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The actor who plays Mr. Ollivander in the Harry Potter series recently sat down with Rotten Tomatoes. In the interview, he reveals that he'll be heading back to the Deathly Hallows set sometime this month. More interesting is where he voices his concern over Warner Brothers' large budgets for films in the Potter franchise: Q: Do you think the big franchise movies shooting in the UK give a false impression of the health of our industry? All these productions move in and hire local talent, but they aren't British films. A: No, they're not British films. Even Harry Potter isn't a British [franchise]. We gave it to Warners, we just sit and collect. That always infuriates me. I do think huge areas of the industry are being neglected and we've lost the ability for middle-budget films. When we did have a stronger industry -- and not just a business -- we did have room for middle-budget films. They've gone out of the window, as they've done in America as well, but a $20m picture would be wonderful to make every now and then. We could do a lot for that. But it's like any country, if you don't have a lot of money to spend. And it's interesting seeing how much money gets spent on Harry Potter. It's quite absurd, really. I watch it and think it's just the same as Hollywood. I look around and you've got three costumes there, none of which are likely to be worn, and they're all replicas of each other. It's a vacuous waste of money and it drives me insane.

23 Comments

Posted by
11-04-2009 at 8:40 PM

Fan Comments

Posted by: - Posted on: 2009-11-04 20:45:32

Wow. I guess he feels quite strongly about this. HP would not have been nearly as good with a 20 million budget. HP is bigger than that.

Posted by: - Posted on: 2009-11-04 21:47:28

well kalb, i think John Hurt is like those Old-timer types.. He VALUES the beauty of filmmaking for what it is.. AN ART.. and not some money-making commercial cash cow business that its become these days

Posted by: - Posted on: 2009-11-04 21:52:50

i want to see his interviews when he first did PS/SS......did he thought the same thing??

Posted by: - Posted on: 2009-11-04 22:04:54

Welcome to the 21st century ;)

Posted by: - Posted on: 2009-11-04 22:41:13

Interesting to hear the opinion of someone on the inside of Harry Potter, someone whos been around in the industry and seen the then and now of it all. It reminds me of an interview Alan Rickman did where he lamented the fact that the Bristish film industry sat on their arses and let HP, a home-grown piece of material from their own country, be made by an American film studio. Sure, we had more money, but I bet they could have done a decent job, and after they released the first one they would have had soooo much money to spend on making the rest of the films in the series. Oh well, coulda woulda shoulda, eh?

Posted by: - Posted on: 2009-11-04 23:04:24

SO this means part one will definitely be stopping somewhere around Shell Cottage!! Awesome! Im so excited hes coming back to play Ollivander!! Some of his comments are really annoying, but I agree. It costs over 200 million to make one of the Potter films and that amount increases more and more each time. But the films ALWAYS make the money back and then some...and like he just said...theyre not really British films. So all that money doesnt come from the British economy, it comes from America...so I guess it also benefits America as well. So I see where hes coming from. Most real British films are independent because the film industries dont have the money to make films as big as Harry Potter.

Posted by: - Posted on: 2009-11-05 07:16:45

CORRECTION iwantorlando05: The movie of Part 1 is gonna END after the trio get captured By the Snatchers.. so Yates is gonna make it have that Shakespearean tragic feel to it.. theyve come so far and now, evil has won.. i like that ;) And yeah JK ROWLING Knew what she was doing when she sold the rights to WB..British people DONT Really have a lucrative filming business. The Top 3 BIGGEST Film industries in the World are Hollywood, Bollywood (India) and Nollywood (Nigeria) believe it or not. Nollywood actually produces TWICE the amount of films than Hollywood, but Hollywood produces TWICE the quality of films.

Posted by: - Posted on: 2009-11-05 07:16:47

CORRECTION iwantorlando05: The movie of Part 1 is gonna END after the trio get captured By the Snatchers.. so Yates is gonna make it have that Shakespearean tragic feel to it.. theyve come so far and now, evil has won.. i like that ;) And yeah JK ROWLING Knew what she was doing when she sold the rights to WB..British people DONT Really have a lucrative filming business. The Top 3 BIGGEST Film industries in the World are Hollywood, Bollywood (India) and Nollywood (Nigeria) believe it or not. Nollywood actually produces TWICE the amount of films than Hollywood, but Hollywood produces TWICE the quality of films.

Posted by: - Posted on: 2009-11-05 13:53:44

Does it matter who makes the films? As long as it is quality and not just something thrown together. I think the movies could have been made with a lower budget, but what would the quality be like. Jp was concerned that the movies stay true to the books. Whille we know that they couldnt follow the books word for word, overall the movies are pretty much true to the books. Yes, there are people who would disagree, but overall, the movies are good. My main concern was the split; I understand the reason behind it, but I just dont like the fact that we have to wait several months between both halves and its all for more money.

Posted by: - Posted on: 2009-11-05 14:30:32

oh CMON merrymarge, youre kinda being a lil UNGRATEFUL if you ask me... theyre splitting the GREATEST HP Book in TWO HALVES! That way they can include everything in it.. and its only an 8-month wait.. The SHORTEST wait weve ever had. So I wouldnt be complaining at ALL. I dont want this franchise to end too soon (So far as it ends before 2012 thats fine by me lol)

Posted by: - Posted on: 2009-11-05 14:37:16

Hey merrymarge, if the fandom lasts an extra year its worth it to me :)

Posted by: - Posted on: 2009-11-05 15:07:27

LOL, phoenixknighter, yes, thank goodness it is ending before 2012! Speaking of 2012, that movie looks REALLY good! Well, I dont really care who makes the films as long as theyre well done and the actors are British/know the British culture, slang, etc. I just LOVE British slang.

