FIVE: Movie Wizards

Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 was released this past week, and is breaking box-office records. There’s no doubt that the series features some of the most memorable magicians in recent screen history, but here’s my list of the Top 5 Wizards of Film.

5 The Wizard of Oz (The Wizard of Oz)

OK, so the Wizard himself isn’t actually all that magical, but you’ve got to admire how in a world of actual magical beings the wizard managed to fool everyone into thinking he was some great and powerful being, rather than just a small man behind a curtain.

4 Tim the Enchanter (Monty Python & The Quest for the Holy Grail)
 

Who could forget the powerful goat-horned Tim from Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail? Though he doesn’t seem all that capable of producing anything other than fireballs and magic missiles, Tim remains one of the most memorable movie wizards through sheer force of personality and his blunt Scottish accent.

3 Merlin (The Sword in the Stone)

Merlin has been a character in many adaptations of the Arthurian legend, but my personal favorite is his portrayal as a time-traveling, spell-slinging, singing and dancing Renaissance man in Disney’s The Sword in the Stone. Best quote: “Blow me to Bermuda!”

2 Albus Dumbledore (the Harry Potter series)

It’s so hard to choose just one wizard from the Harry Potter series to be on this list, but if had to choose just one, it would have to be Albus Dumbledore.

1 Gandalf the Grey (Lord of the Rings series)

Gandalf isn’t just any wizard; he is the most influential wizard in modern fantasy. In creating Gandalf, J. R. R. Tolkien created the blueprint for nearly every wise wizard in fantasy fiction until J. K. Rowling and other novelists of her generation brought the world of magic into the contemporary realm.

Christian Hardy
A&C Editor