Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)

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.

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
 * David Bradley as Argus Filch
 * Gemma Jones as Poppy Pomfrey
 * Sally Mortemore as Irma Pince

Other Hogwarts denizens

 * John Cleese as Nearly Headless Nick
 * Shirley Henderson as Moaning Myrtle
 * Nina Young as The Grey Lady
 * 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

Hogwarts students

 * Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy
 * Sean Biggerstaff as Oliver Wood
 * Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom
 * Hugh Mitchell as Colin Creevey
 * Devon Murray as Seamus Finnigan
 * Emily Dale as Katie Bell
 * Rochelle Douglas as Alicia Spinnet
 * Alfred Enoch as Dean Thomas
 * Danielle Tabor as Angelina Johnson
 * James Phelps as Fred Weasley
 * Oliver Phelps as George Weasley
 * Chris Rankin as Percy Weasley
 * Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley
 * Luke Youngblood as Lee Jordan
 * Kathleen Cauley as Lavender Brown
 * Charlotte Skeoch as Hannah Abbott
 * Eleanor Columbus as Susan Bones
 * Edward Randell as Justin Finch-Fletchley
 * Louis Doyle as Ernie Macmillan
 * Gemma Padley as Penelope Clearwater
 * Josh Herdman as Gregory Goyle
 * Helen Stuart as Millicent Bulstrode
 * Jamie Waylett as Vincent Crabbe
 * Jamie Yeates as Marcus Flint
 * Scot Fearn as Adrian Pucey
 * David Churchyard as Miles Bletchley
 * David Holmes as Slytherin Beater 1
 * David Massam as Slytherin Beater 2
 * Tony Christian as Slytherin Beater 3
 * Brendan Columbus as Boy in Study Hall 1
 * Robert Ayres as Boy in Study Hall 2

Ministry of Magic

 * Robert Hardy as Cornelius Fudge

Wizarding World Related

 * Edward Tudor-Pole as Mr. Borgin
 * Jenny Tarren as Knockturn Alley Witch
 * Isabella Columbus as Bookstore Girl
 * Peter O'Farrell as Daily Prophet Photographer
 * Ben Borowiecki as Angus (Diagon Alley Boy)
 * Les Bubb as Reader
 * Terence Mcauley as Knockturn Alley Wizard
 * Sean Cronin as Wizard
 * Salo Gardner as Knockturn Alley Wizard

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

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
 * Julian Glover as the voice of Aragog

Animals

 * Hugo as Fang
 * Gizmo, Ook and Sprout as Hedwig
 * Maximus, Alanis and Cornilus as Mrs. Norris
 * Unknown rats as Scabbers
 * Unknown owls as Errol

Chapters

 * 1) In a Cage
 * 2) Dobby's Warning
 * 3) Car Rescue
 * 4) The Burrow
 * 5) To Diagon Alley
 * 6) Flourish and Blotts
 * 7) Flying to Hogwarts
 * 8) Whomping Willow
 * 9) Mandrakes; Ron's Howler
 * 10) Gilderoy Lockhart
 * 11) Mudbloods and Murmurs
 * 12) Writing on the Wall
 * 13) About the Chamber
 * 14) Rogue Bludger
 * 15) No Longer Safe
 * 16) Duelling Club
 * 17) A Parselmouth
 * 18) Nothing to Tell
 * 19) Polyjuice Potion
 * 20) Harry and Ron Transformed
 * 21) The Diary
 * 22) Tom Riddle
 * 23) Petrified
 * 24) Cornelius Fudge
 * 25) Aragog
 * 26) Spider Attack
 * 27) Missing
 * 28) Chamber of Secrets
 * 29) Backfire
 * 30) Heir of Slytherin
 * 31) The Basilisk
 * 32) Healing Powers
 * 33) Out of the Hat
 * 34) Dobby's Reward
 * 35) Welcome Back
 * 36) End Credits

Plot 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!

