issue 29 // volume 43

arts // no. 7

Harry Potter turns 20 A cop comedy not for

> The legacy of a phenomenal
novel and film franchise

Caroline Ho
Arts Editor

 

wenty years ago, we were introduced

to the Boy Who Lived—the same
boy who came to tremendously change
the face of children’s literature.

June 26 marks the 20th
anniversary of the publication of
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's
Stone. Back in 1997, who could have
guessed that this boarding-school-
fantasy novel, written by a first-time
novelist from the UK, was going to
become one of the biggest franchises
ever, and a core cultural staple?

The books have been translated
into over 70 languages, and have
sold hundreds of millions of copies
worldwide, as well as each of the last 4
books setting records as fastest-selling
novels. The film series is just as huge,
if not bigger—it’s the second highest-
grossing film series of all time, and 7 out
of 8 of the main movies are on the list
of the 50 highest-grossing films ever.
Beyond the statistics, you'd be hard-

pressed to find anyone this side of 30
who’s never read a single Harry Potter
book or watched any of the movies,
and even then, they'd probably be at
least somewhat familiar with the story’s
premise. Harry Potter has ingrained
itself into our culture, completely
changing the immediate connotations
of witchcraft and wizardry, introducing
new sports and new vocabulary, and
broadening our appreciation for the
emotional depth of children’s literature.

Illuminating the history of

I'm sure I wasn't the only kid who
might have been a little disappointed
not to receive an invitation to a magical
academy the year | turned u1, but the
lack of a letter didn’t stop countless fans
around the world from being drawn
inexorably into the world of Harry and
his friends. Year after year, we dove
back into the wizarding world and the
adventures of our beloved protagonists.
The series did not publish a new novel
every single year; nonetheless, the
books were released regularly enough
that a generation of readers got to
grow up with Harry, watching him
age and mature (including through
those angry, awkward teen years).

Even after the final volume, Harry
Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was
published in 2007, our journey with
Harry wasn't over—we still had the
rest of the movies to eagerly anticipate.
Nor did the release of the Deathly
Hallows: Part 2 film in zou mark
the end of the franchise: the website
Pottermore was launched in 2012; new
spinoff prequel films are still being
released; Universal Orlando Resort
has a Wizarding World of Harry Potter
theme park; and in many other aspects,
the fandom is still very much thriving.

The story of Harry Potter has come
to aclose, but the legacy of the series
is far from finished. It’s already been
20 years, and at the same time, it’s only
been 20 years. It seems inevitable that,
even decades down the line, Harry
Potter will still be recognized as a classic
with an incredible cultural impact.

the Northwest Coast

> Museum of Anthropology unveils new gallery exhibit

Caroline Ho
Arts Editor

 

he UBC Museum of Anthropology’s
brand-new gallery highlights
the history and continued resonance
of First Nations art and artistry.

The Gallery of Northwest Coast
Masterworks opened its doors to its
first-ever exhibit, In a Different Light:
Reflecting on Northwest Coast Art, on June
22. The exhibit features over uo objects
and artworks, complemented by displays
of text, light, sound, and video that
connect a museumgoer to contemporary
Indigenous artists and, through them,
to the countless generations of First
Nations peoples who shaped these
artefacts and the culture behind them.

The physical space of the gallery itself
is a marvel. A 210-square-metre room
located in one corner of the Museum
of Anthropology, the gallery gives an
immediate impression of serenity and
seclusion apart from the rest of the
museum. The smaller, relatively dimly-lit

space, far from feeling confining, exudes
an immersive and personal atmosphere.
Screens mounted on the walls and
speakers throughout the room play video
clips and interviews with contemporary
artists talking about the process of
creation and cultural celebration. The
room also features swivelling chairs that
are activated when a visitor sits down,
intimately engaging them with audio clips.
The items in the exhibit are
grouped around themes such as
“declaring,” “embodying,” “transcending,”
and “witnessing,” and the objects
are accompanied with quotes from
contemporary artists about the artists’
impressions and interpretations of
the pieces. Reading their words in
relation to the artefacts themselves
imbues the viewer with a profound
sense of chronological reach—these
ancient artefacts are being continuously
rediscovered, and interacting with
the art gives new meaning both to the
past and present understandings of
Indigenous Northwest Coast culture.
The exhibit emphasizes the value

those easily offended.

