I've been missing Oxford a great deal lately.
It's been interesting having now read Harry Potter andwept through watched the first two movies to recall all the HP connections to that trip.
I couldn't appreciate them then, but that's ok. I still have their memory,
now mingled with my own reading experience.
All that to say... I was particularly struck the other day when I saw this pin:
It's been interesting having now read Harry Potter and
I couldn't appreciate them then, but that's ok. I still have their memory,
now mingled with my own reading experience.
All that to say... I was particularly struck the other day when I saw this pin:
The funny bit is that I was at that premiere. Well, not "at it" as in attending it. But my very first night in London, the group I was with sort of ran right into it on the way to - get this - the Palace!
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| [Trafalgar Square - thousands of Potterheads...and me] |
We could hear the cheers from several London-blocks away.
I had never come across or been a part of a crowd this big
[and wouldn't be again until the Seahawks Superbowl parade].
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| [Bellatrix, Hermione, and Harry] |
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| [They had these jumbotrons they were projecting the arrivals onto - so big, so so insane!] |
And then we were off to Westminster, Parliament, and the Palace:
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| [Buckingham at night] |
The Harry Potter connections continued in Oxford,
the most notable being the "sorting stairs."
The scene in the first HP film where the Harry and the other first years
are greeted by Professor McGonagall before entering the dining hall and being sorted
was filmed at Christ Church College.
We made a visit... and ran into young Harry:
But seriously, it's such a majestic location.
Hogwarts definitely has it's "Oxbridge" roots and I love HP all the more for it!
So... fun memories blended with new reading/viewing experiences.
Oh wow, I could have been a part of that crowd! I still get sad about the Harry Potter series ending at times. I've never been very fond of the films but the books are incredibly dear to me and they were such a major part of my adolescence. At the moment I'm actually trying to get my brother to go on the Harry Potter studios tour with me but it's going to take some heavy persuasion!
ReplyDeleteYou should totally go!! Yes, I've only just recently read the books and I can see why they're so significant to our generation. Still working on the movies, but I have a hunch they can't exactly accomplish what the books do.
DeleteI wouldn't say that the films are terrible but I've never got the sense that they were made by passionate fans of the books. They feel very workmanlike and uninspired to me, like they were just ticking boxes. On the other hand when I watch Sherlock or the Peter Jackson LOTR films I always feel that I'm watching something that's being made by hardcore fanboys :) That's partly why I love them so much.
ReplyDeleteI've been meaning to ask you this: did you ever visit The Eagle and Child when you were in Oxford?
But OF COURSE!! http://samarasthoughts.blogspot.com/2011/07/for-those-who-were-wondering.html
DeleteIn fact, thinking about the Oxfordian connections I found to other favorite fantasy worlds... just may have to do a series of these. :)