33 / 97
old English gents, with the
exception of course of Lord
Voldemort, who should not
be named (oops, too late!).
The greatest of these is Albus
Dumbledore (played by the late
Richard Harris in the first two
films and Michael Gambon in
the rest), the headmaster of
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft
and Wizardry and the only
wizard who can strike fear into
the black heart of Voldemort.
He's also a grandfatherly
figure to the saga's other prominent wizard
– young Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe),
whose relationship with Dumbledore helps
him fulfil his destiny as the chosen one who
can "vanquish the Dark Lord". Other notable
wizards of the Potterverse include Severus
Snape, Sirius Black and Gellert Grindelwald.
FURTHER VIEWING
Spin-off feature
Fantastic Beasts and
Where to Find Them
(2016) relocates
Rowling's Wizarding World to America,
where you'll meet Newt Scamander (Eddie
Redmayne), an English wizard in New York. Or
a 'magizoologist' to be precise, who carries a
TARDIS-like suitcase full of fantastic fauna –
which are illegal in the US
and of course get loose
following a baggage mix
up. He also gets accused
of conspiring with the
notorious dark wizard
Gellert Grindelwald. Newt's
a nervous sort but still an
accomplished wizard who
plans to write the titular
tome when he returns
to England.
Fantastic
Beasts
offers a fascinating
contrast to the British wizarding
way, with its subtle variations on
established Potterverse lore.
The year before he gave
us an (unfinished) animated
version of
The Lord of the
Rings
, director Ralph Bakshi
unleashed what might be one
of the most bizarre and original
fantasy tales.
Wizards
(1977)
is set in a post-apocalyptic
world where faeries, elves
and dwarves have been
mutated by the fallout from a
nuclear holocaust. The story centres on
the power play between twin wizards
Avatar and Blackwolf, stretches for three
thousand years, and features a Nazi
propaganda film used as a weapon.
This animated cult oddity
deserves a mention
here for its title
alone, even if it has
virtually disappeared
into obscurity.
Another wizard-
driven fantasy
flick that's well
overdue for DVD
and Blu-ray revival
is
Dragonslayer
(1981). The story
of a naive sorcerer's apprentice (Peter
MacNicol) who is tasked with slaying the
fearsome, fire-breathing Vermithrax, this
Disney/Paramount co-production might
be a little on the dull side, but it does
feature one of the all-time great movie
dragons. It also stars an actual knight –
legendary British theatre actor Sir Ralph
Richardson plays the resident wizard,
Ulrich, although he looks like he'd rather
be playing Richard III.
THE PINBALLWIZARD –
Tommy
(1975)
"Ever since I was a young boy/ I've played the silver
ball/ From SoHo down to Brighton/ I must have played
them all." He may be an wiz, but Elton John meets his
match in a "deaf, dumb and blind kid" in Ken Russell's
barmy film of The Who's rock opera.
THEWIZARD –
Taxi Driver
(1976)
This New York cabbie has been around the block
a lot, that's why they call him the Wizard. "A man
takes a job and that job becomes what he is. You do
a thing and that's what you are," he tells disgruntled
colleague Travis Bickle when asked for advice.
TIMTHE ENCHANTER –
Monty
Python and the Holy Grail
(1975)
While searching for the Holy Grail, King Arthur
encounters a man who can summon up fire without
flint or tinder. "I am an Enchanter. There are some
who call me... Tim," declares the stranger, who points
Arthur in the right direction – The Cave of Caerbannog.
THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE
-
Fantasia
(1940)
Disney's episodic animated classic features Mickey
Mouse – as an apprentice to the wizard Yen Sid –
ingeniously using magic to get out of some manual
labour, to the timeless music of Paul Dukas.
33
MORE
WONDERFUL
WIZARDS