Harry Potter on film in November

Will Harry Potter live up to the vivid images kids have built in their minds from reading J.K. Rowling's books?

That's the big question for the first film based on Rowling's books. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" opens in American movie theaters Friday, Nov. 16.

Young Saint Louis.com always has had a special interest in the Harry Potter book series. That's because Rowling has done so much to get kids interested in reading books again.

There are 110 million copies of the four Harry Potter books in print around the world. They are on sale in 200 countries and in 47 different languages.

Usually, this website focuses on local news and on reading. We don't pay much attention to national events or movies. But, we're making an exception for Harry Potter.

Remember, last March, people in Britain and Ireland packed 200 theaters just to see a 107-second trailer on the movie. That's a film of less than two minutes.

This article will give you some background on making of the movie.

For four years, the questions of what Harry Potter, his friends and Hogwarts School looked like were left up to each kid's imagination. And that's a lot of kids. A recent survey said two-thirds of all American kids and teenagers have read at least one Harry Potter book.

The survey also said most of them expected to see the movie. Everyone associated with the movie, including Rowling, want the film to be true to the books.

The first Harry Potter movie probably will be one of the most-attended movies in history. Just like the books are the most read in history. A second movie is in pre-production.

There's been a lot of pre-opening publicity and it hasn't been aimed only at kids. For instance, Entertainment Weekly had Harry Potter on its cover Sept. 14.

But, one indication of how much adults are involved was the 22-page spread--including the cover--in Vanity Fair magazine's October issue. That magazine is very adult. Usual content includes articles on high fashion, international society and serious political issues.

Harry's spider-infested cupboard bedroom (Vanity Fair photo)

Here are a few of the interesting items from that coverage in Vanity Fair:

* Veteran film writer Steven Kloves did the screen play. He said, "I'd by lying if I said you're not aware that you're adapting the most beloved book in the world."

He won't reveal what parts of the first book he left out. "To completely adapt the book would result in a movie that was four or five hours long," he said.

* The director of the movie is Chris Columbus. He's the guy who directed the "Home Alone" movies. He said the movie makers have been true to the book's original story. Columbus said his young daughter, Eleanor, was among those who kept him on track.

"Eleanor would be the first person to say, 'That looks fake,' or 'That's the wrong color.' It was tough pleasing Eleanor," he said.

* Author Rowling said she was looking forward to seeing how a game of Quidditch is played. She said, "The thing I'm looking forward to is seeing Quidditch. I've been watching it in my head for years now-and finally I'll get to see it along with everybody else."

* The character of Harry Potter is played by Daniel Radcliffe. He was picked over thousands of kids who auditioned. He previously played David Copperfield in the BBC movie based on the Charles Dickens' book. He was 11 when filming started and turned 12 last summer.

* Harry's friend, Hermione Granger, is an 11-year-old British girl by the name of Emma Watson. Ron Weasley's character is 13-year-old Rupert Grint.

* Then there's Robbie Coltrane, who plays the half-giant Hagrid. He asked Rowling how to play Hagrid. "She said, 'Think of him as one of those really big Hell's Angels that gets off a motorbike and then starts talking about how his garden is coming," Coltrane said.

* Another problem of filming the movie was to find buildings that looked like the 1,000-year-old Hogwarts School would look. One building used was Glouster Cathedral, which was dedicated in 1100 A.D. Also used was Durham Cathedral, dedicated in 1093 A.D.

* And then there's how Dan Radcliffe felt while auditioning for the Harry Potter role. "It was so terrifying. You go in there with these really important people and you just kind of feel really small," he said. But, after he got the role, he said, "It was probably the single most exciting thing that's ever happened to me."

Everyone associated with the movie is hoping that you--the audience--feel the same way about "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." By the way, the movie has a different title in Britain. There, it's "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone."