Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In today’s video, we’re going
to be discussing 10 THINGS you probably missed while you were watching the Philosopher’s
Stone FILM. I’m also going to be doing a separate video highlighting 10 things you
probably missed in the BOOK, but today, let’s focus on the films.
Hunting for Easter Eggs and interesting tidbits within the Harry Potter films is one of my
favorite past times. There’s just something so special about looking through the halls
of Hogwarts, and discovering something you’ve never realized before.
So today, I thought we’d spend some time doing just that.
This time, we’ll take a look at the very first Harry Potter Film… the Philosopher’s
Stone… and see what interesting feats and facts we can find.
10. Ann Bolyn the witch
The corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry are filled with the portraits
of famous witches and wizards from around the wizarding world.
Now, when you think of the various famous sorcerers who adorned the walls at the school,
who comes to mind? You might first imagine the headmaster’s office, where all of Hogwarts
previous head administrators have their portraits hung. While in charge of the school, Albus
Dumbledore would famously receive some good… and some bad… advice from the paintings
in his room. Sirius Black’s ancestor, a former headmaster around the turn of the 20th
century, was one of the most talkative of the bunch.
But while watching the Philosopher's Stone, if you squint your eyes, you can make out
the image of Ann Bolyn in a portrait. Of course, you’ll remember Bolyn as one of Henry VIII’s
wives, but she was also slandered as a witch for years. By hanging her portrait in Hogwarts,
the filmmakers gave a small wink and nod to the tragic history that befell many political
enemies throughout the ages of England, and the severity that the accusation of witchcraft
carried.
9. Warner Bros Logo
The Harry Potter films are richly filled with lore and symbolism. From the complex architecture
of Diagon Alley’s craft stores, to the leather bound volumes that filled the goblin banker’s
shelves at Gringotts… there’s enough history within this world to fill an entire encyclopedia.
But before the films even begin, you might notice that even the Warner Bros. logo has
its own story to share.
In order to reflect the progressively darker tales of each Harry Potter book, the WB logo
itself becomes dimmer, and more ominous, with each film. This means that the WB logo animation
that precedes the Philosopher's Stone is one of the lightest ones. If you compare it to
the logo from the Deathly Hallows, you can really see just how much they contrast.
8. M. G. McGonagall on the Quidditch Trophy
Minerva McGonagall was one of the most skilled transfigurationists in all of England, but
her relatives might have been famous for something far different.
When you think of McGonagall, you probably imagine a venerated old teacher, with enough
magical knowledge to battle even the toughest Death Eater. But when you take a look at the
walls of Hogwarts, you’ll notice that the McGonagal name is etched into a Quidditch
plaque, alongside Harry’s father, James Potter. This name, specifically, was M.G.
McGonagall. And while there were certainly more branches of this family in Britain than
Minerva’s… it’s hard to imagine that there were actually THAT many who were also
magically inclined.
Considering just how interrelated all the wizards and witches were in England (I mean,
even Voldemort was related to the Blacks, and distantly, the Potters)... this famous
Quidditch McGonagall might have very well been Minerva’s niece or nephew.
7. Aunt Petunia reusing Dudley’s old uniform in the background
If it weren’t for Hagrid’s sudden arrival in Harry Potter’s life, then the young wizard’s
education would have turned out much differently. Originally, Potter’s adoptive parents never
intended to send him to a wizarding school. In fact, they never really thought much of
educating the boy in the first place. Unlike their biological child, Dudley, who they enrolled
at the best academy in the city, the Dursleys intended to send Harry to a particularly horrible
institute: Stonewall High.
And unlike their precious Dudley’s vibrant school uniform, Stonewall’s dress code required
dull, prison-like garbs. And if you look in the background of some of the earliest scenes
of the Philosopher's Stone, you can clearly see Aunt Petunia dying Dudley’s old clothes
to a drab, gray… the perfect color for Stonewall.
