23 years ago, Daniel Radcliffe experienced his first cinema adventure as the sorcerer’s apprentice Harry Potter. He then appeared in seven more films in the franchise, which is now considered the most successful fantasy series ever. An actor other than Harry? This is hardly imaginable anymore, even if someone is in the upcoming Harry Potter series will face this task.
Before that, you can see Radcliffe in the iconic role again in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, because the second part is on TV today.
The Chamber of Secrets sets a dark tone for the fantasy series
Usually the third part, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, is described as setting the tone for the development of the series because the film gave it a shot of realism and a more adult tone. The turn away from children’s films and towards dark fantasy adventures began in 2002 with Chamber of Secrets.
Harry begins his second year at the magical boarding school Hogwarts, which is overshadowed by a series of terrible incidents. Students are found petrifiedthe whole school is put in fear. At the same time, Harry feels more and more isolated as he hears strange voices in the castle and discovers unexpected talents.
Kenneth Branagh provides some comedic variety as the incompetent, self-absorbed Gilderoy Lockhart, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. But the film was so dark and so threatening in the finale that Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets had to be cut for the German cinema release. While international audiences were able to see the 161-minute version, in Germany the film was cut down to 159 minutes in order to achieve a FSK age rating of 6 years and over.
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Harry Potter 2 is also a fantasy adventure for the whole family
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets represents a qualitative improvement after the first film, especially when it comes to the much more complex villain. The film benefits from the fact that the magical world and its rules were established in the first part. The hard work is done, if you will. The result is a mix of cute adventure and childish horror that will also keep older viewers entertained.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on TV and streaming
You can see Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) today November 9th from 8:15 p.m. on Sat.1 accompany you on your second adventure. The shortened German theatrical version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is shown, followed by the documentary Inside Harry Potter. The repeat runs the following Sunday at 1 p.m.
Alternatively, the film is currently available as a subscription to RTL+ or you can wait for November 15th, when the eight Harry Potter films will be added to the Amazon Prime Video catalog.