The All-Inclusive HBP Thread, v.12

I suppose you could say that the main twist to Snape's character is in DH - by the end of HBP, we're tricked into thinking he's the bad guy. Six books of lead up, of questions and doubts of his loyalty, and finally his true identity is revealed.

Then again DH goes back on that, and reverses his sides. If they're playing it so that film-HBP strongly advocates Snape's allegiance to Voldemort, then revealing him as good will come off as stronger in the final two films. I think.

The only thing that I don't think was well conveyed was a true uncertainty of whether Snape is good or bad. The audience's reaction kind of confirmed this as there was no gasp of surprise when he kills Dumbledore. I personally think that the sense of total confusion and mystery about snape's true character is very important and I am not sure if the audience not familiar with the books was left curious enough about his loyalties.

I think this is a bit of a distraction here and we're all coming at it from a fan perspective- which is rather biased.

One thing we're overlooking here - I think- is that general movie audiences are pretty much aware that "SNAPE KILLS DUMBLEDORE!" I suspect that in this day and age there is no way to avoid that and pull a big "surprise" on anyone who is remotely aware of the HBP series. It's been posted on YouTube, message Forums, spray painted on buildings (I kid you not!) So I don't think we should realistically expect most of the audience to "jump!" back in their seats when this happens. It's just so---- OUT THERE- already. It's a cultural meme!

I ALSO think People are also generally aware that Snape is good.

Think about it. Every.single. interview. with Alan Rickman for years has mentioned SNAPE and despite his attempts to keep the topic at bay- the allusion is that Snape is popular for a reason. Plus, a lot of the reviews of OOP mentioned Snape's menace but a many of them also alluded to Snape as basically a "good guy" in hiding. Then on top of all that- the BUZZ and Media around the release of Deathly Hallows- alone was enough for people to figure Snape out without even having to read the book.

In other words, People generally know what is up with Snape- they just don't know the details. So This movie's task is not IMO to figure out some way to show a new surprise- and I don't think we should expect the audience to react this way. They would be detracting from the story. All they can do is tell the story as it is- in the best way possible.

I actually do have a friend that has no idea whether Snape is good or evil, or in fact if there was any question about his loyalties. He has seen all the films but not read any of the books and has managed to somehow stay spoil free. It will be interesting to see what he and some of the other casual viewers feel about Snape in HBP.

If the producers etc do their job well, they should go thru a similar debate as the readers did regarding snape's true allegiance.

I think from rachezee's comments there is enough snape in the film. However, I agree with lc that bellatrix needs to challenge snape in the unbreakable vow. The viewer needs to start wondering from that scene whether snape is working for dumbledore or still loyal to voldemort. From that point on, every time he pops up on screen they should be guessing like we did whose side Snape is really on. I don't see why Harry could verbalize these doubts too to Hermione and Ron when he is talking about Draco.

Was it ever mentioned by the test audience if Wormtail was in the Vow scene?

Was it ever mentioned by the test audience if Wormtail was in the Vow scene?

Yes, he answers the door to Narcissa and Bella then Snape sends him away by slamming the hallway door in his face.

Yes I am the reviewer from Leaky. Thank you for the many kind words of welcome!
I have been lurking here for several days and have been enjoying reading all the different thoughts, opinions and concerns you all have been exchanging. The Leaky board is, quite understandably, mostly questions, not discussions at the moment.

I cannot tell you enough though how truly shocked I was that I did enjoy this movie. I seriously debated whether I would go see it being the book purist I am. I found myself cringing my way through OOTP and thought that might not be an experience worth repeating.

Maybe it was my low expectations that allowed me to enjoy this one, or perhaps, just by chance, I wasn't in the middle of rereading Harry Potter for the gazillienth time but well immersed into rereading His Dark Materials when I saw the screening. I don't know. I think it was actually because there was finally something new and beautiful to satisfy even a small part of my insatiable craving for "more harry" which has been starved since the seventh book came out.

I think there will be plenty of people who will find themselves pleasently surprised. And there will always be those who are not. But the aspect of this movie that made it enjoyable for me cannot be accurately conveyed in a movie review. It has to be seen. Experienced first hand.

Only when you see it will you know for sure whether any of the reviews written in past few days were worth worrying or getting excited about.

For now take, try to take what I, and others have written with a grain of salt. Try to take some enjoyment in the fact that there is at least something new Harry related to discuss, debate and think about.

It is such a shame there is so long to wait...

