THE WIZARD SPELLS MAGIC ! YET AGAIN.

They've done it again. With the simultaneous worldwide release on June 4th of the 3rd part of the ongoing saga of the world's most popular wizard, the director and artistes have continued the excellent translation into the series of motion pictures of the fantasy fiction series. Ardent lovers know we're talking about our very own Harry Potter.

Anybody can go see the movie. It's beautiful. It's clean. It's for all ages. And for the philosopher, it goes beyond the obvious and common purpose of a movie, it goes beyond just entertaining the viewer. It packs in it's seemingly kiddish storyline, a lot of life's intangible values - love, sacrifice, the universal triumph of good over evil - in such vivid, involving and larger-than-life presentation.

Ok, I'm not being paid for extolling the virtues of hollywood inc., nor do I find it really pleasing to be praising western cinema instead of our home-grown productions, being the patriot I am. I'm not even a movie buff. I hate to be doing this really, but I've got to be fair. Due credit has to be given to the talent and work behind these productions.

We went out on this evening - a group of 8 - for an outing, with the idea of watching "some" movie, as “smarty” would put it :-). With initial plans going haywire as usual, courtesy a combination of traffic, wrong timing, and murphy's law, we just ended up with the most unlikely/unexpected target - I mean, you would hardly expect a bunch of college brats to settle for "Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban", right? But there we were. And at the end of the show, out of the 8 entrants, there were 7 thoroughly disgusted and disappointed faces, and 1 thoroughly enchanted, enthralled and impressed one (guess who). Not that there's anyone to blame about the former - not everyone has a taste for fantasy fiction. And more importantly, it's my firm contention that if a movie has been made in the first place by translation from a literary work, then it's all the more imperative upon the viewers to have read it beforehand in order to watch and be able to really UNDERSTAND the movie. Only then, I feel, can a viewer be placed to really relate with the original literary work, and enjoy it on the big screen to the fullest. Fortunately the writer was in the best logical position for the decided movie - I had already read Rowling's books up to part 3, and even seen the earlier motion pictures, part 1 and 2.

But nevertheless, let me explain why the movie deserves the appreciation. Who's Harry anyway ? For those not belonging to the category of the well-informed, well-read, and know-all enthusiasts, Potter is a wizard. A wizard born to a wizard a witch, who both died at his birth fighting an evil wizard, so that their child could live. Blessed with the ever-lasting act of love, Harry lives and goes on to study at the Hogwart's school of witchcraft and wizardry, following in his parents' footsteps. The series are about his growing-up, his life at school, his survival in trying times against evil entities from all quarters - chiefly Voldemort (oops, sorry to name "you know who"), the evil wizard to have murdered his parents. A survival based on pure goodness, of love bestowed upon him by friends, teachers, and, needless to say, his parents at the very beginning. In the present part of the series, Harry gets to discover that he has a godfather in the name of Sirius Black, who has escaped from the prison of Azkaban, giving rise to initial misinterpretations, finally being dispelled and culminating in reuniting of the two.

Sounds like a fairy tale right out of a kids book? Well, believe me, it's more than that. One has to see it to believe it. And well, one has to read it to see it :-). It's the portrayal of human values at it's believable best. Take the case, for example, of the dreadful "dementors", making their first appearance in this part. The defense against this vicious creature is taught to Harry on his own insistence by Prof. Lupin, the "defense against the dark arts" teacher. "Expecto Patronum" - the magical chant which is supposed to be uttered, works by conjuring up the Patronus, the symbolic guardian that signifies the positive force, and projects the very things that the dementors feed on – hope, happiness, the desire to survive – thereby providing the effective defense against the dementor. But the essential prerequisite for creating the Patronus is for the wizard to recall in his mind a most happy memory, that is strong enough. Strong enough to take the form of the Patronus – which stands for defense against evil by the good.

Or consider, as another example, the very first class of magical creatures conducted by Rubeus Hagrid – the much loved and hitherto gate-keeper at Hogwarts, now promoted to status of professor. The very first creature to be introduced by him to his pupils is Buckbeak the Hippogriff. He informs well the class about the single most important thing to be born in mind while dealing with a Hippogriff, of never insulting it, and treating it with respect. While all other students are scared away by the seemingly dangerous creature, Harry manages to tame it well at first attempt by working just as instructed, and treating the creature with love and kindness. The result is there for all to see - a stunning maiden flight around the landscape and over the river by the Hippogriff – with Harry mounted majestically on it's back. A spellbinding scene indeed. Now doesn't this teach you a lesson to remember about kindness towards animals, and the value of universal respect?

The brilliant screenplay and magnificent special effects only serve to accentuate and enhance the meaning being conveyed – with such dramatic effect that the audience is mesmerized. The effects are realistic. The scenery and cinematography awe-inspiring. No wonder then that the viewer is captivated. As for me, I was instantly transported to the very world I was seeing on the big screen, and was myself the protagonist experiencing all the action. Forget the fact that fantasy fiction is the most fictitious of fictions. Forget reality, forget the possible and the impossible. If ever I get to experience a personal "involvement" in a movie with such intensity, this is it.

I having already read the book, was also able to appreciate the excellent work of direction, which shows up clearly in the fantastic way the storyline is executed in the movie. Books and motion picture are two very different media. Where the written word is concerned, there is no limit on the imagination of the reader, and in fact that is the very foundation on which the effectiveness of the medium rests. But motion picture can be more complicated. Here the story has to be presented by creating a visual sequence which directly guides the perception and imagination of the audience. Thus to translate from one medium to another can be a tricky and difficult task, even for the accomplished director. When we read a piece of fiction, we generally create a corresponding "live" version of the story in our minds based on individual perception, which is quite abstract. It would be indeed revealing if we attempted to condense this abstract picture into a coherent visual sequence and create a motion picture that can work as a visual equivalent of a book. And in the present case, the production team has beyond doubt done one hell of a job in the translation.

The most striking example exemplifying the finesse and expertise of the direction comes in the final part of the movie, when the hero – along with the heroine, the adorable Hermione Granger, Harry’s close friend – fly back in time with the aid of the Time-Turner, to do the seemingly impossible task of saving the lives of not only Sirius Black, but the Hippogriff as well, the latter having been unfairly sentenced to death. Readers of science fiction know well how brain-teasing it can be to read about time-travel, and can well imagine how difficult it must be to successfully present it as a visual. Yet in this fantastic work, even my friends who at first had no clue as to what was going on (not having read the books, the poor lads), did get some initially unanswered questions clarified in the end. The more aware readers, I’m sure, must be impressed.

Good cinema is an important medium for the intellectual development of society. It is a platform not only for general entertainment, but also for dissemination of ideas, culture and human values, transcending the barriers of geography and culture. And at this time when our own bollywood sadly seems to be undergoing a quality crisis, the present series of releases come as a breath of fresh air to savor for all. So may I suggest to the reader to take time out and watch the movie, if only for the marvelous special effects. And if you really want to enjoy it right down to the details, read the book before you venture out. A special invitation to bollywood which, for all its hype and popularity seems to be devoid of quality cinema for a long time.