THE RAID

Sinopsis

Jauh di jantung daerah kumuh Jakarta berdiri sebuah gedung apartemen terlantar yang tak tertembus dan menjadi rumah aman bagi gangster, penjahat dan pembunuh yang paling berbahaya. Blok apartemen kumuh tersebut telah dianggap tak tersentuh oleh para rival gembong narkotik terkenal Tama Riyadi (Ray Sahetapy) dan bahkan perwira polisi paling berani sekalipun. Semuanya berubah ketika sebuah tim elit polisi berjumlah 20 orang ditugaskan untuk menyerbu bangunan tersebut dan mengakhiri teror Tama untuk selamanya.
Di bawah kegelapan dan keheningan fajar, Rama (Iko Uwais), seorang calon ayah dan perwira polisi elit baru, dalam tim elit polisi yang dipimpin oleh Sersan Jaka (Joe Taslim), tiba di blok apartemen Tama di bawah petunjuk Letnan Wahyu (Pierre Gruno). Setelah berpapasan dengan Gofar (Iang Darmawan) salah seorang penghuni apartemen yang membawa obat untuk istrinya yang sakit, mereka menerobos ke dalam gedung dan secara hati-hati mengamankan para penjahat penghuni gedung dengan dibungkam dan diikat. Mulai dari lantai dasar dan bergerak naik, mereka dengan terencana menyusup dalam blok apartemen sampai mereka mencapai lantai enam, tapi kemudian tim ini dilihat oleh seorang anak pengintai, yang lari untuk memberitahu temannya yang kedua sebelum dia ditembak dan terbunuh oleh peluru senapan serbu Letnan Wahyu. Peringatan tersebut mencapai Tama dan anak buahnya kepercayaannya, Mad Dog (Yayan Ruhian) lewat interkom.
Tama segera memanggil bala bantuan dan anak buahnya. Dua penembak runduk di gedung tetangga melumpuhkan anggota tim SWAT yang berada di lantai dasar. Mendengar jeritan mereka, seorang anggota tim elit lain melihat keluar dari jendela apartemen di lantai 5, dan segera tewas ditembak oleh penembak runduk. Tahanan mereka segera mengambil kesempatan dalam keributan tersebut - membunuh dua anggota polisi lain dan mendapatkan kontrol di lantai 5 kembali. Mobil pengangkut tim Polisi juga hancur dan pengemudinya tewas dalam serangan mendadak. Tama mematikan listrik di seluruh gedung dan mengumumkan bahwa terdapat "tamu tak diundang" sedang terjebak di lantai 6, dan bahwa dia akan memberikan sewa gratis kepada mereka yang membunuh penyusup-penyusup tersebut. Tim polisi Sersan Jaka melihat sebuah pintu akan terbuka, sehingga mereka mempersiapkan diri untuk menyerang siapa pun yang di belakangnya, tapi ini merupakan jebakan karena anak buah Tama di lantai atas berhasil menggunakan cahaya dari tembakan untuk menyerbu tim Polisi, menembak mati banyak anggota tim elit. Sersan Jaka segera mengetahui bahwa misi tersebut ternyata tidak ditugaskan oleh Kepolisian, tetapi hanya oleh Letnan Wahyu, sehingga tidak akan ada bala bantuan yang akan tiba menyelamatkan mereka. Setelah baku tembak panjang, tim Polisi Jaka terdampar di lantai 6, kalah secara jumlah maupun amunisi dan sedang diburu oleh anak buah Tama yang beringas. Para anggota yang selamat dari serangan ini adalah: Sersan Jaka, Letnan Wahyu, Bowo (Tegar Satrya), Dagu (Eka Rahmadia) dan Rama. Setelah nyaris lolos dari ledakan bom improvisasi Rama yang membunuh sejumlah besar penjahat, mereka terbagi menjadi dua kelompok: Jaka, Wahyu dan Dagu di lantai 5 dan Rama dengan Bowo yang terluka mencari keselamatan di lantai 7.
Membopong Bowo yang terluka, Rama harus bertarung menerobos koridor lantai 7 dan tiba di apartemen 726 yang dihuni Gofar bersama istrinya, memohon tempat persembunyian dari kejaran anak buah Tama. Mereka bersembunyi di dalam sebuah lorong rahasia di balik dinding. Geng parang anak buah Tama dan pimpinan mereka (Alfridus Godfred) tiba dan memeriksa apartemen Gofar, bahkan menusuk dinding dan melukai pipi Rama, dan hampir menewaskan Bowo, tetapi mereka tidak menemukan mereka, dan akhirnya pergi. Setelah memberikan pertolongan pertama pada Bowo, Rama meninggalkan Bowo dalam perawatan Gofar untuk mencari jalan keluar. Dia harus kembali bertempur sengit dengan geng parang yang segera menemukannya setelah dia keluar dari persembunyiannya. Rama mengalahkan geng tersebut, namun kembali dikejar oleh anak buah Tama yang lain. Setelah menjatuhkan diri ke lantai 6 untuk meloloskan diri, Rama akhirnya ditangkap oleh Andi (Donny Alamsyah), tangan kanan dan otak bisnis narkoba Tama. Pada saat yang sama, Jaka berseteru dengan Wahyu setelah Wahyu menolak untuk mempertaruhkan nyawanya untuk mencari Rama dan Bowo, membuat Jaka marah dan mempertanyakan integritas kepolisian Wahyu di balik misi yang berakhir fatal tersebut. Beranjak dari persembunyian mereka, kelompoknya ditemukan oleh Mad Dog, tangan kanan Tama yang paling kejam dan brutal. Letnan Wahyu melarikan diri, dan Dagu diperintahkan Jaka untuk mengikutinya, tetapi Jaka, yang hanya memiliki pisau, harus beradu nyali dengan Mad Dog yang menodongkan pistol padanya. Mad Dog menyuruh Jaka masuk ke kamar di mana ia memutuskan untuk tidak membunuhnya dengan pistol namun menantang dia untuk berkelahi tangan kosong sebagai gantinya. Mad Dog akhirnya mengalahkan Jaka dan mengakhiri hidup Jaka dengan mematahkan lehernya. Sementara itu di apartemen Andi, Andi terungkap sebagai kakak Rama yang telah terasing yang memilih untuk meninggalkan keluarganya dan tidak meninggalkan jejak keberadaannya. Andi menolak untuk pulang ke keluarganya, namun berjanji untuk mengeluarkan Rama dari gedung maut tersebut setelah memastikan situasi aman. Tak dinyana, saat kembali untuk melapor pada Tama, Tama ternyata telah mengetahui pengkhianatan Andi karena kamera tersembunyi yang merekam Andi saat menyembunyikan Rama. Tama dengan marah menyerahkannya ke Mad Dog (yang sudah membenci Andi) untuk disingkirkan.
Rama bergabung kembali dengan Letnan Wahyu dan Dagu. Mereka memutuskan bahwa satu-satunya jalan keluar dari gedung maut tersebut adalah dengan membekuk Tama dan menggunakannya sebagai tiket keluar mereka. Mereka bertiga kemudian bertempur dengan tangan kosong melalui laboratorium narkotika menuju ke markas besar Tama di lantai 15. Dalam perjalanan ke atas, Rama menemukan sebuah ruangan di mana Andi, tergantung pada rantai, sedang dipukuli oleh Mad Dog. Saat ia masuk, Mad Dog menurunkan rantai membiarkan Rama membebaskan Andi. Mereka berdua kemudian bertarung sengit bekerja sama melawan Mad Dog, tetapi kekuatan Mad Dog terlalu besar. Rama hampir dijemput ajal saat Mad Dog hendak mematahkan lehernya, namun digagalkan oleh Andi. Rama dan Andi akhirnya berhasil mengalahkan Mad Dog menggunakan sepotong pecahan dari tabung lampu neon. Sementara itu, Wahyu dan Dagu berhadapan dengan Tama, tetapi Wahyu malah tiba-tiba menembak dan membunuh Dagu, menyandera Tama sebagai tiket keluarnya dari gedung maut tersebut. Kemudian, Rama dan Andi berpapasan dengan mereka berdua di tangga, tapi Wahyu menembakkan peluru pada mereka, menyuruh mereka untuk tidak ikut campur. Tama menggertak Wahyu bahwa ia hanyalah seorang polisi kotor dalam sebuah satuan kepolisian yang secara keseluruhan telah sangat korup, di mana banyak perwira atas sudah dibayar oleh Tama. Tama juga mengungkapkan bahwa dia telah mengetahui misi maut tersebut dari atasan Wahyu, dan walaupun Wahyu berhasil lolos dari gedung tersebut, atasannya akan mengatur supaya Wahyu akan dibunuh atau ditangkap. Wahyu marah dan dengan kalap mengakhiri omongan Tama dengan menembak gembong penjahat tersebut di kepala. Wahyu yang putus asa berupaya bunuh diri dengan pistolnya, namun gagal karena ia kehabisan peluru dan ditangkap tanpa perlawanan oleh Rama. Andi yang sekarang berada di posisi menggantikan Tama, memberitakan bahwa situasi telah aman dan menyuruh penghuni apartemen untuk kembali ke kamar mereka masing- masing. Ia memberikan Rama sebuah kotak berisi informasi tentang daftar hitam polisi korup, memberitahu saudaranya bahwa tidak setiap polisi itu busuk, dan memberikan nama salah satu perwira kepolisian yang adalah orang yang baik untuk diberikan daftar hitam tersebut. Andi kemudian berjalan dengan Rama, Bowo dan Wahyu yang diikat keluar dari gedung, tapi menolak tawaran Rama bergabung dengan mereka. Andi kembali ke gedung sementara Rama berjalan ke luar gerbang, menuju masa depan yang tak pasti.