:rockon:Thanks for the review and thank you even more for this realistic take. I appreciate that you recognize that it needs to be experienced first hand and not too read too much into what reviewers are saying.

HP fans are insatiable beasts because we're always left wanting more.

I believe LadyKrystina said in a previous page had touched on how the death scene with Sirius was well done but that there was no "all CAPS" Harry. Where was the rage with Dumbledore? Where was the "by all means keep destroying my things Harry, I daresay I have too many"? I do hope that there is more emotion infused into the move -- perhaps more reflection on Harry's part after the fact -- Ginny taking Harry's hand away from the scene -- true emotion from Hermione that her man is with another woman.

I think this is a bit of a distraction here and we're all coming at it from a fan perspective- which is rather biased.

One thing we're overlooking here - I think- is that general movie audiences are pretty much aware that "SNAPE KILLS DUMBLEDORE!" I suspect that in this day and age there is no way to avoid that and pull a big "surprise" on anyone who is remotely aware of the HBP series. It's been posted on YouTube, message Forums, spray painted on buildings (I kid you not!) So I don't think we should realistically expect most of the audience to "jump!" back in their seats when this happens. It's just so---- OUT THERE- already. It's a cultural meme!

I ALSO think People are also generally aware that Snape is good.

Think about it. Every.single. interview. with Alan Rickman for years has mentioned SNAPE and despite his attempts to keep the topic at bay- the allusion is that Snape is popular for a reason. Plus, a lot of the reviews of OOP mentioned Snape's menace but a many of them also alluded to Snape as basically a "good guy" in hiding. Then on top of all that- the BUZZ and Media around the release of Deathly Hallows- alone was enough for people to figure Snape out without even having to read the book.

In other words, People generally know what is up with Snape- they just don't know the details. So This movie's task is not IMO to figure out some way to show a new surprise- and I don't think we should expect the audience to react this way. They would be detracting from the story. All they can do is tell the story as it is- in the best way possible.

Please don't assume this. There are many many people out there (my family included) who have no idea about Snape. If someone is not looking for it, they will not find out. We of course think about HP everyday but casual fans do not. They go about their lives and then go see the movies and enjoy them. Snape killing Dumbledore and Snape's true allegiance needs to be both a shock and a surprise in the movie.

:welcome: to COS, Rachezee! You are exceptionally kind to all of us, and thank you for last night's Snape answers! They made me alot more optimistic about Snape's role in this film.

I have a question if you don't mind:

Is Sirius mentioned at all in this film? Is Harry still mourning him in the beginning of the movie like in the book?

I think this is a bit of a distraction here and we're all coming at it from a fan perspective- which is rather biased.

One thing we're overlooking here - I think- is that general movie audiences are pretty much aware that "SNAPE KILLS DUMBLEDORE!" I suspect that in this day and age there is no way to avoid that and pull a big "surprise" on anyone who is remotely aware of the HBP series. It's been posted on YouTube, message Forums, spray painted on buildings (I kid you not!) So I don't think we should realistically expect most of the audience to "jump!" back in their seats when this happens. It's just so---- OUT THERE- already. It's a cultural meme!


Well no, I wouldn't expect most of the audience to jump but (if handled well) I would expect about 10-15% of the audience to be shocked by this revelation. HP Book readers consist of about 60% of the film audience and then probably a third or so of the remaining audience (the movie fans) have yet to be spoiled. I know a good amount myself and I'm sure if you asked around you would find quite a few as well :p

Sadly, your right...a good majority have been spoiled, so it is no longer of the same magnitude as a "Luke, I am your father" plot twist :sigh:

Well no, I wouldn't expect most of the audience to jump but (if handled well) I would expect about 10-15% of the audience to be shocked by this revelation. HP Book readers consist of about 60% of the film audience and then probably a third or so of the remaining audience (the movie fans) have yet to be spoiled :p

Sadly, your right...a good majority have been spoiled, so it is no longer a "Luke, I am your father" magnitude plot twist :sigh:

Yeah- I think there are still people out there who actually don't know about snape just like my friend I posted about above.

However, I just don't think it's possible to achieve the shocker of "luke, I am your father"(ESB just showed on spike last night btw and my brother once again commented on what a shock that was to him when he first saw it :tu:) mainly because of the internet and the fact the book is already out. I think the closest "luke I am your father" moment was when we read about snape killing DD in the book.

