Taglines: The end begins.
The final chapter of the “Harry Potter” film series begins as Harry, Ron and Hermione leave Hogwarts behind and set out to find and destroy the Horcruxes–the secret to Voldemort’s power and immortality.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is a much-anticipated motion picture event to be told in two full-length parts. The long-feared war has begun and Voldemort’s Death Eaters seize control of the Ministry of Magic and even Hogwarts, terrorizing and arresting anyone who might oppose them. But the one prize they still seek is the one most valuable to Voldemort: Harry Potter.
Harry’s only hope is to find the Horcruxes before Voldemort finds him. As he searches for clues, he uncovers the legend of the Deathly Hallows. And if the legend turns out to be true, it could give Voldemort the ultimate power he seeks. No longer just a boy, Harry Potter is drawing ever closer to the ultimate battle with Voldemort.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 is a 2010 fantasy film directed by David Yates and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the first of two cinematic parts based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling and features an ensemble cast. The film, which is the seventh and penultimate installment in the Harry Potter film series, was written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman, David Barron, and Rowling.
The film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, with Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, respectively, reprising roles as Harry’s best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. It is the sequel to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and is followed by the concluding entry, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.
The story follows Harry Potter who has been tasked by Dumbledore with finding and destroying Lord Voldemort’s secret to immortality – the Horcruxes. Filming began on 19 February 2009 and was completed on 12 June 2010. Part 1 was released in 2D cinemas and IMAX formats worldwide on 19 November 2010.
In the film’s worldwide opening weekend, Part 1 grossed $330 million, the third-highest in the series, and the highest opening of 2010, as well as the eighth-highest of all time. With a worldwide gross of $960 million, Part 1 is the third highest-grossing film of 2010, behind Toy Story 3 and Alice in Wonderland, and the third-highest-grossing Harry Potter film in terms of worldwide totals, behind Deathly Hallows – Part 2 and Philosopher’s Stone, and the 38th highest-grossing film of all-time. The film received two nominations at the 83rd Academy Awards: Best Art Direction and Best Visual Effects.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 grossed $24 million in North America during its midnight showing, beating the record for the highest midnight gross of the series, previously held by Half Blood Prince, at $22.2 million. The film also had the third-highest midnight gross of all time, behind The Twilight Saga: Eclipse and The Twilight Saga: New Moon, which grossed $30 million and $26.3 million, respectively. The film broke the record for the highest midnight gross in IMAX, with $1.4 million in box office sales, surpassing Eclipse, which grossed $1 million. All of these records were later topped in 2011 by the film’s sequel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.
About the Story
The film begins with Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) starting their search for Voldemort’s Horcruxes. Meanwhile, Severus Snape arrives at Malfoy Manor to tell Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and the rest of his council that he’s been appointed the new Headmaster of Hogwarts. He also tells them that the Order of the Phoenix will be moving Harry Potter from Privet Drive to a safe house. Voldemort uses Lucius Malfoy’s (Jason Isaacs) wand to avoid using twin wands in a dueling battle.
After Harry’s ‘family’ The Dursleys flee their home, the Order of the Phoenix arrive to meet Harry along with six others: Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), Hermione, Fred (James Phelps) and George Weasley (Oliver Phelps), Fleur Delacour (Clémence Poésy) and Mundungus Fletcher (Andy Linden). They all take Polyjuice Potion to become Harry’s doppelganger’s.
Harry and the six copies leave Privet Drive accompanied by a protector whilst the real Harry flies alongside Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) on his flying motorbike. They are intercepted almost immediately by Death Eaters and the pairs scatter. Voldemort arrives but Harry manages to defeat his borrowed wand and the group arrive safely at the Burrow. All but Mad-Eye Moody (Brendan Gleeson), who was killed by Voldemort and Mundungus, who disapparated when he saw Voldemort arrive. George has a bad head wound from a curse Snape conjured during the battle.
Ron convinces Harry to remain at the Burrow until after Bill (Domhnall Gleeson) and Fleur’s wedding before going to find more horcruxes. Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour (Bill Nighy), arrives at the Burrow and distributes the items from Dumbledore’s last will and testament to Ron, Hermione and Harry. Ron receives the Deluminator, Harry gets the missing sword of Gryffindor and the first Snitch he ever caught and Hermione gets a personal copy of “The Tales of Beetle the Bard”.
During the wedding, Harry sees Xenophilius Lovegood (Rhys Ifans) and notices a strange symbol on his necklace. Harry speaks to Elphius Doge (David Ryall), one of Dumbledore’s oldest friends and Ron’s Aunt Muriel (Matyelok Gibbs) and learns that Dumbledore used to live in Harry’s hometown, Godric’s Hollow. A Patronus message sent by Kingsley Shacklebolt (George Harris) appears and warns that the Ministry has fallen, Scrimgeour is dead and that ‘they are coming’. Death Eaters appear and trash the ceremony, leading Ron, Harry and Hermione to apparate to London.
Taking refuge in a cafe, they discuss their immediate plans but before they can leave two Death Eaters arrive and begin dueling. The trio win the battle and disapparate to Grimmauld Place where they discover that Regulus Arcturus Black (Sirius’s younger brother) is the R.A.B in the false locket found at the end of Half-Blood Prince. Kreacher reveals that the real locket was in the house but Mundungus stole it when he looted Grimmauld Place. Harry sends Kreacher to get Mundungus who in turn explains that Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) took it from him in return for not revoking his peddler’s licence. The trio decide to break into the Ministry, now under the eyes of Death Eaters to retrieve the locket.
Harry, Ron and Hermione capture three Ministry workers and impersonate them to enter the secret Ministry offices but are quickly split up. Hermione ends up in a courtroom with Umbridge to witness a false trial, Ron is in Head of Magical Law Enforcement (Death Eater Yaxley’s) office and Harry is free to wander the corridors since he unwittingly copied a Death Eater Runcorn. Harry eventually finds his way to Umbridge’s office but doesn’t find the locket so he makes his way to the courtroom alongside Ron.
They reunite with Hermione and stun Umbridge to take the locket and attempt to leave the Ministry. However, their Polyjuice Potion begins to wear off and during the battle to Floo away, Yaxley catches them as they reach Grimmauld Place. Since they cannot safely stay at Grimmauld Place now Yaxley is a secret-keeper, Hermione apparates them to a forest.
Ron gets splinched in the process, meaning the group can’t apparate until he has recovered. They attempt to destroy the locket but their magic proves useless on it so they take turns wearing it despite its negative effects on their morale. While wearing it, Harry sees a vision of Voldemort interrogating and killing Gregorovitch (Rade Serbedzija) the wand-maker and going off in search of a mysterious wizard said to have robbed his shop many years ago.
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part I (2010)
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Bill Nighy, Richard Griffiths, Harry Melling, Helena Bonham Carter, Fiona Shaw, Bonnie Wright, Michelle Fairley, Alan Rickman, Ralph Fiennes, Carolyn Pickles
Screenplay by: Steve Kloves, J.K. Rowling
Production Design by: Stuart Craig
Cinematography by: Eduardo Serra
Film Editing by: Mark Day
Costume Design by: Jany Temime
Set Decoration by: Stephenie McMillan
Art Direction by: Andrew Ackland-Snow, Mark Bartholomew, Alastair Bullock, Martin Foley, Kate Grimble, Christian Huband, Molly Hughes, Hattie Storey, Gary Tomkins, Ashley Winter
Music by: Alexandre Desplat
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some sequences of intense action violence, frightening images and brief sexuality.
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: November 19, 2010