Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)

"Something Evil Has Returned to Hogwarts!"

- Official tagline

The film version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was based on the second book in the series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It was directed by Chris Columbus and Steve Kloves was the screenwriter.

Summary
Just as Harry Potter is packing his bags to leave the Dursleys, he receives a warning from a house-elf named Dobby, that if Harry goes back to Hogwarts, disaster will strike, and it does.

The new stuck-up Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Gilderoy Lockhart, the wailing bathroom ghost Moaning Myrtle, and the new lessons at Hogwarts seem like only minor details when a mysterious creature starts Petrifying Muggle-born students. But everyone's wondering the same thing: who set the creature on the Muggle-borns? Could it be Draco Malfoy, the new Slytherin Seeker and a more poisonous rival than ever? Maybe it's Hagrid, whose strange past is finally told. Or could it possibly be the one that everyone at Hogwarts most suspects: Harry Potter himself!

Synopsis
While home with the Dursleys for the summer, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is not getting any mail from his friends, Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson). On his twelfth birthday (July 31) Harry is visited by Dobby, a house-elf, who warns Harry that he will be in mortal danger if he returns to Hogwarts. Harry ignores Dobby's warning and is determined to return. It turns out that Dobby has been collecting Harry's letters to make it seem as though his friends had forgotten him, hoping Harry might then not want to return to Hogwarts. Seeing that he will have to use force, Dobby decides to destroy, by the use of a charm, a large cake that Aunt Petunia (Fiona Shaw) has baked for an important dinner party attended by Vernon Dursley's (Richard Griffiths) boss and his wife by making it float in the air, and then dropping it on the wife of Vernon's boss. Harry is blamed by the Ministry of Magic for Dobby's charm, and is told that if he does magic outside school again, he will be expelled. On learning that Harry cannot perform magic outside school, the Dursleys, previously fearful of his wizarding, lock Harry's books and wand away and Vernon Dursley fits bars onto his bedroom window, making Harry a prisoner.

A few days later, Fred, George (James and Oliver Phelps), and Ron Weasley come to his rescue in their father's enchanted Ford Anglia. After a pleasant summer together in the Weasley house, everyone heads to Platform 9¾ to take the Hogwarts Express back to school. To their shock, Harry and Ron are unable to enter the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. In desperation, they fly to Hogwarts in the car, crashing into the Whomping Willow and damaging Ron's wand. The semi-sentient car ejects them and their belongings and disappears into the Forbidden Forest.

Harry soon finds he is the unwanted centre of attention of three people: the vain new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh), admirer Colin Creevey (Hugh Mitchell), and Ron's sister, Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright), who fancies Harry. Events take a turn for the worse when the Chamber of Secrets is opened and a monster stalks the castle, with the power literally to petrify several students. According to legend, the Chamber was built by Salazar Slytherin and can only be opened by his heir, in order to purge Hogwarts of students who are not pure-blood wizards. Many suspect Harry is the Heir of Slytherin, especially after he inadvertently speaks Parseltongue (the language of snakes), a rare ability Harry gained after Voldemort's murderous attack upon him when he was an infant.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione attempt to discover the Heir of Slytherin's true identity. Using Polyjuice Potion brewed by Hermione, they disguise themselves as Slytherin students, Crabbe (Jamie Waylett) and Goyle (Josh Herman), hoping to learn from Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) the identity of the Heir. Malfoy, they learn, does not know who the Heir of Slytherin is, but he inadvertently provides Harry and Ron with an important clue about the Chamber of Secrets.

Unfortunately, the hair that Hermione took from Millicent Bullstrode's uniform was from a cat, and as the polyjuice potion is only intended for human transformations she assumes a feline appearance; it takes a little more than a month to restore her to normal human form. She is released from the hospital wing in early February, her normal appearance restored.

The attacks increase throughout the year, petrifying more students, including Hermione. Most horribly, a message written on a wall declares that Ginny Weasley has been taken into the Chamber, where "her skeleton will lie forever".

With the help of Ron and Moaning Myrtle (Shirley Henderson), Harry discovers the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. They force Gilderoy Lockhart, a fraud who wipes clean other wizards' memories and claims their achievements, to go with them. Once they find the entrance to the Chamber, Lockhart attempts to use Ron's broken wand to erase Harry and Ron's memories, but the spell backfires on to himself and brings the ceiling caving in, separating Harry from Ron and Lockhart. Lockhart revives, but has now lost his own memory.

Harry makes it to the Chamber where he finds an unconscious Ginny. He also meets a young man named Tom Riddle, who claims to be a "memory". Harry learns that Ginny, under the control of Lord Voldemort, opened the Chamber. Voldemort, whose real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle (the anagram of which is "I am Lord Voldemort"), imprinted his memory in an enchanted diary, in order to one day continue the work he began when he reopened the Chamber fifty years ago ridding Hogwarts of witches and wizards that are not of pure-blood. It was Hagrid, a Hogwarts student at the time, who was blamed for the attacks and expelled and has been sent to Azkaban prison by the Ministry for Magic.