[sunting] Pemeran

• Iko Uwais sebagai Rama, anggota tim Polisi elit penyerbu dengan agenda tersembunyi, protagonis utama film.
• Donny Alamsyah sebagai Andi, tangan kanan dan otak bisnis narkoba Tama dan juga kakak dari Rama
• Pierre Gruno sebagai Letnan Wahyu, senior kepolisian yang memerintahkan operasi penyerbuan.
• Ray Sahetapy sebagai Tama Riyadi, gembong narkotik kejam, penguasa gedung apartemen dan antagonis utama.
• Yayan Ruhian sebagai Mad Dog ("anjing gila"), tangan kanan dan tukang pukul brutal Tama yang berkeahlian silat tinggi.
• Joe Taslim sebagai Sersan Jaka, pemimpin operasi penyerbuan.
• Tegar Satrya sebagai Bowo, anggota tim Polisi elit penyerbu yang keras kepala.
• Eka "Piranha" Rahmadia sebagai Dagu, anggota tim Polisi elit penyerbu.
• Iang Darmawan sebagai Gofar, satu-satunya penghuni apartemen yang taat pada hukum.
• Verdi Solaiman sebagai Budi, anggota tim Polisi elit penyerbu.
• Alfridus Godfred sebagai pimpinan geng parang anak buah Tama.
• Hengky Solaiman sebagai ayah Rama.
• Fikha Effendi sebagai istri Rama.

[sunting] Produksi

Film ini adalah kerja sama kedua antara Gareth Evans dan Iko Uwais setelah film aksi pertama mereka, Merantau, yang diluncurkan pada tahun 2009. Sama halnya dengan Merantau, dalam proyek ini, mereka juga menonjolkan seni bela diri tradisional Indonesia, pencak silat, dalam tata laga mereka. Penata laga untuk The Raid adalah Iko Uwais dan Yayan Ruhian, sama seperti pada Merantau, dengan sejumlah ide dari Gareth Evans sendiri. Proses pengerjaan film ini dikerjakan selama tiga bulan. Selain kedua aktor laga tersebut, The Raid juga dibintangi oleh aktor kawakan diantaranya Ray Sahetapy, Donny Alamsyah, Pierre Gruno dan atlet Judo Indonesia, Joe Taslim.
Penggarapan musik latar rilis versi asli Indonesia dikerjakan oleh komposer Fajar Yuskemal dan Aria Prayogi. Penggarapan skoring musik The Raid yang rilis di wilayah Amerika Utara, Amerika Latin dan Spanyol juga melibatkan musisi Mike Shinoda, (personil Linkin Park) dan Joseph Trapanese, seorang komposer yang menggarap musik untuk film Tron: Legacy (2010) dari Walt Disney Pictures.
Hak distribusi internasional dipegang oleh Nightmare Distribution. Pada saat showcase di Festival Film Cannes 2011, Sony Pictures Classic Worldwide Acquisition membeli hak pendistribusian film ini untuk kawasan Amerika Utara dan Amerika Latin. Untuk kepentingan mempertinggi popularitas, Sony Pictures meminta Mike Shinoda bersama Joseph Trapanese untuk menciptakan musik latar bagi film versi mereka ini. Akibat permasalahan hak cipta dan rencana pembuatan trilogi, film ini dirilis di Amerika Utara oleh Sony Pictures dengan judul The Raid: Redemption. Hak pendistribusian untuk negara-negara lainnya juga telah dijual kepada Alliance (untuk Kanada), Momentum (Inggris), Madman (Australia dan Selandia Baru), SND (kawasan berbahasa Prancis), Kadokawa (Jepang), Koch (kawasan berbahasa Jerman), HGC (Cina), dan Calinos (Turki).^[9] Kesepakatan juga telah dibuat dengan para distributor dari Russia, Skandinavia, Benelux, Islandia, Italia, Amerika Latin, Korea Selatan, dan India ketika film ini sedang dipertunjukkan pada Festival Film Internasional Toronto (TIFF), Toronto, Kanada pada September 2011.^[10]
Selain pengambilan gambarnya, olahan koreografi seni bela diri film ini juga menuai decak kagum dari para juri dan penonton di berbagai festival fim Internasional. Film ini setelah dirilis sempat bertengger di posisi 15 besar top box office bioskop Amerika. Dengan kesuksesan itu, The Raid berhasil meraup penghasilan sekitar US$ 1.228 juta atau sekitar Rp 11 miliar.

[sunting] Inspirasi

Sebagian besar ide cerita keluar dari Gareth Evans. Evans mengatakan di dalam blognya dia sejak kecil terobsesi dengan film "Peace Hotel" (1995) yang dibintangi Chow Yun Fat. Dia tidak pernah bisa menemukan film ini di Inggris dan hanya memiliki gambar poster di bawah ini serta sinopsis yang samar-samar.
Evans mengatakan bahwa dia menyukai konsep sebuah bangunan terisolasi yang menawarkan perlindungan kepada penjahat, tetapi ketika Evans akhirnya melihat film tersebut lebih dari 15 tahun kemudian "khayalan" Evans mengenai film ini benar-benar berbeda dengan apa yang dia lihat. Saat dia menonton film ini yang dia bayangkan dari film ini adalah gelap noirish dengan bahaya pada setiap lantai dengan aksi terbatas pada ruang interior dipenuhi dengan bayangan dan ketakutan. Evans juga membayangkan akan memiliki lebih banyak action, bukan hanya dari sudut hati yang manis dan romantis seperti yang ditampilkan pada film ini.
Setelah menghabiskan sebagian besar waktunya untuk "Merantau", keinginannya untuk membuat film yang latarnya 95% berada di dalam ruangan. Evans mulai menonton banyak film untuk inspirasi, seperti Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) dan Die Hard (1988) untuk mencari struktur cerita, bagaimana mengembangkan adegan aksi ke dalam cerita sealami mungkin.
Evans mengatakan bahwa selalu ingin menemukan cara untuk mencampur genre bersama-sama, untuk membawa lebih ke film seni bela diri daripada sekedar murni tindakan. Itulah yang sebagian besar fans dari genre action ingin lihat.
Dengan Serbuan Maut, Evans dan tim produksi Merantau Films berencana untuk mengeksplorasi gaya pengambilan gambar yang berbeda dan atmosfer film tersebut untuk memungkinkan pergeseran tonal dan perubahan genre. Konsep utama film ini adalah tim SWAT yang terjebak di dalam gedung dengan penjahat di sekitar mereka yang membuat banyak pilihan bagi tim produksi untuk tidak hanya untuk mengeksplorasi koreografi aksi tetapi juga untuk memberikan berbagai sensasi dari ketegangan yang tercipta dari film ini, bahkan juga sensasi horor.

Penghargaan

• The Cadillac People's Choice Midnight Madness Award, TIFF 2011
• Salah satu dari 11 film yang menjadi Spotlight dalam Festival Film Sundance 2012
• Terpilih menjadi penutup sesi FrightFest dalam Festival Film Glasgow 2012^[11]
• Audience Award dan Dublin Film Critics Circle Best Film dalam Festival Film Internasional Dublin Jameson 2012^[12].
• Prix du Public dalam 6ème Festival Mauvais Genre di Tours, Prancis ^[13].
• Sp!ts Silver Scream Award pada Festival Film Imagine ke-28 di Amsterdam, Belanda

MR.BEAN

Origins and influences

The character of Mr. Bean was developed while Atkinson was studying for his master's degree at Oxford University. A sketch featuring the character was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in the early 1980s.^[5] A similar character called Robert Box, played by Atkinson, appeared in the one-off 1979 ITV sitcom Canned Laughter, which also featured routines used in the 1997 film Bean.^[6] In 1987, one of Mr. Bean's earliest appearances occurred at the "Just For Laughs" comedy festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. When programme co-ordinators were scheduling Atkinson into the festival program, Atkinson insisted that he perform on the French-speaking bill rather than the English-speaking program. Having no French dialogue in his act at all, program co-ordinators could not understand why Atkinson wanted to perform on the French bill. As it turned out, Atkinson's act at the festival was a test platform for the Mr. Bean character and Atkinson wanted to see how the silent character's physical comedy would fare on an international stage with a non-English speaking audience.^[7]
The name of the character was not decided until after the first programme had been produced, with a number of other vegetable-influenced names, such as "Mr. Cauliflower", being explored.^[8] Atkinson cited the earlier comedy character Monsieur Hulot, created by French comedian and director Jacques Tati, as an influence on the character.^[9] Stylistically, Mr. Bean is also very similar to early silent films, relying purely upon physical comedy, with Mr. Bean speaking very little dialogue (although like other live-action TV series of the time, it features a laugh track). This has allowed the series to be sold worldwide without any significant changes to dialogue.^[7][10] In November 2012, Atkinson told newspaper The Daily Telegraph he was looking at retiring the character, as "someone in their 50s being childlike becomes a little sad".^[11]

Characters and recurring props

Mr. Bean

The title character, played by Rowan Atkinson, is a childish and self-centered buffoon who brings various unusual schemes and contrivances to everyday tasks. He lives alone in his small flat in Highbury, and is almost always seen in his trademark tweed jacket and a skinny red tie. He also usually wears a digital calculator watch. Mr. Bean rarely speaks, and when he does, it is generally only a few mumbled words which are in a comically low-pitched voice. His first name (he names himself "Bean" to others) and profession, if any, are never mentioned. In the first film adaptation, "Mr." appears on his passport in the "first name" field, and he is shown employed as a guard at London's National Gallery.^[12] In Mr. Bean's Holiday, however, his name is listed on his passport as "Rowan", the actor's first name.^[13]
Mr. Bean often seems unaware of basic aspects of the way the world works, and the programme usually features his attempts at what would normally be considered simple tasks, such as going swimming, using a television set, redecorating or going to church. The humour largely comes from his original (and often absurd) solutions to problems and his total disregard for others when solving them, his pettiness, and occasional malevolence.
At the beginning of episode two onwards, Mr. Bean falls from the sky in a beam of light, accompanied by a choir singing Ecce homo qui est faba ("Behold the man who is a bean"). These opening sequences were initially in black and white in episodes two and three, and were intended by the producers to show his status as an "ordinary man cast into the spotlight". However, later episodes showed Mr. Bean dropping from the night sky in a deserted London street against the backdrop of St. Paul's Cathedral; the imagery and the choir would suggest that Bean is a being cast out of Heaven. At the end of episodes three and six he is also shown being sucked right back up into the sky in the respective background scenes (black scene in episode 3 and street scene in episode 6). Atkinson himself has acknowledged that Bean "has a slightly alien aspect to him".^[14] In the animated series (episode 38, "Double Trouble") he is taken inside a spacecraft with "aliens" who look exactly like him and even have their own plushy toys. In an obvious homage, the aliens send him back home in a beam of light similar to the opening of the original Mr. Bean series. Whether Mr. Bean himself is an extraterrestrial is not clear. Mr. Bean lives in Flat 2, 12 Arbour Road, London, England.^[15]

