Harry Potter Studio Tour: It's potter-fantastic!
As far as film franchise’s go, there is none so bigger as that of the Harry Potter series. Bigger than Bond, the Carry On’s, Batman, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, the J K Rowling set of 8 movies are without equal.
I am a great fan although I have to admit that I came to ‘Potter’ late on. The books had pretty much passed me by – which is fair enough as I was never the target audience- and even the earlier films that I had seen had, for some reason, just not gripped me.
But then I saw the fifth film in the series – ‘The Order of the Phoenix’ which just pulled me in- the story and film tells how the Ministry of Magic attempt to instil a kind of Stalinist control over the students at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as the Dark Lord (Voldermolt) makes a return from oblivion. It leads to the students themselves having to take a stand and fighting for what they believe in through the self formed ‘Dumbledore’s Army’ – think a non Muggle French Resistance movement.
And it’s strange how something like Harry Potter can pass you by but when it ‘gets you’, you then soak up the mythology and the ethos that surrounds it. It's like suddenly liking a record of a particular artist, you get hooked and then start going through their back catalogue and look forward to the next release.
So with Potter, it was a case of having been won over by the movie, to go back to the earlier films and the books and get enmeshed in them. The Potter series has of course now ended. The final book ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ was published in July 2007 and the film version (split into two parts) was released in November 2010 and July 2011 respectively.
For me, its appeal is not just the fantasy and sorcery element although I think all great movie series need to have some kind of fantasy adventure aspect because escapism is at the core of most great cinematic entertainment. Potter also has some great themes, rich characters and engrossing plots weaved together by a truly brilliant story teller (J K Rowling). At its core, Potter is about Death or at least about how to deal with Death (Harry is an orphan, he is surrounded by the people dying and ultimately he has to accept having to sacrifice his own life to save his friends), Racism (Voldermolt is a Hitler like figure who wipes out those who don’t fit his picture of ‘pure blood’ wizards) and faith/loyalty (Harry is linked in his adventures with loyal committed partners in Hermoine, Ron and his fellow students in both the old and new Order of the Pheonix.
But despite the end of the books and the films, there is still Potter magic out there. Back in March 2012, Warner Brothers opened the Harry Potter Studio Tour London - based at Leavesden Studios just outside Watford (not exactly ‘London’ but close enough), which I visited this last weekend (9th June).
For a Potter fan or in fact anyone interested in how films are put together it is a wonderful place to visit. It’s a kind of shrine for Potter die hards as it is based at the studios where all the films were made and there you can visit the Great Hall of Hogwarts, Harry Potter’s original home at Privet Drive, look at Dumbledore’s office, ‘The Burrow where the Weasley family lived, the Ministry of Magic and best of all- it is one of only two places in the world where you can buy and taste a ButterBeer!
At £28 a ticket it is not cheap but I felt thoroughly entertained and moved, although I did have the good fortune to share part of the tour with probably the most enthusiastic potter fan I have ever met (take a bow, Sam!). The Store at the end of the tour is very commercial (a Hogwarts scarf will put you back almost £25) but that is not the case with the tour itself. You are not rushed, the staff there seem very keen for you to have a wonderful experience and it makes for a great day out as the tour takes around 3 hours depending on your pace.
Well worth a trip out to Hertfordshire (there is a good connection from Watford Junction station –served by London Euston) and for Potter fans deprived of no more books or films, it is a must to visit…