(...or Sorcerer's Stone depending on your persuasion.)
I recently purchased the entire set of Harry Potter books (including the Cursed Child) and it felt nostalgic to go through the experience which captivated me during the summers in high school I spent on a hammock outside my childhood home. I bought it online for only P1,105.00, making each book less than P200, which makes it the best bargain buy I have had in a long time! Of course, it begs the question of its authenticity but hell, it's a book, not a gadget. The cover is different from the ones I used to read; same publisher, different illustrator, but the chapter illustrations are from the old ones.
Now, I have watched all the films at this point and I am excited to relive the complete experience by reading the books as well. Mind you, I have previously read up to GoF but after that I went off to college and basically has not read anything remotely for the purpose of recreation until after I graduated, so I have completely forgotten everything Rowling wrote other than what was portrayed in the films, so here it goes.
The Film
Released in 2001, the first Harry Potter film was a phenomenon, even those who have not read the book yet. It was one of the most faithful adaptations in the film series, adding very little to how J. K. Rowling described the wizarding world, and cutting only a few scenes due to the running time.
That being said, credits should still be given to Columbus and his design team for easing a generation into the author's legendarium, establishing the mystical and mysterious atmosphere of the unexplored which would remain a constant throughout the film series. As the pre-pubescent leads were cast before any of them had any actual real training, the young actors were lauded for their "natural talent", and with Alan Rickman as Snape, Dame Maggie Smith as McGonagall, and Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid on the sides, it is fair to say the casting in this film is topnotch.
The Book
I. The Boy Who Lived
Starting with a peculiar day for Vernon Dudley, the first chapter is set some eleven years before the actual timeline, around the time of, thanks to the films we know is Voldemort's accidental death while trying to murder the Potter family. Vernon, who is clearly aware of his wife's sister's situation, encounters parliaments of owls, odd people dressed up in violet and green robes (which thank god were toned down in the films) and whispers about the Potter family.
That night, we learn from McGonagall, Dumbledore, and Hagrid that the whole magical world is celebrating, except for the infant Harry Potter who is now an orphan because of unclear circumstances. It is nice to note Sirius Black being mentioned as early as this chapter, being the owner of the flying motorcycle which Hagrid borrowed.
II. The Vanishing Glass
Almost a filler episode of the story, this chapter establishes that Harry's magic had been manifesting throughout his life, understandably in ways he could not understand, such as his hair growing overnight, or being able to leap on top of roofs, and random people in purple and green greeting him. Mrs. Figg is also introduced in this chapter, whom we know from the fifth film is undercover on Dumbledore's orders, and also Aunt Marge, whom we get to really know on the third book. We get to know also Piers Polkiss, a friend of Dudley absent from the film, and an accomplice in bullying a young Daniel Radcliffe, I mean Harry Potter. One interesting fact I we learn that don't think people ponder on is that Harry actually went to the same school as Dudley before Hogwarts. There he was, of course, bullied because he wore baggy clothes and a Scotch tape'd glasses... and also nobody wants to cross Dudley (who is blonde, by the way).
The way Harry's conversations and inner thoughts were written somehow makes an impression that he is quite mature for an 11-year-old. But then again his childhood is far from the average one. I try not to take notes on Rowling's technique at this point. The book, after all, is intended for younger readers.
III. The Letters From No One
Harry is counting the days until he could finally go to the public secondary school where he will be separated from Dudley.
Harry brave for someone who was emotionally abused all his life
IV. The Keeper of the Keys
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