Irma Gobb

Mr. Bean's girlfriend, Irma Gobb (played by Matilda Ziegler), appears in a number of episodes. In "The Curse of Mr. Bean" and "Mr. Bean Goes to Town," the character is simply credited as "the girlfriend." She is treated relatively inconsiderately by Bean, who appears to regard her more as a friend and companion than a love interest. However, he does become jealous when she dances with another man at a disco in "Mr. Bean Goes to Town", and she certainly expects him to propose to her on Christmas Day in "Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean", with his failure to do so resulting in her leaving him for good. The character does not appear in any subsequent episodes, however, she later appears in the animated series. The spin-off book Mr. Bean's Diary (1993) states that Mr. Bean met Irma Gobb at a local library.^[16]

Teddy

Mr. Bean and Teddy

Teddy is Mr. Bean's teddy bear and perhaps Mr. Bean's best friend. The little brown bear is a knitted oddity with button eyes and sausage-shaped limbs, invariably ending up broken in half or in various other states of destruction and disfiguration. Although Teddy is inanimate, Mr. Bean often pretends it is alive. For example, when Mr. Bean hypnotises Teddy, he snaps his fingers and the bear's head falls backwards as if it has fallen asleep instantly (Bean used his finger to prop Teddy's head up). Mr. Bean behaves as if the bear is real, buying it a Christmas present or trying not to wake it in the mornings. The bear is often privy to Mr. Bean's various schemes and doubles as a dish cloth or paint brush in an emergency; it has been decapitated ("Mr. Bean in Room 426"), used as his paint brush ("Do-It-Yourself Mr. Bean") and shrunk in the wash ("Tee Off, Mr. Bean"). Teddy is also Mr. Bean's "pet" in "Hair by Mr. Bean of London" and is used to win a pet show. The Teddy that was used in filming sits in the windshield of the replica of Mr. Bean's mini that is on display at the National Motor Museum. Over the years, Teddy has undergone several changes. When it debuted on "The Trouble with Mr. Bean", it had a smaller head. Two episodes later, its head reached its current size, but its "eye" was not present until Bean placed gold thumb tacks on its face. The "eyes" have since been replaced with two small white buttons sewn over Teddy's face, giving it a distinct image.

Mr. Bean's car

Rowan Atkinson demonstrating a famous scene from the episode "Do-It-Yourself Mr. Bean" on a Mini at Goodwood Circuit

Mr. Bean's car, a British Leyland Mini 1000, developed its own character of sorts over the series and was central to several antics, such as Mr. Bean getting dressed in it, driving while sitting in an armchair strapped to the roof, starting it with a number of locks and keys, or attempting to avoid a parking garage toll by driving out through the entrance.
At first, it was an orange 1969 BMC Mini MK II (registration RNT 996H), but this was destroyed in an off-screen crash at the end of the first episode. From then on, the car was a 1976 – 1980 model (registration SLW 287R), Austin Citron Green in colour^[17] with a satin black bonnet.
The Mini also had a number of innovative security measures. For example, Bean uses a bolt-latch and padlock, rather than the lock fitted to the car, and removes the steering wheel instead of the key. These formed a running joke in several episodes, at one point deterring a car thief. However, after changing parking spaces with another car and exact same make in "Back to School Mr. Bean", his car is crushed by a tank. Fortunately for him, his padlock still remains, and he hurries off to "hijack" another car.
In some episodes Mr. Bean has a long-running feud with the unseen driver of a light blue Reliant Regal Supervan III (registration GRA 26K), which will usually get turned over, crashed out of its parking space and so forth by Mr.Bean in his Mini. This conflict originated in the first episode, when the Reliant's driver held the Mini up on the way to a mathematics exam, and subsequently became another running joke throughout the series.
Both the Mini and the Reliant re-appeared as characters in the animated Mr. Bean cartoons, and the mini in the film Mr. Bean's Holiday, registration YGL 572T. Also seen is a left hand drive version of his Mini, owned by the character Sabine which has a French registration (207 UHO 75). For the 1997 feature film Bean (film) a sequence involving the Mini driving through Harrod's Department Store was shot, but this was not included in the final cut. His Mini's registration plate number is C607 EUW.^[18][19] In the animated series, his Mini's registration plate number is STE 952R.
After filming ended, the original Mini was sold to Kariker Kars to be hired for various events. It was then temporarily displayed as a major attraction at the Rover Group's museum. In 1997, it was purchased by the Cars of the Stars Motor Museum and was on display for while, but is no longer there having been sold. And one on display at National Motor Museum, Beaulieu.^[20] is the car that was used to promote the animated series.

Hubert & Rupert

Rupert & Hubert are friends of Mr. Bean who only appeared in "Do it Yourself Mr. Bean." They attended Mr. Bean's New Year's Eve party. They got bored, altered Mr. Bean's living room clock, and fled to a nearby party, with Hubert leaving his hat at Bean's. After the party Hubert was last seen going for his hat during which he got caught in the blast of white paint. Neither are seen after "Do it yourself Mr. Bean".

Other characters

Although Mr. Bean is the only significant human character in the programme, others appear, usually as foils for his various antics. Other than his girlfriend there are more characters in each episode. However, several notable British actors and comedians appear alongside Atkinson in sketches as various one-off supporting characters, including Richard Briers, Angus Deayton, Nick Hancock, Paul Bown, Caroline Quentin, Danny La Rue, Roger Lloyd Pack, David Schneider and Richard Wilson.^[21]

Production

The programme was produced by Tiger Television (later Tiger Aspect Productions) for Thames Television from 1990 to 1992 and for Central Independent Television from 1993 to 1995. Rather than being shown as a series, each episode of Mr. Bean was produced individually, and broadcast at intermittent intervals on the ITV network in the United Kingdom across six years, often around New Year. The episode "Hair by Mr. Bean of London" has not been broadcast on ITV, but was instead reserved for video release.

Episode guide

Main article: List of Mr. Bean episodes

Music

Mr. Bean features a choral theme tune written by Howard Goodall and performed by the Choir of Southwark Cathedral (later Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford). The words sung during the title sequences are in Latin:

• Ecce homo qui est faba – "Behold the man who is a bean" (sung at beginning)
• Finis partis primae – "End of part one" (sung before the advertisement break)
• Pars secunda – "Part two" (sung after the advertisement break)
• Vale homo qui est faba – "Farewell, man who is a bean" (sung at end)

The theme was later released on Goodall's album Choral Works. Goodall also wrote an accompanying music track for many episodes. The first episode of Mr. Bean did not feature the choral theme tune, but instead an up-beat instrumental piece, also composed by Howard Goodall, which was more an incidental tune than a theme. It was used while Bean drove between locations intimidating the blue Reliant, and as such, was sometimes heard in later episodes whenever Bean's nemesis is seen.
In the episode "Tee Off, Mr. Bean" Howard Goodall's choral theme tune for another Richard Curtis comedy, The Vicar of Dibley, is heard playing on a car stereo. In Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean., while playing with Queen's Royal Guards figurines and the nativity set, he hums "The British Grenadiers", which was quoted in the theme to Blackadder Goes Forth.^[22]
Mr. Bean appears in a music video made for the 1991 Comic Relief fund raising single by Hale and Pace called The Stonk.^[23] Mr. Bean also appeared in the music video for Boyzone's single Picture Of You in 1997.^[24] The song featured on the soundtrack to the first Bean movie.
Mr Bean also made a Comic Relief record in 1992. This was (I Want To Be) Elected and was credited to "Mr Bean and Smear Campaign featuring Bruce Dickinson". This was a cover of an Alice Cooper song and reached number 9 in the UK singles chart.^[25]

Awards

The first episode won the Golden Rose, as well as two other major prizes at the 1991 Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival in Montreux.^[26] In the UK, the episode "The Curse of Mr. Bean" was nominated for a number of BAFTA awards; "Best Light Entertainment Programme" in 1991, "Best Comedy" (Programme or Series) in 1991, and Atkinson was nominated three times for "Best Light Entertainment Performance" in 1991 and 1994

HACHIKO

Life

In 1924, Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo, took in Hachikō, a golden brown Akita, as a pet. During his owner's life, Hachikō greeted him at the end of each day at the nearby Shibuya Station. The pair continued their daily routine until May 1925, when Professor Ueno did not return. The professor had suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage and died, never returning to the train station where Hachikō was waiting. Every day for the next nine years the dog waited at Shibuya station.
Hachikō attracted the attention of other commuters. Many of the people who frequented the Shibuya train station had seen Hachikō and Professor Ueno together each day. Initial reactions from the people, especially from those working at the station, were not necessarily friendly. However, after the first appearance of the article about him on October 4, 1932 in Asahi Shimbun, people started to bring Hachikō treats and food to nourish him during his wait. This continued for nine years with Hachikō appearing precisely when the train was due at the station.^[2]

 Publication

That same year, one of Ueno's students (who developed expertise on the Akita breed) saw the dog at the station and followed him to the Kobayashi home (the home of the former gardener of Professor Ueno — Kikuzaboro Kobayashi^[3]) where he learned the history of Hachikō's life. Shortly after this meeting, the former student published a documented census of Akitas in Japan. His research found only 30 purebred Akitas remaining, including Hachikō from Shibuya Station.
He returned frequently to visit the dog and over the years published several articles about Hachikō's remarkable loyalty. In 1932 one of these articles, published in Tokyo Asahi Shimbun, threw the dog into the national spotlight. Hachikō became a national sensation. His faithfulness to his master's memory impressed the people of Japan as a spirit of family loyalty all should strive to achieve. Teachers and parents used Hachikō's vigil as an example for children to follow. A well-known Japanese artist rendered a sculpture of the dog, and throughout the country a new awareness of the Akita breed grew.
Eventually, Hachikō's legendary faithfulness became a national symbol of loyalty, particularly to the person and institution of the Emperor.^[4]

Death

Last known photo of Hachikō - pictured with his owner's wife Yaeko Ueno (front row, second from right) and station staff in mourning in Tokyo on March 8, 1935.