> A film review of ‘The Naked Gun:
From the Files of Police Squad!’

Jan Prchal
Columnist

 

Fen detectives in film noir to sheriffs
in westerns, law enforcement has
played a substantial role in Hollywood
productions. By the 1980s, police officers
were established characters in a wide
range of genres, reaching a pinnacle in
1988. That year, Die Hard set a high bar
for police-driven action films, while The
Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
created the mould from which almost
every subsequent gag and pun-filled
American cop comedy has been made.

The opening sequence sets the tone
for the exaggerated style that the film

employs to its maximal tolerable potential.

America’s enemies gather in Lebanon at a
secret meeting to plot a terrorist attack on
the United States, but an LAPD lieutenant
Frank Drebin breaks up the meeting
to wipe the wine stain off Gorbachev's
forehead and to reveal the Ayatollah’s
orange mohawk beneath his turban.
This unabashed cultural insensitivity
continues throughout the film.

The opening credit sequence
features an entertaining POV of a police
siren causing mayhem with dangerous
driving (including a baffling roller coaster
sequence) that is entertaining, but also
subtly reminds you that police abuse

of these artefacts, many of which serve
dually as practical everyday items as well
as pieces of incredible craftsmanship.
For example, the spindle whorls were
used for spinning wool, but they're also
very intricately carved with designs of
people and animals. Fish hooks, daggers,
needles, and a variety of other tools
similarly demonstrate the merger of
pragmatism and exquisite design. The
tiny woven trinket baskets are particularly
charming examples of artisanry. Some
of these baskets are small enough to
fit in the palm of a hand, and a viewer
cannot fail to appreciate the skill and
patience that must have gone into
meticulously creating such delicate items.
Perhaps the most impressive piece
of the collection—and the one most
demonstrative of the state-of-the-art
gallery’s sleek design—is the over-200-
year-old Tsimshian wood painting
displayed against one wall of the gallery.
Having faded with age, most of the
painting is indiscernible at a glance, and
it looks merely like a four-meter-tall
piece of cedar—but when visitors place

 

of power can bea real phenomenon.

The film spoofs white male
chauvinism when Drebin comforts
the wife of his hospitalized partner,
telling her that her husband’s
attempted murderer is probably a
black male or a jealous gay lover.
Institutional racism and homophobia,
all parodied in the same sentence.

Furthermore, the movie features some
of the better puns in film, many of which
play out during Drebin’s interactions with
his love interest, such as when she invites
him in for a nightcap and he replies: “No
thank you, I don’t wear them,” and leaves.

The film is not without its weak
points, however. Drebin’s narration of
plot elements, including his thoughts
about his love interest, are not only
lacking in comedic value, but poor as
moviemaking techniques in general. Later,
the extended baseball sequence in the
third act delivers few laughs as it drags
towards the finale. Given the short run
time of 1 hour and 25 minutes, however,
these flaws are more than bearable.

In short, The Naked Gun manages to
bea consistently entertaining comedy that
ranks amongst the best of the genre. Its
brand of humour has been unsuccessfully
cloned by scores of Hollywood movies
too numerous and undeserving to name.
And, since it is available on Netflix, you
have few valid excuses not to watch it.

Photo via ubc.ca

a hand ona special sensor, the wooden
planks become illuminated, and you can
see the traces of the intricate painting
outlined by the selective lighting.
However, the culture of the
Northwest Coast peoples is far from
being only visible as faded remnants.
Thanks to the preservation efforts of
anthropologists and the reimagining of
contemporary artists, this culture remains
alive and evolving. The gallery exhibit
demonstrates that the peoples of the
Northwest Coast continue to interact with,
and bring light to, their art and heritage.
UBC’s Museum of Anthropology is
located, like the rest of the university’s
Point Grey campus, on the unceded
territory of the Musqueam people.
The Museum has many more fantastic
exhibits to showcase, with one of the
most comprehensive collections of First
Nations art and artefacts in the world,
and its newest gallery is an invaluable
addition to these other offerings.
Ina Different Light is scheduled to
be on display until spring 2019.