Thursday, July 21, 2011

Family Day

For the first time this summer, we reprised our family activities, roping in everyone to see the latest Harry Potter movie.
Grace and Spencer had already been to see it, but Earl, Tucker and I hadn't seen it yet. So we trooped out Tuesday morning to beat the crowds and cool down in the theater.

My family loves, loves, loves the Harry Potter stories and movies. We have been going to the release night for books and movies as long as I can remember. Every family car trip is soothed with the sounds of Jim Dale, the narrator on the Harry Potter CDs. Even now, we're in the middle of listening to the last one again.
My kids loved growing up with Harry Potter.
One of my friends said she didn't want to see the movie characters all grown up because she felt like she was seeing her own kids grown and moving on.
I don't feel that way. I was okay with seeing Harry and Ginny with their own kids.
(I would say spoiler alert, but if you don't know how the book ends then you shouldn't go see the movie anyway, IMHO.)
I did get a little teary in the movie when Harry's parents appear, along with his godfather. They tell him how proud they are and I felt my eyes well up. And again when he was a baby and his Mom was about to die and she turned to the crib and just kept saying, "Mummy loves you, Harry. Daddy loves you." Those are the words you would want your child to hear before you die.
Anyway, in spite of what some people might say, and in spite of the fact that the producers didn't follow the book exactly, the movie was spectacular.
My own family left blinking in the sunlight and when we turned on the car to drive home, there was Harry again, still on his adventure.
It's like we teach students when writing about literature. You write in the present tense, because literature is always happening in the present, it will never be past.
And Harry's adventure will come to life again every time we open the books or slide in the disks.
Plus, someday, I'll have grandchildren who won't know the story of the boy wizard, the boy who lived.

4 comments:

BFF said...

When I saw the movie at midnight I thought of you and our years together with Harry and the kids. I was so proud, like a parent, watching Harry Ron and hermione become adults and grown into their maturity. Sad that it has ended but in such a spectacuar display. Our kids as well as we adults were luck to grow up with harry

Linda said...

I'm one of those that just can't get into Harry Potter. I read the first two books and then quit. I don't understand the whole vampire thing going on right now either. Maybe I'm just too old. I guess my kids and I felt the same way about the Star Wars trilogy.

judi said...

i felt the same way when watching the movie, paulita. particularly during the lovely, emotional scenes. didn't alan rickman do an amazing job?!

Stephanie said...

I'm hopeless! I cried again just reading your blog.

I love that my kids grew up with Harry, and you are so right when you say that the story will come alive again each time we open those books or listen to the CD's. Several of the books were pulled off the shelf and opened up again just this week in fact.

I too loved Alan Rickman's portrayal of Snape in this movie. He is one of my favorite characters.

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