Tom Riddle's memory grows more powerful as it steals life from Ginny's body, and it tries to kill Harry by setting loose a basilisk (the monster responsible for petrifying the students). But Dumbledore's (Richard Harris) phoenix, Fawkes, arrives carrying the Sorting Hat, from which Harry draws out the sword of Godric Gryffindor. Fawkes blinds the basilisk, destroying its fatal gaze, and Harry slays it with the sword. In attempting to slay the basilisk Harry's arm has been pierced by the creature's fang. Harry stabs the diary with one of the basilisk's fangs, and the memory of Tom Riddle is destroyed, while Ginny revives from her near-death state. Harry seems to be dying quickly from the venom but Fawkes comes to heal Harry with his tears (phoenix tears have healing powers). Ginny and Harry both recover fully, along with those who were petrified: Hermione, Mrs Norris, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Nearly Headless Nick (John Cleese), and Colin Creevey.

Harry realizes it was Lucius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs), Draco Malfoy's father, who slipped the diary into Ginny's cauldron when he encountered the Weasleys in a Diagon Alley bookshop, but he is unable to prove it. Dobby reveals he is the Malfoys' servant, and knowing their treachery, had been trying to protect Harry all year. In gratitude, Harry sticks one of his old socks into the diary and hands it to Lucius. Lucius gives the diary to Dobby, who finds the sock hidden in its pages. This constitutes, in Dobby's eyes, a gift of clothing the traditional manner in which a master frees a house-elf from servitude. The freed Dobby declares he is eternally grateful to Harry and protects him from an attempted reprisal from Lucius. The word "Avada" is used as the beginning of Lucius Malfoy's curse, suggesting that it is the Avada Kedavra (the killing curse).

Dumbledore dispels Harry's fears that he could have been put into Slytherin rather than into Gryffindor when he tells Harry that it is his choices that define him and not his abilities, and that Harry could not have wielded the sword of Gryffindor if he did not truly belong to that house. At the end of the year feast, Dumbledore announces that all the exams have been canceled.

The trio

 * Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter
 * Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley
 * Emma Watson as Hermione Granger 

Hogwarts staff

 * Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore
 * Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall
 * Alan Rickman as Severus Snape
 * Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid
 * Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockhart
 * Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick
 * Miriam Margoyles as Pomona Sprout
 * Lia Alu as Wizard teacher
 * Gemma Jones as Poppy Pomfrey
 * Sally Mortemore as Irma Pince
 * David Bradley as Argus Filch

Other Hogwarts denizens

 * Leslie Phillips as the voice of The Sorting Hat
 * Peter Taylor as Man in Portrait
 * Daisy Bates as Brunette Lady in Portrait
 * David Tysall as Count in Portrait
 * Violet Columbus as Girl With Flowers

Order of the Phoenix

 * Julie Walters as Molly Weasley
 * Mark Williams as Arthur Weasley

Lord Voldemort, His Death Eaters and Followers

 * Christian Coulson as Tom Marvolo Riddle (Lord Voldemort)
 * Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy

Gryffindor

 * Rochelle Douglas as Alicia Spinnet
 * Danielle Tabor as Angelina Johnson
 * Hugh Mitchell as Colin Creevey
 * Alfred Enoch as Dean Thomas
 * James Phelps as Fred Weasley
 * Oliver Phelps as George Weasley
 * Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley
 * Emily Dale as Katie Bell
 * Kathleen Cauley as Lavender Brown
 * Luke Youngblood as Lee Jordan
 * Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom
 * Sean Biggerstaff as Oliver Wood
 * Chris Rankin as Percy Weasley
 * Devon Murray as Seamus Finnigan
 * Victoria Goddard as Gryffindor student
 * Jessica Foden as Gryffindor student / Prefect

Hufflepuff

 * Louis Doyle as Ernie Macmillan
 * Charlotte Skeoch as Hannah Abbott
 * Edward Randell as Justin Finch-Fletchley
 * Eleanor Columbus as Susan Bones

Ravenclaw

 * Gemma Padley as Penelope Clearwater

Slytherin

 * Scot Fearn as Adrian Pucey
 * Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy
 * Josh Herdman as Gregory Goyle
 * Jamie Yeates as Marcus Flint
 * Helen Stuart as Millicent Bulstrode
 * David Holmes as Slytherin Beater 1
 * David Massam as Slytherin Beater 2
 * Tony Christian as Slytherin Beater 3
 * Jamie Waylett as Vincent Crabbe
 * Samantha Brown as Slytherin student

Unknown house

 * Brendan Columbus as Boy in Study Hall 1
 * Robert Ayres as Boy in Study Hall 2
 * Amy Puglia as a student
 * Christina Petrou as First Year student
 * Emma Georgia Murphy as school girl
 * Amie Kirby as 'student

Ministry of Magic

 * Robert Hardy as Cornelius Fudge

Wizarding World related

 * Ben Borowiecki as Angus (Diagon Alley Boy)
 * Isabella Columbus as Book-store Girl
 * Peter O'Farrell as Daily Prophet Photographer
 * Christopher O'Shea as Extra
 * Pamela Kempthorne as Knockturn Alley Witch
 * Jenny Tarren as Knockturn Alley Witch
 * Terence Mcauley as Knockturn Alley Wizard
 * Salo Gardner as Knockturn Alley Wizard
 * Edward Tudor-Pole as Mr. Borgin
 * Les Bubb as Reader
 * Sean Cronin as Wizard
 * Antonia Frampton as Extra
 * Fenetta Agyemang-Norman as Extra
 * Jess Smith as Extra
 * Alice Bowmaker as Extra
 * Anthony Lee as Continuity Artist
 * Charlotte Willis as Extra
 * Jade Prince as Extra
 * Richenda Crookes as Diagon Alley Witch

