Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: “JK asked me to stay true not to the book, but to the spirit of the book”

Alfonso Cuaron tells us how he was able to take certain liberties in adapting Harry Potter 3.

TF1 is rebroadcast this evening Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, considered by many fans to be the best film in the saga. However, he is the one who strays furthest from the universe imagined by the latter, director Alfonso Cuaron (Y Tu Mama Tambien, Gravity…) having managed to integrate his own style by directing this episode. Admitting that he had never read the books when he was contacted by Warner Bros, he explained upon its release in First finally have discovered the world of Harry Potter thanks to his friend Guillermo del Toro, then having obtained the approval of the author in person to detach herself from her books. Here is an excerpt from his interview, which also included producer David Heyman:

Quiz: Are you a real Potterhead?

David Heyman: I had always imagined the third episode as an aesthetic revolution.
The Prisoner of Azkaban is the novel where children pass into the world of adolescence. We had to see this turning point, for the series to become darker, and a little more modern too – look at the costumes! For that, I needed a director who had a very strong universe. I personally insisted that we take Alfonso (Cuarón). At the time, he was coming out of And you mamá also. But he had also signed The little Princess and his vision of adolescence particularly interested me. He understood magic and wonder and, above all, he had proven that he knew how to lead children. I believe that, unconsciously, this choice reflected our desire to take the saga towards something more radical.

Alfonso Cuaron: When they approached me, I was more than surprised. Besides, if I brought one thing to the saga, it was my naivety! I didn’t know anything about Harry Potter before I was offered the job. I hadn’t read the books. (…) I knew that this story touched billions of fans and that it was important to honor the work of JK Rowling. It was also necessary to respect the foundations laid by Chris, whose two parts had been enormously successful. The challenge was to manage to create a personal work despite these constraints. I hesitated for a long time, thinking that I would not be able to achieve something intimate, that I would be devoured by the size of the project. And it was Guillermo again who convinced me. One day when we were discussing the project, he said to me: “If you serve the material with purity and honesty, you will make your most personal film. » I had his green light and a mantra. I dove.

David Heyman: We immediately saw that Alfonso wanted to make a very personal film, but one that would connect with Jo’s universe. In retrospect, it’s easy to say: “Cuarón?” Great choice. » But at the time, I admit that when I went to see the studio to tell them that we wanted him to direct the film, I wasn’t thinking very well. It was a very daring bet. But it wasn’t until he told me that he had hired an avant-garde puppeteer, Basil Twist, to study the movements of a Dementor that I understood how radical Alfonso was going to be. He had also planned everything. Not only did he have his film in mind, but he also imagined how he was going to achieve it.

Alfonso Cuaron: JK asked me to stay true not to the book, but to the spirit of the book. ” Do not be
literal. » Novels are getting longer and longer. Teeming with details. If we really want to do them justice, then we are developing a miniseries. The idea we had with Steve Kloves was to find the central theme of the novel and stick to it. Anything that didn’t respond to it, any scenes that deviated from it, we put aside. The other challenge for me was joining a team that had become a real family. Plus, I wanted to take them into my world…

Daniel Radcliffe: “Alfonso Cuaron and Gary Oldman brought a wind of freedom to Azkaban”