User talk:Readerofmanga80

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The Wikipedia tutorial is a good place to start learning about Wikipedia. If you have any questions, see the help pages, add a question to the village pump or ask me on my talk page. By the way, you can sign your name on Talk and discussion pages using four tildes, like this: ~~~~ (the software will replace them with your signature and the date). Again, welcome! - Mlpearc (open channel) 18:55, 25 February 2017 (UTC)

February 2017

Please do not add or change content, as you did at Ghost in the Shell (1995 film), without citing a reliable source using an inline citation that clearly supports the material. The burden is on the person wishing to keep in the material to meet these requirements, as a necessary (but not always sufficient) condition. Please review the guidelines at Wikipedia:Citing sources and take this opportunity to add references to the article. Thank you. - Mlpearc (open channel) 18:56, 25 February 2017 (UTC)

Please stop adding unsourced content, as you did to Akira (1988 film). This contravenes Wikipedia's policy on verifiability. If you continue to do so, you may be blocked from editing Wikipedia. - Mlpearc (open channel) 18:57, 25 February 2017 (UTC)

You may be blocked from editing without further warning the next time you add unsourced material to Wikipedia, as you did at Ghost in the Shell (1995 film). - Mlpearc (open channel) 18:59, 25 February 2017 (UTC)

You may be blocked from editing without further warning the next time you disrupt Wikipedia, as you did at Princess Mononoke. - Mlpearc (open channel) 19:57, 25 February 2017 (UTC)

ANI notice

There is currently a discussion at Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents regarding an issue with which you may have been involved. - Mlpearc (open channel) 20:14, 25 February 2017 (UTC)

February 2017

You have been blocked from editing for a period of 48 hours for persistently making disruptive edits. Once the block has expired, you are welcome to make useful contributions. If you think there are good reasons why you should be unblocked, you may request an unblock by first reading the guide to appealing blocks, then adding the following text to the bottom of your talk page: {{unblock|reason=Your reason here ~~~~}}.  Primefac (talk) 20:16, 25 February 2017 (UTC)

Hello, I'm Semmendinger. An edit that you recently made to Princess Mononoke seemed to be a test and has been removed. If you want more practice editing, please use the sandbox. If you think a mistake was made, or if you have any questions, you can leave me a message on my talk page. Please use the preview button before submitting a page edit. You have 21 edits on this page a few days ago that were all reverted and another 10+ today that constantly break the template.

Use PREVIEW to make sure you aren't breaking the page! Semmendinger (talk) 22:52, 28 February 2017 (UTC)

Please refrain from making unconstructive edits to Wikipedia, as you did at Princess Mononoke. Your edits appear to be disruptive and have been reverted.

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Please ensure you are familiar with Wikipedia's policies and guidelines, and please do not continue to make edits that appear disruptive. Continual disruptive editing may result in loss of editing privileges. Thank you. Semmendinger (talk) 22:54, 28 February 2017 (UTC)

Please stop making disruptive edits, as you did at Princess Mononoke.

• If you are engaged in an article content dispute with another editor, discuss the matter with the editor at their talk page, or the article's talk page, and seek consensus with them. Alternatively you can read Wikipedia's dispute resolution page, and ask for independent help at one of the relevant notice boards.
• If you are engaged in any other form of dispute that is not covered on the dispute resolution page, seek assistance at Wikipedia's Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents.

If you continue to disrupt Wikipedia, you may be blocked from editing. Semmendinger (talk) 22:55, 28 February 2017 (UTC)

You may be blocked from editing without further warning the next time you vandalize Wikipedia. Semmendinger (talk) 22:59, 28 February 2017 (UTC)

You have been blocked indefinitely from editing for persistently making disruptive edits. If you think there are good reasons why you should be unblocked, you may request an unblock by first reading the guide to appealing blocks, then adding the following text to the bottom of your talk page: {{unblock|reason=Your reason here ~~~~}}.  Huon (talk) 23:17, 28 February 2017 (UTC)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Two posters, one with photographs and the other hand-drawn, both depicting a young boy with glasses, an old man with glasses, a young girl holding books, a redheaded boy, and a large bearded man in front of a castle, with an owl flying. The left poster also features an adult man, an old woman, and a train, with the titles being "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone". The right poster has a long-nosed goblin and blowtorches, with the title "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". International poster displaying the Philosopher's Stone title (left) and the American poster, designed by Drew Struzan, displaying the Sorcerer's Stone title (right).
Directed by	Chris Columbus
Screenplay by	Steve Kloves
Produced by	David Heyman
Starring	Daniel Radcliffe Rupert Grint Emma Watson John Cleese Robbie Coltrane Warwick Davis Richard Griffiths Richard Harris Ian Hart John Hurt Alan Rickman Fiona Shaw Maggie Smith Julie Walters
Cinematography	John Seale
Edited by	Richard Francis-Bruce
Music by	John Williams
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates	4 November 2001 (2001-11-04) (Odeon Leicester Square) 16 November 2001 (2001-11-16) (United Kingdom)
Running time	152 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	$125 million
Box office	$974.8 million

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (released in some countries as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) is a 2001 British fantasy film directed by Chris Columbus and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. The film was the first installment in the Harry Potter film series, and was adapted by Steve Kloves who wrote the screenplay and produced by David Heyman. Its story follows Harry Potter's first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as he discovers that he is a famous wizard and begins his education. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, with Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger.

