in a professional way which jells well with the serious issue of these three friends trying to resolve to ultimate issue. This for sure, gives the film an added sense of depth. Another contextual aesthetic that was ever present in regards to the situation that Harry, Ron and Hermione find themselves in, going incognito to destroy the remaining Horcruxes, is this improbability that is bestowed upon these three friends and how they have to do the near impossible if they want this great threat to dissolve. Very much so, the way in which these 3 friends went about their business, reminded me of A New Hope and how the characters within that film are placed in a minuscule situation when they enter the Death-Star to try and save Princess Leia. Looking at the way in which the trio of friends investigate within the Ministry of Magic, and later when Harry and Hermione visit Godric’s Hollow, indeed reminded me of A New Hope as you could sense with every journey that these friends took within Part 1, consequences will be made just like Episode IV of Star Wars. 

Infused with a profound sense of darkness and loss through adolescent thoughts and struggles of friendship, it does have to be said that there are many reservations which some demographics could be bothered by. The middle-stretch of the film, particularly when we just see Harry and Hermione venturing on their own, does take its time and could be an annoyance for many impatient viewers who are expecting more elevation that many people have come to have seen from the previous Potter films. From my own experience of watching this first half, Yates doesn’t make the mistake of hurrying things along. Instead, he allows the audience to experience the frustration, jealousy and uncertainty of his characters, and allows Radcliffe, Watson and Grint to display some fine acting with the minimalist distraction from any visual effects. For people who have read the fateful last book, like myself, they’ll be rewarded with a good depiction of the relationships that the characters share between themselves. An ironic and paradoxical sequence which hallmarks and tackles this idea of ‘relationship’, is the sudden moment when Harry and Hermione decide to dance together to the tune of Nick Cave’s ‘The Children’. While it can be seen as a sequence that flourishes both the characters attempts to find levity in a world that affords none, it’s also a very awkward moment in the film which subtly plays on the possibility of Harry and Hermione finding something between themselves that each one of them has never felt or thought about before. Of course with every film which gets split into two features, another point which many people will have qualms about is the precise moment in which Part 1 ends and how Warner Bros. should have just published a full Harry Potter film that had a satisfactory culmination. Again, after recently watching this film, the ending that we are given concludes better than most previous Potter filmic entries since it not only an emotional and touching manner with the death of a significant and beloved side character, but it neatly and suspensefully teases the inevitable showdown of good vs. evil. The last criticism that I’m sure most of the younger audiences would have been disappointing in not seeing, is the lack comedic insight that has usually fleshed out the main characters in a few of the previous films. Being that this is the beginning of the end of the Harry Potter story, it would have been needless to emphasise too much light-relief in a tale that essentially builds up this sense of doom and portent. With this said, it does have to be mentioned as well, that Yates, with the time that he has been given, does bring the written text acutely to the frame of the camera. Like with The Half-Blood Prince, Yates understands what Part 1 is all about and there’s no other scene that amalgamates this, with the moment in which Harry and Hermione are greeted by Bathilda Bagshot in Godric’s Hollow. From my time reading the last book, one of the moments which genuinely creeped me out was the moment in which Harry and Hermione meet Bagshot. When that moment cropped in the film of Godric’s Hollow, I felt the same as I did when I read the book and to be honest, you don’t normally see that within adaptations where directors manifest the written style and mood of the original source, and implement it into the camera. 

By far, while I can go about the droll yet beautiful camera aesthetics that subtly emphasises Part 1’s way in which its building up the dark deeds that are to be carried out in the penultimate climax, one of things that I’ve enjoyed about watching The Deathly Hallows Part 1, is the animation excerpt that neatly explains the origins and mystery of the Deathly Hallows. It is a moment within the film that nicely changes the pace of the narrative and presents to us an animation that reminds us the stop-motion works that Burton has configured in the recent past. I could honestly watch this part of the film over and over again without getting bored… 

While it can seem to be disappointing, to some, in the way that it establishes a momentum so effectively which then is put to a sudden halt just when we’re about to see o some serious action, David Yates’ Deathly Hallows Part 1 is notable filmic piece in its own right since it conjures up a tense and thrilling experience that is darker, scarier and more mature than most of its predecessors. Despite the fact that it doesn’t boast multiple action sequences that many audiences would have like to have seen, Part 1 utilities tactics from the previous entry and grants us an in-depth look of narrative that has not only has things that are going on within the background, but major plot-developments that occur in the foreground with the inter-changeable friendship that Harry, Ron and Hermione hold so dearly. With Yates ending this film in a poignant and emotional means, it perfectly sets-up the ground work for Part 2 that will not only exceed itself in presenting to us darkness and loss, but also secrets that will change the fates of many…

I think I’ll end this review here. As always everyone, thank you for reading my latest film review of The Deathly Hallows Part 1 and I hope you’ve enjoyed the read. If anyone has an opinion on either my review or on the film itself, please feel free to drop a comment down below. I will be back next week with another film review. Thank you once again and I’ll see you all next week!! Have a nice day and weekend!! Adieu!! 🙂

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ – Alex Rabbitte