Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Film Details
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a 2004 fantasy film directed by Alfonso Cuarón from a screenplay by Steve Kloves, based on the 1999 novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the sequel to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) and the third instalment in the Harry Potter film series. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, alongside Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as Harry’s best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger respectively. The film follows Harry’s third year at Hogwarts and his quest to uncover the truth about his past, including the connection recently-escaped Azkaban prisoner Sirius Black has to Harry and his late parents.
With this film, the Harry Potter series switched to a longer eighteen-month production cycle. Cuarón was selected as director from a list that included Callie Khouri and Kenneth Branagh. The cast of previous instalments returned for the film, with the additions of Gary Oldman, David Thewlis, and Emma Thompson, among others. It was the first appearance of Michael Gambon as Professor Albus Dumbledore, due to Richard Harris’s death in 2002. Principal photography began in February 2003 at Leavesden Film Studios. It was the first in the series to extensively use real-life locations, with sets built in Scotland and scenes shot in London. Filming concluded in November 2003.
The film was released on 31 May 2004 in the United Kingdom, and on 4 June 2004 in North America. It was the first Harry Potter film to use IMAX Technology and released into IMAX theatres. Prisoner of Azkaban grossed a total of $797.5 million worldwide, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 2004. Critics praised Cuarón’s direction and the lead actors’ performances. It is credited for marking a notable change in the franchise’s tone and directorial style, and is often considered by critics and fans alike to be the best Harry Potter film. It was nominated for two Academy Awards, Best Original Music Score and Best Visual Effects, at the 77th Academy Awards in 2004. It was followed by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2005.
STORY
PRODUCTION
Development
With the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, production of the Harry Potter films switched to an eighteen-month cycle, which producer David Heyman explained was “to give each [film] the time it required.” Chris Columbus, the director of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), decided not to return to helm the third instalment as he wanted to spend more time with his children. Even so, Columbus remained on as a producer alongside Heyman, as Columbus felt that such capacity offered him a better work-life balance, allowing him to not be present on the set all the time and spend time with his children. Guillermo del Toro was approached to direct, but had envisioned a more Dickensian version of the stories, and was put off by the first two films which he found too “bright and happy and full of light”. Marc Forster turned down the film because he had made Finding Neverland (2004) and did not want to direct child actors again. M. Night Shyamalan was considered to direct but turned it down because he was working on his own film, The Village (2004). Warner Bros. then composed a three-name shortlist for Columbus’s replacement, which consisted of Callie Khouri, Kenneth Branagh (who played Gilderoy Lockhart in Chamber of Secrets) and eventual selection Alfonso Cuarón in July 2002. Cuarón was initially reluctant to direct, as he had not read any of the books or seen the films. Del Toro berated him for his arrogance and told him to read the books. After reading the series, he changed his mind and signed on to direct, as he had immediately connected to the story.
Cuarón’s appointment pleased J. K. Rowling, who loved his film Y tu mamá también (2001) and was impressed with his adaptation of A Little Princess (1995). Heyman found that “tonally and stylistically, [Cuarón] was the perfect fit.” As his first exercise with the actors who portray the central trio, Cuarón assigned Radcliffe, Grint and Watson to write an autobiographical essay about their character, written in the first person, spanning birth to the discovery of the magical world, and including the character’s emotional experience. Cuarón recalls, “Emma’s essay was 10 pages long. Daniel’s was exactly two. Rupert didn’t deliver the essay. When I questioned why he didn’t do it, he said, ‘I’m Ron; Ron wouldn’t do it.’ So I said, ‘Okay, you do understand your character.’ That was the most important piece of acting work that we did on Prisoner of Azkaban, because it was very clear that everything they put in those essays was going to be the pillars they were going to hold on to for the rest of the process.”
CAST
- Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter: A 13-year-old British wizard famous for surviving his parents’ murder at the hands of the evil dark wizard Lord Voldemort as an infant, who now enters his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
- Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley: Harry’s best friend at Hogwarts and a younger member of the Weasley wizarding family.
- Emma Watson as Hermione Granger: Harry’s other best friend and the trio’s brains.
- Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid: The gamekeeper and new Care of Magical Creatures teacher at Hogwarts.
- Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore:
The headmaster of Hogwarts and one of the greatest wizards of all time. Gambon assumed the role after Richard Harris, who played Dumbledore in the previous two films, died of Hodgkin’s disease on 25 October 2002, three weeks before the second film’s release. Despite his illness, Harris was determined to film his part, telling a visiting David Heyman not to recast the role. Four months after Harris’s death, Cuarón chose Gambon as his replacement. Gambon was unconcerned with bettering or copying Harris, giving his own interpretation instead, but putting on a slight Irish accent for the role as an homage to him. He completed his scenes in three weeks. The producers originally offered the role to Christopher Lee and Ian McKellen, but scheduling conflicts forced Lee to decline whilst McKellen turned it down as he had played a similar character Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He also stated it would have been inappropriate to take Harris’ role, as Harris had previously called McKellen a “dreadful” actor. Harris’ family had expressed an interest in seeing Harris’s close friend Peter O’Toole being chosen as his replacement, but the producers felt that his age and health would become troublesome down the line. - Richard Griffiths as Vernon Dursley: Harry’s Muggle uncle.
- Gary Oldman as Sirius Black:
Harry’s infamous godfather, who escapes from the Wizarding prison Azkaban after serving twelve years there for being falsely accused of being the Death Eater who betrayed Harry’s parents to Voldemort. Oldman accepted the part because he needed the money, as he had not taken on any major work in several years after deciding to spend more time with his children. He was “surprised by how difficult it was to pull off”, comparing the role to Shakespearean dialogue. - Alan Rickman as Severus Snape: The Potions teacher at Hogwarts and head of Slytherin.
- Fiona Shaw as Petunia Dursley: Harry’s Muggle aunt.
- Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall: Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, the Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts and head of Gryffindor.
- Timothy Spall as Peter Pettigrew: A former friend of Harry’s parents said to have been killed by Sirius Black, but was later revealed to have been the real Death Eater who betrayed Harry’s parents to Voldemort.
- David Thewlis as Remus Lupin:
The new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts and a werewolf. Thewlis, who had previously auditioned for the role of Quirinus Quirrell in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001), was Cuarón’s first choice for the role of Professor Lupin. He accepted the role on advice from Ian Hart, who was cast as Quirrell, and had told him that Professor Lupin was “the best part in the book.” Thewlis had seen the first two films and had only read part of the first book, although he read the third after taking the role. - Emma Thompson as Sybill Trelawney: The Divination teacher at Hogwarts.
- Julie Walters as Molly Weasley: Ron’s mother.
Several actors from the previous film reprise their roles in Prisoner of Azkaban. Harry Melling appears as Dudley Dursley, Harry’s cousin. James and Oliver Phelps play Fred and George Weasley, Ron’s twin brothers; Chris Rankin appears as Percy Weasley, Ron’s other brother and a Hogwarts head boy; and Bonnie Wright portrays their sister Ginny, while Mark Williams plays their father, Arthur Weasley. Tom Felton portrays Draco Malfoy, Harry’s rival in Slytherin, while Jamie Waylett and Josh Herdman appear as Crabbe and Goyle, Draco’s minions. Matthew Lewis and Devon Murray play Neville Longbottom and Seamus Finnigan respectively, two Gryffindor students in Harry’s year. David Bradley appears as Argus Filch, Hogwarts’ caretaker, while Robert Hardy portrays Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic.
Pam Ferris portrays Aunt Marge, Vernon’s sister; Lee Ingleby plays Stan Shunpike, conductor of the Knight Bus; and Jim Tavaré appears as Tom, innkeeper of The Leaky Cauldron, replacing Derek Deadman from the first film. Dawn French plays the Fat Lady, a painting at Hogwarts, replacing Elizabeth Spriggs from the first film. Julie Christie appears as Madam Rosmerta, the barmaid at the Three Broomsticks. Warwick Davis appears as the conductor of the Hogwarts choir. The role was offered to him by producer David Heyman due to Filius Flitwick, Davis’ original role, being absent from the script. The change in appearance for the new character later became Flitwick’s look for the rest of the series.
RELEASE
May 31, 2004
.Games 
– https://www.gamingwap.com
Films 
– https://www.gamingwap.com/films
Application 
– https://www.gamingwap.com/application
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/page
That was great
Thank You for your comment 🎬❤️