Differences from the book

 * In the books, whenever Dobby Disapparates, the usual loud crack is heard. But in the film, Dobby appears and disappears quietly.
 * The film shows Dobby levitating the pudding into the sitting room and dropping it on top of Mrs Mason. In the novel, however, Dobby dropped the pudding in the kitchen.
 * 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 caused the Dursleys to learn of this rule. This causes a continuity error in the following film where Vernon Dursley already knew that Harry cannot perform magic outside of school. This is because the scene was in the original script and likely filmed; it was not included on the initial DVD release, but will most likely feature on the announced Ultimate Edition.
 * In the book, Uncle Vernon pays a man to fit bars on Harry's window, but in the film, Uncle Vernon fits the bars himself.
 * When Harry was escaping from the Dursleys, only Uncle Vernon tried to prevent 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 book, when Harry arrives at the Weasleys' home, Mrs. Weasley makes her sons "de-gnome" the garden.
 * The scene where Harry eavesdrops on Lucius and Draco Malfoy's business with Borgin was filmed, but ultimately cut from the film. 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 the book, Mr. Weasley repairs Harry's glasses in Diagon Alley, but in the film, Hermione repairs them and the knowledge of her using underage 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 also explains why Harry is believed to be the one to perform the levitating spell on the pudding though it is Dobby)
 * The part where Arthur Weasley fights with Lucius Malfoy in Flourish and Blotts is omitted. Instead, they only exchange tense words.
 * When they meet in Diagon Alley, Hermione chides Lucius Malfoy for not using Voldemort's name. In the books, she frequently refers to him as "You-Know-Who" and indeed until the fifth film, as in the book, she shows visible reluctance to call him Voldemort.
 * Arthur Weasley asks Harry about escalators in the book, but rubber ducks in the film.
 * 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 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, 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.
 * 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 omitted.
 * 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 with the Hufflepuffs in the book, but 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. 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, 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.
 * Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday Party is omitted. Because of this omission, Harry encounters the petrified Mrs. Norris on his way back from spending hours of detention with Gilderoy Lockhart instead.
 * 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.
 * In the film, the weather during the Gryffindor Quidditch team's match against Slytherin took place in sunny weather, while in the book, it took place in rainy weather.
 * Draco Malfoy falls off his broom and is injured so he has to get sent to the hospital wing in the Quidditch match. In the book Draco emerges unscathed.
 * In the book Fred and George attempt to protect Harry from the rogue bludger, in the film version this is omitted.
 * 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 was the case when Harry spoke 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 is the book's translations.
 * 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 mentioned 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 the book, Armando Dippet is the one to talk to Tom Riddle about Hogwarts closing. In the film, Dumbledore talks to Tom, although there was supposedly a scene filmed where Riddle and Dippet did talk, which was cut for time and not included on the initial DVD release.
 * 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). In the film, the scene was omitted, and the book was in the regular section of the library.
 * 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". It is unknown whether this scene will appear on the Ultimate Edition, as it was not in the original script; however, the scene where Riddle and Dippet talk was not part of the original script either so it is possible.
 * The Polyjuice Potion in the book changes colours as the hair is added. In the film, it does not change colours at all.
 * 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, it is possible Crouch was imitating Moody's voice. Also in the film, Harry does not need to remove his glasses, however in the book his vision changes and he takes his glasses off.
 * 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 headlocking Hermione, and she happens to find black hair on her robes.
 * The part where Hermione gets a get well soon card from Gilderoy Lockhart is omitted, but included in the original script and probably on the extended edition.
 * 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 part when Harry gets his valentine and Draco Malfoy tries to steal Tom Riddle's diary is omitted.
 * In the book, Harry's ink is scarlet. In the film, the ink is black.
 * 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. Plus, 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.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * In the book, when McGonagall and the other teachers volunteer Lockhart to fight the Basilisk, the teachers are collected in the Staff Room rather than in front of the daubed message on the wall stating Ginny's capture.
 * 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.
 * Fawkes does not cure Harry until after Riddle's destruction, as such Ginny wakes up and sees the dying Harry.
 * In the book, to free Dobby, Harry puts the diary in his sock to trick Lucius Malfoy into throwing it so Dobby would catch it after he removed the diary, but in the film Harry hides his sock in the diary and had Lucius give the diary with the sock to Dobby unknowingly instead.
 * 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, Harry's conversation with Dumbledore after the defeat of the basilisk takes place 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 McGonagall and Ginny's parents do not appear.