Warner Bros. bought the film rights to the book in 1999 for a reported £1 million. Production began in the United Kingdom in 2000, with Chris Columbus being chosen to direct the film from a short list of directors that included Steven Spielberg and Rob Reiner that were attempted to direct the film. J. K. Rowling insisted that the entire cast be British or Irish, and the film was shot at Leavesden Film Studios and historic buildings around the United Kingdom.

The film was released in theatres in the United Kingdom on 16 November 2001. It received a very positive critical reception, earned more than $970 million at the box office worldwide, and was nominated for many awards including the Academy Award for Best Original Score, Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. It was followed by seven sequels, beginning with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in 2002 and ending with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 in 2011, nearly ten years after the first film's release. As of December 2015, it is the 30th-highest-grossing film of all time and the second-highest-grossing film in the series behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.

Plot

Further information: Plot of the novel

Harry Potter is a seemingly ordinary boy living with the Dursleys, his only remaining relatives who treat him badly, in Little Whinging, Surrey, England. In 1991, after inadvertently causing an accident on a family outing and receiving several unsolicited letters by owl, Rubeus Hagrid appears and informs Harry that he is a wizard, known for being the first and only one to survive an attack by Lord Voldemort, a once-powerful dark wizard who terrorized the Wizarding World and murdered those who stood in his way, including Harry's parents James and Lily Potter. Hagrid reveals to Harry that he has been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After buying his school supplies from the hidden London street, Diagon Alley, Harry boards the train to Hogwarts via the concealed Platform 9¾ in King's Cross Station.

On the train Harry meets Ron Weasley, a boy from a large but poor pure-blood wizarding family, and Hermione Granger, a witch born to non-magical parents. Once they arrive Harry and all the other first-year students are sorted between four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Because Slytherin is noted for being the house of darker wizards and witches, Harry convinces the Sorting Hat not to put him in Slytherin. He ends up in Gryffindor along with Ron and Hermione. Ron's older brothers were all placed in Gryffindor as well: mischievous twins Fred and George, Percy the prefect, Charlie (who researches dragons in Romania) and Bill (who works for Gringotts Bank).

At Hogwarts Harry begins learning wizardry and discovers more about his past and his parents. He gets recruited for Gryffindor's Quidditch (a sport in the wizarding world where people fly on broomsticks) team as a Seeker, as his father was before him. One night he, Ron, and Hermione discover a large three-headed dog named Fluffy (owned by Hagrid) on a restricted floor in the school. They later find out Fluffy is guarding the Philosopher's Stone, an item that can be used to grant its owner immortality. Harry concludes that his potions teacher, the unfriendly Severus Snape, is trying to obtain the stone in order to return Voldemort (who Harry encounters in the Forbidden Forest where he, Ron, Hermione, and Draco Malfoy are serving detention by helping Hagrid look for an injured unicorn after being caught wandering around at night) to a human form.

After hearing from Hagrid that Fluffy will fall asleep if played music, Harry, Ron and Hermione decide to find the stone before Snape does. They face a series of tasks that are helping guard the stone which include surviving a deadly plant known as Devil's Snare, flying past a swarm of bird-shaped flying keys and winning a dangerous, life-sized game of chess.

After getting past the tasks Harry discovers that it was really Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Professor Quirrell who was trying to steal the stone, and that Snape was protecting Harry all along. Quirrell removes his turban and reveals Voldemort to be living on the back of his head. Voldemort attempts to convince Harry to give him the stone (which Harry suddenly finds in his pocket as the result of an enchantment by the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore), by promising to bring his parents back from the dead, but Harry refuses. Quirrell attempts to kill him and take the stone, but Harry's touch turns Quirrell into dust. When Harry gets up, Voldemort's spirit rises from Quirrell's ashes and passes through Harry, knocking him unconscious before fleeing.

Harry wakes up in the school's hospital wing with Professor Dumbledore at his side. Dumbledore explains that the stone has been destroyed and that, despite Ron nearly being killed in the chess match, he and Hermione are both fine. The headmaster reveals that Harry was able to defeat Quirrell because when Harry's mother died to save him her death gave Harry a magical, love-based protection against Voldemort. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are rewarded with house points for their heroic performances, and Neville Longbottom is rewarded for bravely standing up to them, winning Gryffindor the House Cup. Before Harry and the rest of the students leave for the summer, Harry realises that while all other students are going home, Hogwarts is truly his home.

Cast

Further information: List of Harry Potter cast members

Rowling insisted that the cast be kept British. Susie Figgis was appointed as casting director, working with both Columbus and Rowling in auditioning the lead roles of Harry, Ron and Hermione. Open casting calls were held for the main three roles, with only British children being considered. The principal auditions took place in three parts, with those auditioning having to read a page from the novel, then to improvise a scene of the students' arrival at Hogwarts, and finally to read several pages from the script in front of Columbus. Scenes from Columbus' script for the 1985 film Young Sherlock Holmes were also used in auditions. On 11 July 2000, Figgis left the production, complaining that Columbus did not consider any of the thousands of children they had auditioned "worthy". On 8 August 2000, the virtually unknown Daniel Radcliffe and newcomers Rupert Grint and Emma Watson were selected to play Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, respectively.

• Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, an 11-year-old British orphan raised by his unwelcoming aunt and uncle, who learns of his own fame as a wizard known to have survived his parents' murder at the hands of the psychopathic dark wizard Lord Voldemort as an infant when he is accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Columbus had wanted Radcliffe for the role since he saw him in the BBC's production of David Copperfield, before the open casting sessions had taken place, but had been told by Figgis that Radcliffe's protective parents would not allow their son to take the part. Columbus explained that his persistence in giving Radcliffe the role was responsible for Figgis' resignation. Radcliffe was asked to audition in 2000, when Heyman and Kloves met him and his parents at a production of Stones in His Pockets in London. Heyman and Columbus successfully managed to convince Radcliffe's parents that their son would be protected from media intrusion, and they agreed to let him play Harry. Rowling approved of Radcliffe's casting, stating that "having seen [his] screen test I don't think Chris Columbus could have found a better Harry." Radcliffe was reportedly paid £1 million for the film, although he felt the fee was not "that important". William Moseley, who was later cast as Peter Pevensie in The Chronicles of Narnia series, also auditioned for the role.
• Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, Harry's best friend at Hogwarts. He decided he would be perfect for the part "because [he has got] ginger hair," and was a fan of the series. Having seen a Newsround report about the open casting he sent in a video of himself rapping about how he wished to receive the part. His attempt was successful as the casting team asked for a meeting with him.
• Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, Harry's other best friend and the trio's brains. Watson's Oxford theatre teacher passed her name on to the casting agents and she had to do over five interviews before she got the part. Watson took her audition seriously, but "never really thought [she] had any chance of getting the role." The producers were impressed by Watson's self-confidence and she outperformed the thousands of other girls who had applied.
• John Cleese as Nearly Headless Nick, the ghost of Hogwarts' Gryffindor House.
• Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid, a half-giant and Hogwarts' Groundskeeper. Coltrane was Rowling's first choice for the part. Coltrane, who was already a fan of the books, prepared for the role by discussing Hagrid's past and future with Rowling. According to Figgis, Robin Williams was interested in participating in the film, but was turned down for the Hagrid role because of the "only British" rule which Columbus was determined to maintain.
• Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick, the Charms Master and head of Hogwarts' Ravenclaw House.
• Richard Griffiths as Vernon Dursley, Harry's Muggle (non-magical) uncle.
• Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts' Headmaster and one of the most famous and powerful wizards of all time. Harris initially rejected the role of Dumbledore, only to reverse his decision after his granddaughter stated she would never speak to him again if he did not take it.
• Ian Hart as Quirinus Quirrell, the slightly nervous Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, and also Lord Voldemort's voice. David Thewlis auditioned for the part; he would later be cast as Remus Lupin in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
• John Hurt as Mr. Ollivander, the owner of Ollivanders, the finest wand producers in the wizarding world since 382 B.C.
• Alan Rickman as Severus Snape, the Potions Master and head of Hogwarts' Slytherin House. Tim Roth was the original choice for the role, but he turned it down for Planet of the Apes.
• Fiona Shaw as Petunia Dursley, Harry's Muggle aunt.
• Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress, head of Gryffindor and transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts. Smith was Rowling's personal choice for the part.
• Julie Walters as Molly Weasley, Ron's caring mother. She shows Harry how to get to Platform 9+3⁄4. Before Walters was cast, American actress Rosie O'Donnell held talks with Columbus about playing Mrs. Weasley.

Rik Mayall was cast in the role of Peeves, a poltergeist who likes to prank students in the novel. Mayall had to shout his lines off camera during takes, but the scene ended up being cut from the film.

Production

Development

In 1997, producer David Heyman searched for a book that could be adapted into a well-received film. He had planned to produce Diana Wynne Jones' novel The Ogre Downstairs, but his plans fell through. His staff at Heyday Films then suggested Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which his assistant believed was "a cool idea." Heyman pitched the idea to Warner Bros. and in 1999, Rowling sold the company the rights to the first four Harry Potter books for a reported £1 million (US$1,982,900). A demand Rowling made was that the principal cast be kept strictly British, nonetheless allowing for the inclusion of Irish actors such as Richard Harris as Dumbledore, and for casting of French and Eastern European actors in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire where characters from the book are specified as such. Rowling was hesitant to sell the rights because she "didn't want to give them control over the rest of the story" by selling the rights to the characters, which would have enabled Warner Bros. to make non-author-written sequels.

Although Steven Spielberg initially negotiated to direct the film, he declined the offer. Spielberg reportedly wanted the adaptation to be an animated film, with American actor Haley Joel Osment to provide Harry Potter's voice, or a film that incorporated elements from subsequent books as well. Spielberg contended that, in his opinion, it was like "shooting ducks in a barrel. It's just a slam dunk. It's just like withdrawing a billion dollars and putting it into your personal bank accounts. There's no challenge." Rowling maintains that she had no role in choosing directors for the films and that "[a]nyone who thinks I could (or would) have 'veto-ed' [ sic ] him [Spielberg] needs their Quick-Quotes Quill serviced." Heyman recalled that Spielberg decided to direct A.I. Artificial Intelligence instead.

After Spielberg left, talks began with other directors, including: Chris Columbus, Terry Gilliam, Jonathan Demme, Mike Newell, Alan Parker, Wolfgang Petersen, Rob Reiner, Ivan Reitman, Tim Robbins, Brad Silberling, M. Night Shyamalan and Peter Weir. Petersen and Reiner both pulled out of the running in March 2000, and the choice was narrowed down to Silberling, Columbus, Parker and Gilliam. Rowling's first choice director was Terry Gilliam, but Warner Bros. chose Columbus, citing his work on other family films such as Home Alone and Mrs. Doubtfire as influences for their decision. Columbus pitched his vision of the film for two hours, stating that he wanted the Muggle scenes "to be bleak and dreary" but those set in the wizarding world "to be steeped in color, mood, and detail." He took inspiration from David Lean's adaptations of Great Expectations (1946) and Oliver Twist (1948), wishing to use "that sort of darkness, that sort of edge, that quality to the cinematography," taking the colour designs from Oliver! and The Godfather.

