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J.K. Rowling...A Year in the Life Documentary Airs on ITV
J.K. RowlingTonight, the “J.K. Rowling…A Year in the Life” documentary by James Runcie was broadcast in the UK on ITV, and is now being playedon iTV’s web site.
We have early reports on some of the new things contained in the program. TLC reader Andy writes that after Jo completed writing “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” Jo “puts on the page numbers and plays Lily Allen’s “Smile.” Andy writes that new artwork “for Ollivanders at Universal can briefly be seen,” and Jo would “like to be remembered as someone who did “the best she could, with the talent she had.”
Readers will remember that we saw three preview clips from the documentary (clip one, preview clip two, and this trailer) with the media currently making much ado of a question posed in the recent Time magazine interview, and posed in this video regarding a possible eight book, but as we saw, Jo says No. Specifically, she said “I think no, it’s time to stop, it’s time to stop now. It gives me a certain satisfaction to say what I thought happened and to tell other people that, because I would like my version to be the official version still, even though I’ve not written it in a book, because it’s my world.” As we first reported several days ago, there is new information in the documentary about the second generation of students at Hogwarts, found in the form of a handwritten family tree that you can see here in our galleries, or via the office on JKRowling.com. Thanks Andy!
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Oh my goodness. That documentary is just what I needed. Rowling is such an amazing person. I’m in awe of how much there is to be learned from her and her books. She’s my hero, I think!
Does anyone know who is the piano soundtrack by? its so haunting. If the track is online, I want to buy it!
I was thinking the same thing. I loved the music in this, especially when Jo came out to read Harry Potter to the fans.
OMG! Just finished watching! Jo, you rock!
I was actually reduced to tears by the end!
@ Professor Potter
The soundtrack normally should be listed at the end of the documentary… It’s for sure copyrighted so they had to ask for permission to use it. :)
Good thinking aillinne. it seems the music is an original composition specially for this documentary. Its composed by Paul Leonard Morgan according to the credits. That is sooo cool in one way but that sucks in another way because it wont be available to buy :(
*WOW I just finished watching it . Great,wonderful and just what i expected. I would like to thank MR.Glass for posting it on You Tube. I live in the US and when i saw it was posted i woke up everyone and we all sat around and watched it. THANK YOU again Mr. Glass and everyone else who posted it. And Thank You JO for everything.Mr. Glass even said this is for everyone at the Leaky Cauldron,that was cool too. That is why Leaky is the best HP site in the world :)
my mom kept complaining all the way through at the fact that everyone made out she was skint when she left her husband and was living in that flat when that flat is bigger than our house (we live in england) and theres 5 of us and my moms a single mom too with 4 kids, and my dad didn’t leave her he died! my mom had no sympathy with her depression what-so-ever and said that she sounded half soaked. I agree with her in a way. but if you look at it another way jkr came from a posh family anyway so that would’ve been poverty for her really.
my sister said she wore horrible pointy shoes too much and something else i can’t remember.
for all her saying that she valued courage and all that she seems to be a weak woman with all considered.omg, i’m going to get flamed for this.
Still on the subject of the soundtrack, the composer has a myspace link http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=85623720 with a few of his songs we can listen to. He has a superb ear for grand melodies particularly with Galapagos and Sienna. They sound cinematic and beautiful but no sign of his music used in the JK documentary though.
Well wikka, people handle things differently. Some people can handle personal tragedy, like a death in the family, extremely well, while others cannot. Besides, housing in Edinburgh is extremly expensive, and she may have had a difficult time paying the rent with what she had. It happens. Perhaps she values courage because she wishes she had more of it. Also, what does courage have to do with depression? I think choosing to battle her depression and circumstances by not giving up in her writing or on life itself, is very couragous. I’m sorry not everyone can be as secure with themselves like your family…
Burn Wikka Burn! Just kidding, you did say you expect to get flamed, thought I be the first to oblige ;) your point of view is perfectly just. I just dont see it that way. I see JK as being very strong. Never take clinical depression, lightly. Its not something that people can control completely but it is something that you can fight and overcome which is what JK did with persevation. You could be rich or poor, it makes no difference. Good argument though.
and she said something that mean’t that she didn’t want to know what other fans viewed the characters because they were hers etc. something like that… hang on…
‘i would like my version to be the official version… because its my world.’ quote from the program. now that i’ve found it.
my sister and me said if we were her we’d love to hear other peoples versions of the characters and the ‘world’. i don’t get jkr, i really don’t.
The character family trees are great:
Lily Luna Potter – okay. Scorpius Malfoy – that’s pretty good, kinda Malfoy-dark; Albus Potter (they “call him Al” – Paul Simon would be pleased) but then you get to Luna’s twin boys Lorcon and Lysander…Lysander Scamander? Say that three times fast! What a name! Has anyone noticed that there isn’t anyone named “Bob” in the wizarding world?
All in all the documentary was terrific. I would have liked to have seen more of her writing process than we did, but it was only an hour long. The part that got me was the kids the showed just after they got their copy of DH on release night. That is of course the part of the story that I participated in (along with the millions of other readers worldwide) and the absolute thrill of finally sitting down to read the book that night is still fresh in my mind.
You know what else? I just LOVE the sound of her voice. I was noticing it listening to the PotterCast interview and again in this documentary. I could listen to her all day long. Very soothing tone to her voice.
Yes, her voice! It’s so… soothing and motherly. I wish I could listen to the entire Potter series in her voice. :)
That part with the pictures of people reading DH after it was released got me, too. It’s just so easy to relate to. And plus it makes me miss the fact that it was the last time (or at least for a very long time) a night like that would happen. Waiting up till midnight for a Harry Potter book just to spend the rest of the night reading it…
This documentary made me miss Harry Potter, even though it’s still everywhere.
Ravenclaw from Glenn, I beg to differ about no one being named Bob in the Wizarding world. On Harry’s first trip with Dumbledore, through the pensieve, he sees a wizard (dressed badly in muggle clothes) named Bob Ogden who has come to arrest Morphin Gaunt.
So there is at least one wizard in the Wizarding world named Bob.
I, too, love the sound and cadance of her voice and find it very soothing. She can really do the characters too. I have gone back and listened to her read the first chapter of DH several times. Her Severus is very silky and smooth, and the line where Voldemort says “Dinner, Nagini.” creeps; me out every time I hear it. Very talented woman indeed.
Kay
Actually Ravenclaw from Glenn there is a Bob, in the lift at the Ministry in OotP with the fire-breathing chicken.
Ah! Two Bobs now. Well, two wizards named Bob are better than one wizard named Bob. Can anyone make it three wizards named Bob.
Kay
I found the answer to my own question…In 1926, according to the Lexicon, Bob, Bill, and Barnaby Ollerton started the Cleansweep Broom Company. Now we have a total of three wizards named Bob.
Oh, and just for the information, Isla Black was burned off the Black family tree for marrying a muggle named Bob Hitchens. Not technically a wizard, but he did have some effect on the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black.
So, we are up to three wizards and one muggle named Bob now.
Kay
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It was a good show! Very emotional of course,and it brought back memories of earlier this year etc :) The final battle was the 2nd of May which I thought was interesting…would like to watch it again.