Ghosts, spectres, photos or flashback performance

 * Adrian Rawlins as James Potter
 * Geraldine Somerville as Lily Potter
 * Martin Bayfield as Young Rubeus Hagrid
 * Alfred Burke as Armando Dippet
 * John Cleese as Nearly Headless Nick
 * Shirley Henderson as Moaning Myrtle
 * Nina Young as The Grey Lady

Muggles

 * Richard Griffiths as Vernon Dursley
 * Fiona Shaw as Petunia Dursley
 * Harry Melling as Dudley Dursley
 * Jim Norton as Mr. Mason
 * Veronica Clifford as Mrs. Mason
 * Tom Knight as Mr. Granger
 * Heather Bleasdale as Mrs. Granger
 * Harry Taylor as King's Cross Station Guard

Magic creatures

 * Toby Jones as the voice of Dobby the House Elf
 * Wataru Takagi as  the voice of Dobby the House Elf' (Japanese dub)
 * Julian Glover as the voice of Aragog

Animals

 * Hugo, Bully, Bella, Luigi and Vito as Fang
 * Gizmo, Ook, Kasper, Oops, Oh Oh, Swoops, Elmo, Bandit and Sprout as Hedwig
 * Maximus, Alanis and Cornilus as Mrs. Norris
 * Dex and 11 Unknown rats as Scabbers
 * Zeus and Unknown owls as Errol

1. The Worst Birthday

 * The book begins in the morning of Harry's birthday. The film begins in the evening of the day the Masons visit, omitting Dobby in the hedges and additional quarrels between Harry and the Dursleys. However Vernon does say that Harry is not thankful; Vernon says they cared for Harry since he was a baby, gave him their good food, and giving him Dudley's extra bedroom because they were so merciful.

2. Dobby's Warning

 * In the book, when Harry enters his room, Dobby sits on his bed quietly. In the film, Dobby is jumping on his bed and laughing.
 * Dobby does not mention that Voldemort, or a possible brother could be a suspect, as in the book version.
 * In the books, whenever Dobby disapparates, the usual loud crack is heard. But in the films, Dobby appears and disappears quietly, however it differs from film to film how he does it. In this film he fades, like if the wind took him.
 * The film shows Dobby levitating the cake into the sitting room and dropping it on top of Mrs Mason. In the book, however, the pudding dropped by Dobby in the kitchen, causing it to explode all over Harry, not Mrs Mason. Also in the film. Mr. Mason tastes the cake, using a finger.
 * While the reason in the film for the Mason's departure was due to the cake dropping on Mrs. Mason, in the book it was due to Mrs. Mason's fear of birds when an owl sent by the Ministry of Magic arrived at the Dursleys in regards to the illegal use of the Hover Charm that was performed.
 * A scene is cut where the Ministry sends a letter to reprimand Harry for violating the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, which informed the Dursleys of this rule. This explains in the following film how Vernon Dursley already knew that Harry is not allowed to perform magic outside of school. Since this scene was not included in this film, it caused a continuity error with the future films.
 * In the book, Uncle Vernon tells a man to fit the bars on Harry's window, but in the film, Uncle Vernon fits the bars on Harry's window himself.
 * Harry's nightmare of himself being in a zoo cage is omitted.

3. The Burrow

 * In the film, Ron wishes Harry a happy birthday when they fly away from 4 Privet Drive. Ron doesn't say this in the book as Harry's birthday was the same day the Masons visited. It should be mentioned that in the film the Weasleys gets Harry out the same evening, while in the book they saved him from the Dursleys early in the morning, next day.
 * In the book, the Dursleys were woken up by Hedwig's screech. In the film, they're woken up by the noise of the bars falling into the grass.
 * In the book, Harry's trunk is locked in the cupboard under the stairs and Fred and George sneak in the house and pick the lock of both Harry's room and the cupboard. In the film, Harry's trunk is in his room and Fred and George don't sneak in the house.
 * In the book, Harry forgets Hedwig, but he gets to her just in time. In the film, Harry doesn't forget anything.
 * When Harry was escaping from the Dursleys, only Uncle Vernon tried to prevent him from escaping, eventually falling out of the window. In the book, all of the Dursleys tried to prevent him from escaping, only to end up hanging from the window.
 * In the Flying Ford Anglia the Weasley brothers suggest that Dobby could be an untrustworthy servant of the Malfoys. This is omitted from the film.
 * In the book, when Harry arrives at the Weasleys' home, Mrs. Weasley makes her sons "de-gnome" the garden. This scene is omitted from the film.

4. Flourish and Blotts

 * The scene where Harry listens to Lucius and Draco Malfoy's business with Borgin is cut. It is included in the deleted scenes section of the DVD. (An alternate version of the same scene, where Harry is caught by Borgin was also filmed and included on the DVD.) In this scene Lucius almost hits Draco two times with his walking stick when telling him not to touch anything. This could be meant in reference to the cursed necklace.
 * In the book, Mr. Weasley repairs Harry's glasses in Diagon Alley, but in the film, Hermione repairs them and the knowledge of her using under-age magic is unnoticed. Though it is revealed in one of the following books that the Ministry of Magic only knows where there is used magic and not who it is that is using magic. (This explains why Harry is believed to be the one to perform the levitating spell on the pudding though it is Dobby. Also this could explain why Hermione didn't get a letter on the Hogwarts Express in the previous film; too many students and pre-students, plus two adults.)
 * The part where Arthur Weasley fights with Lucius Malfoy in Flourish and Blotts is omitted. Instead, they only exchange tense words. Lucius also mentions that he will "see you [Arthur] at work", implying that he works at the Ministry of Magic in the film.
 * When they meet in Diagon Alley, Hermione chides Lucius Malfoy for not using Voldemort's name. (In the first two films, Hermione shows no fear of the name Voldemort, speaking it without difficulty in the first film) In the books, Hermione never uses the name Voldemort until the fifth novel, and even then it requires courage. The films have a bit of a continuity issue on this point as the fifth film shows her getting the courage to say "Voldemort".
 * Arthur Weasley asks Harry about escalators in the book, but in the film, he asks about rubber duckies.