"Harry Potter is the kind of timeless literary achievement that comes around once in a lifetime. Since the books have generated such a passionate following across the world, it was important to us to find a director that [sic] has an affinity for both children and magic. I can't think of anyone more ideally suited for this job than Chris."

— Lorenzo di Bonaventura

Steve Kloves was selected to write the screenplay. He described adapting the book as "tough", as it did not "lend itself to adaptation as well as the next two books." Kloves often received synopses of books proposed as film adaptations from Warner Bros., which he "almost never read", but Harry Potter jumped out at him. He went out and bought the book, and became an instant fan of the series. When speaking to Warner Bros., he stated that the film had to be British, and had to be true to the characters. Kloves was nervous when he first met Rowling as he did not want her to think he was going to "[destroy] her baby." Rowling admitted that she "was really ready to hate this Steve Kloves," but recalled her initial meeting with him: "The first time I met him, he said to me, 'You know who my favourite character is?' And I thought, You're gonna say Ron. I know you're gonna say Ron. But he said 'Hermione.' And I just kind of melted." Rowling received a large amount of creative control, an arrangement that Columbus did not mind.

Warner Bros. had initially planned to release the film over the 4 July 2001 weekend, making for such a short production window that several proposed directors pulled themselves out of the running. Due to time constraints, the date was put back to 16 November 2001.

Filming

Alnwick Castle was used as a principal filming location for Hogwarts.

Two British film industry officials requested that the film be shot in the United Kingdom, offering their assistance in securing filming locations, the use of Leavesden Film Studios, as well as changing the UK's child labour laws (adding a small number of working hours per week and making the timing of on-set classes more flexible). Warner Bros. accepted their proposal. Filming began in September 2000 at Leavesden Film Studios and concluded on March 23, 2001, with final work being done in July. Principal photography took place on 2 October 2000 at North Yorkshire's Goathland railway station. Canterbury Cathedral and Scotland's Inverailort Castle were both touted as possible locations for Hogwarts; Canterbury rejected Warner Bros. proposal due to concerns about the film's "pagan" theme. Alnwick Castle and Gloucester Cathedral were eventually selected as the principal locations for Hogwarts, with some scenes also being filmed at Harrow School. Other Hogwarts scenes were filmed in Durham Cathedral over a two-week period; these included shots of the corridors and some classroom scenes. Oxford University's Divinity School served as the Hogwarts Hospital Wing, and Duke Humfrey's Library, part of the Bodleian, was used as the Hogwarts Library. Filming for Privet Drive took place on Picket Post Close in Bracknell, Berkshire. Filming in the street took two days instead of the planned single day, so payments to the street's residents were correspondingly increased. For all the subsequent film's scenes set in Privet Drive, filming took place on a constructed set in Leavesden Film Studios, which proved to have been cheaper than filming on location. London's Australia House was selected as the location for Gringotts Wizarding Bank, while Christ Church, Oxford was the location for the Hogwarts trophy room. London Zoo was used as the location for the scene in which Harry accidentally sets a snake on Dudley, with King's Cross Station also being used as the book specifies.

The store in London used as the exterior of The Leaky Cauldron.

Because the American title was different, all scenes that mention the philosopher's stone by name had to be re-shot, once with the actors saying "philosopher's" and once with "sorcerer's". The children filmed for four hours and then did three hours of schoolwork. They developed a liking for fake facial injuries from the makeup staff. Radcliffe was initially meant to wear green contact lenses as his eyes are blue, and not green like Harry's, but the lenses gave Radcliffe extreme irritation. Upon consultation with Rowling, it was agreed that Harry could have blue eyes.

Design and special effects

Judianna Makovsky designed the costumes. She re-designed the Quidditch robes, having initially planned to use those shown on the cover of the American book, but deemed them "a mess." Instead, she dressed the Quidditch players in "preppie sweaters, 19th century fencing breeches and arm guards." Production designer Stuart Craig built the sets at Leavesden Studios, including Hogwarts Great Hall, basing it on many English cathedrals. Although originally asked to use an existing old street to film the Diagon Alley scenes, Craig decided to build his own set, comprising Tudor, Georgian and Queen Anne architecture.

Columbus originally planned to use both animatronics and CGI animation to create the magical creatures, including Fluffy. Nick Dudman, who worked on Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, was given the task of creating the needed prosthetics, with Jim Henson's Creature Shop providing creature effects. John Coppinger stated that the magical creatures that needed to be created had to be designed multiple times. The film features nearly 600 special effects shots, involving numerous companies. Industrial Light & Magic created Lord Voldemort's face on the back of Quirrell, Rhythm & Hues animated Norbert (Hagrid's baby dragon); and Sony Pictures Imageworks produced the Quidditch scenes.

Music

John Williams

Main article: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (soundtrack)

John Williams was selected to compose the score. Williams composed the score at his homes in Los Angeles and Tanglewood before recording it in London in August 2001. One of the main themes is entitled "Hedwig's Theme"; Williams retained it for his finished score as "everyone seemed to like it".

