From Book To Film: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

From Book To Film: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

There’s no denying that the Harry Potter franchise has been a literary phenomena. So far the five (and impending sixth) book have yielded three blockbuster movies with a fourth set to be released in November. The third film installment, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was the first in the series to be directed by Alfonso Cuaron. Are there any differences between the book and film? What are some things you may want to know if you haven’t read the book before seeing the movie?

Warning! If you haven’t read the book or seen the movie, you may want to turn back now! This may contain information that only a magic spell will be able to wipe from your memory!

Sirius on the Lam

Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) had been in Azkaban, the wizard’s prison guarded by Dementors, for thirteen years when he suddenly escaped. How did he get out? While the movie detailed the fact that Sirius was in prison, the book gave more detail on his ability to escape. Since the Dementors are more sensitive to human emotion, he was able to transform into a dog and walk out.

A Mind Set on Revenge

How was Sirius able to track down Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall)? Ron (Rupert Grint) showed Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) the newspaper article about the Weasley trip to Egypt. In the book, Sirius explained that he was able to get a copy of the newspaper from a person who made a visit to Azkaban. When he saw the rat in the family photo, he immediately knew who it was.

How Did He Know That?

Professor Lupin (David Thewlis) lectures Harry after Professor Snape (Alan Rickman) finds him in the hallway at night with the Marauder’s Map. But how did Lupin know the paper was a map? Simple! He was “Mooney”; one of the four people who helped to make the map. Which leads us to…

Who Was Padfoot, Prongs and Wormtail?

Since Lupin was a werewolf, each of his three closest friends decided to become an animagus to keep him company. Padfoot and Wormtail was the code name for Sirius and Pettigrew, respectively, because of their animal counterparts. James Potter (Adrian Rawlins) would become a stag, which explains two things: the identity of Prongs and the importance of the stag shape of Harry’s patronus!

How Does Snape Figure Into All This?

Two questions about Snape’s involvement keep surfacing. How did he know everyone was in the Shrieking Shack and why does he dislike Sirius? While they were students at Hogwarts, Sirius played a joke on Snape which could have resulted in him being killed by Lupin when he was a werewolf. James Potter saved him. Snape, who has known about Lupin’s condition since then, saw the Marauder’s Map on Lupin’s desk when he went give him his potion for the night and went in pursuit.

Were There Any Changes From the Book?

In the movie, Harry received the Firebolt broomstick at the very end. The Firebolt, however, arrived earlier in the book. Harry received the Firebolt as a Christmas present. Since the person who sent it was unknown at the time, the broomstick was confiscated so it could be checked for spells. It was returned to Harry later in the year.

Tales of a Shrunken Head

Harry is picked up by the Knight Bus when he leaves the Dursleys after the altercation with Vernon’s (Richard Griffiths) sister Marge (Pam Ferris). In addition to Stan (Lee Ingleby) and Ern (Jimmy Gardner), the movie also had a talking Shrunken Head. While most people were split on whether they liked or disliked the Shrunken Head, it was never mentioned in the book.