5. The Whomping Willow

 * Harry and Ron get to Hogwarts with almost no problem in the book, whereas in the film they nearly get hit by the Hogwarts Express, and Harry nearly falls out of the car.
 * In the film, Argus Filch finds Harry and Ron and takes them to Professor Snape's office, but in the book, Snape himself finds Harry and Ron and takes them to his office.
 * In a deleted scene that follows this scene Harry finds a letter about a Kwikspell course addressed to Filch and hands it over. In the book Harry finds this letter in Filch's office.
 * In the book, Ron and Harry eat sandwiches in Snape's office after being caught by Snape. Ron wants to know which house Ginny was placed in and Professor McGonagall tells him she's a Gryffindor. This scene is not in the film, but Ron does find out about Ginny being in Gryffindor from his mother's howler.

6. Gilderoy Lockhart

 * In the book, Mrs. Weasley's howler to Ron is much lengthier and mentions Harry in it. In the film the howler message is much shorter and Harry is never mentioned, instead a part of the howler was directed to Ginny. Also in the book, there is no mention of howlers folding themselves into a pair of lips.
 * Howler bursts into flames in the book but rips itself into shreds in the film, with a grrr-sound.
 * Lockhart's scene with Professor Sprout before the first Herbology lesson of the year, in which he implied that he knew more about caring for Whomping Willows than she did, is not shown.
 * The scenes in which Lockhart lectures Harry for giving out autographs (due to Colin's actual request in the book) and makes him late for Herbology, are not seen in the film.
 * Defence Against the Dark Arts shows both Hufflepuffs (Justin Finch-Fletchley and Susan Bones, for example) and Slytherins (Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle) in the same class as the Gryffindors.
 * Second-year Gryffindors have Herbology only with the Hufflepuffs in the book, but also with the Slytherins in the film.
 * Ernie Macmillan's role is diminished to a non-speaking part. The part where he and Hannah Abbott talk in the library about their theory of Harry wanting to attack Justin Finch-Fletchley was cut, but appears on the deleted scenes, however in the Study Hall. Also, Ernie is the one who blames Harry for attacking Justin when he is discovered, Petrified, but in the film, Argus Filch finds Harry and wants to expel him. In the book, it was Peeves who found him, and sung his funny song.
 * As with the previous film and all of the following ones, the character of Peeves is omitted completely.
 * During the first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, Lockhart refers to the Bandon Banshee as male rather than female.
 * The scene where Lockhart gives out a test is omitted in the film. It is included as a deleted scene on the DVD of the film.

7. Mudbloods and Murmurs

 * In the book, Hermione has never heard the term "Mudblood" before, and Ron later explained the definition to her. In the film, she is aware of the term and is deeply hurt, even seen trying not to cry, and explains what it means to Harry, though Hagrid defines its origin for Harry and Ron and says exactly what Ron says in the book. Ron only responds to it with only one word.

8. The Deathday Party

 * Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday Party does not appear in the movie, othe than in concept art. Because of this, Harry encounters the petrified Mrs. Norris on his way back from spending hours of detention with Gilderoy Lockhart instead. Harry also meets Ron and Hermione just before finding Mrs. Norris in the film, while in the book they were with Harry the entire time.

9. The Writing on the Wall

 * In the book, Harry, Ron and Hermione are spoken to by the teachers in Gilderoy Lockhart's office. In the film, they are spoken to in the corridor where the attack happened.
 * Mention of Filch being a Squib is omitted. However, very oddly, the term is mentioned in the Danish version of the subtitles; calling him Mr. Squib, although with the Danish term.
 * Mention of Ron's detention and the fact that he recognised Tom Riddle's name from an award he received for special services to the school, was cut, but appears on the deleted scenes.
 * In the film, Hermione claims that the writing on the wall is written in blood. The book, however, states that message is simply written in red paint.