Differences from the book

Columbus repeatedly checked with Rowling to make sure he was getting minor details correct. Kloves described the film as being "really faithful" to the book. He added dialogue, of which Rowling approved. One of the lines originally included had to be removed after Rowling told him that it would directly contradict an event in the then-unreleased Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix novel.

Several minor characters have been removed from the film version, most prominent among them the spectral History of Magic teacher, Professor Binns, and Peeves the poltergeist. The book's first chapter is from the viewpoint of Vernon and Petunia Dursley the day before they are given Harry to look after, highlighting how non-magical people react to magic. The film removes this, beginning with Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall and Hagrid leaving Harry with the Dursleys (although McGonagall tells Dumbledore how she had been watching the Dursleys all day). Harry's less than pleasant times at Mrs. Figg's are cut from the film while the boa constrictor from Brazil in the zoo becomes a Burmese Python in the film. Some conflicts, such as Harry and Draco's encounter with each other in Madam Malkin's robe shop and midnight duel, are not in the film. Some of Nicolas Flamel's role is changed or cut altogether. Norbert is mentioned to have been taken away by Dumbledore in the film; whilst the book sees Harry and Hermione have to take him by hand to Charlie Weasley's friends. Rowling described the scene as "the one part of the book that she felt [could easily] be changed". As such, the reason for the detention in the Forbidden Forest was changed: In the novel, Harry and Hermione are put in detention for being caught by Filch when leaving the Astronomy Tower after hours, Neville and Malfoy are given detention when caught in the corridor by Professor McGonagall. In the film, Harry, Hermione and Ron receive detention after Malfoy catches them in Hagrid's hut after hours (Malfoy however, is given detention for being out of bed after hours). Firenze the centaur, who is described in the book as being palomino with light blonde hair, is shown to be dark in the film. The Quidditch pitch is altered from a traditional stadium to an open field circled by spectator towers.

Distribution

Marketing

The first teaser poster was released in December 2000. The first teaser trailer was released via satellite on 2 March 2001 and debuted in cinemas with the release of See Spot Run. The soundtrack was released on 30 October 2001 in a CD format. A video game based on the film was released on 15 November 2001 by Electronic Arts for several consoles. Another video game, for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox was released in 2003. Mattel won the rights to produce toys based on the film, to be sold exclusively through Warner Brothers' stores. Hasbro also produced products, including confectionery items based on those from the series. Warner Bros. signed a deal worth US$150 million with Coca-Cola to promote the film, and Lego produced a series of sets based on buildings and scenes from the film, as well as a Lego Creator video game.

Home media

Warner Bros. first released the film on VHS and DVD on 11 February 2002 in the E3 UK 11 May 2002 in the UK and 28 May 2002 in the US. The VHS and DVD (The Special Edition) was re-released in May 7, 2004 An Ultimate Edition was later released exclusively in the US that included a Blu-ray and DVD. The release contains an extended version of the film, with many of the deleted scenes edited back in; additionally, the set includes the existing special features disc, Radcliffe's, Grint's, and Watson's first screen tests, a feature-length special Creating the World of Harry Potter Part 1: The Magic Begins, and a 48-page hardcover booklet. The extended version has a running time of about 159 minutes, which has previously been shown during certain television airings.

Reception

Box office

The film had its world premiere on 4 November 2001, in London's Leicester Square, with the cinema arranged to resemble Hogwarts School. The film was greatly received at the box office. In the United States, it made $32.3 million on its opening day, breaking the single day record previously held by Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. On the second day of release, the film's gross increased to $33.5 million, breaking the record for biggest single day again. In total, it made $90.3 million during its first weekend, breaking the record for highest-opening weekend of all time that was previously held by The Lost World: Jurassic Park. It held the record until the following May when Spider-Man made $114.8 million in its opening weekend. The film held onto the No. 1 spot at the box-office for three consecutive weekends. The film also had the highest grossing 5-day (Wednesday-Sunday) Thanksgiving weekend record of $82.4 million, holding the title for twelve years until both The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Frozen surpassed it with $110.1 million and $94 million respectively. Similar results were achieved across the world. In the United Kingdom, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone broke the record for the highest-opening weekend ever, both including and excluding previews, making £16.3 million with and £9.8 million without previews. The film went on to make £66.1 million in the UK alone, making it the country's second highest-grossing film of all-time (after Titanic), until it was surpassed by Mamma Mia!.

In total, the film earned $974.8 million at the worldwide box office, $317.6 million of that in the US and $657.2 million elsewhere, which made it the second highest-grossing film in history at the time, as well as the year's highest-grossing film. As of 2015, it is the unadjusted twenty-sixth highest-grossing film of all-time and the second highest-grossing Harry Potter film to date after Deathly Hallows - Part 2, which grossed more than $1 billion worldwide. Box Office Mojo estimates that the film sold over 55.9 million tickets in the US.

Critical response

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 80% based on 194 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone adapts its source material faithfully while condensing the novel's overstuffed narrative into an involving -- and often downright exciting -- big-screen magical caper." On Metacritic the film has a score of 64 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". On CinemaScore, audiences gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.