Hachikō died on March 8, 1935, and was found on a street in Shibuya.^[5] In March 2011 scientists settled the cause of death of Hachikō: the dog had terminal cancer and a filaria infection (worms). There were also four yakitori skewers in Hachikō's stomach, but the skewers did not damage his stomach or cause his death.^[6][7]
Hachikō's stuffed and mounted remains are kept at the National Science Museum of Japan in Ueno, Tokyo.^[8][9] His monument is in Aoyama cemetery in Minatoku, Tokyo.^[10]

Hachiko's monument on the side of Professor Ueno's grave in the Aoyama Cemetery, Minato, Tokyo.

[edit] Bronze statues

In April 1934, a bronze statue in his likeness was erected at Shibuya Station (

 WikiMiniAtlas

35°39′32.6″N 139°42′2.1″E / 35.659056°N 139.700583°E / 35.659056; 139.700583), and Hachikō himself was present at its unveiling. The statue was recycled for the war effort during World War II. In 1948 The Society for Recreating the Hachikō Statue commissioned^{[citation needed]} Takeshi Ando, son of the original artist, to make a second statue. When the new statue appeared, a dedication ceremony occurred.^[11] The new statue, which was erected in August 1948, still stands and is an extremely popular meeting spot. The station entrance near this statue is named "Hachikō-guchi", meaning "The Hachikō Entrance/Exit", and is one of Shibuya Station's five exits.
The Japan Times played a practical joke on readers by reporting that the bronze statue was stolen a little before 2:00 AM on April 1, 2007, by "suspected metal thieves". The false story told a very detailed account of an elaborate theft by men wearing khaki workers' uniforms who secured the area with orange safety cones and obscured the theft with blue vinyl tarps. The "crime" was allegedly recorded on security cameras.^[12]
A similar statue stands in Hachikō's hometown, in front of Ōdate Station. In 2004, a new statue of Hachikō was erected on the original stone pedestal from Shibuya in front of the Akita Dog Museum in Odate.
The exact spot where Hachikō waited in the train station is permanently marked with bronze paw-prints and text in Japanese explaining his loyalty.

Annual ceremony

Each year on April 8, Hachikō's devotion is honored with a solemn ceremony of remembrance at Tokyo's Shibuya railroad station. Hundreds of dog lovers often turn out to honor his memory and loyalty.^[13][14][15]

Exhibition

On 16 June 2012 it was announced by Asahi Shimbun newspaper that rare photos from Hachiko's life would be shown at the Shibuya Folk and Literary Shirane Memorial Museum in Shibuya Ward until July 22, 2012 as part of the "Shin Shuzo Shiryoten" (Exhibition of newly stored materials).^[16]

 In popular culture

Hachikō exhibited at the National Science Museum of Japan in Ueno.

Hachikō was the subject of the 1987 movie Hachi-kō (Hachikō Monogatari) ハチ公物語 (literally "The Tale of Hachiko"),^[17] directed by Seijirō Kōyama, which told the story of his life from his birth up until his death and imagined spiritual reunion with his master. Considered a blockbuster success, the film was the last big hit for Japanese film studio Shochiku Kinema Kenkyû-jo.^[18][19]
Hachi: A Dog's Tale,^[20] released in August 2009, is an American movie starring actor Richard Gere, directed by Lasse Hallström, about Hachikō and his relationship with the professor. The movie was filmed in Rhode Island, and also featured Joan Allen and Jason Alexander.
Hachikō is also the subject of a 2004 children's book entitled Hachikō: The True Story of a Loyal Dog, written by Pamela S. Turner and illustrated by Yan Nascimbene. Another children's book, a short novel for readers of all ages called Hachiko Waits, written by Lesléa Newman and illustrated by Machiyo Kodaira, was published by Henry Holt & Co. in 2004. Hachiko Waits was released in paperback by Square Fish (an imprint of MacMillan) in 2008.^[21] Hachikō is featured prominently in the 2008 novel The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski.^[22]
In 1994, the Nippon Cultural Broadcasting in Japan was able to lift a recording of Hachikō barking from an old record that had been broken into several pieces. A huge advertising campaign ensued and on Saturday, May 28, 1994, 59 years after his death, millions of radio listeners tuned in to hear Hachikō bark.^[23]
"Jurassic Bark", episode 7 of season 4 of the animated television series Futurama has an extended homage to Hachikō, with Fry discovering the fossilized remains of his dog, Seymour. After Fry was frozen, Seymour is shown to have waited for Fry to return for 12 years outside Panucci's Pizza, where Fry worked never disobeying his master's last command to wait for him.

Similar cases

Greyfriars Bobby, a Skye Terrier in Edinburgh, Scotland, was loyal to his master long after his master's death in 1858. Until Bobby's death 14 years later, he reportedly spent every night at his master's grave.^[24] A statue in memorial of Greyfriars Bobby was erected near the graveyard.
In Snake Gully, Australia, the monument Dog on the Tuckerbox is inspired by a bullock driver's poem, "Bullocky Bill", which celebrates the life of a mythical driver's dog that loyally guarded the man's tuckerbox (lunch box) until, and long after, the bullocky's death. (The ever-popular 1930's Australian hit song "Five Miles From Gundagai" also celebrates the dog and his loyalty.)
Gelert, associated with the place Beddgelert in Wales, is alleged to have belonged to Llywelyn the Great, Prince of Gwynedd, and to have been a gift from King John of England. In this legend, Llywelyn returns from hunting to find his baby's cradle overturned, the baby missing and the dog with blood around its mouth. Imagining that it has savaged the child, Llywelyn draws his sword and kills the dog, which lets out a final dying yelp. He then hears the cries of the baby and finds it unharmed under the cradle, along with a dead wolf which had attacked the child and been killed by Gelert. Llywelyn is then overcome with remorse and he buries the dog with great ceremony, yet can still hear the dying yelp. After that day Llywelyn never smiles again.
In the Odyssey, Odysseus's dog Argos waits 20 years for Odysseus to return but dies just after he recognizes Odysseus.
A similar story happened in the mid 1990s in Togliatti, Russia - a family died in a car crash during the summer of 1995, leaving the dog as the only survivor. A German Shepherd, named Constantine by the locals, kept coming to the same spot for the next 7 years braving freezing winters and hot summers. The Monument of Devotion - a bronze statue honouring the dog's loyalty was placed on that spot in 2003 by the city authorities .^[25]
In 2012, an Argentinian dog named Capitán was reported to have sat every evening for six years on his owner's grave. This was compounded by the fact that the family had never brought the dog to the graveyard and the dog had managed to find it himself. The municipal cemetery’s director, Héctor Baccega, said that the first time he saw the dog, he arrived at the cemetery alone. The dog then did a couple of laps around the place before finding his master’s grave — all on his own. He arrives each day at 6:00 p.m

IP MAN

Awal Kehidupan

Ip Man lahir di Foshan, provinsi Guandong pada tahun 1893 masa pemerintahan Kaisar Guangxu, Dinasti Qing. Dia adalah anak ketiga dari empat bersaudara yang dilahirkan dari pasangan Ip Oi dan Ng Shui. Abang dan kakaknya bernama Ip Kai Gak dan Ip Wan Hum. Ip Man tumbuh dalam keluarga kaya dan menerima pendidikan dengan standar tinggi.

Ip Man & Wing Chun

Ketika Ip Man berumur 9 tahun dia mulai belajar Wing chun dari Chan WahSun. Karena umur gurunya yang sudah tua, Ip Man lebih banyak belajar ilmu dari Ng Chungsok, senior kedua dalam satu perguruan. Setelah tiga tahun Ip Man berlatih Wing Chun, Chan WahSun meninggal dunia.
Pada umur 15, Ip Man pindah ke Hong Kong dengan bantuan temannya Leung Fut Ting. Satu tahun kemudian, Ip melanjutkan pendidikan di perguruan tinggi St. Stephen di Hong Kong yang merupakan sekolah untuk keluarga kaya dan orang asing yang menetap di Hong Kong. Menurut kedua puteranya, Ip Ching dan Ip Chun, ketika di St. Stephen, Ip Man turut campur tangan setelah melihat polisi asing memukuli seorang wanita. Petugas polisi itu mencoba menyerang Ip Man yang menggunakan ilmu bela dirinya untuk menjatuhkan polisi itu dan kemudian berlari ke sekolah dengan teman sekelasnya.
Temannya memberitahu Ip Man bahwa ada seorang lelaki tua yang tinggal di lingkungan yang sama dan mengundang Ip untuk menemuinya. Lelaki tua itu bertanya kepada Ip Man "Ilmu bela diri apakah yang kamu pelajari?" dan Ip Man berkata "Kamu tidak akan mengerti". Ip ditantang untuk berlatih Chi Sau (bentuk latihan menyerang dan bertahan dengan kedua tangan). Ip Man menganggap hal tersebut merupakan kesempatan bagus untuk meningkatkan ilmu bela dirinya, akan tetapi dia dipukuli hanya setelah beberapa serangan. Ternyata Lelaki tua itu adalah Leung Bik, anak dari Leung Jan, guru dari Chan WahSun yang tidak lain adalah gurunya Ip Man. Setelah kejadian itu, Ip Man melanjutkan latihan Wing Chun dengan berguru kepada Leung Bik. Pada Umur 24 tahun Ip Man kembali ke Foshan dengan keahlian Wing Chun yang sangat baik.
Di Foshan, Ip Man menjadi seorang pengusaha. Dia tidak menjalankan perguruan Wing Chun secara formal, tetapi mengajar beberapa bawahan, teman dan relasinya. Kwok Fu dan Lun Kai adalah dua murid pertama Ip Man yang kemudian mereka sendiri juga mengajarkan Wing Chun. Seni bela diri Wing Chun di Foshan dan wilayah Guandong terutama berasal dari kedua murid ini.

