Although the film
was adapted from Rowling's novel, it was necessary to
have some changes in the plots due to the representation
of the two different Medias. The story original filled
223 pages and had to be condensed into a couple of hours.
None of the substantial plots can be ignored. It is very
important to rearrange the events and merge them in order
to move the story along but at the same time, the plots
cannot be misrepresented.
Second, certain changes need
to be made to be able to create strong visual impact on
the audiences. For example, in the book, when Harry was
in the wand shop buying his first wand, Mr. Ollivander,
the wand shop owner, snatched out every wand Harry tries
before he can wave it for long. However, in the film,
Chris Columbus creates amazing visual effects whenever
Harry waves a wand. It makes the scene more enjoyable
and interesting in the visual sense.
Three main reasons why the
film needs to be faithful to the book are: preventing
conflicts, avoiding disappointment, and expanding imagination.
To see the full arguments, click here.
To see a list of differences that fans notice when they
see the movie, click here.
There are some interesting readers' review:
By
Denise Olivieri Yagel
Chris
Columbus' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
A
very interesting comparison between Harry Potter and fairy
tales
Critics
Story Analysis
Reference