10. The Rogue Bludger

 * In the book, to borrow the Moste Potente Potions book from the library, which had the recipe for the Polyjuice Potion, Hermione had to get a note from Gilderoy Lockhart (which he signed without looking at) because it was in the restricted section. In the film, the scene was omitted, and the book was in the regular section of the library.
 * In the film, the match takes place in sunlight; in the book, the majority of it takes place in rainy weather.
 * In the book, Draco does not notice the Snitch at all, due to having been insulting Harry at the time and Harry quickly catches the Snitch before Malfoy could realise it, but in the film, he sees it just after Harry does, and just after ducking to prevent being hit by a Bludger, and it leads to both of them chasing after the snitch for a few seconds before Harry catches it first. Also in the film, they chase the Snitch in between the Quidditch Stands.
 * During the match in both book and film, Slytherin had taken the lead of Gryffindor of throwing the Quaffle through the hoops, but they had different scores: In the book, the final score was 60-0, but in the film, the score is 90-30, in which Gryffindor would then receive 150 points because Gryffindor won the match.
 * In the film, while Malfoy was dodging the Bludger, he tilted his broom too low, the tip of his broom hits a beam, causing him to catapult off his broom, and land on the grass, landing on his groin doing a full split. He was still moaning in agonizing pain at the Hospital Wing when Madam Pomfrey tells him not to make such a fuss.
 * In a deleted scene from the film Harry tries to avoid being hit by a Bludger by flying in the Slytherin tribune. This does not happen in the book.
 * Lucius Malfoy is seen in the audience observing the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch Match in the film. This is not mentioned in the book.
 * In the book Fred and George attempt to protect Harry from the rogue bludger, and later place it back in its case while restraining it. In the film, Hermione destroys the rogue bludger with Finite Incantatem after the game, effectively damaging a piece of Hogwarts property.
 * In the book, Harry's arm is injured by the Rogue Bludger, before he charges at Malfoy, but after spotting the Snitch, due to a moment of hesitation. In the film it occurs after the added incident in which Malfoy has crashes off his broom. Additionally Hagrid is present when Lockhart removes the bones from Harry's injured arm when attempting to heal the broken bones, whereas he wasn't in the ook.
 * In the film Filch supports Slytherin, being seen standing in a crowd of Slytherin-spectators, whereas is the books, it is never specified if he takes sides
 * In the book, when Harry is in the hospital wing following the Quidditch match, Ron, Hermione and Madam Pomfrey are the only people there when he takes the Skele-Gro, the rest of the team come in later and Madam Pomfrey shouts at them to get out. In the film however, the entire team plus Ron and Hermione come with him, and Madam Pomfrey tells them to get out of her way, not to get out of the Hospital Wing.

11. The Duelling Club

 * The scene in which Harry, Ron, and Hermione cause a disturbance in Potions class to steal ingredients from Professor Snape was omitted. This caused a continuity error for the film version of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire where Snape accused Harry of brewing Polyjuice Potion by stealing its ingredients "again". Possible explanations could be that it happened off-screen, or that Snape just came to the conclusion that Harry did it. Also, because Barty Crouch Jr. was stealing Snape's ingredients to brew Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Alastor Moody in the fourth film, it is possible that Snape mistakenly thought Harry was stealing the ingredients earlier in his fourth year and was warning him not to do so in what Snape falsely perceived to be a second time.
 * In the Duelling Club scene, Harry and Draco are the only combatants participating, while in the novel, other classmates in their year are shown participating along with them, such as Hermione, Millicent Bulstrode, Ron, Seamus, Neville, and Justin Finch-Fletchley.
 * Also in the Duelling Club sequence, when Harry speaks Parseltongue, in the book, the reader knows what he says immediately, as is the case when Harry speaks with the snake at the zoo in the film version of Philosopher's Stone. In the film, it's only hissing sounds until Harry explains what he said to Ron and Hermione. Other uses of the language later in the film are left untranslated, but most likely are the same as the book's translations. Also the games explains what he says.
 * A line that Snape spoke in the book "Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spells", was changed to "Weasley's wand causes devastation with the simplest spells" after Professor Lockhart chose Ron and Harry to demonstrate the Disarming Charm (in the book, Snape spoke instead about Neville Longbottom). The film also changed the line "We'll be sending what's left of Finch-Fletchley up to the hospital wing in a matchbox" to "We'll be sending what's left of Potter up to the hospital wing in a matchbox" as Justin Finch-Fletchley did not duel during the scene, either.
 * Also in the Duelling Club scene, Rictusempra was used like a Stunning Spell which caused Malfoy to be thrown up in a back flip. In the book, Rictusempra was described to give its receiver an uncontrollable tickling sensation. Tarantallegra, a jinx used to force someone to dance wildly and involuntarily, was also not used in the film. In addition, attacking with a Serpensortia spell was Malfoy's own choice, whereas in the novel, Snape was the one who gave him that idea. Everte Statum was also not mentioned in the book but was used in the film.
 * In a deleted scene after the Duelling Club, Harry was talking to Hedwig in a mountainous area away from the castle saying "Who am I, Hedwig? What am I?".

12. The Polyjuice Potion

 * In the book, when Harry asks the Sorting Hat whether it put him in the right House, he does it with the hat on his head. In the film, he merely stands before it.
 * The Polyjuice Potion in the book changes colours as the hair is added. In the film, it does not change colours at all.
 * The scene in the Great Hall during the Christmas Feast, Hermione simply says that she got Millicent Bulstrode's hair off her robes. The novel, however, depicts her and Millicent in the Duelling club where Millicent is head-locking Hermione, and she happens to find black hair on her robes.
 * The scene where Harry and Ron hide Crabbe and Goyle in a broom cupboard is omitted (the scene was filmed and included in the deleted scenes section, though). Due to this omission Crabbe and Goyle are dazed and confused when Harry and Ron run past them after their transformation has worn off instead of pounding while still in the cupboard.
 * The effects of the Polyjuice Potion differ from book to film. In the film, Harry and Ron's voices don't change when they become Crabbe and Goyle, forcing them to imitate these voices. This causes a continuity error with Barty Crouch Jr.'s usage of the Polyjuice Potion in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; however, since in the film adaptations of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the character's voices remain the same as well, it is more likely that Crouch was imitating Moody's voice. In the book, Harry's vision changes and he takes his glasses off, but in the film, his vision apparently does not change, and only takes the glasses off when Draco questions Harry (here disguised as Goyle) wearing them. This could also create a continuity error in the film adaptation of the first half of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows when Hermione, Ron, and others take the potion to transform into Harry, and Hermione remarks that Harry's eyesight is really bad.
 * During the Slytherin Common Room scene, there are some parts of the book which are omitted from the film, like:
 * Draco showing Goyle/Harry and Crabbe/Ron the Daily Prophet article about Arthur Weasley's inquiry at the Ministry of Magic about having been fined for having an enchanted Muggle car is omitted.
 * Draco does not mention Dumbledore's love of Muggle-borns (but it's obvious that Dumbledore still loved them). Also, due to this omission, Draco does not make the rude mimicking act of Colin Creevey wanting Harry's autograph.
 * There is no mention of Azkaban prison in this scene because Harry did not ask Draco whether he knew if the person who opened the Chamber last time was caught. Instead, it is first mentioned by Hagrid in the scene where Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge come to Hagrid's hut.
 * In the film, when Draco mentions that "you'd never know" the Weasleys were pure-bloods the way they behave along with an added line that was not mentioned in the book: "They're an embarassment to the wizarding world. All of them.", Ron makes a fist and looks furious, but in the book, Ron's face is just contorted with fury and there is no fist.
 * In the book, Ron and Harry realize they're turning back to normal when Harry sees Ron's hair turning red and his nose lengthening and they run. In the film, they realise when Ron sees Harry's scar reappearing (which didn't happen in the book) and Harry seeing Ron's hair growing red again and whispering "Scar" (Ron) and "Hair" (Harry).
 * There is a scene added in which Draco finds a small package and after shaking it once, asks Goyle/Harry if it's his (Harry's), Harry shakes his head and Draco puts the package in his school robe pocket, then a few seconds before Harry and Ron realise that they're about to turn back to their normal selves, Draco unwraps the package and after Harry's scar reappears and Ron's hair starts turning back to red, Draco is seen to having a small silver object in his hand, but it does not fully appear since it was in Draco's hand. The package was not included in the book.

13. The Very Secret Diary

 * The part where Hermione gets a get well soon card from Gilderoy Lockhart is omitted, but included in the original script.
 * In the book, Professor Binns explains to the class about the Chamber of Secrets during a History of Magic class, but in the film, Minerva McGonagall explains it to the students during a Transfiguration class as Professor Binns is not in the film. In the game, Professor Flitwick explains it during a Charms lesson.
 * The Valentine's Day breakfast in the Great Hall which was arranged by Professor Lockhart is omitted.
 * The scene when Harry gets his Valentine and Draco Malfoy tries to steal Tom Riddle's diary in which Harry disarms him and Percy scolds Harry for using magic in the corridors is omitted.
 * In the book, the ink is scarlet. In the film, the ink is black.
 * In the book, Tom Riddle's diary displays his first and middle names as initials. In the film, Tom Riddle's full first and last names are shown on the diary.
 * In the book, when Harry gets sucked into the diary to 50 years before, he enters through the Headmaster's office where Professor Dippet was reading a letter from Tom Riddle. In the film, he enters below the Grand Staircase where Tom Riddle was standing, shortly before a younger Dumbledore appears to talk to him.
 * In the film, a scene is added in which Harry and Tom Riddle see Myrtle's dead body (unknown to Harry) wrapped up in a sheet with her right arm sticking out and being carried away by several unidentified wizards. This event did not occur in the novel.
 * In the book, Armando Dippet is the one to talks to Tom Riddle about Hogwarts closing. In the film, Dumbledore talks to Tom while Dippet appears only a brief second then turns his back and does not speak to Tom. Although, in the book, after Tom's meeting with Dippet, he finds Dumbledore who asks Tom why he's wandering around late and then tells him to hurry off to bed because it's not safe to roam the corridors these days.
 * In the book, while Harry is in the memory inside the diary and he sees Tom Riddle with Rubeus Hagrid, Tom calls him "Rubeus", but in the film, he calls him Hagrid instead, like everybody else.

14. Cornelius Fudge

 * In the book when McGonagall is cancelling the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff Quidditich match, she is doing this with a large megaphone while out on the field to send the message much to the dismay of Oliver Wood and the audience. In the film however, she simply informs the Gryffindor team just as they were heading out to the field, and Wood is much less agressive about it than in the book.
 * Ginny's attempt to confide her secret to Ron and Harry is omitted, although a scene where Ginny sees Harry with the diary was initially featured in the script.
 * Almost all foreshadowing hints about Ginny acting strangely or emotionally are omitted. However, in the film, the scene in which McGonagall informs the Gryffindors of the possible closing of the school reveals a close-up of Ginny appearing uneasy as if its her fault.
 * Possible Explanation: Though Ginny did seem uneasy as if it is her fault, in the book she is "bullied" into taking a dose of Pepperup Potion by Percy, in the film this is omitted, along with the fact that she didn't even notice Harry in the book, while in the film she had said "Mum, have you seen my jumper?", and Mrs. Weasley responded with "Yes dear, it was on the cat." Then, when Ginny sees Harry, he says "Hello" and she turns and hurries off.
 * Penelope Clearwater's role as a Basilisk victim is omitted from the film.
 * The book mentioned that "the crowing of the rooster is fatal to the Basilisk" which led Hagrid's roosters to be killed since the Heir of Slytherin didn't want one near the castle. This was not mentioned in the film, although Hagrid was seen holding one of his dead roosters while talking to Dumbledore. A deleted scene shows Harry finding Hagrid holding the rooster. Hagrid explains his thought about a Blood-Sucking Bugbear, and that he is going to ask Dumbledore for permission to cast a protecting charm.

15. Aragog

 * In the book, after Hagrid mentions that if they were looking for answers, all they'd have to do was follow the spiders, Harry and Ron didn't see any spiders until one day in Herbology when Harry points them out to Ron. They noticed the path the spiders were taking, which was right into the Forbidden Forest, and didn't follow them until everyone had gone to sleep in their dormitory. In the film, right after Hagrid is taken away by the Minister, Harry and Ron see spiders crawling along Hagrid's window and follow them into the Forbidden Forest.
 * In the book, Harry, Ron and Fang are taken by the spiders to Aragog's lair but in the film they make their own way there. Also, they never see the Ford Anglia before arriving at Aragog's lair; hence their looks of surprise in the film when it crashes through the spiders to rescue them, although a deleted scene shows them finding the car before they meet Aragog.
 * Also, in the deleted scene where Harry and Ron find the Ford Anglia, Harry tells Ron they don't want to lose the trail of spiders, but in the book, they lose the trail and try to find them before being dragged to Aragog's lair.
 * In the film, Mosag, Aragog's mate, is not mentioned.

16. The Chamber of Secrets

 * In the book, when McGonagall and the other teachers volunteer Lockhart to fight the Basilisk, the teachers are collected in the Staffroom with Harry and Ron hiding in the wardrobe. In the film, the teachers are gathered in front of the daubed message on the wall stating Ginny's capture with Harry and Ron hiding behind a corner. Also, in the book the teachers' comments after Lockhart has left them make it clear that they know he is incapable and were simply getting him out of the way. These comments are left out from the film, but it's still highly unlikely the plan was ever genuine And unlike in the book, the second messsage is seen on-screen in the film.
 * In the book, when Harry and Ron realise that Lockhart is a fraud, they subdue him by performing a Disarming Charm and throwing his wand out of the window. In the film, Lockhart hopelessly drops his wand when Harry and Ron point theirs at his face.
 * In the book, it says that the snake who had shed the skin must have been at least twenty feet long. In the movie, Ron remarks that the creature must have been at least sixty feet long.

17. The Heir of Slytherin

 * In the film, the Basilisk is seen chasing Harry all around the Chamber of Secrets whereas in the book, Harry's fight against the Basilisk occurs quickly and neatly. In the book, Harry never climbs up the statue nor does he go into the statue.
 * In the book, the statue at the end of the Chamber of Secrets is a full body statue of Salazar Slytherin, while in the film it is only a large statue of Slytherin's head and shoulders.
 * In the book, after Fawkes had punctured the Basilisk's eyes, Riddle stated that it can still smell Harry. In the film, Riddle stated that it can hear him.
 * In the book, Fawkes uses his tears to heal Harry while Riddle is still alive, but in the film Fawkes does not use his tears to heal Harry until after Riddle's destruction, as such Ginny wakes up and sees the dying Harry.
 * In the book, in the Chamber of Secrets, Harry puts on the Sorting Hat and shouts at it for help. The sword then comes out and hits him on the head, nearly knocking him out. In the film, the sword just all of a sudden materialises in the hat when it's just lying on the ground, and Harry takes it.
 * In the book, pillars hold up the ceiling of the Chamber of Secrets. In the film, there is nothing to hold the ceiling up (although two pairs of pillars do appear in the game version; and in the film, there were two lines of giant statues of snakes' heads where the pillars were in the book).

18. Dobby's Reward

 * In the book, Harry's conversation with Dumbledore after the defeat of the basilisk is set in McGonagall's office, and Arthur, Molly, and McGonagall are present at the start of the scene. In the film, the scene is set in Dumbledore's office instead, and Arthur, Molly, and McGonagall do not appear.
 * In the book, to free Dobby, Harry puts the diary in his sock and had Lucius Malfoy throw it so Dobby would catch it after he removed the diary, but in the film Harry puts his sock in the diary and had Lucius give the diary with the sock to Dobby unknowingly instead.
 * In the book, just after Dobby was freed, Malfoy raises his wand threateningly at Harry, before Dobby tells him to leave. In the film, it sounds like Lucius Malfoy starts saying "Avada Kedavra" before Dobby blasts him backwards across the hall.
 * In the book, Lucius Malfoy says to Harry, "Someday you'll meet the same sticky end as your parents. They were meddlesome fools too." In the film, he said, "Your parents were meddlesome fools, too. Mark my words, Potter - one day soon, you're going to meet the same, sticky end."

Character Omissions

 * Peeves
 * Patrick Delaney-Podmore
 * Fat Friar
 * Grey lady
 * Bloody Baron
 * Wailing Widow
 * Portly ghost
 * Headless Hunt
 * Deathday Party ghost attendees
 * Cuthbert Binns
 * Mr. Borgin
 * Rolanda Hooch
 * Valentine's Dwarves
 * Panst Parkinson