Rachezee, welcome! :wave:

It seems to me that what you are saying, is that the UV scene in the movie does NOT arouse the viewers' suspicions, and further, that the refrain of "Dumbledore trusts Snape" gets play in more than one place. (The DADA announcement, Lupin at the Burrow) as in the book. You know, that's actually reassuring...the concern here has been that the audience will think Snape is a villain from Scene One and that will ruin the shock of the ending for viewers unfamiliar with the book. The end of the movie will surely convince most casual viewers that Snape was not, after all, to be trusted. ;)

Actually, this gels with what I felt reading the book. I was at first unsure what to make of Snape after that UV chapter. Although I'm pretty sure that I was leaning toward "Snape is good."

But my main reason why I know that I must have thinking Snape was good the whole time was my visceral reaction when he AK'd DD on the Tower. I was TOTALLY SHOCKED. COMPLETELY FLOORED.

So if the movie is leaning toward less ambiguity and more "we'll make you believe he is on the good side . . . but wait til you see what happens", then that's fine with me.

I believe LadyKrystina said in a previous page had touched on how the death scene with Sirius was well done but that there was no "all CAPS" Harry. Where was the rage with Dumbledore? Where was the "by all means keep destroying my things Harry, I daresay I have too many"? I do hope that there is more emotion infused into the move -- perhaps more reflection on Harry's part after the fact -- Ginny taking Harry's hand away from the scene -- true emotion from Hermione that her man is with another woman.

I think that's the main thing I will be looking for. When I get that kind of ending, then I will know that they did it right that they actually care about the story. Because when you just gloss over the big things that just happened, well, it shows you don't really care about the story, as much as you do about giving lots of action and other stuff to make a buck. Yeah, I know movies are about making a buck. But PoA is my shining example of how you can do it right, even if there are some missteps.

I mean, except for the partially cheesey ending of Harry on the broom, the emotions were right on in the Shrieking Shack and then during the time travel, up to and including Harry and Sirius' good-bye. It was totally moving.

But GoF was like way UP on the emotion for the graveyard and return and then once all was revealed, it was like . . . nothing. Harry had been through a lot. Could we not have the Hospital scene with Mrs. Weasley there (summoned by DD in lieu of Harry's aunt)? Could we not have a better explanation of Priori Incantatem?

DD's speech in the Great Hall was okay, but I'd rather they had more of what JKR had written (as you can see by my sig, I really like that speech).

After that, forget it - the smirks, the cheering of the other schools (was that even in the book). Then the whole thing with the Trio . . . well, I've said it all before. It took me out of the story.

OoTP did a little bit, too, but it wasn't as bad. It was too short to be as bad as GoF. I didn't have enough time to feel one thing or another.

It just seems like the directors (other than Cuaron) are unwilling to linger on any real emotional scenes in the films. Is it because Dan can't handle it? I doubt it, since I think he did pretty good in PoA.

Speaking of emotional endings in HBP - I was just thinking that I would have liked to have seen Hagrid carrying DD's body and see Ron (crying) holding Hermione while she cried thereby clearing up any ambiguity there might be about their burdgeoning relationship. I always liked that image of those 2. It was so beautiful and touching and makes you realize real quick that Ron is hardly a git. He's just a young man maturing.

Sadly, your right...a good majority have been spoiled, so it is no longer of the same magnitude as a "Luke, I am your father" plot twist :sigh:

They might have decided to save that magnitude of a plot twist for DH, when it is discovered it was all planned...

Yeah- I think there are still people out there who actually don't know about snape just like my friend I posted about above.

However, I just don't think it's possible to achieve the shocker of "luke, I am your father"(ESB just showed on spike last night btw and my brother once again commented on what a shock that was to him when he first saw it :tu:) mainly because of the internet and the fact the book is already out. I think the closest "luke I am your father" moment was when we read about snape killing DD in the book.

Yes, when we read about it in the book it was certainly one of those moments. :tu:

The reason it was such a shocking moment in Star Wars is because there was NO BOOK to have already known/be spoiled...everybody was experiencing the revelation for the first time :p

I think if HBP was NOT adapted from a book, SNAPE KILLS DUMBLEDORE would go down as the greatest plot twist in film history! :cool:

But instead I experienced it in a fantastic book, nearly wet myself (:lol:) and was screaming with OUTRAGE AND HATRED at Snape :whistle:

I just hope the film makers haven't ruined that experience for those who remain oblivious (:relax:)...I wanna see their reactions :elaugh: :drool:


I think for the films, the best way to handle it is have the audiene walk away with the perception that Snape is downright EVIL (that's how I felt after reading the book) But in order to accomplish this, I think they need to introduce more ambiguity...such as including "Bella's Interrogation" at Spinner's End. It sounds as if there are plenty of Snape scenes, however none of them seem to suggest the notion that Snape is EVIL...and therefore the audience will continue to believe Snape is the ally and come to the conclusion that it was pre-arranged..if they don't handle Severus Snape's character very well in HBP, they may very well end up ruining the revelations to come in DH :relax:

Yes, when we read about it in the book it was certainly one of those moments. :tu:

The reason it was such a shocking moment in Star Wars is because there was NO BOOK to have already known/be spoiled...everybody was experiencing the revelation for the first time :p

I think if HBP was NOT adapted from a book, SNAPE KILLS DUMBLEDORE would go down as the greatest plot twist in film history! :cool:

But instead I experienced it in a fantastic book, nearly wet myself (:lol:) and was screaming with OUTRAGE AND HATRED at Snape :whistle:

I just hope the film makers haven't ruined that experience for those who remain oblivious (:relax:)...I wanna see their reactions :elaugh: :drool:


I think for the films, the best way to handle it is have the audiene walk away with the perception that Snape is downright EVIL (that's how I felt after reading the book) But in order to accomplish this, I think they need to introduce more ambiguity...such as including "Bella's Interrogation" at Spinner's End. It sounds as if there are plenty of Snape scenes, however none of them seem to suggest the notion that Snape is EVIL...and therefore the audience will continue to believe Snape is the ally and come to the conclusion that it was pre-arranged..if they don't handle Severus Snape's character very well in HBP, they may very well end up ruining the revelations to come in DH :relax:


Yes, I agree. When I first read the section of HBP where Snape killed DD I was shocked beyond belief! I remember being worried that there was only very little of the book left and wondering how in the world JKR was going to wrap this all up the way she did all the other books. Little did I know it would end up being a gigantic cliffhanger!

When the unspoiled audience sees Snape kill DD- if the filmakers do this right- they should be shocked and angry. They have to be convinced that Snape is evil at this point just like Harry. It will make the prince's tale in DH that much more touching.

For me, in an ideal world what would happen at the end of this movie would be for the audience to come out split into two camps or hovering somewhere in between. Was there more to this whole thing or not? I know we'd all love to recreate our own experience, and to me that's what would be the best way to come out of this film. It shouldn't be clear cut. I think there is potential for there to be a question as to what just happened and if there was more to it...

To me there seemed to be a real issue of whether this guy was good or bad and if there was more to the whole thing or not... That's what that experience was like between HBP and DH and that's how I feel that year and a half between films should be like for the people that don't decide to flip open DH and see what happens. ;)

Anyway, thank you to Rachezee for all of the great posts. :) I'm only slightly worried about "Flight of the Prince" and the DD and Snape "arguing" scene, at this point, but overall I think this might end up being a good film.

Edit: Oh and the waitress scene. Can't forget about that one. ;)

I think they need to introduce more ambiguity...such as including "Bella's Interrogation" at Spinner's End. It sounds as if there are plenty of Snape scenes, however none of them seem to suggest the notion that Snape is EVIL...and therefore the audience will continue to believe Snape is the ally and come to the conclusion that it was pre-arranged..if they don't handle Severus Snape's character very well in HBP, they may very well end up ruining the revelations to come in DH :relax:
Isn't that a bit of a bit of a big assumption to make, though? There's a massive difference between simply assuming that Snape is good, and assuming that it was all pre-planned.

I think lc reflects a popular view from the pre-DH discussions, that Snape could not be good unless it was pre-arranged. How can a murderer be good? ;)

Which is why I do not think the movie needs to make much effort to sell evil Snape anywhere in the first 2/3 of the movie. Make the end of HBP dramatic, show us Albus's suffering and his pleading and Snape's hatred, and I think unspoiled people have a basis to reach the evil!Snape conclusion.

I agree. A person that isn't into HP AT ALL and somehow managed to remain comletely spoiler-free would not need ANY other evidence of Snape's seeming loyalties than seeing him murder Dumbledore, would they?

Kristin - who attended the sneak peak with Mugglenet's Eric - is answering questions about the movie on the Hogwarts Radio Forums (http://www.hogwartsradio.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10). :)

Speaking of emotional endings in HBP - I was just thinking that I would have liked to have seen Hagrid carrying DD's body and see Ron (crying) holding Hermione while she cried thereby clearing up any ambiguity there might be about their burdgeoning relationship. I always liked that image of those 2. It was so beautiful and touching and makes you realize real quick that Ron is hardly a git. He's just a young man maturing.