6. Harry’s Scar Burning
Throughout the first Harry Potter film, the young wizard tried to get to the bottom of
one of his greatest mysteries: why does his scar burn. At times, Harry wrongly assumed
it was due to any number of factors, even believing Professor Severus Snape must have
been a cause. But if you look carefully at some of the scenes in the film, Harry’s
scar hurts the most when Professor Quirrel has his back turned towards him. And that
meant, Voldemort was looking directly at him. Now, fans of the book and repeat watchers
might not have found this scene particularly significant. But for new fans, and young children
who didn’t grow up with Potter lore, this tiny tidbit adds a rich layer to repeat watchings.
5. Symbolism
By this point, you’ll notice that most of the easter eggs and tidbits deal with Gryffindors
and the good guys. But there were some scenes that played with the lore of Slytherin, as
well. In the beginning of the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter accompanied the Dursley’s
on a trip to the local zoo, to celebrate Dudley’s eleventh birthday. There, Harry found himself
surprised to discover he could converse with snakes. But if you pay closer attention to
the scene, you’ll also notice that a group of school children quickly walk past the Reptile
House, adorned in bright green uniforms. The outfits bear a striking similarity to the
house colors of Hogwarts’ Slytherin House, and is a nice bit of foreshadowing about the
origins of Potter’s parseltongue ability.
4. Voldemort in the credits
After the film finishes, and the credits roll, you might be curious to search for the original
actor who first portrayed Lord Voldemort. Obviously, in later films, the actor was replaced
for a higher profile star, Ralph Fiennes. But in the Philosopher's Stone, the well known
television actor, Richard Bremmer, took on the role.
If you looked through the credits, though, you wouldn't find a listing for “Lord Voldemort”.
Instead, the filmmakers listed Bremmer as “He Who Must Not Be Named”. This subtle
distinction continued the ominous, terror-inducing mystery that surrounded Voldemort’s name.
3. Uncle Vernon’s strange day
For fans of the film, the omission of Uncle Vernon’s bizarre, wizard filled days that
preceded Hagrid’s arrival was one of the biggest disappointments. In the books, before
Harry Potter was ever introduced to the wizarding world, Uncle Vernon started to notice a few
strange men in funny looking hats, and other bizarre oddities, that foreshadowed the havoc
that was to come.
Voice changes
By the time The Philosopher's Stone was filmed, the main cast was already approaching the
period in their lives when their body would undergo all of its major changes. And for
later films, this meant that Harry and his friends wouldn’t always have their childlike,
elementary school voices. By the time the Chamber of Secrets began production, nearly
the entire main casts’ voices had changed.
For this reason, the Philosopher's Stone has the rare distinction as being the only film
that captured the cast's youthful voices. In all later movies, their voices matured
in the same way the themes would.
1. The Ruins of Quirrell's Game
When searching for the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter eventually arrived at a final
room, where Quirrel, and a parasitic version of Voldemort, desperately tried to get their
hands on the alchemical tool. But if you paid attention to the challenges in the preceding
chambers, you might have seen evidence of Quirrel’s progress. Especially in the wizarding
chess chamber, where there were shattered ruins of the towering chess pieces, from the
brief period before, when Quirrel played his own game there.
This was only a small touch by the production team, but it adds a layer of believability
to the film. As you well know, we nitpicking fans are all too eager to point out the inconsistencies
in the books and films, and it wouldn't take long for us to wonder where all of Quirrel’s
pieces were. After all, he couldn’t possibly have been skilled enough to win the game with
something as flawless as a fool’s mate.
And there you have it. 10 things you might have missed from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's
Stone. Now, I chose the ones that piqued my interest the most, but there is certainly
no shortage of interesting factoids from the film. What are some of your favorites? I hope
you share them in the comments below. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the
rich world of the magical community surrounding it, is filled with more than enough lore to
explore.
And that’s it for this video! If you enjoy the content please be sure to LIKE the video
and SUBSCRIBE to the channel. Stay tuned for MORE videos like this (from the other films)
as well as a series focusing on things you missed in the BOOKS.
Until next time
Remember
There is plenty to be learned even from a bad teacher- what not do, how not to be