Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone (2001)
The tale of a young boy’s discovery of his status as a famous wizard, and his first year of magical education at the fictional Hogwarts, has perhaps done more for the British film industry than any other – with the possible exception of James Bond. Based on the popular novel by J.K Rowling, directed by Chris Columbus and adapted for the screen by Steve Kloves, Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone is a global blockbuster made entirely in the UK, using a cast of legendary UK performers.
The three leads – Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson – were plucked from relative obscurity and became superstars overnight, holding their own opposite names such as Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, Ian Hart, Warwick Davis, Julie Walters, John Cleese, and Alan Rickman, among others.
In addition to breaking new ground in terms of literary adaptations, Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone will forever stand as the milestone achievement of British filmmaking that jump-started the highest-grossing film series in history – with eight films in total having earned $7.7 billion at the box office. The movie helped make franchises attractive again, and made British filmmaking a global force to be reckoned with.
