Product Details

• Actors: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane
• Directors: Chris Columbus
• Writers: J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves
• Producers: Chris Columbus, David Heyman, Duncan Henderson, Mark Radcliffe, Michael Barnathan
• Format: Color, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: December 11, 2007
• Run Time: 152 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,936 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000W74EQC
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,013 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  #7 in	Movies & TV > Kids & Family > 10-12 Years > Harry Potter > Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
  #14 in	Movies & TV > Kids & Family > Science Fiction
  #27 in	Movies & TV > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Series & Sequels

• For more information about "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Widescreen Edition)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

• This is item 1 in The Harry Potter Feature Films (English) Series.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video

Here's an event movie that holds up to being an event. This filmed version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, adapted from the wildly popular book by J.K. Rowling, stunningly brings to life Harry Potter's world of Hogwarts, the school for young witches and wizards. The greatest strength of the film comes from its faithfulness to the novel, and this new cinematic world is filled with all the details of Rowling's imagination, thanks to exuberant sets, elaborate costumes, clever makeup and visual effects, and a crème de la crème cast, including Maggie Smith, Richard Harris, Alan Rickman, and more. Especially fine is the interplay between Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his schoolmates Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), as well as his protector, the looming Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane). The second-half adventure--involving the titular sorcerer's stone--doesn't translate perfectly from page to screen, ultimately because of the film's fidelity to the novel; this is a case of making a movie for the book's fans, as opposed to a transcending film. Writer Steve Kloves and director Chris Columbus keep the spooks in check, making this a true family film, and with its resourceful hero wide-eyed and ready, one can't wait for Harry's return. Ages 8 and up. --Doug Thomas

Product Description

In this enchanting film adaptation of J.K. Rowling's delightful bestseller, Harry Potter learns on his 11th birthday that he is the orphaned first son of two powerful wizards and possesses magical powers of his own. At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry embarks on the adventure of a lifetime. He learns the high-flying sport Quidditch and plays a thrilling game with living chess pieces on his way to face a Dark Wizard bent on destroying him. For the most extraordinary adventure, see you on platform nine and three quarters!

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A magical thrill ride - Fans of the book rejoice!, November 11, 2001

By	Richard Jackson, Gryffindor House (Sheffield, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

I have to admit, I was ready to hate this movie. Having been a long-term fan of the Harry Potter books, a less-than-faithful adaptation could have spoiled it all for me. As it turns out, my fears were unfounded.

Okay, some viewers will nitpick over discrepencies in characters' appearances, but all the IMPORTANT stuff is here. The relationships between the characters are spot-on. The film also successfully convinces us that the magical goings-on are part of the protagonists' everyday lives, whilst at the same time instilling a sense of wonder in the audience. This difficult balance is one of the main reasons the books are so successful.

Some of the child actors are a little wooden at times, but generally the all-British cast is excellent. The rich characters of Rowling's books have translated perfectly. Robbie Coltrane IS Hagrid. Emma Watson (Hermione) and Rupert Grint (Ron) have immense fun delivering most of the film's best lines. Dan Radcliffe does well in the difficult task of communicating Harry's thoughts, when the audience is unable to see them written down. Deserved mention, too, for Maggie Smith's McGonagall, Alan Rickman's Snape and Tom Felton's nasty-yet-vulnerable Draco Malfoy.

The quality of the production is excellent. The sets and costumes are fabulous, and the attention to detail is breathtaking. The effects are superb, obvious highlights being Harry's invisibility cloak, and the Quidditch match (an adrenaline-pumping spectacle right up there with anything Star Wars has to offer).

In between the showpieces, director Chris Columbus remembers to let his audience take a breather with quieter moments. Harry staring out of his bedroom window, and he and Ron opening their presents on Christmas morning, are endearingly down-to-earth. And the scenes of Harry in front of the Mirror of Erised brought a tear to my eye (If you've read the book, you'll know why).

That's not to say the movie is without its faults. In an attempt to please purists, ALL the subplots have been included (though pared down a great deal), when omitting a few entirely may have helped the pacing of the film. The opening half-hour may be difficult to grasp for those who are unfamiliar with the book. A few of the magical artefacts seem rather more mechanical than mystical.

But these are all small niggles, really. The bottom line is that 152 minutes fly by as if it were half an hour. The only wish you have is that it were longer, and there can be no better sign of a good film than that.

72 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining movie for all ages!, January 22, 2002

By	Lee Haskell (CHARLESTON, SC United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I put off seeing this movie because I took to heart the People Magazine review which hinted that children would enjoy the movie more than the adults. I finally went only after I was disgusted by the hateful e-mails I received from the lacking-in-imagination, finger-shaking Christian fundamentalists. These e-mails suggested that I abide by their obviously bent and twisted moral visions to denouce this so called "harmful" movie. I went to see the movie to judge for myself.

As a Christian adult,(who is old enough to have a child older than Harry Potter's age!) I thought the movie was enchanting and well worth the full price of the ticket and would see it again. For someone who averages going to the theatres once or twice a year, a movie has to be exceptional to make me desire viewing the movie again at the theatres. I laughed out loud and had a delightful time watching the movie. This movie was escapism pure and simple. For the length of the movie, I was there with Harry Potter while he put up with his nasty relatives, got excited about the introduction of new friends and a new and magical world and my heart skipped a beat too when Harry met "Fluffy". And all the while, my real world problems were blissfully forgotten. This fun but harmless movie brought out the kid in me and would surely do so for any other adult whose mind is wider than the width of a number 2 pencil.

What it did not affect was my serious beliefs in what I hold to be true and right. A belief that can be changed by a child's obviously fictional movie wasn't that strong in the faith department to begin with and to blame this light movie for causing any harm to anything is laughable at best. Shame on those in the holier-than-thou camps who tried to discredit this movie by sending those nasty chain letters by e-mail. Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill. In this case, there wasn't even a molehill. In the past, I usually found a little fire where there was smoke but in this case, the smoke and the all the whining was completely unfounded. I am shocked and surprised that serious adults can make such an issue out of this when there are real issues that we Christians need to deal with. This cannot be one of them lest we Christians lose our credibility or at best, everything else we make an issue of be put in the same "they-are-blowing-smoke-about-nothing-again" light.

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Movie - Frustrating Special Features, June 3, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Special Widescreen Edition) (DVD)

Like the director, Chris Columbus, I believe that since the book was so well done, the movie shouldn't change anything significant. I needn't go on about the actors, scenery, music, etc. It's all very well done and extremely entertaining.

The movie itself gets 5 stars from me.
My review subtracts a star for the second disk which I found extremely frustrating. There is some very nice material included but it's so difficult to find while wading through the inconsequential filler material that it almost isn't worth it.

BTW - if you have a search function on your DVD player (on my remote, it is accessed through the 'Display' button) the deleted scene access screen is #77