[sunting] Perguruan Wing Chun

Ip Man mengungsi ke kampung halaman Kwok Fu pada saat Jepang menguasai Foshan. Dia kembali ke Foshan setelah perang berakhir, dan berprofesi sebagai polisi. Pada akhir tahun 1949, partai Komunis Cina memenangkan perang sipil. Ip Man yang juga seorang pejabat dari partai politik oposisi Kuomintang memutuskan untuk melarikan diri ke Hong Kong tanpa keluarganya ketika para Komunis datang ke Foshan. Di Hongkong, Ip Man membuka Perguruan bela diri Wing Chun.
Pada awalnya bisnis perguruan tidak berjalan lancar karena murid - muridnya hanya bertahan beberapa bulan. Dia memindahkan perguruannya sampai dua kali yaitu ke jalan Hoi Tan di Sham Shui Po dan kemudian ke jalan Lee Tat di Yau Ta Tei. Pada saat itu, beberapa muridnya sudah cukup ahli untuk mulai membuka perguruan sendiri. Beberapa dari murid Ip Man dan keturunannya melagakan kemampuan Wing Chun mereka dengan praktisi bela diri lainnya dalam pertarungan. Kemenangan murid - muridnya membantu meningkatkan reputasi Ip Man sebagai Guru Besar Wing Chun. Pada tahun 1967, Ip Man dan beberap muridnya mendirikan Asosiasi Wing Chun di Hongkong yang dikenal dengan "Hong Kong Ving Tsun Athletic Association".

 Kematian

Nisan Ip Man di Hongkong

Pada tahun 1972, Ip Man menderita kanker dan meninggal dunia pada tanggal 2 Desember pada tahun yang sama. Kira - kira enam bulan sebelum dia meninggal, dia berpesan kepada kedua puteranya dan muridnya Lau Hon Lam untuk membuat rekaman video aksi Wing Chun yang diperagakannya. Dia memperagakan Sil Lim Tau, Chum Kiu dan "Muk Ren Zhong" atau "The Dummy form". Hal ini disebabkan rasa sakit yang dideritanya dan lemahnya dan ketidakstabilan kaki karena penyakit kanker. Sebenarnya Ip Man ingin memperagakan Biu Gee, bentuk latihan dengan menggunakan pisau dan galah panjang. Akan tetapi Ip Chun, Ip Ching dan Lau Hong Lam melarangnya karena Biu Gee memerlukan energi yang besar untuk diperagakan. Ip Man mempunyai banyak murid dan khawatir mereka akan mengadopsi sistem Wing Chun yang salah, alasan itulah yang membuat Ip Man memfilmkan peragaan Wing Chun. Video peragaan Sil Lim Tau, Chum Kiu dan "Muk Ren Zhong" dapat dilihat di situs YouTube.

Ip Man atau Yip Man

Kita sering menemukan artikel mengenai Guru Besar Ip Man, ada yang menyebutnya sebagai Yip Man, banyak ahli berdebat hebat mengenai masalah nama tersebut. Ip Man adalah pelafalan internasional yang resmi karena di dalam paspor Ip Man memakai nama Ip Man bukan Yip Man, begitu juga dengan kedua puteranya juga memakai nama Ip Chun dan Ip Ching. Untuk lebih lengkapnya, bisa dibaca di buku mengenai profil Ip Man dan kehidupannya yang ditulis oleh Ip Ching yang dengan jelas menyatakan bahwa Ip adalah nama keluarga dan yang pertama di Cina dan Hong Kong. Ip Man itu Mahdiansyah

[sunting] Legalitas

Karena reputasi Ip Man yang bagus, kisah kehidupannya dan Wing Chun dibuat menjadi film layar lebar diantaranya Ip Man 1, Ip Man 2 dan The Legend Is Born – Ip Man. Film tersebut berpedoman pada buku yang ditulis oleh Ip Ching dan Ron Heimberger dan juga cerita lisan dari Ip Chun.
Murid terkemuka dari Ip Man diantaranya adalah Lun Gai, Gwok Fu, Leung Sheung (梁相), Lok Yiu (駱耀), Chu Shong-tin(徐尚田), Wong Shun Leung(黃淳樑), Wang Kiu (王喬), Yip Bo Ching (葉步青), William Cheung, Hawkins Cheung, Bruce Lee, Lo Man Kam, Wong Long, Wong Chok, Law Bing, Lee Shing, Ho Kam-Ming, Moy Yat, Duncan Leung, Derek Fung (馮平波 Fung Ping Bor), Chris Chan (陳成 Chan Shing), Victor Kan, Stanley Chan, Chow Sze Chuen, Tam Lai, Ip Ching, Ip Chun, Lee Che Kong, Kang Sin Sin ( Kwong Sun Sun )dan Leung Ting (梁挺).
Salah satu praktisi Wing Chun dari cabang Ip man adalah Samuel Kwok, yang diturunkan dari Ip Ching dan Ip Chun, kedua putera Ip Man. Samuel Kwok menyebarkan Wing Chun sampai ke mancanegara seperti Inggris, Amerika, Eropa, Singapura, Australia, Indonesia dan Afrika.

HARRY POTTER

                                                       HARRY POTTER
The novels revolve around Harry Potter, an orphan who discovers at the age of eleven that he is a wizard, living within the ordinary world of non-magical, or Muggle, people.^[11] His ability is inborn and such children are invited to attend a school that teaches the necessary skills to succeed in the wizarding world.^[12] Harry becomes a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and it is in here where most of the novels' events take place. As Harry develops through his adolescence, he learns to overcome the problems that face him: magical, social and emotional, including ordinary teenage challenges such as friendships and exams, and the greater test of preparing himself for the confrontation that lies ahead.^[13]
Each book chronicles one year in Harry's life^[14] with the main narrative being set in the years 1991–98.^[15] The books also contain many flashbacks, which are frequently experienced by Harry viewing the memories of other characters in a device called a Pensieve.
The environment Rowling created is completely separate from reality yet intimately connected to it. While the fantasy land of Narnia is an alternative universe and the Lord of the Rings' Middle-earth a mythic past, the wizarding world of Harry Potter exists in parallel within the real world and contains magical versions of the ordinary elements of everyday life. Many of its institutions and locations are recognisable, such as London.^[16] It comprises a fragmented collection of overlooked hidden streets, ancient pubs, lonely country manors and secluded castles that remain invisible to the Muggle population.^[12]

Early years

When the first novel of the series Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (published in some countries as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) opens, it is clear some remarkable event has taken place in the wizarding world, an event so very remarkable, even the Muggles notice signs of it. The full background to this event and to the person of Harry Potter is only revealed gradually, through the series. After the introductory chapter, the book leaps forward to a time shortly before Harry Potter's eleventh birthday, and it is at this point that his background begins to be revealed.
Harry's first contact with the wizarding world is through a half-giant, Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of grounds and keys at Hogwarts. Hagrid reveals some of Harry's history.^[17] Harry learns that as a baby he witnessed his parents' murder by the power-obsessed dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, who then attempted to kill him also.^[17] For reasons not immediately revealed, the spell with which Voldemort tried to kill Harry rebounded. Harry survived with only a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead as a memento of the attack, and Voldemort disappeared. As its inadvertent saviour from Voldemort's reign of terror, Harry has become a living legend in the wizarding world. However, at the orders of the venerable and well-known wizard Albus Dumbledore, the orphaned Harry had been placed in the home of his unpleasant Muggle (non-wizard) relatives, the Dursleys, who had him safe but hid his true heritage from him in hopes that he would grow up "normal".^[17]
With Hagrid's help, Harry prepares for and undertakes his first year of study at Hogwarts. As Harry begins to explore the magical world, the reader is introduced to many of the primary locations used throughout the series. Harry meets most of the main characters and gains his two closest friends: Ron Weasley, a fun-loving member of an ancient, large, happy, but hard-up wizarding family, and Hermione Granger, a gifted and hardworking witch of non-magical parentage.^[17][18] Harry also encounters the school's potions master, Severus Snape, who displays a deep and abiding dislike for him. The plot concludes with Harry's second confrontation with Lord Voldemort, who in his quest for immortality, yearns to gain the power of the Philosopher's Stone, a substance that gives everlasting life.^[17]
The series continues with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets describing Harry's second year at Hogwarts. He and his friends investigate a 50-year-old mystery that appears tied to recent sinister events at the school. Ron's younger sister, Ginny Weasley, enrols in her first year at Hogwarts, and finds a notebook which turns out to be Voldemort's diary from his school days. Ginny becomes possessed by Voldemort through the diary and opens the "Chamber of Secrets", unleashing an ancient monster which begins attacking students at Hogwarts. The novel delves into the history of Hogwarts and a legend revolving around the Chamber. For the first time, Harry realises that racial prejudice exists in the wizarding world, and he learns that Voldemort's reign of terror was often directed at wizards who were descended from Muggles. Harry also learns that his ability to speak Parseltongue, the language of snakes, is rare and often associated with the Dark Arts. The novel ends after Harry saves Ginny's life by destroying a basilisk and the enchanted diary which has been the source of the problems.
The third novel, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, follows Harry in his third year of magical education. It is the only book in the series which does not feature Voldemort. Instead, Harry must deal with the knowledge that he has been targeted by Sirius Black, an escaped murderer believed to have assisted in the deaths of Harry's parents. As Harry struggles with his reaction to the dementors—dark creatures with the power to devour a human soul—which are ostensibly protecting the school, he reaches out to Remus Lupin, a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher who is eventually revealed to be a werewolf. Lupin teaches Harry defensive measures which are well above the level of magic generally shown by people his age. Harry learns that both Lupin and Black were close friends of his father and that Black was framed by their fourth friend, Peter Pettigrew.^[19] In this book, another recurring theme throughout the series is emphasised—in every book there is a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, none of whom lasts more than one school year.

Voldemort returns

"The Elephant House" – The café in Edinburgh in which Rowling wrote the first part of Harry Potter.