I would have really liked to see that too, but maybe they didn't want to show Hagrid carrying DD because they wanted to save that similar image (Hagrid carrying Harry out of the forest) for DH. Still, having DD's funeral would have been a nice resolution scene after all the drama on the astronomy tower. It would give the audience a breather and a chance to mourn with the other characters for DD. I also think it would have made DD's death all the more devastating.

I agree with you ladykrystyna that they seem to have problems with these "aftermath" sequences. GoF was probably the worst- because you go from the tragedy of Cedric dying to the trio smiling and asking each other to over the summer. It was so strange. OOTP was just so rushed. One minute you're in the ministry, and then they get off the hogwarts express. It just seemed like there was no time for Harry to grieve at all. I hope they don't do the same in HBP.

Kristin - who attended the sneak peak with Mugglenet's Eric - is answering questions about the movie on the Hogwarts Radio Forums (http://www.hogwartsradio.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10). :)

Thanks meesha. So disappointed with what she had to say about Narcissa. How could they screw that up? I know we had our reservations when we saw that skunk cap :lol: but really, the book describes her so perfectly. She's supposed to have that long, platinum blonde hair and fair skin like lucius. O well. She's not the first to say narcissa wasn't very good.

Kristin - who attended the sneak peak with Mugglenet's Eric - is answering questions about the movie on the Hogwarts Radio Forums (http://www.hogwartsradio.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10). :)
Do you know if they're planning to put up a transcript and if not, can you tell me what she said about Rupert/Ron? Did Kristin write a review?

Cheers :tu:

Do you know if they're planning to put up a transcript and if not, can you tell me what she said about Rupert/Ron? Did Kristin write a review?

Cheers :tu:

She didn't write a formal review but she did answer questions.
This is what she said about rupert:

I thought Rupert Grint was FANTASTIC in this movie, and I've never been a fan of his interpretation of Ron. He really had some great material to work with, script-wise, and I really hope they keep everything that we saw in the movie, Ron-wise.

She didn't write a formal review but she did answer questions.
This is what she said about rupert:
Thanks for this. :D Rupert and Rickman are my two favourite actors and I strongly feel that as long as they have meaty roles there's no way I personally won't find this film fantastic. I hope there are no major edits that exclude scenes with these two actors that were included during the initial review.

Cheers :tu:

I'm wondering if Dumbledore's cryptic lines about death like "It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more." are in the film.

Do you know if they're planning to put up a transcript and if not, can you tell me what she said about Rupert/Ron? Did Kristin write a review?

Cheers :tu:

She didn't write a review, but Eric wrote the review that was posted on Mugglenet. They did a podcast for Hogwarts Radio together - no transcript at the moment, but there will probably be one as some point. And she said Rupert was FANTASTIC in HBP. That seems to be fairly consistent across the board - it seems that the Ron/Hermione stuff in HBP is great. :)

I'm wondering if Dumbledore's cryptic lines about death like "It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more." are in the film.

That's a good question. Those are some of Dumbledore's best lines. I hope they include them.

Hello all...not sure if anyone cares about this as much as I do but I messaged one of the reviewers who saw the HBP screening over at IMDB and he confirmed no Dobby or Kreacher. :no: I have my fingers crossed--admittedly not knowing much about the filming process--that there could be a quick touch-up scene involving Dan and they're CG'd in, but I'm not too hopefull....:upset:

I'm wondering if Dumbledore's cryptic lines about death like "It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more." are in the film.

I definitely hope so. I mean, what would be the film without Dumbledore's awesomely wiser than anyone quotes?

You've gotta admit, if they don't have it, people will be unhappy.

Darn, I wish they hadn't moved the date of the movie, or we'd know soon! I especially hope that the Unknown Death We Fear quote thingy is in there. That's one of my favorites.:tu:

Well no, I wouldn't expect most of the audience to jump but (if handled well) I would expect about 10-15% of the audience to be shocked by this revelation. HP Book readers consist of about 60% of the film audience and then probably a third or so of the remaining audience (the movie fans) have yet to be spoiled. I know a good amount myself and I'm sure if you asked around you would find quite a few as well :p

Sadly, your right...a good majority have been spoiled, so it is no longer of the same magnitude as a "Luke, I am your father" plot twist :sigh:

It's funny you're using the "Luke, I am your father" comparison, lc, because I was thinking about that just last night. I am not a Star Wars fan by any stretch; I've watched a rental of the first movie ONCE (and then only because my husband made me! :p), never watched any of the films in the theater, didn't know diddly about it...yet I knew that spoiler within days of its hitting the big screen. 'Cuz...who didn't, right?

