British film classics: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

British film classics:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Potter is now a global phenomenon

BBC News Online highlights the key movies in the development of the British film industry.

The money behind the film may be American but the all-British cast, British locations and British source material from JK Rowling just about qualifies it as a British movie.

It may not have made much of an impression at the Oscars but it certainly did at the box office, taking more than $365m in the US alone.

The film was similarly ignored at the Baftas.

When it was released the movie also opened on 3,762 screen in the US, which was a record.

Director Chris Columbus remained faithful to the book and so avoided castigation from millions of Potter fans around the world.

Credits

Director: Chris Columbus

Producer: David Heyman

Screenplay: Steven Kloves

Score: John Williams

Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint

Much of the film's Britishness is down to author J.K. Rowling.

She reportedly insisted that the main cast be British although Richard Harris was Irish and Zoe Wanamaker is actually a US citizen.

Steven Spielberg was reported to have been offered the director's chair first and he wanted Haley Joel Osment for the part of Harry.