Roger Ebert called Philosopher's Stone "a classic," giving the film four out of four stars, and particularly praising the Quidditch scenes' visual effects. Praise was echoed by both The Telegraph and Empire reviewers, with Alan Morrison of the latter naming it the film's "stand-out sequence". Brian Linder of IGN.com also gave the film a positive review, but concluded that it "isn't perfect, but for me it's a nice supplement to a book series that I love". Although criticising the final half-hour, Jeanne Aufmuth of Palo Alto Online stated that the film would "enchant even the most cynical of moviegoers." USA Today reviewer Claudia Puig gave the film three out of four stars, especially praising the set design and Robbie Coltrane's portrayal of Hagrid, but criticised John Williams' score and concluded "ultimately many of the book's readers may wish for a more magical incarnation." The sets, design, cinematography, effects and principal cast were all given praise from Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter, although he deemed John Williams' score "a great clanging, banging music box that simply will not shut up." Todd McCarthy of Variety compared the film positively with Gone with the Wind and put "The script is faithful, the actors are just right, the sets, costumes, makeup and effects match and sometimes exceed anything one could imagine." Jonathan Foreman of the New York Post recalled that the film was "remarkably faithful," to its literary counterpart as well as a "consistently entertaining if overlong adaptation."

Richard Corliss of Time magazine, considered the film a "by the numbers adaptation," criticising the pace and the "charisma-free" lead actors. CNN's Paul Tatara found that Columbus and Kloves "are so careful to avoid offending anyone by excising a passage from the book, the so-called narrative is more like a jamboree inside Rowling's head." Nathaniel Rogers of The Film Experience gave the film a negative review and wrote: "Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone is as bland as movies can get." Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine wished that the film had been directed by Tim Burton, finding the cinematography "bland and muggy," and the majority of the film a "solidly dull celebration of dribbling goo." Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times was highly negative about the film, saying "[the film] is like a theme park that's a few years past its prime; the rides clatter and groan with metal fatigue every time they take a curve." He also said it suffered from "a lack of imagination" and wooden characters, adding, "The Sorting Hat has more personality than anything else in the movie."

Accolades

The film received three Academy Award nominations: Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Score for John Williams. The film was also nominated for seven BAFTA Awards. These were Best British Film, Best Supporting Actor for Robbie Coltrane, as well as the awards for Best Costume Design, Production Design, Makeup and Hair, Sound and Visual Effects. The film won a Saturn Award for its costumes, and was nominated for eight more awards. It won other awards from the Casting Society of America and the Costume Designers Guild. It was nominated for the AFI Film Award for its special effects, and the Art Directors Guild Award for its production design. It received the Broadcast Film Critics Award for Best Live Action Family Film and was nominated for Best Child Performance (for Daniel Radcliffe) and Best Composer (John Williams). In 2005 the American Film Institute nominated the film for AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores.

List of awards and nominations

Award Category Recipient(s) Outcome Ref. 74th Academy Awards Best Costume Design Judianna Mokovsky Nominated Achievement in Art Direction Stuart Craig Best Original Score John Williams Amanda Awards Best Foreign Feature Film American Film Institute Awards 2001 Best Digital Effects Artist Robert Legato, Nick Davis, Roger Guyett Art Directors Guild Award Excellence in Production Design for a Period or Fantasy Film Stuart Craig, John King, Neil Lamont, Andrew Ackland-Snow, Peter Francis, Michael Lamont, Simon Lamont, Steve Lawrence, Lucinda Thomson, Stephen Morahan, Dominic Masters, Gary Tomkins Awards of the Japanese Academy Outstanding Foreign Language Film Artios Award Feature Film – Comedy Jane Jenkins, Janet Hirshenson Won Bogey Awards Bogey Award in Titanium 55th British Academy Film Awards Best British Film Nominated Best Supporting Actor Robbie Coltrane Best Costume Design Judianna Makovsky Best Production Design Stuart Craig Best Makeup & Hair Nick Dudman, Eithne Fennel, Amanda Knight Best Sound Best Visual Effects Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Family Film (Live Action) Won Best Child Performance Daniel Radcliffe Nominated Best Composer John Williams Broadcast Music Incorporated Film & TV Awards BMI Film Music Award Won Costume Designers Guild Award Excellence in Fantasy Costume Design Judianna Makovsky Eddie Awards Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic Richard Francis-Bruce Nominated Empire Awards Best Film Best Debut Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson Evening Standard British Film Awards Technical Achievement Award Stuart Craig Won Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing – Foreign Film Eddy Joseph, Martin Cantwell, Nick Lowe, Colin Ritchie, Peter Holt Nominated 45th Grammy Awards Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media John Williams Hugo Awards Best Dramatic Presentation 2002 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Movie 2002 MTV Movie Awards Breakthrough Male Performance Daniel Radcliffe Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards Best Family Film Won Best Newcomer Daniel Radcliffe Nominated Best Youth Performance Emma Watson Best Costume Design Judianna Makovsky Best Original Score John Williams Best Production Design Stuart Craig Best Visual Effects Robert Legato, Nick Davis, John Richardson, Roger Guyett 13th Producers Guild of America Awards Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures David Heyman Satellite Awards Best Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media Best Film Editing Richard Francis-Bruce Best Art Direction Stuard Craig Best Visual Effects Robert Legato, Nick Davis, Roger Guyett, John Richardson Outstanding New Talent Special Achievement Award Rupert Grint Won 28th Saturn Awards Best Fantasy Film Nominated Best Director Chris Columbus Best Supporting Actor Robbie Coltrane Best Supporting Actress Maggie Smith Best Performance by a Younger Actor Daniel Radcliffe Best Performance by a Younger Actress Emma Watson Best Costumes Judianna Makovsky Won Best Make-Up Nick Dudman, Mark Coulier, John Lambert Nominated Best Special Effects Robert Legato, Nick Davis, Roger Guyett, John Richardson Sierra Awards Best Family Film Won Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie: Action/Drama Nominated Choice Movie: Female Breakout Star Emma Watson Choice Movie: Male Breakout Star Daniel Radcliffe Won Young Artist Awards Best Family Feature Film – Drama Nominated Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actress Emma Watson (tied with Scarlett Johansson) Won Best Performance in a Feature Film – Supporting Young Actor Tom Felton Nominated Best Ensemble in a Feature Film Most Promising Young Newcomer Rupert Grint Won

External links

• Official website
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone at IMDb
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone at Box Office Mojo
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone at Rotten Tomatoes
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone at Metacritic

ja:ハリー・ポッターと賢者の石#映画

Perfect Blue

For the television series, see Perfect Blue (TV series).

