To be entirely fair to the latest installment in the Harry Potter series of movies, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, I definitely should not be the one reporting on them. Don’t get me wrong, I am an avid Harry Potter fan, and devoured the first five books in record time. However, when book six came out, everything started going pear-shaped.
So when the traditional antics begin around the movie of the aforementioned book, life just gets worse for me.
The latest news, from Latino Review, is that Emma Thompson will not be reprising her seemingly terribly relevant role of Sybil Trelawney in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. This latest revelation adds to the absences of the characters of Fleur, Bill and Percy Weasley, the Gaunts, Hepzibah Smith, and Moaning Myrtle.
Now, given Thompson’s roles in past movies, you might think that leaving her out of this movie is a non-issue. You’d be very wrong.
[SPOILER AHEAD from Book 6]
In fact, Trelawney is the one who alerts Harry to the fact that Draco was “celebrating” in the Room of Requirement — the room that Harry had run his defense training in back in his fifth year — and that Snape was the one who had overheard her and Dumbledore’s discussion of her prophecy about Harry and Voldemort.
However, it is clear by the exclusion of the Gaunts that director David Yates has no real intention on keeping true to J.K. Rowling‘s books.
(Now I realize I am just talking to die-hard Harry Potter fans here, so for anyone else, skip down a few paragraphs to the part about the latest photos from the movie.) But by removing Trelawney, in addition to the Gaunts and Hepzibah Smith, Yates has shown that he will not be paying much attention to the storyline of HP 6. In fact, the reason that I disliked HBP so much was because of the continual and excruciatingly slow revelation of information concerning people like the Gaunts, Hepzibah, etc. It overwhelmed the book, and any real action or entertaining aspects of the book were washed away under the tide of anecdotal evidence Dumbledore decided Harry finally needed to know.
Now mentioning Harry always gets me upset, because I dislike him almost as much as I dislike Book Six, and just looking at the images (which Warner Bros. is on a cease and desist crusade to have removed from the internet) makes me groan for seeing that emo face again.
But the real question, away from my random dislikes, is why is Rowling allowing her books to be so torn apart solely for the benefit of making movies that, let’s face it, are not stellar. I would say I hate to think like this, but it would be a lie, but the only explanation is that Rowling is more than happy to allow the bastardization and butchering of her books solely so she can make a few more bucks out of them. It would definitely fit the profile of the woman who is trying to take down a book that will be a guide to her work.
As I mentioned, Warner Bros. seems to be trying to take down the photos, and seem to have been doing so while I wrote this article. So instead of posting any images ourselves, we’ll just link to the ones that are still up, where they originally started from, at BlogHogwarts.com.
Either way, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is definitely not a film that I’m currently freaked out about seeing, but one that I will stand in line for anyway.
To be entirely fair to the latest installment in the Harry Potter series of movies, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, I definitely should not be the one reporting on them. Don’t get me wrong, I am an avid Harry Potter fan, and devoured the first five books in record time. However, when book six came out, everything started going pear-shaped.
You do realize that the reason she’s trying to take that one book down is because the guy just put her sentences and descriptions into alphabetical order. If he had added to it like some of the other people and gone into it more, she would have been just fine with it. It’s no use the “book” people saying why didn’t she say this before as she kept asking for a copy of what they were going to print. You also cannot call that jackass a “writer” or “author” as he did nothing but take credit for her work (also the money).
Secondly, considering all that happens to him, I think Harry wouldn’t actually be some happy-go-lucky kind of guy…I think he’s due a little anger and sadness. As long as they try to keep it to Harry’s story without meandering into all the little sidestories that aren’t pertinent to his story, hopefully it will make sense. Kind of difficult, considering how huge the story(s) are.
Comment by Dory — June 3, 2008 @ 4:26 pm
Hey youre right.
Comment by Brenda — June 3, 2008 @ 5:43 pm
i love harry potter so much i cant wait til the movie comes out on nov.21.08
Comment by tiffany — June 3, 2008 @ 11:48 pm
What kind of writer are you? I agreed with everything you said upto the point you started insulting the main character! I think after losing your Godfather, you’d be feeling quite depressed. I know I would!!!
You obviously forgot you were writing this and lots of Harry Potter fans would be reading it!! Think about what you write!!!
Comment by Gemma — June 4, 2008 @ 3:45 am
I think the style of that new photo of Harry is maybe trying to appeal to the emo masses. But I don’t think the filmmakers would ever turn Harry emo, no matter how depressed he gets or what challenges he faces.
I LOVE book 6, it was probably my favorite read of the entire series. I thought it flowed perfectly and I loved that we finally found out so many details about the past. The Dumbledore/Harry sequences are very King Arthur like in their telling.