Mistakes

 * When Dobby first sees Harry, there is a red flag and an orange flag behind him (Dobby). You can see that the orange flag is missing a thumb tack. When Harry tells Dobby that he's not supposed to be there, the thumb tack is there.
 * In Borgin & Burkes, the Hand of Glory is wrapped around Harry's hand. In the next shot, it is wrapped around his wrist.
 * In Borgin & Burkes, while Harry is looking at the jar of skulls, there is nothing next to the jar, In the next shot, an iron stand appears out of nowhere.
 * When Lockhart is saying "it's 27th week atop the Daily Prophet Bestseller List..." the camera scrolls up to Malfoy. You can clearly see Tom Felton's tape mark marking where he is supposed to place his feet.
 * While Harry and Ron are crashing into Platform 9 3/4, Hedwig is obviously just a stuffed owl.
 * Right after Harry and Ron crash into the platform, Ron's suitcase has three brown lines. Five shots later, it has two lines.
 * After they get beaten up by the Whomping Willow, you can see a hole in Ron's suitcase and it is a perfect circular.
 * When Ron takes the Howler out of Errol's beak, the envelope is open. He is then seen opening it.
 * The pixies are green-screen so they had to use binder clips to stretch out Neville's ears to make the scene where the pixies drag Neville up and hang him on the chandelier. After the pixies let go, Neville's ears stay stretched.
 * When Madam Pomfrey sets the bottle of Skele-Gro down, it is facing the camera but when Harry rubs his mouth after spitting it out, the bottle is facing the other way.
 * During the Duelling Club scene when Snape is about to pick Malfoy up, Tom and Alan's tape marks are visible.
 * While the car is being attacked by the Whomping Willow, a hand can be seen tipping over Hedwig's cage.
 * In the scene where Harry and Ron are about to be attacked by Aragog's family in the dark forest, the (formerly) flying car comes to save them. Harry, Ron, and Fang scramble to get in the car, and Fang gets in first, on the driver's side. A spider runs up to attack Harry, but Harry repels it with a spell. As it is running up to Harry, Fang can be seen entering the car a second time.
 * In the Duelling Club scene, after Harry hits Draco with "Rictusempra" and Draco hits the ground, when Snape pulls him up a crew member holding a camera is fully visible in the left corner. Also, a tape marker can be seen under Snape's feet (not seen in the picture).
 * When Harry gets bitten by the basilisk, his arm is seen next to the snake tooth. This is to avoid injury. His arm is seen at least 3 inches away from the tooth.
 * As Dobby's Bludger pursues Harry, he circles a stand decorated with the Slytherin Banner. It makes sense that Harry stops in the front of the stand, according to the last angle of the camera. The Bludger crashes and makes a hole in the front of the stand, but during the next shot, it shows the hole on the right side of the stand.
 * During one of the last scenes of the movie when Harry, Dumbledore and Lucius Malfoy are in Dumbledore's office, the original hair of Jason Issacs, who plays Lucius Malfoy, is visible at the back behind his wig.
 * When Hermione and Harry first arrive at Flourish and Blotts, Ginny is facing them, but in the very next shot Ginny is facing the other way.
 * Harry gets into trouble for doing magic outside of school, yet Hermione does the repairing spell on Harry's glasses without a problem.

Behind the scenes

 * An additional scene appears after the end credits, depicting Lockhart's newest book, Who Am I?. This is the only film to have a scene occur after the end credits, if you do not count the next installment's small Nox spell by Harry that turns out the light.
 * This is the first film in the series to begin directly with the title. The second is The Order of the Phoenix.
 * This is the first film that has no lightning during the title. The second is The Prisoner of Azkaban, the third is The Goblet of Fire, and the last is The Order of the Phoenix.
 * This film is the second time a Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match is seen.
 * This film is the only time Draco Malfoy is seen playing Quidditch in the films due to Slytherin's matches against Gryffindor being omitted from the third and fifth films. Draco is shown playing Quidditch again in the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey attraction at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
 * If you listen closely, when Lucius attempts to curse Harry for freeing Dobby, he starts the "Avada-" portion of the Killing Curse, before being thrown back by Dobby's spell.
 * When Harry and Ron were hiding under the invisibility cloak in Hagrid's hut, Dumbledore appears to have seen them or at least suspected their presence as he was staring at them directly and he even stayed behind and looked at them and he told them indirectly that "help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it".
 * Before shooting the Basilisk scenes, Director Chris Columbus asked the advice of Steven Spielberg who had directed the Jurassic Park movies. Columbus wondered how best to film the scenes with the Basilisk (using CGI or a real mechanical beast). Spielberg said that the best result comes from combining the two, resulting into shots with a CGI Basilisk (the wide shots) and a mechanical one (for close ups) which Daniel Radcliffe could work with.
 * Chris Columbus also shot the scene with Harry climbing onto Salazar Slytherin's head as an homage to North by Northwest, a film by Alfred Hitchcock, in which the main characters climb onto one the heads of the famous Mount Rushmore.
 * This film and The Order of the Phoenix are the only two movies in the series to not be nominated for an Academy Award.

Home Video Release Dates

 * 03 February, 2003: United Kingdom (VHS/DVD)
 * 11 April 2003: United States, Canada (VHS/DVD)
 * 11 December 2007: United States (HD DVD/Blu-ray)
 * 8 December 2009: United States (DVD/Blu-ray Ultimate Edition)
 * 1 June 2011: United States (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy Combo Pack)
 * 7 September 2012: Wizard's Collection (Blu-ray + DVD + UltraViolet + "Creating the World of Harry Potter")

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Notes and references
Harry Potter und die Kammer des Schreckens (Film) Harry Potter y la Cámara de los Secretos (película) Harry Potter ja Saladuste kamber (film) Harry Potter et la Chambre des Secrets (film) Harry Potter e la Camera dei Segreti (film) ハリー・ポッターと秘密の部屋 (映画) Harry Potter og Mysteriekammeret (film) Harry Potter i Komnata Tajemnic (film)