Perfect Blue
File:PerfectBlue.jpg Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Satoshi Kon
Screenplay by	Sadayuki Murai
Produced by	Hitomi Nakagaki Yoshihisa Ishihara Yutaka Tōgō Masao Maruyama Hiroaki Inoue
Starring	Junko Iwao Rica Matsumoto Shinpachi Tsuji Masaaki Ōkura
Cinematography	Hisao Shirai
Edited by	Harutoshi Ogata
Music by	Masahiro Ikumi
Production company	Madhouse
Distributed by	Rex Entertainment (Japan) Manga Entertainment
Release dates	July 1997 (1997-07) (Fantasia Festival) 28 February 1998 (1998-02-28) (Japan)
Running time	81 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Budget	¥3 million (estimated)
Box office	$112,536 (US)

Perfect Blue (パーフェクトブルー, Pāfekuto Burū) is a 1997 Japanese animted psychological thriller film directed by Satoshi Kon as his directing debut and written by Sadayuki Murai. It is based on the novel Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis (パーフェクト・ブルー　完全変態, Pāfekuto Burū: Kanzen Hentai) written by Yoshikazu Takeuchi. The film follows Mima Kirigoe, the member of a Japanese pop idol group who decides to retire from music to pursue an acting career. As she becomes a victim of stalking and goes deeper and deeper into her first role, she starts to lose her perception of what is real and what is fiction.

Plot

Mima Kirigoe, the lead singer of the fictional J-pop idol group "CHAM!", decides to leave the group to become an actress. Her first role is in a crime drama series, Double Bind. Some of her fans are upset by her change in career, including a stalker known as "Me-Mania". Shortly after leaving CHAM!, Mima receives an anonymous fax calling her a traitor. She finds a website called "Mima's Room", which features public diary entries that claim to be written by her that discuss her life in great detail. She brings the site to the attention of her manager, ex-pop star Rumi Hidaka, but is advised to ignore it.

On the set of Double Bind, Mima succeeds in getting a larger part. However, the producers decide to cast her as a rape victim in a strip club. Rumi warns Mima that it will damage her reputation, but Mima accepts the part. The scene traumatizes Mima (as well as Rumi, who leaves the production control room crying), and she increasingly becomes unable to distinguish reality from her work in show business.

Several people involved in creating Double Bind, including the show's writer and photographer, are found murdered. Mima finds evidence that makes her a suspect in those murders, and her increasing mental instability makes her doubt her own innocence. Meanwhile, Me-Mania is constantly shown standing amongst the Double Bind filming crew, and his further obsession is revealed when he is shown receiving emails from Mima's pop idol persona through the Mima's Room website. It is at this point that reality starts breaking down for the viewer as well: in one scene, Mima is revealed by a police psychiatrist to be the split personality delusion of a woman named Yoko Takakura, only for the Double Bind camera crew to yell "Cut"; in another, Me-Mania finally confronts and attempts to rape Mima, stopped only when Mima hits him in the head with a hammer, knocking him unconscious. Rumi finds Mima backstage immediately afterward, and upon both returning to the scene, Me-Mania's blood and body are not found on the now-empty set. This causes Mima to further doubt her perception of reality.

Rumi offers to drive Mima home. Upon arriving, Mima tries to call Mr. Tadokoro, but he doesn't pick up the phone as he has also been murdered, along with Me-Mania. Mima drops the call upon realizing that she is actually in a completely different apartment, decorated to resemble her own pop idol apartment at the beginning of the film. When Mima encounters Rumi, her manager is wearing a replica of Mima's CHAM! costume and, in a psychotic break, fully believes that she is the "real Mima"; Rumi is in fact the diarist behind Mima's Room and the one who committed the murders. Rumi is angry that Mima—who has been suffering from folie à deux throughout the film—has been ruining the "real Mima's" reputation and decides to save her pristine pop idol image by murdering the "fake" Mima. After a chase through the city, Mima, despite being wounded herself, manages to rip off Rumi's wig, causing Rumi to impale herself on a glass shard trying to grab it. Mima then saves Rumi from an oncoming truck, whose headlights she mistakes for stage lights. Both parties collapse as the truck's occupants call for an ambulance.

Mima, now an accomplished actress, shows up at a mental institution to visit Rumi, who still believes herself to be Mima. As Mima leaves, she overhears the nursing staff believing that she is a Mima look-alike, as Mima would have no reason to visit an institution. Mima enters her car and, looking into the rear view mirror, declares "I'm the real thing" and smiles.