And Bscorp is correct: "Snape Kills Dumbledore" has achieved that same kind of iconic status. It was everywhere, to the point where the sentence itself became an internet catch-phrase for "spoiler." Hell, I've seen it on a T-shirt with other infamous TV and film spoilers, from "Kristin shot JR" to "Rosebud is a sled." So I think there is a large number of people - even people who don't know HP at all, who don't read the books or watch the films, people who couldn't pick Snape and/or Dumbledore out of a frickin' police lineup - who know those words, even if the words have no real meaning for them, even if they don't know squat about the characters or the context or anything else.

(Case in point: I was talking about the HBP film with my sister on Labor Day, and my sister-in-law, who knows nothing about Harry Potter and doesn't want to, jumped in with, "Oh, is this the one where Snape kills Dumbledore?" I just stared at her, mouth agape. :scared: I mean, come on! This is a woman who only uses the Internet to buy useless junk on e-Bay! :lol:)

So...yeah. I think this is the biggest reason they didn't get the huge "OMG!" reaction from the test film audience. And, sadly, I don't think they're going to get it, except from (as lc said) a small minority of the audience.

BUT - that doesn't necessarily mean that the film audience won't be wondering about Snape, or get the subtle ambiguities that are in place: i.e., the "shush" scene, or the mysterious DD/Snape meeting pre-cave. They may go in to the film knowing what Snape does at the top of that tower, but in watching the scenes leading up to it, some of them may - just as we did in all our endless discussions and debates and re-reads - question why he does it. Others, of course, will just take it at face value, while many, quite frankly, won't give a toot either way. In any case, they'll still have fun with the ultimate twist when it comes in DH. I know "The Prince's Tale" revelations were a blast for the doubters, but trust me when I say they were extremely enjoyable from a Snape-supporter's POV as well! :lol:

(Case in point: I was talking about the HBP film with my sister on Labor Day, and my sister-in-law, who knows nothing about Harry Potter and doesn't want to, jumped in with, "Oh, is this the one where Snape kills Dumbledore?" I just stared at her, mouth agape. I mean, come on! This is a woman who only uses the Internet to buy useless junk on e-Bay! )


That kind of thing is exactly my point. My brother is an older guy who doesn't keep up at all and doesn't surf the net- but he knows "Snape kills Dumbledore!" It is a cultural meme. Especially among younger people.

That is not to say -of course- there aren't those who don't know and they're fun should not be spoiled but my point only is that by the time this movie rolls out- most of the audience will know and we can't really gauge the over all effectiveness of that scene by overall audience reaction. That's all.

I'm wondering if Dumbledore's cryptic lines about death like "It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more." are in the film.

I am pretty sure it is not in the film.

I love that line too

That kind of thing is exactly my point. My brother is an older guy who doesn't keep up at all and doesn't surf the net- but he knows "Snape kills Dumbledore!" It is a cultural meme. Especially among younger people.

That's the thing. Among the younger people who actually go to watch a HP movie, too, it's pretty much common knowledge (imagine it was a question on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - it'd be one of those on the lower dollar ranks, an 8000$ or so, "Who killed the popular wizard Albus Dumbledore? A) Harry Potter, B) Gandalf the Grey, C) Severus Snape, or D) Lord Voldemort-"
And with all the 'younger' ones in the know, many, many 'older' folks know it as well. My mum is a teacher for mentally disabled children - and doesn't give a hoot for Harry Potter. And she knew because the kids in her school (most of them cannot even READ, but were updated by siblings) talked about it so much. To a degree that before DH was pubished, she made me promise to give her a call and tell her about 'that Snape guy' so she wouldn't be totally clueless when going back to schol on the following Monday. 'That Snape guy' was right on top of her list of questions, next to 'Does Harry Potter survive?' Mind you, she doesn't know who Snape IS - but she knows the name and that he killed Dumbledore.

I think the whole remaining-spoiler-free thing is more common among the younger audience, too. Ask a fifty-year-old what a spoiler IS, and chances are that they think you mean the same-name part on a car.

So, in regard to the actual film scene, I think the way to go would be getting an emotional response from the audience, not a surprise. (Compare Revenge of the Sith - of course they couldn't get a gasp of surprise at the 'Rise, Lord Vader' line - but they could still make it dramatic and 'emotional' for the audience)

So, in regard to the actual film scene, I think the way to go would be getting an emotional response from the audience, not a surprise.

