Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Topics: TV And Film, Harry Potter, Warner Bros
The Harry Potter film series is one that many of us know well.
Beloved by dedicated fans the whole world over, the series drew to a close in 2011 following the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.
It was way back in 2001 though that things got underway with the wonderfully nostalgic Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone - or Sorcerer's Stone if you’re in the US.
As I’m sure you’re now aware, Philosopher’s Stone is known as Sorcerer's Stone stateside.
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Why? Well apparently the original book’s American publishers thought “philosopher” was too archaic, instead opting for “sorcerer” as it had greater connotations of magic.
It’s not just the title of the debut instalment that differs though.
There’s actually a subtle difference between the versions of the film shown, depending on whether you watch the Philosopher's Stone or Sorcerer's Stone version.
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I’ll admit, this is something I didn’t know but now that it’s been pointed out, I feel a tad silly for not having suspected this would be the case.
As reported by Joe, the title of the stone is also reflected in the film’s dialogue.
This can be heard when Hermione, Ron, and Harry are discussing the stone in Hogwarts’ library.
In the UK version, Hermione says,“I checked this out weeks ago for a bit of light reading. […] Of course, here it is. Nicolas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher’s Stone.”
In the US version, however, she says, “Nicolas Flamel is the only known maker of the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
Again, this makes a ton of sense. I just never stopped to wonder whether they actually recorded alternate dialogue.
This continues throughout the film whenever the stone is mentioned.
I wonder whether HBO’s upcoming TV adaptation will keep it as Sorcerer's Stone or revert back to the object’s original name.