| Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows | |
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Poster for the two-part film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows |
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| Directed by | David Yates |
| Produced by | David Heyman David Barron J. K. Rowling |
| Screenplay by | Steve Kloves |
| Based on | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling |
| Music by | Alexandre Desplat |
| Cinematography | Eduardo Serra |
| Editing by | Mark Day |
| Studio | Heyday Films |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Country | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the 2010/2011 two-part epic finale of the Harry Potter film series. Both parts, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, were shot back-to-back and are directed by David Yates, written by Steve Kloves and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. The films are produced by Rowling along with David Heyman and David Barron.
Principal photography for both parts began on 19 February 2009 and was completed on 12 June 2010,[1] with the final day of reshoots on 21 December 2010 marking the franchise's closure of ten years of filming.[2] Part 1 was released in 2D and IMAX formats on 19 November 2010, and Part 2 was released in 3D, 2D and IMAX formats on 15 July 2011.[3][4][5][6]
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The decision to divide J. K. Rowling's final book into two parts came from the original declined proposal to split Goblet of Fire in 2004. Deathly Hallows was shot back to back,[7] and treated as if it were one film during principal photography.[8] The idea to split the book into two films had been around since the middle of 2007, but only came into serious consideration after producer David Heyman was able to talk to writer Steve Kloves when the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike ended and Heyman had Rowling's approval.[8] Kloves started his work on the script for the second part in April 2009.[9]
According to Warner Bros. executive Alan F. Horn, it will allow "an extra hour and a half to celebrate what this franchise has been and do justice to all the words and ideas in the amazing story."[7] Heyman described the workings behind the split: "Deathly Hallows is so rich, the story so dense and there is so much that is resolved that, after discussing it with J. K. Rowling, we came to the conclusion that two parts were needed."[7] Kloves was not able to start work on the script until the WGA strike ended.[10]
Before David Yates was officially chosen to direct the films, others had expressed an interest in the job. Alfonso Cuarón, director of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, had said that he would be tempted to return to direct.[11] Guillermo del Toro, who passed on Prisoner of Azkaban, had expressed interest in directing Deathly Hallows,[12] but an increased workload over the production of The Hobbit ruled him out of the project.[13]
Rowling was credited as producer on both parts alongside David Heyman and David Barron, however David Yates noted that her participation in the filmmaking process did not change from the previous films. He stated that "it was time her name was up there" because she's "our biggest supporter" and "wants to be up there with us; it's a real privilege."[14][15] Heyman noted that the films are a closer recreation of the books than the previous films because of the length a two-part adaptation entails.[9]
Daniel Radcliffe said that "This is a road movie, particularly in Part 1 of the film. People have been so used to seeing Harry Potter at Hogwarts and we're just not there for the first part of the film. That seems to have really freshened things up, and hopefully will get people seeing the films with fresh eyes again, because it's just a totally different look when you're not just sat in the same room the whole time."[9] He also commented on the relationship between Harry and Voldemort in Part 2 saying that "Voldemort does absolutely kick six bells out of me, and that's what makes it effective, the fact that Harry's a kid having the crap beaten out of him. If it's Voldemort killing an adult – well, he does that loads in the films. To see him brutalising and desperately trying to kill a 17-year-old boy is hopefully going to shake some people up."[16]
As maintained by producer David Heyman and director David Yates, Part 1 and Part 2 were treated as one film during production, but are ultimately two different films with separate tones and styles, connected only by the "linear narrative that runs through the middle".[8][17] Yates commented on the contrast between the two parts, saying that Part 1 is a "road movie" and "quite real", "almost like a vérité documentary", while Part 2 is "much more operatic, colourful and fantasy-oriented", a "big opera with huge battles."[18][19][20][21]
Yates and Heyman have noted that some of the events of the seventh book had an effect on the way the sixth film was written.[22]
Pre-production began on 26 January 2009, while filming began on 19 February 2009 at Leavesden Studios, where the previous six instalments were filmed. Pinewood Studios became the second studio location for shooting the seventh film.[23][24] Bruno Delbonnel, the Director of Photography for the sixth film, opted not to work on Deathly Hallows, as he was afraid of repeating himself.[25] Eduardo Serra was chosen to be the cinematographer for Parts 1 and 2.[26] Director David Yates said that the film will be shot with "loads of hand-held cameras." He stated, "I want to shake things up every time I go into this world. I like experimenting as we go along."[27] In October 2009, Ralph Fiennes started filming his role as Lord Voldemort. Many of the adult actors also prepared for filming during that period.[28] The crew also shot on location, with Swinley Forest being the main outdoor filming area, along with the village of Lavenham in Suffolk[29] and the streets of the city of London.
On 26 March 2010, filming finished in Pinewood Studios. However, Leavesden Studios was still occupied for further filming.[30] Both Part 1 and Part 2 were filmed over a one and a half year period throughout the United Kingdom, finishing on 12 June 2010. Even though the shooting schedule was set at 250 days, the filming took 478 days to complete. Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson all openly wept on the last day,[31] which seemed to end their ten years of work on the films.[32] However, reshoots were confirmed to begin in the winter of 2010 for the film's final scene, "19 Years Later", which originally took place in London at King's Cross Station. The filming was completed on 21 December 2010, marking the franchise's official closure of ten years of filming.[33]
During production at Leavesden, Radcliffe's stunt double David Holmes suffered a serious spinal injury during the filming of an aerial sequence, which left him paralysed. Holmes fell to the ground following an explosion which was part of the stunt.[34][35][36]
During filming of Deathly Hallows, British filmmaker Morgan Matthews shot a documentary highlighting the filmmaking process and the lives of the cast and crew on set. Producer David Heyman said that "[It] shows the challenges of making the film – the tolls it takes on the actors and crew. It's not just pure gloss and everybody's happy. It's real. At the same time, it's really, really funny." Matthews had access to various creative departments behind the scenes as well as on set filming.[37]
Throughout the production of Deathly Hallows, the filmmakers formed a video which showed cast and crew members holding up a board which displayed how many days they were into production and how many days left until the end. Some of the footage included actor Robbie Coltrane playing air guitar, production staff waving goodbye and the final scene of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson. The last shot was of director David Yates "getting into his car and driving away out of Leavesden" as confirmed by David Heyman.[38]
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