“Sod’s law”? The day Kelly Loomis shares all that the trailers, merchandise, and fan detective work globally have told us about the upcoming second part of the Fantastic Beasts film franchise, Crimes of Grindelwald, J. K. Rowling tells us what the story is really about and we get scenes from the film previously not shown.
Watch and listen —
Two things jump out here. First there is Rowling’s explanation of her story-telling artistry in this adventure:
J.K. Rowling: What I consciously wanted was to have this gallery of people whose backstories we understand. We get to know their own personal struggles, biases, traumas, and in the middle of it we have Grindelwald. Now, which of these characters will hear his siren call? Which of them will say, “Yes, you have the answer to what ails me,” and which of them will say, “No, I see what you’re doing … and I don’t like what you’re doing.” And for some of these characters, he is the answer.
The next big deal is Grindelwald’s alley way meeting with a man whose face is in shadow. The alley way and the message delivered suggest Shadowman is about to do the Bad Guys a great service — and betray the Good Guys from within their own ranks. I’m sure that fandom already has a better idea than I do of who this is; my best guess is that he is a Ministry of Magic officer and turncoat aware of the Scamander Brothers’ missions. Double agent! Benedict Arnold! Judas!
Will there be anything left of this story before we get to see it in theaters?
I confess I’m much more excited about the Rowling discussion of what she is trying to do as a writer in this film, i.e., give us characters with a variety of internal strengths and vulnerabilities that will make Grindelwald’s external social and political offerings appealing or repugnant.
Which makes the idea that Queenie will fall under his influence, as I suggested a year ago in this ‘Group Portrait’ exegesis, so much more likely. She’s the only one of our Fab Four, because of her MACUSA forbidden love for No-Maj Jacob Kowalski, who would benefit, albeit only in the short term, by a change in regimes.
Complete transcript after the jump! Let me know what you think of the ‘Fallen Queenie’ Theory — and if you know who the man in the alley is…
Grindelwald: Magic blooms only in rare souls.
J.K. Rowling: The crimes of Grindelwald have been crimes of violence and terror, but we also see his immense seductive power.
Johnny Depp: Grindelwald, who’s this very, very powerful, manipulative menace to the world is convinced that the only way forward is total domination over the people.
Ezra Miller: Grindelwald seeks to rally all power into his camp.
Eddie Redmayne: Grindelwald believes that wizards should no longer live in hiding and that muggles should be ruled over by wizards and witches. He justifies everything to himself and makes it appear rational – in fact, at moments, appealing – and that’s how he’s clawing people to his cause.
Grindelwald: Your name will be written in glory when wizards rule the world.
Katherine Waterston: The extreme danger of a person who has figured out how to use fear to control.
Dumbledore: I cannot move against Grindelwald. It has to be you.
Jude Law: Dumbledore has to maneuver to try and stop Grindelwald’s rise.
J.K. Rowling: What I consciously wanted was to have this gallery of people whose backstories we understand. We get to know their own personal struggles, biases, traumas, and in the middle of it we have Grindelwald. Now, which of these characters will hear his siren call? Which of them will say, “Yes, you have the answer to what ails me,” and which of them will say, “No, I see what you’re doing … and I don’t like what you’re doing.” And for some of these characters, he is the answer.
Grindelwald: Your desire for revenge is natural. My brothers, my sisters, pledge to me your eternal allegiance, or die.
Ugh! When I saw this clip I thought – this is it!! Knowing she had said in an earlier interview that this “series is about her favorite character Dumbledore and how he becomes Dumbledore”, GG’s aims, how he responds to him – being tempted and moving beyond this to the final battle, is the key. All the drama going on with everyone else is window dressing in a way and feeding into showing GG’s methods of persuasion and appeal to those who end up following him.
Following Kelly Loomis’s interesting discussion of UK and American Wizarding marriage laws, are we here encountering ‘Wizarding Prussianism’ – as part of attention to ‘Wizarding nationalism/ethnicity’? (Cf., e.g., not only Chesterton but various works of Leopold Schwarzschild, such as World in Trance (1943) and (alas, not yet directly known to me) The Red Prussian (1947).)
One of my first thoughts reading “a Ministry of Magic officer and turncoat aware of the Scamander Brothers’ missions” was Wormtongue… Compare and contrast Saruman and Gandalf with Grindelwald and Dumbledore? With – “Dumbledore has to maneuver to try and stop Grindelwald’s rise” – Newt as… Radagast? a hobbit?