At the Movies...al fresco...with Harry Potter

A few months ago, I attended a ~special event~ at Wolf Trap Center for Performing Arts in Northern Virginia. My, how time flies--almost like a young wizard with a wand that, uh...makes him fly and stuff.

You see, I am not a Harry Potter expert by any means, just a civilian who has seen most of the movies but read none of the books, which means I am pretty close but can't put "expert" on my business cards. I went to an outdoor screening of the first Potter motion picture accompanied by a live performance of the score by the National Symphony Orchestra. The movie was accompanied, that is; I was accompanied by the country music my girlfriend was playing on the radio. Anyway, the whole event experience is a great reminder that there is no substitute for the sensation of seeing a movie with a group of borderline obsessives.

I certainly felt like a muggle (am I getting the hang of this?) amongst all the diehard fans, young and old alike, who seemed to know the dialogue by heart. The enthusiasm was infectious, though, and it enhanced the movie. It's a lot of fun viewing a beloved movie with a crowd that cheers along and just seems invested. Some of my most memorable moviegoing experiences are of classics like The Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, and Grease (Hey, it was a classic to ME growing up and catching it on ABC each year) because of the shared, palpable joy of the collective response. Of course, the shared, palpable hatred an audience can have for a film is also memorable, but that's a story for when I go see a special anniversary presentation of Battlefield Earth.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is no classic, but I think it's been maligned just because Chris Columbus, the guy who gave us Mrs. Doubtfire, directed it instead of an auteur like Alfonso Cuaron. I am not the charter member of the Columbus Fan Club--I never even paid dues--but I find it amusing that the perception is that the later movies are better because "serious" filmmakers did them.

I found the movies increasingly muddled and impenetrable as they went on, with those of us who did not read the books having to ask those who did to fill in the blanks in the storytelling and explain some of the stuff that didn't make sense. The first movie is cheesy in places, but it does an admirable job of creating its own unique world, which is a solid beginning for a franchise. You care about the characters, are interested in learning more about the environment, and you get a sense of fulfillment even though you realize there are umpteen sequels on the way.

The live orchestra only added to the fun, though I confess that after a while I kind of didn't notice it all that much. If you get there on the late side and have to scrounge for a spot on the hill, it's hard to immerse yourself in the movie, but you get more of the surrounding moviegoers, the musicians allll the way up on the stage, and the people who keep getting up to go to the restroom (It's not perfect).

The food was better (I blame all my tense changing on a dark arts spell--OK, I'm trying too hard now, I realize) than the standard movie theater fare, too, with all kinds of fancy options and cheeses and spreads. So naturally I got...standard movie theater fare like chicken tenders and French fries, only I got buffalo sauce all over the tenders--you know, to add some real class!

The fact is Wolf Trap is an outstanding venue with a fantastic general ambience, but it's even better when you get a bunch of nuts--OK, that's a little harsh considering half of them were under 14--dressed up in costumes and joining in the festivities. This kind of event is fun and participatory without being obnoxious. I recommend you go see something like this if you get a chance in your town, and I also recommend you give Chris Columbus and his first Potter film another movie someday.