During Harry's fourth year of school (detailed in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) Harry is unwillingly entered as a participant in the Triwizard Tournament, a dangerous contest where Harry must compete against a witch and a wizard "champion" from visiting schools as well as another Hogwarts student.^[20] Harry is guided through the tournament by Professor Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, who turns out to be an impostor – one of Voldemort's supporters named Barty Crouch, Jr in disguise. The point at which the mystery is unravelled marks the series' shift from foreboding and uncertainty into open conflict. Voldemort's plan to have Crouch use the tournament to bring Harry to Voldemort succeeds. Although Harry manages to escape, Cedric Diggory, the other Hogwarts champion in the tournament, is killed and Voldemort re-enters the wizarding world with a physical body.
In the fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry must confront the newly resurfaced Voldemort. In response to Voldemort's reappearance, Dumbledore re-activates the Order of the Phoenix, a secret society which works from Sirius Black's dark family home to defeat Voldemort's minions and protect Voldemort's targets, especially Harry. Despite Harry's description of Voldemort's recent activities, the Ministry of Magic and many others in the magical world refuse to believe that Voldemort has returned.^[21] In an attempt to counter and eventually discredit Dumbledore, who along with Harry is the most prominent voice in the wizarding world attempting to warn of Voldemort's return, the Ministry appoints Dolores Umbridge as the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts. She transforms the school into a dictatorial regime and refuses to allow the students to learn ways to defend themselves against dark magic.^[21]
Harry forms "Dumbledore's Army", a secret study group to teach his classmates the higher-level skills of Defence Against the Dark Arts that he has learned. An important prophecy concerning Harry and Voldemort is revealed,^[22] and Harry discovers that he and Voldemort have a painful connection, allowing Harry to view some of Voldemort's actions telepathically. In the novel's climax, Harry and his friends face off against Voldemort's Death Eaters. Although the timely arrival of members of the Order of the Phoenix saves the children's lives, Sirius Black is killed in the conflict.^[21]
In the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Voldemort begins waging open warfare. Harry and friends are relatively protected from that danger at Hogwarts. They are subject to all the difficulties of adolescence; Harry eventually begins dating Ginny Weasley. Near the beginning of the novel, Harry is given an old potions textbook filled with annotations and recommendations signed by a mysterious writer, "the Half-Blood Prince". This book is a source of scholastic success, but because of the potency of the spells that are written in it, becomes a source of concern. Harry takes private lessons with Dumbledore, who shows him various memories concerning the early life of Voldemort. These reveal that Voldemort, to preserve his life, has split his soul into pieces, creating a series of horcruxes, evil enchanted items hidden in various locations, one of which was the diary destroyed in the second book.^[23] Harry's snobbish adversary, Draco Malfoy, attempts to attack Dumbledore, and the book culminates in the killing of Dumbledore by Professor Snape, the titular Half-Blood Prince.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the last book in the series, begins directly after the events of the sixth book. Voldemort has completed his ascension to power and gains control of the Ministry of Magic. Harry, Ron, and Hermione drop out of school so that they can find and destroy Voldemort's remaining horcruxes. To ensure their own safety as well as that of their family and friends, they are forced to isolate themselves. As they search for the horcruxes, the trio learns details about Dumbledore's past, as well as Snape's true motives—he had worked on Dumbledore's behalf since the murder of Harry's mother.
The book culminates in the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, in conjunction with members of the Order of the Phoenix and many of the teachers and students, defend Hogwarts from Voldemort, his Death Eaters, and various magical creatures. Several major characters are killed in the first wave of the battle. After learning that he himself is a horcrux, Harry surrenders himself to Voldemort, who casts a killing curse at him. However, the defenders of Hogwarts do not surrender after learning this, but continue to fight on. Having managed to return from the dead, Harry finally faces Voldemort, whose horcruxes have all been destroyed. In the subsequent battle, Voldemort's curse rebounds off of Harry's spell and kills Voldemort. An epilogue describes the lives of the surviving characters and the effects on the wizarding world.

Supplementary works

See also: J. K. Rowling: Philanthropy

Rowling has expanded the Harry Potter universe with several short books produced for various charities.^[24][25] In 2001, she released Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (a purported Hogwarts textbook) and Quidditch Through the Ages (a book Harry reads for fun). Proceeds from the sale of these two books benefitted the charity Comic Relief.^[26] In 2007, Rowling composed seven handwritten copies of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a collection of fairy tales that is featured in the final novel, one of which was auctioned to raise money for the Children's High Level Group, a fund for mentally disabled children in poor countries. The book was published internationally on 4 December 2008.^[27][28] Rowling also wrote an 800-word prequel in 2008 as part of a fundraiser organised by the bookseller Waterstones.^[29] All three of these books contain extra information about the Wizarding World not included in the original novels. In 2011, Rowling launched a new website announcing an upcoming project called Pottermore.^[30] Pottermore opened to the general public on 14 April 2012.^[31] Pottermore allows users to be sorted, be chosen by their wand and play various minigames. The main purpose of the website however was to allow the user to journey though the story with access to content not revealed by JK Rowling previously, with over 18,000 words of additional content.^[32]

Structure and genre

See also: Harry Potter influences and analogues

The Harry Potter novels fall within the genre of fantasy literature; however, in many respects they are also bildungsromans, or coming of age novels,^[33] and contain elements of mystery, adventure, thriller, and romance. They can be considered part of the British children's boarding school genre, which includes Rudyard Kipling's Stalky & Co., Enid Blyton's Malory Towers, St. Clare's and the Naughtiest Girl series, and Frank Richards's Billy Bunter novels: the Harry Potter books are predominantly set in Hogwarts, a fictional British boarding school for wizards, where the curriculum includes the use of magic.^[34] In this sense they are "in a direct line of descent from Thomas Hughes's Tom Brown's School Days and other Victorian and Edwardian novels of British public school life".^[35][36] They are also, in the words of Stephen King, "shrewd mystery tales",^[37] and each book is constructed in the manner of a Sherlock Holmes-style mystery adventure. The stories are told from a third person limited point of view with very few exceptions (such as the opening chapters of Philosopher's Stone, Goblet of Fire and Deathly Hallows and the first two chapters of Half-Blood Prince).
In the middle of each book, Harry struggles with the problems he encounters, and dealing with them often involves the need to violate some school rules. If students are caught breaking rules, they are often disciplined by Hogwarts professors, who employ the use of punishments often found in the boarding school sub-genre.^{[citation needed]} However, the stories reach their climax in the summer term, near or just after final exams, when events escalate far beyond in-school squabbles and struggles, and Harry must confront either Voldemort or one of his followers, the Death Eaters, with the stakes a matter of life and death–a point underlined, as the series progresses, by one or more characters being killed in each of the final four books.^[38][39] In the aftermath, he learns important lessons through exposition and discussions with head teacher and mentor Albus Dumbledore.
In the final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry and his friends spend most of their time away from Hogwarts, and only return there to face Voldemort at the dénouement.^[38] Completing the bildungsroman format, in this part Harry must grow up prematurely, losing the chance of a last year as a pupil in a school and needing to act as an adult, on whose decisions everybody else depends—the grown-ups included.^{[citation needed]}

Themes

According to Rowling, a major theme in the series is death: "My books are largely about death. They open with the death of Harry's parents. There is Voldemort's obsession with conquering death and his quest for immortality at any price, the goal of anyone with magic. I so understand why Voldemort wants to conquer death. We're all frightened of it."^[8]
Academics and journalists have developed many other interpretations of themes in the books, some more complex than others, and some including political subtexts. Themes such as normality, oppression, survival, and overcoming imposing odds have all been considered as prevalent throughout the series.^[40] Similarly, the theme of making one's way through adolescence and "going over one's most harrowing ordeals—and thus coming to terms with them" has also been considered.^[41] Rowling has stated that the books comprise "a prolonged argument for tolerance, a prolonged plea for an end to bigotry" and that also pass on a message to "question authority and... not assume that the establishment or the press tells you all of the truth".^[42]
While the books could be said to comprise many other themes, such as power/abuse of power, love, prejudice, and free choice, they are, as Rowling states, "deeply entrenched in the whole plot"; the writer prefers to let themes "grow organically", rather than sitting down and consciously attempting to impart such ideas to her readers.^[9] Along the same lines is the ever-present theme of adolescence, in whose depiction Rowling has been purposeful in acknowledging her characters' sexualities and not leaving Harry, as she put it, "stuck in a state of permanent pre-pubescence".^[43] Rowling said that, to her, the moral significance of the tales seems "blindingly obvious". The key for her was the choice between what is right and what is easy, "because that ... is how tyranny is started, with people being apathetic and taking the easy route and suddenly finding themselves in deep trouble."^[44]

Origins and publishing history

The novelist, J. K. Rowling.

In 1990, Rowling was on a crowded train from Manchester to London when the idea for Harry suddenly "fell into her head". Rowling gives an account of the experience on her website saying:^[45]

"I had been writing almost continuously since the age of six but I had never been so excited about an idea before. I simply sat and thought, for four (delayed train) hours, and all the details bubbled up in my brain, and this scrawny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who did not know he was a wizard became more and more real to me."

