..Gary
Dretzka
..Noah
Forrest
..Leonard
Klady
..R.J.
Matson
..David
Poland
..Douglas
Pratt
..Ray
Pride
..Michael
Wilmington
Harry Potter
And the Goblet of Fire
It should be borne in mind that the Harry Potter movies are leading to something, just as the books are. They are not freestanding movies but installments in a greater narrative, and while the structure of each movie tends to be mildly repetitive, the development of the characters and the complexity of the fantasies is significantly advanced from one movie to the next. If the producers are actually able to complete the series with most of the cast intact, it will be a remarkable legacy, an epic metaphor for the adolescent development cycle that is a great deal more cogent than the Andy Hardy movies and such.The 2005 installment, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, directed by Mike Newell and released by Warner Home Video as a Widescreen Edition (59388, $29), is, theoretically, the center film in the series, and notably, it is the movie where the principal villain (played by Ralph Fiennes) finally achieves a presence of flesh. For the first time, a sympathetic character is murdered, and the entire series becomes darker and less childlike. The action scenes and special effects are the best the series has produced to date. The narrative, in which the hero participates in a championship contest, facing several challenges (in the manner of a video game), seems contrived at first glance, particularly when it is revealed near the end that his accomplishments were not entirely achieved by his own skills. But on repeated viewings, that contrivance becomes less of a hindrance, outweighed by the hero’s triumph over his enemy. Running 157 minutes, the film still feels very rushed, presenting and then discarding one intriguing fantasy after another, although as compensation, it never drags or gives you time to glance at a watch.
The letterboxing has an aspect ratio of about 2.35:1 and an accommodation for enhanced 16:9 playback. The best moments of the film are visually mesmerizing, and these sequences are solidly delivered, with crisply defined hues. The more transitional scenes are a little more lax in the quality of the cinematography, and are somewhat blander in the transfer, but on the whole, the presentation is fully satisfying. The 5.1-channel Dolby Digital sound has some terrific directional effects and a strong dimensionality. Patrick Doyle has taken the themes established by John Williams in the music of the earlier films and built on them very effectively, so that the movie has the most haunting score so far, which is well served by the audio mix. There is an alternate Spanish track in 5.1 Dolby and optional English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Warner has also released a Two-Disc Special Edition (76453, $31). The first platter is identical to the standard release. The second platter has several fairly challenging directional games and 70 minutes of decent production featurettes, scattered about a mildly irritating menu. There is also a trailer, 10 minutes of satisfying deleted scenes, a 30-minute interview with the three principal cast members, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grant and Emma Watson and, on DVD-ROM, a game demo.
March 8, 2006DVD Roundup: This Week's DVD Releases
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