But can they get an emotional response from the majority of the audience? These are made into family films, yes there are plenty of fans who will cry but that, imo, is more of a connection to the book and how they felt about the death than the film itself, it's the reminder of how a person felt. I cried when Dobby died but I doubt I'd have the same response to a film if it's made the way they have been.

Here, in a rare moment, I can't take Yates to task because he's hampered by the age restrictions he has to work with. We've seen dead bodies in the series already but I've yet to see a scene that really wrenches at the heart on it's own merit.


(Compare Revenge of the Sith - of course they couldn't get a gasp of surprise at the 'Rise, Lord Vader' line - but they could still make it dramatic and 'emotional' for the audience)


OH star wars screwed up so much on cool surprises by giving too much in the trailers. In Episode 1 they show Darth Maul pulling out both blades on his light saber which ruins they overall effect since most people had never seen or heard a double lightsaber before. For Episode 3 they START OFF the trailer with with the emperors line. That moment should've been shrouded in complete secrecy, it was the birth of an iconic villain, the freakin' bread and butter and they gave it out in the trailer!

To quote the Joker, "If you're good at something, never do it for free." Lucas was so good at this before, "I am your father!" was a true surprise and yet he lost it in so many ways with the later trilogy.

OH star wars screwed up so much on cool surprises by giving too much in the trailers. In Episode 1 they show Darth Maul pulling out both blades on his light saber which ruins they overall effect since most people had never seen or heard a double lightsaber before. For Episode 3 they START OFF the trailer with with the emperors line. That moment should've been shrouded in complete secrecy, it was the birth of an iconic villain, the freakin' bread and butter and they gave it out in the trailer!

My point was rather that everybody and their great-grandmother KNEW that Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader. You'd have to be living in a cave for the past twenty years to miss on that bit. And while the 'Snape kills Dumbledore' thing might not have reached the same magnitude of pop-trivia, it's making its way up there (hey, the book's out for three years only - give it some more time, and the films, and even my gran will know it). I'm truly curious whether there will be anyone surprised when I'll finally watch it in the cinema. Right now, I cannot imagine there will be someone so entirely uninitiated ;)

We've seen dead bodies in the series already but I've yet to see a scene that really wrenches at the heart on it's own merit.

I think the scene with Harry, Dumbledore and Amos Diggory standing over Cedric's corpse was pretty moving. Music played a huge part in that scene, and I think a lot of the complaints about the finale will be alleviated with a good score (though I fully expect Hooper to turn in the same bland rubbish that he did for OOTP). Even I don't think Yates could completely mess up such a good ending. I mean, you'd have to be beyond incompetent to not come up with something moving when you've got such brilliant actors and such a strong story. Now, even though I am concerned that he's introducing characters like Narcissa and then forgetting about them (only an poor storyteller would introduce Draco's mother and then not have her be on the tower) when they could easily improve the finale, I still think that the core triangle between Snape, Dumbledore and Harry will be strong. It has to be. If it isn't, then I will have suffered through 2 hours of, as far as I'm concerned, fan-fiction calibre romance, for nothing, and when audiences start thinking like that, the box office for DH is going to suffer.

I don't believe it'll suffer because they're making these movies for a general audience. Dark and dank times in HBP equal romantic comedy to the film makers so it's not going to affect their ability to go out and produce this. I said it after OoTP but most went out and kept this positivity about the possibility that they would improve but you don't change a winning hand.

Why delve into Harry and Snape's disgust for one another? It's boring an time consuming. Why concentrate on the brooding young man that is Harry Potter in OoTP? It's annoying and time consuming. Why give Voldemort's past and rise to power solid time? We have teenage romances to present. Why give the prophecy a clear presentation? It's time consuming and not necessary. You have a villain and a hero and enough back story to explain why they need to clash, formula complete.

Now, even though I am concerned that he's introducing characters like Narcissa and then forgetting about them (only an poor storyteller would introduce Draco's mother and then not have her be on the tower)

Huh? Why is Narcissa desperate and begging Snape to help out her darling, if she's going to be there herself? I can see the logic of Bella being there (and Cissy not thinking that's good enough!), but Narcissa's presence there is not required. Her influence is, at any rate, seemingly felt, since Snape carries out the agreement he has made with her.

