Columbus vs. Cuaron - Part 2: Cuaron's Prisoner of Azkaban

The third film in the Harry Potter series is Alfonso Cuaron's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and its approach to the world of wizards on screen couldn't be more different than Chris Columbus's. I won't hesitate to say right off the bat that I thought Cuaron did a vastly better job. He really cared how the story came across as a movie, and how it was best to tell it in a movie. He made no scruples in maximizing the effect of the greatest strengths of his story, characters, and actors. In short, his approach was that of a true filmmaker.

Cuaron is the director of the popular film A Little Princess and, more importantly for my first point, the director/writer of Children of Men. He is a master of cinematography; so before reading further, I want you to picture that movie in your head. It is dominated by a greyish film over everything, expressing the grimness in the souls of men. 

This same technique was the first thing I noticed when watching Prisoner of Azkaban; it was, in fact, so unexpected that it took me at least 45 minutes to get used to. The picture was different from the previous films; before, the colors at the Dursleys's home were ordinary bright colors, but in this film, everything at their house took on a greyish monotone. Even in the wizarding world many colors are bland, having the effect that all images are darkened by several notches - only the really bright colors at Hogwarts were bright at all. Then I realized what was going on: the colors were dull at the Dursleys and when life is most dreary or bad, but when Harry's life is at its best - when he's talking to Professor Lupin or doing something fun with Ron and Hermione - the colors are soft and alluring, or bright and excited, whichever fits best.

Cuaron then ultilized another strength: the sheer, vast beauty of the Scottish and British countryside. From the mountains and lake Harry flies over on Buckbeak to the flowers that grow nearby on his walks with Professor Lupin, the shots of the beauty which can only be found at Hogwarts are breathtaking. It was obviously given a lot of thought. Not only does Cuaron show the beauty around, but he takes moments to dwell on it. And those moments, however fleeting, feed the viewers' souls. In none of the previous films were the courtyard of Hogwarts and the surrounding buildings built specifically to enchant the viewers - they were not a thought in and of themselves, merely a skeleton for the actors to work in.

But those moments of dwelling on beauty aren't limited to the countryside and architecture. Cuaron, and, at his order, Kloves, incorporate little moments which, although not strictly necessary, enrich the overall tone of the film, and also give the viewer a short time to breath. Despite the time limitations, we are shown a simple happy scene of Harry, Ron, Neville, and Seamus hanging out and laughing in their dormitory. True, we don't need to see such a seemingly "pointless" scene, but it does shape our experience more than we realize. Viewers feel the same joy and relaxation that Harry himself feels, preparing them to better face the fearsome dementors. In another such scene, Ron wakes, whimpering about a dream. Harry, still awake, responds like any brother should. And so viewers' hearts are given a balm, seeing such a scene of close friendship. These contrast greatly to the Chamber of Secrets where viewers end up on a none-stop roller coaster of action.

Finally, Cuaron and Kloves skillfully work the screenplay so that each actors' ability is found in exactly the right amount and at exactly the right time. Rupert Grint, who is mostly comedic relief in the films at this point, is funny, but not overused. On the other hand, Cuaron gives the last hour almost exclusively to Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe, whose portrayal of Harry and Hermione's friendship has never been better and was, in my opinion, delightful. They work together like a brother and sister, and their cooperation is in many ways the central relationship of the film. And the side characters have never been more at their British best. Emma Thompson's Sybil Trelawny is was positively hilarious, and David Thewlis played a magnificent Remus Lupin. Gary Oldman more than fulfilled his role as Sirius Black, and legend Robert Hardy excels as the incompetent Ministry of Magic Minister. True, Michael Gambon doesn't quite capture Dumbledore, but that would be an extremely hard thing to do.

One more short note: John Williams really modified his approach to the soundtrack for the better. Instead of the signature, but rather mediocre, basic theme, Williams builds new sound for the series that was not only for Harry Potter - it was beautiful in itself. For the best example, listen to this.

So, in short, I found Alfonso Cuaron's Prisoner of Azkaban far more satisfying than the previous two films by Chris Columbus. He wasn't simply trying to make money off of book fans - he wanted to make something that had its own merit. I would argue that it does, and that at least of the first three, it is by far the best.