Posted by: - Posted on: 2009-11-05 16:27:47

yeah true that Gryffindor_Seekr_7... Im not a pessimist, but some of these records i hear about 2012 are downright creepy.I still dont REALLY think 2012 is gonna be the end of the World.. more like the Re-Birth of Man.. and its about time honestly, seeing how the world is going down in the dumps. Anyway i cant wait for the 2012 movie coming next year. it looks awesome, I hope it doesnt dissappoint, but whether it does or doesnt, ONE thing thats for sure is I WONT Be seeing that stupid NEw Moon movie. And if you look on the bright side. Exactly 12 months until DH Part 1 comes ;)

Posted by: - Posted on: 2009-11-05 17:33:07

Hes not saying that the Harry Potter films should have lower budgets, hes just pointing out that there are only two types of films these days; huge budget cash cows or small budget independent films. No one bothers to make mid budget films anymore. And the other point hes making is just that the films make it look like the british film industry is making loads of money, but its making little from the Harry Potters.

Posted by: - Posted on: 2009-11-05 18:20:13

I personally am very happy that they decided to split DH into two films. That means that more of the story can be included, and not have to be cut out because of time constraints. Of course, this has the benefit of extra income for WB as well, with us all having to purchase tickets to see two films, but hey, I think its worth it to see more of the whole story, rather than a chopped up abbreviated version stuffed into one film. It was a BIG book after all.

Posted by: - Posted on: 2009-11-05 20:34:26

Oh wow, i really respect this guy. However, the Harry Potter series in particular would not have been as good without all the huge budget stuff and the franchise. Wow, I just totally contradicted myself there. I guess I dont know what I think

Posted by: - Posted on: 2009-11-06 12:34:47

Splitting the Deathly Hallows into 2 movies means 2 things: 1) WB gets more money 2) We get more Harry Potter. Its a win-win situation as far as Im concerned.

Posted by: - Posted on: 2009-11-06 12:41:40

John Hurt was part of the reason why Sorcerers Stone was so classic. He milked his only scene in that movie with a perfect inflection of voice and outstanding scene delivery. It will be truly great to see him appear again and provide Harry with wise words as he did in the first film. I like that theyre keeping up with the book and reintroducing characters from the previous films, because it adds a sense of finality to the series as well as a sense of satisfaction to the viewer. We want everything to be tied in; we want everyones story to come through, knowing that their personage did not just cease to exist after their debut. An example is Rita Skeeter (whos apparently returning): she was present (if not mentioned) in every book after the third. Its good to see she is returning to reprise her role, because (even though she seems to be as misunderstood as always), she still enhances the story forward... and so does everyone else like Olivander, Madame Maxime, Fleur Delacour, Bill, Charlie, etc. If done well, this film will be classic and will probably label this series as one of the greatest franchises to ever be put on the silver screen. The last film has the ability to do all that and more. I trust David Yates, even though there are times I tend to doubt his limits as a filmmaker, but one thing is definitely certain with Yates: he will definitely provide the emotional integrity necessary to push the actors (as well as their characters) to their absolute limits; and that is something that I do not think any other director in the series was able to do effectively.

Posted by: - Posted on: 2009-11-06 14:49:00

no Kapuffy, there was NO Rita Skeeter in DH.. ONLY her jorunals in the newspapers.. so you wont be seeing her in the final movies.

Posted by: - Posted on: 2009-11-07 03:26:03

True, the franchise is not British in its rights...but its a British story. It works better with British actors because it keeps in theme of the storytelling and atmosphere. If they were to suddenly use American actors for primary characters it would be a mess. Or, perhaps you just dont have actors of our calibre :P (Morgan freeman and a select few others being the exception). I myself cannot think of any American actors who would make a good Voldemort or Dumbledore?!

Posted by: - Posted on: 2009-11-07 18:06:07

Phoenixknighter, you may be right, but didnt Rita Skeeter make an appearance at the wedding? I may be confused. Either way, I think I heard that Miranda Richardson was casted to reprise her role as Rita, so she might make an appearance in a moving newspaper or in a flashback (Im hoping so, at least).

Posted by: - Posted on: 2009-11-07 18:12:20

no, in the book she didnt attend the Funeral.. that wouldve been AWFUL, lol. But yeah, they may put her in the movie, thats cool. The only 2 characters I KNOW wont be in this movie, just like book, will be Cornelius Fudge and Mrs. Figg

Posted by: - Posted on: 2009-11-09 16:57:29

Phoenixknighter and kapuffy26, Miranda Richardson (who played Rita Skeeter) has been confirmed for the new movies. And a set report says Frances de la Tour (Madame Maxime) is back as well. Looks like a GoF reunion, which is awesome because, even though I think its the worst film, it had a great cast. :D Also, John Hurt is amazing! He is one of the best actors in the entire series, if not the best. Worlds better than the good, but overrated Alan Rickman, but I digress. As much as I love him though, the HP movies on a $20 million budget would simply not be up to the caliber they are at now.
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