I really hope they do the Half-Blood film justice, though I am disturbed over how so many characters are being cut. I’d rather there be 15 movies that tell the entire story, then have a truncated 8 movies that’s planned.
Comment by Empress Eve — June 4, 2008 @ 7:45 am
Dude…I want you to put yourself in his shoes just for a minute. Take away your parents. Throw yourself into an existance where you are constantly harassed and antagonized (Dursley’s, MoM, Hogwarts even) and then take away the closest thing you’ve ever had to a family, your godfather. You’d be pretty miserable too. But really, to the real issue. Were Cuaron or Newell faithful to the book? NO! And you know this, so don’t whine. Columbus was the only director that was faithful to his source material. Ask yourself, is Trelawney really that important? The only cuts they’ve made that upset me are the Gaunts. Who cares about Bill and Fleur and Percy or the fat lady with the elf? It’s hard enough cutting her books down to make into a film without having to hear people like you complain because the unimportant sideplots have been hacked to make way for the real story.
As a writer-in-the-making I can tell you that if some cheap, slick punk like Steve vander-Ark tried to make money off of MY work, I’d be suing too. He’s doing exactly what she said she might do, the difference being she has the right to. He’s not doing what John Granger did with his four works that ANALYZED Harry Potter. He’s trying to make himself rich.
As for your statement that maybe Rowling is allowing her books to be botchered, well again, put yourself in her shoes. You can’t take a bookn and turn it into a movie without any changes. That’s impossible. The Client (John Grisham), Jurassic Park (Michael Crichton), The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown), Eragon (Christopher Paolini) and Misery (Stephen King) were all books that were later made into films. Guess what? Awww, shucks partner, I don’t think I really have to tell you. But I will. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME, THEY WERE NOT 100% FAITHFUL. So when you grow up and get to be the executive producer of another major blockbuster book-to-film serial, call me and let me know how it goes when you have to make decisions. Going back to Rowling – that woman has been through the absolute worst. If she’s in it for the money now, then so be it, because she should never have to go back to that point in her life where she came from.
Comment by Squagmire — June 4, 2008 @ 8:54 pm
I accept with squagmire. I don’t mind cutting Sybill, but leaving out the Gaunts is really a crime. But still, I am not sure even at all the Gaunts were cut, for surely no person in his right mind would exclude about the Ring Horcrux or infact about the Resurruction Stone that would be a Hallow in the seventh. It’s unfair that u dislike Harry and JKR. All my fellow Potter fans have commented a lot about it so I’ll spare my effort on it. Chris Columbus was the only one who really respected and captured the spirit of the book in the movie. It would be really great if he did the seventh movies. And I dearly hope John Williams will score the music for the last ones.
Comment by Vishnu — June 8, 2008 @ 4:20 pm
Yeah, yur right about Trewlany and the Gaunts.
The Gaunts play a role in the story don’t they?
But the thing is, if David Yates isn’t putting them in the movie, than how are Harry and Dumbledore going to look into the penseive and see the whole story? What? is Dumbledore just going to tell him about it? If so…that’s going to be MAJORLY lame. :|
but I can’t wait for the last (2) movies of HP to come out!
the Deathly Hallows (movie[s]) is/are going to have EVERY single little detail from the book; since its 2 movies. Hopefully each part would be around 2-3 hours long.! ^_^
Comment by Julia — June 11, 2008 @ 11:27 pm
how the hell can they cut out the gaunts? they play a major role in this book as most of story revolves around harrys lessons with dumbledore and looking in the penisive and all they storys from the penisive start at the gaunts and evolve around the gaunts what the hell is this stupid director on hes cut out half the story how is anyone gonna understand it? and the bit is about the gaunts and finding out about tom riddles past so this film is going to be hella borin and they’ve obviously just cut out the begining of the book if bill and fleur arnt it and if bills not in it then that ruins the ending too cus he bill gets injured around the time of dumbeldores death and then cuttin out trewlaney :@ GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR STUPID EFFIN IDIOTS :@:@:@:@:@:@:@:@:@:@:@:@:@:@:@:@:@:@
Comment by beth — June 22, 2008 @ 1:46 pm
i am so pissed. yates is killing me here! chris columbus needs to come back, he was by far the best. they cannot possibly cut out the Gaunts. of all things to cut out, that is one of the most crucial parts. and why cut out trelaney, it is important yet it would seriously take up no more than 5 minutes. thats stupid.
Comment by rachel — July 7, 2008 @ 7:46 pm
they have cut some major scenes along with charachters. they cut out the battle scene and dumbledores funeral. how are they going to have harry break up with ginny. maybe since they pushed the release date to july instead of november, they might put those scenes into the movie after all. if they dont then this film is not going to make and sense and fans will be disappointed.
Comment by diana — February 10, 2009 @ 11:28 pm