Mistakes

 * While Lockhart is in his Defence Against the Dark Arts class,he has a cage covered and is saying "It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizard kind," there is a picture behind him. The picture is not moving, but is still. It should be moving like all pictures in the wizarding world should.
 * When Harry stands next to Gilderoy Lockhart in Flourish and Blotts, the camera scrolls up to show Draco Malfoy, just as Lockhart is saying "its 27th week atop the Daily Prophet Best Seller List." The tape marks where Tom Felton is supposed to place his feet are clearly visible.
 * When Fred, George, Ron and Harry touch down on the ground outside the Burrow after rescuing Harry, the camera is behind the car. The car drives past the barn. Then, when the camera moves to the front of the car, they go past the barn again.
 * Hermione performed the 'Reparo' spell while in Diagon Alley, while subject to the fact she is not supposed to perform magic outside of school. However, she performed the same spell on the Hogwarts Express train in the first film.
 * While in both the book and film Hermione thinks the black cat hair is Millicent Bulstrode's hair, the actress portraying Millicent has auburn hair.
 * At the beginning of the film Harry talks to Hedwig, apologising that he cannot let her out of her cage because he isn't allowed to do magic outside of school. The cage still had the key in the lock, so Harry would not have to perform magic to release Hedwig.
 * When Ron is beside the window, his voice can be heard clearly, even though the window is closed.
 * In the beginning of Chamber of Secrets when Fred, George, and Ron pull the bars from Harry's window, the bars fall near the bush under his window. However, when Vernon falls from the window, the bars are gone.
 * When George, Fred, Ron and Harry return to the Burrow, look closely at the Weasley clock: You'll see that Molly's, Percy's, and Ginny's hands are on garden. Yet when we first see Percy and Ginny, they appear in their pyjamas (Ginny coming from upstairs) as if they had just woken up.
 * In the film, one of the things that the clock hands can point to is "Dentist", despite it being inferred in the books that dentists are unneeded and unheard of in the wizarding world.
 * When Lockhart lets the pixies out, you can clearly tell that Hermione knocks the books off the desk on purpose. Also in this scene, if you look closely Hermione can be seen knocking the books off the desk twice.
 * The writing on the wall about the Chamber having been opened was far above Harry’s and Filch’s head. Ginny is much too short to have written it without standing on something.
 * When Mrs. Norris is attacked, after Hermione reads the message on the wall, if you look to the window furthest to the left, it is blue and you can vaguely spot a camera man.
 * "One, two, three, fereverto." Too bad the words are not written on the blackboard in back of McGonagall when she's teaching. Instead, very strange figures that are backward (the film reel was flipped over for better picture) are what's there. This could also explain a later mistake regarding Harry's wand in his left hand.
 * When Myrtle gets upset and dives into the toilet the water splashes out of the toilet bowl. Yet ghosts supposedly can't affect physical objects at all. There are plenty of people in the real world who can claim otherwise.
 * When Malfoy calls Hermione a Mudblood for the first time, Harry reacts to the word as if he understands what it means but he later states he does not know what a Mudblood is (this can only be seen in the widescreen version. Harry is cut out in the full-screen version).(It is possible that although he did not know what it meant, he could tell it was an insult).
 * 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.
 * As in the book, how Nearly Headless Nick is ultimately revived is left a mystery. Presumably a ghost could not be administered a potion like that made to revive the students. However, they can taste things with a strong flavour if they wander through it.
 * While the car is being attacked by the Whomping Willow, a hand can be seen tipping over Hedwig's cage.
 * In a deleted scene the flying car is shown in the forbidden forest, and with plenty of damage. One thing is missing. a dent was put on the hood from the Whomping Willow earlier in the film. In the deleted scene it is nowhere to be seen. This may imply the scene's deletion.
 * When Hagrid raises the crossbow, you will see that it is not loaded. In subsequent shots it is loaded. However, he may have loaded it off screen.
 * Slow Motion needed: When Harry gets bitten by the basilisk. (This goof may be ignored) 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.
 * When Professor McGonagall tells the Gryffindor Quidditch Team that the match has been cancelled, behind McGonagall is clearly a Hufflepuff flying a broom, why ths is is never stated.
 * Colin Creevey's name is seen on the credits twice.

Behind the scenes

 * 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.

DVD release date

 * 8 December 2009: United States (DVD/Blu-ray Ultimate Edition)