Voice cast

Character	Japanese	English
Mima Kirigoe	Junko Iwao	Ruby Marlowe
Rumi	Rica Matsumoto	Wendee Lee
Tadokoro	Shinpachi Tsuji	Gil Starberry
Me-Mania	Masaaki Ōkura	Bob Marx
Tejima	Yōsuke Akimoto	Steve Bulen
Takao Shibuya	Yoku Shioya	Jimmy Theodore
Sakuragi	Hideyuki Hori	Sparky Thornton
Eri Ochiai	Emi Shinohara	Lia Sargent
Mureno	Masashi Ebara	Jamieson Price
Director	Kiyoyuki Yanada	Richard Plantagenet
Yatazaki	Tōru Furusawa	–
Yukiko	Emiko Furukawa	Bambi Darro
Rei	Shiho Niiyama	Melissa Williamson
Tadashi Doi	Akio Suyama	–
Cham Manager	–	Dylan Tully

The actors in the English adaptation are listed in the credits without specification to their respective roles: James Lyon, Frank Buck, David Lucas, Elliot Reynolds, Kermit Beachwood, Sam Strong, Carol Stanzione, Ty Webb, Billy Regan, Dari Mackenzie, George C. Cole, Syd Fontana, Sven Nosgard, Bob Marx, Devon Michaels, Robert Wicks and Mattie Rando.

Production

Originally the film was supposed to be a live action direct to video series, but after the Kobe earthquake of 1995 damaged the production studio, the budget for the film was reduced to an original video animation. Katsuhiro Otomo was credited as "Special Supervisor" to help the film sell abroad and as a result the film was screened in many film festivals around the world. While touring the world it received a fair amount of acclaim, jump-starting Kon's career as a filmmaker.

Kon and Murai did not think that the original novel would make a good film and asked if they could change the contents. This change was approved so long as they kept a few of the original concepts from the novel. A live action film Perfect Blue: Yume Nara Samete was later made (released in 2002) that is much closer to the novel. This version was directed by Toshiki Satō from a screenplay by Shinji Imaoka and Masahiro Kobayashi.

Like much of Kon's later work, such as Paprika, the film deals with the blurring of the lines between fantasy and reality in contemporary Japan.

Themes and analysis

Susan Napier uses feminist film theory to analyze the film, stating that, "Perfect Blue announces its preoccupation with perception, identity and performance - especially in relation to the female - right from its opening sequence. The perception of reality cannot be trusted, with the visual set up only to not be reality, especially as the psychodrama heights towards the climax." Napier also sees themes related to pop idols and their performances as impacting the gaze and the issue of their roles. Mima's madness results from her own subjectivity and attacks on her identity. The ties to Alfred Hitchcock's work is broken with the murder of her male controllers. Otaku described the film as "critique of the consumer society of contemporary Japan."

Release

Perfect Blue was released on VHS and DVD by Manga Entertainment on November 1999 in the United Kingdom, and on Blu-ray and DVD in Region B distributed by Anime Ltd. in 2013. It was released in United States by Manga Entertainment on VHS in 1999 on both an R-rated version and its original unrated uncut version. It was later released in 2000 in an unrated-only DVD release. The film was also released on UMD by Anchor Bay Entertainment on December 6, 2005. It featured the film in widescreen, leaving the film kept within black bars on the PSP's 16:9 screen. This release also contains no special features and only the English audio track. In the U.S., Perfect Blue aired on the Encore cable television network and was featured by the Sci Fi Channel on December 10, 2007 as part of its Ani-Monday block. In Australia, Perfect Blue aired on the SBS Television Network on April 12, 2008 and previously sometime in mid 2007 in a similar timeslot.

Reception

The film was critically well received in the festival circuit, winning awards at the 1997 Fantasia Festival in Montréal, and Fantasporto Film Festival in Portugal.

Critical response in the United States upon its theatrical release was mixed. The film holds a 68% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the Consensus saying "Perfect Blue is overstylized, but its core mystery is always compelling, as are the visual theatrics." Some critics associated it with common anime stereotypes of gratuitous sex and violence. Kon responded to this criticism by stating that he was proud to be an animator and Perfect Blue was more interesting as animation.

Time included the film on its top 5 anime DVD list, and Terry Gilliam, of whom Kon was a fan included it in his list of the top fifty animated films. Perfect Blue ranked #25 on Total Film's all-time animated films. It also made the list for Entertainment Weekly's best movies never seen from 1991–2011.

Tim Henderson from Anime News Network, described the movie as "a dark, sophisticated psychological thriller" with its effect of "over-obsession funneled through early Internet culture" and produces a "reminder of how much celebrity fandom has evolved in only a decade".

Legacy

Madonna incorporated clips from the film into a remix of her song "What It Feels Like for a Girl" as a video interlude during her Drowned World Tour in 2001.

In 2010 Darren Aronofsky acknowledged there being similarities between Perfect Blue and his film Requiem for a Dream as well as Black Swan. A re-issued blog entry mentioned Aronofsky's film Requiem for a Dream as being among Kon's list of movies he viewed for that year. In addition, Kon blogged about his meeting with Aronofsky in 2001.

References

Book references

• Clements, Jonathan; McCarthy, Helen (2012). The Anime Encyclopedia, Revised & Expanded Edition: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917. Stone Bridge Press. 867pp. ISBN 9781611725155. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |nopp= ignored (|no-pp= suggested) (help)

External links

• Official Manga Entertainment website at the Wayback Machine (archived March 9, 2012)
• Official Geneon Entertainment website Template:Ja icon
• Official Madhouse Animation website Template:Ja icon
• Official Rex Entertainment website at the Wayback Machine (archived February 25, 1999) Template:Ja icon
• Perfect Blue (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia