Movies
Fourth, darkest Potter film premieres
By Reuters
Nov 6, 2005, 11:33

LONDON (Reuters) - The fourth, and darkest Harry Potter film so far premieres in London on Sunday, extending a series that is already one of the most successful in movie history and still has three further episodes to run.

"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is based on the fourth instalment of author J.K. Rowling's seven-book series, in which young wizard Harry is tested to the limit in a magic tournament and meets his nemesis Lord Voldemort in a dramatic climax.

With death, danger and the first blossoming of teenage love at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the film has been ruled unsuitable for under-12s to watch unaccompanied by an adult, the first of the Potter films to get such a rating.

Director Mike Newell said he wanted to recreate the atmosphere he remembered when at school.

"I remember being terrified of some teachers at school who were violent," he said in a recent interview. "The teachers would clout us. But I also remember things being absolutely hysterically funny, because there was such anarchy."

He also defended his decision to make Goblet a darker film than the previous three.

"There's a problem of credibility," he told Reuters.

"If you think ... there is going to be the same sunlit, blush-toned childhood of film number one, there is a lot of questions that you will ask. You will tend not to believe that."

He described the budget for the two-and-a-half hour Goblet as "colossal", although the film's backers still made him argue for more money while making the film.

Industry estimates say Goblet cost somewhere between $130 and $170 million (74 to 97 million pounds) to make, but it could be a good investment considering that the first three films earned around $2.5 billion at the box office.

Many of the stars of the fourth Potter film, which is in cinemas from November 18, are expected at Sunday's world premiere in central London, including Daniel Radcliffe who plays Harry and Ralph Fiennes who is the evil Lord Voldemort.

The fifth Harry Potter film, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", is due out in 2007.



© Copyright 2004 by YourSITE.com