Rowling completed Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 1995 and the manuscript was sent off to several prospective agents.^[46] The second agent she tried, Christopher Little, offered to represent her and sent the manuscript to Bloomsbury. After eight other publishers had rejected Philosopher's Stone, Bloomsbury offered Rowling a £2,500 advance for its publication.^[47][48] Despite Rowling's statement that she did not have any particular age group in mind when beginning to write the Harry Potter books, the publishers initially targeted children aged nine to eleven.^[49] On the eve of publishing, Rowling was asked by her publishers to adopt a more gender-neutral pen name in order to appeal to the male members of this age group, fearing that they would not be interested in reading a novel they knew to be written by a woman. She elected to use J. K. Rowling (Joanne Kathleen Rowling), using her grandmother's name as her second name because she has no middle name.^[48][50]
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was published by Bloomsbury, the publisher of all Harry Potter books in the United Kingdom, on 30 June 1997.^[51] It was released in the United States on 1 September 1998 by Scholastic—the American publisher of the books—as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,^[52] after Rowling had received US$105,000 for the American rights—an unprecedented amount for a children's book by a then-unknown author.^[53] Fearing that American readers would not associate the word "philosopher" with a magical theme (although the Philosopher's Stone is alchemy-related), Scholastic insisted that the book be given the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for the American market.
The second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was originally published in the UK on 2 July 1998 and in the US on 2 June 1999. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was then published a year later in the UK on 8 July 1999 and in the US on 8 September 1999.^[54] Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was published on 8 July 2000 at the same time by Bloomsbury and Scholastic.^[55] Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the longest book in the series at 766 pages in the UK version and 870 pages in the US version.^[56] It was published worldwide in English on 21 June 2003.^[57] Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was published on 16 July 2005, and it sold 9 million copies in the first 24 hours of its worldwide release.^[58][59] The seventh and final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was published 21 July 2007.^[60] The book sold 11 million copies in the first 24 hours of release, breaking down to 2.7 million copies in the UK and 8.3 million in the US.^[59]

Translations

Main article: Harry Potter in translation

The series has been translated into 67 languages,^[2][61] placing Rowling among the most translated authors in history.^[62] The books have seen translations to diverse languages such as Azerbaijani, Ukrainian, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, Welsh, Afrikaans, Albanian, Latvian and Vietnamese. The first volume has been translated into Latin and even Ancient Greek,^[63] making it the longest published work in Ancient Greek since the novels of Heliodorus of Emesa in the 3rd century AD.^[64]
Some of the translators hired to work on the books were well-known authors before their work on Harry Potter, such as Viktor Golyshev, who oversaw the Russian translation of the series' fifth book. The Turkish translation of books two to seven was undertaken by Sevin Okyay, a popular literary critic and cultural commentator.^[65] For reasons of secrecy, translation can only start when the books are released in English; thus there is a lag of several months before the translations are available. This has led to more and more copies of the English editions being sold to impatient fans in non-English speaking countries. Such was the clamour to read the fifth book that its English language edition became the first English-language book ever to top the best-seller list in France.^[66]
The United States editions have been adapted into American English, to make them more understandable to a young American audience.^[67]

Completion of the series

In December 2005, Rowling stated on her web site, "2006 will be the year when I write the final book in the Harry Potter series."^[68] Updates then followed in her online diary chronicling the progress of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, with the release date of 21 July 2007. The book itself was finished on 11 January 2007 in the Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh, where she scrawled a message on the back of a bust of Hermes. It read: "J. K. Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in this room (552) on 11 January 2007."^[69]
Rowling herself has stated that the last chapter of the final book (in fact, the epilogue) was completed "in something like 1990".^[70][71] In June 2006, Rowling, on an appearance on the British talk show Richard & Judy, announced that the chapter had been modified as one character "got a reprieve" and two others who previously survived the story had in fact been killed. On 28 March 2007, the cover art for the Bloomsbury Adult and Child versions and the Scholastic version were released.^[72][73]

Achievements

Cultural impact

For more details on this topic, see Harry Potter fandom.

London King's Cross railway station's tribute to the book by placing a sign of the fictional platform from the book series due to its vast popularity.

Fans of the series were so eager for the latest instalment that bookstores around the world began holding events to coincide with the midnight release of the books, beginning with the 2000 publication of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The events, commonly featuring mock sorting, games, face painting, and other live entertainment have achieved popularity with Potter fans and have been highly successful in attracting fans and selling books with nearly nine million of the 10.8 million initial print copies of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince sold in the first 24 hours.^[74][75] The final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows became the fastest selling book in history, moving 11 million units in the first twenty-four hours of release.^[76] The series has also gathered adult fans, leading to the release of two editions of each Harry Potter book, identical in text but with one edition's cover artwork aimed at children and the other aimed at adults.^[77] Besides meeting online through blogs, podcasts, and fansites, Harry Potter super-fans can also meet at Harry Potter symposia. The word Muggle has spread beyond its Harry Potter origins, becoming one of few pop culture words to land in the Oxford English Dictionary.^[78] The Harry Potter fandom has embraced podcasts as a regular, often weekly, insight to the latest discussion in the fandom. Both MuggleCast and PotterCast^[79] have reached the top spot of iTunes podcast rankings and have been polled one of the top 50 favourite podcasts.^[80]

Commercial success

See also: List of best-selling books

Crowds wait outside a Borders store in Newark, Delaware, for the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

The popularity of the Harry Potter series has translated into substantial financial success for Rowling, her publishers, and other Harry Potter related license holders. This success has made Rowling the first and thus far only billionaire author.^[81] The books have sold more than 400 million copies worldwide and have also given rise to the popular film adaptations produced by Warner Bros., all of which have been highly successful in their own right.^[3][82] The films have in turn spawned eight video games and have led to the licensing of more than 400 additional Harry Potter products (including an iPod). The Harry Potter brand has been estimated to be worth as much as $15 billion.^[10]
The great demand for Harry Potter books motivated the New York Times to create a separate best-seller list for children's literature in 2000, just before the release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. By 24 June 2000, Rowling's novels had been on the list for 79 straight weeks; the first three novels were each on the hardcover best-seller list.^[83] On 12 April 2007, Barnes & Noble declared that Deathly Hallows had broken its pre-order record, with more than 500,000 copies pre-ordered through its site.^[84] For the release of Goblet of Fire, 9,000 FedEx trucks were used with no other purpose than to deliver the book.^[85] Together, Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble pre-sold more than 700,000 copies of the book.^[85] In the United States, the book's initial printing run was 3.8 million copies.^[85] This record statistic was broken by Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, with 8.5 million, which was then shattered by Half-Blood Prince with 10.8 million copies.^[86] 6.9 million copies of Prince were sold in the U.S. within the first 24 hours of its release; in the United Kingdom more than two million copies were sold on the first day.^[87] The initial U.S. print run for Deathly Hallows was 12 million copies, and more than a million were pre-ordered through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.^[88]

Awards, honours, and recognition

The Harry Potter series have been the recipients of a host of awards since the initial publication of Philosopher's Stone including four Whitaker Platinum Book Awards (all of which were awarded in 2001),^[89] three Nestlé Smarties Book Prizes (1997–1999),^[90] two Scottish Arts Council Book Awards (1999 and 2001),^[91] the inaugural Whitbread children's book of the year award (1999),^[92] the WHSmith book of the year (2006),^[93] among others. In 2000, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Novel, and in 2001, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire won said award.^[94] Honours include a commendation for the Carnegie Medal (1997),^[95] a short listing for the Guardian Children's Award (1998), and numerous listings on the notable books, editors' Choices, and best books lists of the American Library Association, The New York Times, Chicago Public Library, and Publishers Weekly.^[96]
A 2004 study found that books in the series were commonly read aloud in elementary schools in San Diego County, California.^[97] Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association in the U.S. listed the series in its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children."^[98] Three of the books (Sorcerer’s Stone, Prisoner of Azkaban, and Goblet of Fire) were among the "Top 100 Chapter Books" of all time in a 2012 poll by School Library Journal.^[99]

Reception

Literary criticism

British editions of the seven Harry Potter books.

Early in its history, Harry Potter received positive reviews. On publication, the first volume, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, attracted attention from the Scottish newspapers, such as The Scotsman, which said it had "all the makings of a classic",^[100] and The Glasgow Herald, which called it "Magic stuff".^[100] Soon the English newspapers joined in, with more than one comparing it to Roald Dahl's work: The Mail on Sunday rated it as "the most imaginative debut since Roald Dahl",^[100] a view echoed by The Sunday Times ("comparisons to Dahl are, this time, justified"),^[100] while The Guardian called it "a richly textured novel given lift-off by an inventive wit".^[100]
By the time of the release of the fifth volume, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the books began to receive strong criticism from a number of literary scholars. Yale professor, literary scholar and critic Harold Bloom raised criticisms of the books' literary merits, saying, "Rowling's mind is so governed by clichés and dead metaphors that she has no other style of writing."^[101] A. S. Byatt authored a New York Times op-ed article calling Rowling's universe a "secondary secondary world, made up of intelligently patchworked derivative motifs from all sorts of children's literature ... written for people whose imaginative lives are confined to TV cartoons, and the exaggerated (more exciting, not threatening) mirror-worlds of soaps, reality TV and celebrity gossip".^[102]
Michael Rosen, a novelist and poet, advocated the books were not suited for children, who would be unable to grasp the complex themes. Rosen also stated that "J. K. Rowling is more of an adult writer."^[103] The critic Anthony Holden wrote in The Observer on his experience of judging Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for the 1999 Whitbread Awards. His overall view of the series was negative—"the Potter saga was essentially patronising, conservative, highly derivative, dispiritingly nostalgic for a bygone Britain", and he speaks of "pedestrian, ungrammatical prose style".^[104] Ursula Le Guin said, "I have no great opinion of it. When so many adult critics were carrying on about the 'incredible originality' of the first Harry Potter book, I read it to find out what the fuss was about, and remained somewhat puzzled; it seemed a lively kid's fantasy crossed with a "school novel", good fare for its age group, but stylistically ordinary, imaginatively derivative, and ethically rather mean-spirited."^[105]
By contrast, author Fay Weldon, while admitting that the series is "not what the poets hoped for", nevertheless goes on to say, "but this is not poetry, it is readable, saleable, everyday, useful prose".^[106] The literary critic A. N. Wilson praised the Harry Potter series in The Times, stating: "There are not many writers who have JK's Dickensian ability to make us turn the pages, to weep—openly, with tears splashing—and a few pages later to laugh, at invariably good jokes ... We have lived through a decade in which we have followed the publication of the liveliest, funniest, scariest and most moving children's stories ever written".^[107] Charles Taylor of Salon.com, who is primarily a movie critic,^[108] took issue with Byatt's criticisms in particular. While he conceded that she may have "a valid cultural point—a teeny one—about the impulses that drive us to reassuring pop trash and away from the troubling complexities of art",^[109] he rejected her claims that the series is lacking in serious literary merit and that it owes its success merely to the childhood reassurances it offers. Taylor stressed the progressively darker tone of the books, shown by the murder of a classmate and close friend and the psychological wounds and social isolation each causes. Taylor also argued that Philosopher's Stone, said to be the most light-hearted of the seven published books, disrupts the childhood reassurances that Byatt claims spur the series' success: the book opens with news of a double murder, for example.^[109]
Stephen King called the series "a feat of which only a superior imagination is capable", and declared "Rowling's punning, one-eyebrow-cocked sense of humor" to be "remarkable". However, he wrote that despite the story being "a good one", he is "a little tired of discovering Harry at home with his horrible aunt and uncle", the formulaic beginning of all seven books.^[37] King has also joked that "Rowling's never met an adverb she did not like!" He does however predict that Harry Potter "will indeed stand time's test and wind up on a shelf where only the best are kept; I think Harry will take his place with Alice, Huck, Frodo, and Dorothy and this is one series not just for the decade, but for the ages".^[110]

Social impacts

Although Time magazine named Rowling as a runner-up for its 2007 Person of the Year award, noting the social, moral, and political inspiration she has given her fandom,^[111] cultural comments on the series have been mixed. Washington Post book critic Ron Charles opined in July 2007 that the large numbers of adults reading the Potter series but few other books may represent a "bad case of cultural infantilism", and that the straightforward "good vs. evil" theme of the series is "childish". He also argued "through no fault of Rowling's", the cultural and marketing "hysteria" marked by the publication of the later books "trains children and adults to expect the roar of the coliseum, a mass-media experience that no other novel can possibly provide".^[112]
Librarian Nancy Knapp pointed out the books' potential to improve literacy by motivating children to read much more than they otherwise would.^[113] Agreeing about the motivating effects, Diane Penrod also praised the books' blending of simple entertainment with "the qualities of highbrow literary fiction", but expressed concern about the distracting effect of the prolific merchandising that accompanies the book launches.^[114]
Jennifer Conn used Snape's and Quidditch coach Madam Hooch's teaching methods as examples of what to avoid and what to emulate in clinical teaching,^[115] and Joyce Fields wrote that the books illustrate four of the five main topics in a typical first-year sociology class: "sociological concepts including culture, society, and socialisation; stratification and social inequality; social institutions; and social theory".^[116]
Jenny Sawyer wrote in 25 July 2007 Christian Science Monitor that the books represent a "disturbing trend in commercial storytelling and Western society" in that stories "moral center [sic] have all but vanished from much of today's pop culture ... after 10 years, 4,195 pages, and over 375 million copies, J. K. Rowling's towering achievement lacks the cornerstone of almost all great children's literature: the hero's moral journey". Harry Potter, Sawyer argues, neither faces a "moral struggle" nor undergoes any ethical growth, and is thus "no guide in circumstances in which right and wrong are anything less than black and white".^[117] In contrast Emily Griesinger described Harry's first passage through to Platform 9¾ as an application of faith and hope, and his encounter with the Sorting Hat as the first of many in which Harry is shaped by the choices he makes. She also noted the "deeper magic" by which the self-sacrifice of Harry's mother protects the boy throughout the series, and which the power-hungry Voldemort fails to understand.^[118]
In an 8 November 2002 Slate article, Chris Suellentrop likened Potter to a "trust-fund kid whose success at school is largely attributable to the gifts his friends and relatives lavish upon him". Noting that in Rowling's fiction, magical ability potential is "something you are born to, not something you can achieve", Suellentrop wrote that Dumbledore's maxim that "It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities" is hypocritical, as "the school that Dumbledore runs values native gifts above all else".^[119] In a 12 August 2007 New York Times review of Deathly Hallows, however, Christopher Hitchens praised Rowling for "unmooring" her "English school story" from literary precedents "bound up with dreams of wealth and class and snobbery", arguing that she had instead created "a world of youthful democracy and diversity".^[120]

Controversies

Main articles: Legal disputes over the Harry Potter series, Religious debates over the Harry Potter series, Politics of Harry Potter, and Tanya Grotter

The books have been the subject of a number of legal proceedings, stemming either from claims by American Christian groups that the magic in the books promotes Wicca and witchcraft among children, or from various conflicts over copyright and trademark infringements. The popularity and high market value of the series has led Rowling, her publishers, and film distributor Warner Bros. to take legal measures to protect their copyright, which have included banning the sale of Harry Potter imitations, targeting the owners of websites over the "Harry Potter" domain name, and suing author Nancy Stouffer to counter her accusations that Rowling had plagiarised her work.^{[121][122][123]} Various religious conservatives have claimed that the books promote witchcraft and are therefore unsuitable for children,^[124] while a number of critics have criticised the books for promoting various political agendas.^[125][126]
The books also aroused controversies in the literary and publishing worlds. In 1997 to 1998 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone won almost all the UK awards judged by children, but none of the children's book awards judged by adults,^[127] and Sandra Beckett suggested the reason was intellectual snobbery towards books that were popular among children.^[128] In 1999 the winner of the Whitbread Book of the Year Award children's division was entered for the first time on the shortlist for the main award, and one judge threatened to resign if Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was declared the overall winner; it finished second, very close behind the winner of the poetry prize, Seamus Heaney's translation of the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf.^[128]
In 2000, shortly before the publication of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the previous three Harry Potter books topped the New York Times fiction best-seller list and a third of the entries were children's books. The newspaper created a new children's section covering children's books, including both fiction and non-fiction, and initially counting only hardback sales. The move was supported by publishers and booksellers.^[83] In 2004 The New York Times further split the children's list, which was still dominated by Harry Potter books into sections for series and individual books, and removed the Harry Potter books from the section for individual books.^[129] The split in 2000 attracted condemnation, praise and some comments that presented both benefits and disadvantages of the move.^[130] Time suggested that, on the same principle, Billboard should have created a separate "mop-tops" list in 1964 when the Beatles held the top five places in its list, and Nielsen should have created a separate game-show list when Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? dominated the ratings.^[131]

Adaptations

Films

Main article: Harry Potter (film series)

The locomotive that features as the "Hogwarts Express" in the film series.

In 1998, Rowling sold the film rights of the first four Harry Potter books to Warner Bros. for a reported £1 million ($1,982,900).^[132][133] Rowling demanded the principal cast be kept strictly British, nonetheless allowing for the inclusion of Irish actors such as the late Richard Harris as Dumbledore, and for casting of French and Eastern Europe actors in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire where characters from the book are specified as such.^[134] After many directors including Steven Spielberg, Terry Gilliam, Jonathan Demme, and Alan Parker were considered, Chris Columbus was appointed on 28 March 2000 as director for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (titled "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in the United States), with Warner Bros. citing his work on other family films such as Home Alone and Mrs. Doubtfire and proven experience with directing children as influences for their decision.^[135] After extensive casting, filming began in October 2000 at Leavesden Film Studios and in London itself, with production ending in July 2001.^[136][137] Philosopher's Stone was released on 14 November 2001. Just three days after the film's release, production for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, also directed by Columbus, began. Filming was completed in summer 2002, with the film being released on 15 November 2002.^[138] Daniel Radcliffe portrayed Harry Potter, doing so for all succeeding films in the franchise.
Columbus declined to direct Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, only acting as producer. Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón took over the job, and after shooting in 2003, the film was released on 4 June 2004. Due to the fourth film beginning its production before the third's release, Mike Newell was chosen as the director for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, released on 18 November 2005.^[139] Newell became the first British director of the series, with television director David Yates following suit after he was chosen to helm Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Production began in January 2006 and the film was released the following year in July 2007.^[140] After executives were "really delighted" with his work on the film, Yates was selected to direct Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which was released on 15 July 2009.^{[141][142][143][144]}
In March 2008, Warner Bros. President and COO Alan F. Horn announced that the final instalment in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, would be released in two cinematic parts: Part 1 on 19 November 2010 and Part 2 on 15 July 2011. David Yates returned to direct, becoming the only director to have helmed more than one film since Chris Columbus. Production of both parts started in February 2009, with the final day of principal photography taking place on 12 June 2010.^[145][146]
Rowling had creative control on the film series, observing the filmmaking process of Philosopher's Stone and serving as producer on the two-part Deathly Hallows, alongside David Heyman and David Barron.^[147] The Harry Potter films have been top-rank box office hits, with all eight releases on the list of highest-grossing films worldwide. Philosopher's Stone became the highest-grossing Harry Potter film upon completing its theatrical run in 2002, but it was eventually topped by Deathly Hallows. David Yates' first two instalments grossed higher than any other film after Philosopher's Stone, while Alfonso Cuarón's Prisoner of Azkaban grossed the least.^[148] As well as financial success, the film series has also been a success among film critics.^[149][150]
Opinions of the films are generally divided among fans, with one group preferring the more faithful approach of the first two films, and another group preferring the more stylised character-driven approach of the later films.^[151] Rowling has been constantly supportive of all the films and evaluated Deathly Hallows as her "favourite one" in the series.^{[152][153][154][155]} She wrote on her website of the changes in the book-to-film transition, "It is simply impossible to incorporate every one of my storylines into a film that has to be kept under four hours long. Obviously films have restrictions novels do not have, constraints of time and budget; I can create dazzling effects relying on nothing but the interaction of my own and my readers' imaginations".^[156]
At the 64th British Academy Film Awards in February 2011, Rowling was joined by producers David Heyman and David Barron along with directors David Yates, Alfonso Cuarón and Mike Newell in collecting the Michael Balcon Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema on behalf of all the films in the series. Actors Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, who play main characters Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, were also in attendance.^[157][158]

Games

There are eleven Harry Potter video games, eight of which correspond with the films and books, and three other spin-offs. The film/book based games are produced by Electronic Arts, as was the Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup game, with the game version of the first entry in the series, Philosopher's Stone, being released in November 2001. The video games are released to coincide with the films, containing scenery and details from the films as well as the tone and spirit of the books. Objectives usually occur in and around Hogwarts, along with various other magical areas. The story and design of the games follows the selected film's characterisation and plot; EA worked closely with Warner Brothers to include scenes from the films. The last game in the series, Deathly Hallows, was split with Part 1 released in November 2010 and Part 2 debuting on consoles in July 2011. The two-part game forms the first entry to convey an intense theme of action and violence, with the gameplay revolving around a third-person shooter style format.^[159][160] The other spin-offs games, Lego Harry Potter: Years 1–4 and Lego Harry Potter: Years 5–7 are developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. A number of other non-interactive media games have been released; board games such as Cluedo Harry Potter Edition, Scene It? Harry Potter and Lego Harry Potter models, which are influenced by the themes of both the novels and films.

Audiobooks

All seven Harry Potter books have been released in unabridged audiobook versions, with Stephen Fry reading for listeners in the UK, and Jim Dale voicing the series for the American editions.