Week 2: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

    This week on Feelingsonbooks.com, I am discussing the second half of the book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling and its comparison to the movie version. I have to say that I was super surprised at the differences between the beginnings and endings of both the book and the movie as the book included a more lengthy drawn out description of the wizarding world’s reaction to Voldemort's disappearance at the beginning of the story, how the Dursley’s treated Harry, it also talked about how the Dursley’s son had a friend where Dudley’s friend didn’t exist in the movie. I feel the existence of Dudley’s friend added to the abuse Harry endured in the book. 

    I feel the omission of the beginning of the book where the wizards are out in their capes among the muggles celebrating the disappearance someone called Voldemort added to the mystery of baby Harry’s arrival to the Dursley’s home on Privet Drive. If this part had been included in the movie, the audience would have been robbed of that feeling of suspense. The initial information about James and Lily Potter being Mrs. Dursley’s sister and the early explanation of all these things would have ruined the surprise of exactly how special that mysterious baby was. Did any of you think that revealing the beginning plot line of the book at the beginning of the movie would have taken away from the mystery that the director was trying to create? 

    Then there was how his aunt and uncle treated Harry as their servant.  Because of the initial information about what had happened to Harry’s parents in the book, it was easier to see why they did not like Harry and the book also explained how they spoiled their son Dudley from the time he was an infant which was also at the time Harry arrive at their home. In the movie, I was kept wondering why they hated Harry so much until the reveal of Harry’s magic and the story of how Harry’s Aunt Petunia had been jealous that her parents loved her sister more than her because she was a witch with magical powers. Did anyone else feel that the omission of this information allowed the movie to hold on to the mystery of who Harry Potter was at first, and why his family treated him the way that they did? 

    Lastly, I noticed that the book and movie ended differently. The movie had Harry saying goodbye to Hagrid and everyone as he is getting on the train to go home from Hogwarts, and I feel for time management of the movie. as it is pretty long already, they chose to cut the final part of the book where his uncle is picking Harry up from the train station at Platform 9 ¾. I feel that if this scene was included in the movie, it would have taken away from the feeling of dislike that we all felt as we watched him interact with his aunt, uncle and cousin. I kind of wondered, if Hagrid came and took Harry by force, why would the Dursley’s let Harry come back to their house to stay after the school year was over? Did any of you feel the same confusion over this? Do you think it was good ending the movie at the train station at Hogwarts or would it have been better to have seen it end more like the book, at the muggle world train station?