Harry Potter and the Socrerer's Stone (film)



Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (released in some territories with the alternative subtitle the Philosopher's Stone) is a 2001 fantasy film directed by Chris Columbus and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. The film, which is the first instalment in the Harry Potter film series, was written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman. The story follows Harry Potter's first year at Hogwarts as he discovers that he is a famous wizard and begins his magical education.

The film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, with Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger. It is followed by seven sequels in total, beginning with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Plot
Harry Potter is a seemingly ordinary boy, living with his uncaring relatives, the Dursleys in Surrey, England. On his eleventh birthday, Harry learns from a mysterious stranger, Rubeus Hagrid, that he is actually a wizard, famous in the Wizarding World for surviving an attack by the evil Lord Voldemort when Harry was only a baby. Voldemort killed Harry's parents, but his attack on Harry rebounded, leaving only a lightning-bolt scar on Harry's forehead and rendering Voldemort powerless. Hagrid reveals to Harry that he has been invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After buying his school supplies from the hidden London street, Diagon Alley, Harry boards the train to Hogwarts via the concealed Platform 9¾ in King's Cross Station.

On the train, Harry meets Ron Weasley, a boy from a large, but poor, pure-blood wizarding family, and Hermione Granger, a witch born to non-magical parents. Once they arrive at the school, Harry and all of the other first-year students are sorted into four different houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. As Slytherin is noted for being the house of darker wizards and witches, Harry successfully persuades the magical Sorting Hat not to put him in Slytherin. He winds up in Gryffindor, along with Ron and Hermione. Ron's older brothers have all gone to Gryffindor too: mischievous twins Fred and George, Percy, the prefect, Charlie (who researches dragons in Romania) and Bill (who works for Gringotts Bank).

At Hogwarts, Harry begins learning wizardry and also discovers more about his past and his parents. He gets recruited for Gryffindor's Quidditch (a sport in the wizarding world where people fly on broomsticks) team as a Seeker, as his father was before him. One night, he, Ron and Hermione find a giant three-headed dog on a restricted floor at the school. The dog is guarding the Philosopher's Stone, an item that can be used to grant its owner immortality. Harry concludes that his potions teacher, the unfriendly Severus Snape, is trying to obtain the stone in order to return Voldemort, who Harry encounters in the Forbidden Forest where he, Ron, Hermione and Draco Malfoy are serving detention by helping Hagrid look for an injured unicorn after being caught wandering around at night, to a human form.

After hearing from Hagrid that the dog will fall asleep if played music, Harry, Ron and Hermione decide to find the stone before Snape does. They face a series of tasks that are helping protect the stone, which include surviving a deadly plant, flying past hundreds of flying keys and winning a violent, life-sized chess game.

After getting past the tasks, Harry discovers that it was not Snape who wanted the stone, but rather Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Professor Quirrell. Quirrell removes his turban and reveals Voldemort to be living on the back of his head. Voldemort attempts to convince Harry to give him the stone (which Harry suddenly finds in his pocket as the result of an enchantment by the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore), by promising to bring his parents back from the dead, but Harry refuses. Quirrell attempts to kill him but Harry's touch prevents Quirrell from hurting Harry and causes his hand to turn to dust. Quirrell then attempts to take the stone but Harry grabs his face, causing Quirrell to turn into dust and die. When Harry gets up, Voldemort's spirit forms and passes through Harry, knocking him unconscious, before fleeing.

Harry wakes up in the school's hospital wing, with Professor Dumbledore at his side. Dumbledore explains that the stone has been destroyed, and that, despite Ron nearly being killed in the chess match, both Hermione and Ron are fine. The reason Quirrell burned at Harry's touch was because when Harry's mother died to save him, her death gave Harry a magical, love-based protection against Voldemort. Harry, Ron and Hermione are rewarded house points for their heroic performances, and Neville Longbottom is rewarded for bravely standing up to them, winning Gryffindor the House Cup. Before Harry and the rest of the students leave for the summer, Harry realises that while all others students are going home, Hogwarts is truly his home.