Cinema Retro's Bill Duelly was invited to tour the traveling exhibition of props from the Harry Potter films. Here is his report:
There is no doubt that the Harry Potter film series has enjoyed
success that has only been rivaled by the James Bond and Star Wars series. They are a
testament to England’s
filmmaking craft and to their benefit, the producers have saved costumes,
props, etc. from Sorcerer’s Stone
(aka: Philosopher’s Stone in the UK), up through
the last of the series. A good deal of England’s
film-making legacy has been lost already, particularly in Borehamwood, where
the MGM Studios (home to: 2001, Dirty
Dozen, Where Eagles Dare, etc) amongst others has been destroyed. Elstree
(home to the original Star Wars
Trilogy & Indiana Jones) has lost much of its acreage and facilities. Reversing this trend, plans are underway to
open a comprehensive tour/exhibit next year at the home base of the Potter
series, Leavesden Studios.
For the past two years, a massive collection of props and costumes has
been touring the US and has
now landed at the Discovery Times Square Exhibition
Center in New York. One cannot say enough about the amount of material that is at this
exhibit. Even the mildest of fans will
appreciate all this has to offer. This
certainly is a rare opportunity to glimpse into the detail of the series. One is impressed with the quality of the
costumes, the detail of the jewelry, the creatures and the sets. A good deal of the set pieces actually are
old, quality furniture, not reproductions artificially aged.
Starting out as though on a Disney ride, one weaves around on line
until groups are let in to an initial meeting area. Here some visitors are picked for a ‘sorting
hat’ ceremony, before they are then led to another area where they are treated
to a 3-4 minute, multi-panel montage of clips from the films before the
curtains part and you are greeted by steam and the front of the Hogwarts
Express.
The exhibit takes you through various themed sections, with props
& costumes: Gryffindor – for Ron, Harry, Hermione centered items like,
their wands, acceptance letter, time turner, dorm room, etc. ‘Classrooms’ takes you through areas of: Potions;
Divinations; Umbridge’s office; Prof Lockhart’s
books and pictures . ‘Quidditch’ showcases various game pieces and costumes.
‘Hagrids Hut’- allows visitors to sit in his chair as well as see the full size
Buckbeak;
On the lower level, there is the ‘Forbidden Forest’
with the Centaur, giant spiders and dragons. Then the ‘Dark Forces’ section
features a Dementor, Death Eaters, as well as Voldemort costume and set pieces
from Goblet of Fire. Leaving the is area,
you are lead to the Great Hall, with a predominance of material relating to
‘Goblet of Fire’ such as the Yule Ball costumes and table settings as well as
the Tri-Wizard cup. The last item on the
tour is the sword of Griffendor.
Some things to keep in mind during this exhibit: it is in many ways a museum, so there is a
strict ‘no touching’ and ‘no photo’ policy in effect (although they will take a
photo of you on the way in and superimpose you in front of Hagrids Hutt &
Hogwarts for $25-$45). A souvenir
program is available so in many ways it frees you up from worrying about taking
pictures on your own, although I know parents and big fans will be disappointed
by the ‘no picture’ policy. Parents also
beware- there is a BIG gift shop at the end!
There are three distinct areas where ‘touching’ is allowed: in Hagrids Hut, you are allowed to sit in his
oversized chair; by the herbology
section there is a group of Mandrakes you can pull out and make them squeal and
last, there are three Quidditch hoops that you can throw the bloggers through
for a ‘score’.
There is no way that all the items can be listed here, nor would I
want to, as one of the best things in this exhibit are discovering the details.
The Discovery Times Square is located at 44th Street, between 7th &
8th Avenues in NY and is open 10AM-8PM, 7 days a week. The exhibit will run through September 5. Tickets are available in advance from: discoveryts.com. The official website for the exhibit is: http://www.harrypotterexhibition.com/