Huh? Why is Narcissa desperate and begging Snape to help out her darling, if she's going to be there herself? I can see the logic of Bella being there (and Cissy not thinking that's good enough!), but Narcissa's presence there is not required. Her influence is, at any rate, seemingly felt, since Snape carries out the agreement he has made with her.

total agreement, Z :tu:

Huh? Why is Narcissa desperate and begging Snape to help out her darling, if she's going to be there herself? I can see the logic of Bella being there (and Cissy not thinking that's good enough!), but Narcissa's presence there is not required. Her influence is, at any rate, seemingly felt, since Snape carries out the agreement he has made with her.

Narcissa is not a teacher at Hogwarts. Snape has the proximity to Draco necessary to protect/help him throughout the year, I hardly think her the sort of person talented/tough enough to murder Dumbledore, and I don't think it unreasonable for Bella to drag her along to see Snape do it. If she isn't going to be present at the finale, then her character should be cut. Don't hang the 'concerned mother' gun on the wall in the first act, if it's not going to be fired in the third. It's sloppy. Introducing characters and then forgetting about them is unacceptable.

Huh? Why is Narcissa desperate and begging Snape to help out her darling, if she's going to be there herself? I can see the logic of Bella being there (and Cissy not thinking that's good enough!), but Narcissa's presence there is not required. Her influence is, at any rate, seemingly felt, since Snape carries out the agreement he has made with her.

I agree about Narcissa. If she were present on the tower, then there would be no need for her to go to Snape and ask for his help because she could protect Draco/do it for him on her own. From the comments I've seen about the screening, Narcissa has two scenes that will establish her protectiveness over Draco and - as you pointed out - her influence should be felt on the tower due to the Unbreakable Vow with Snape.

However, I really don't see the logic in having Bellatrix on the tower because that undermines the fact that Draco was expected to fail in his mission. Voldemort sent the "underlings" to back up Draco - the less skilled/less reliable. Draco's failure would undoubtedly result in those servants being captured so Voldemort sent the more expendable ones.


In other news - Jason Isaacs has confirmed (http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/2008/9/11/jason-isaacs-cameo-as-lucius-malfoy-in-half-blood-prince) that he did have one day of filming for HBP. Lucius does not actually appear in the movie, but will be seen as a moving portrait at some point. I haven't seen this mentioned in any of the comments about the screening, but none of the other moving portraits/photos have been mentioned either so it might have been overlooked.

Narcissa is not a teacher at Hogwarts. Snape has the proximity to Draco necessary to protect/help him throughout the year, I hardly think her the sort of person talented/tough enough to murder Dumbledore, and I don't think it unreasonable for Bella to drag her along to see Snape do it. If she isn't going to be present at the finale, then her character should be cut. Don't hang the 'concerned mother' gun on the wall in the first act, if it's not going to be fired in the third. It's sloppy. Introducing characters and then forgetting about them is unacceptable.

How is Snape killing Dumbledore, NOT a gun going off? Umm, rather loudly? Narcissa looking helpless and worried there would just be a waste of space, needless clutter, in my opinion. We see Narcissa desperate, begging for help, and getting Snape's consent. We see her again, confident and unpleasant (so it seems from the reports we have, just as in the books). And we see her plan work, both in the Hogwarts scenes with Snape and Draco, and in the Tower scene.

Without her, we just have the gun going off, and for no particular reason. It seems to me you've got some sort of formula you are applying here, in an overly rigid manner.

Narcissa is not a teacher at Hogwarts. Snape has the proximity to Draco necessary to protect/help him throughout the year, I hardly think her the sort of person talented/tough enough to murder Dumbledore, and I don't think it unreasonable for Bella to drag her along to see Snape do it. If she isn't going to be present at the finale, then her character should be cut. Don't hang the 'concerned mother' gun on the wall in the first act, if it's not going to be fired in the third. It's sloppy. Introducing characters and then forgetting about them is unacceptable.

The "concerned mother" gun is fired when Snape fulfills his promise. That's the whole point of Narcissa's in HBP. She goes to Snape to ask him to fill in for her because she can't be there herself. She's not physically present in that scene, but her influence is there because she took the initiative to go to Snape.

However, I really don't see the logic in having Bellatrix on the tower because that undermines the fact that Draco was expected to fail in his mission. Voldemort sent the "underlings" to back up Draco - the less skilled/less reliable. Draco's failure would undoubtedly result in those servants being captured so Voldemort sent the more expendable ones.

I disagree. Yaxley was present, and Yaxley was a key Death Eater even though we did not know his name before DH. He was the architect of the fall of the Ministry.

I disagree. Yaxley was present, and Yaxley was a key Death Eater even though we did not know his name before DH. He was the architect of the fall of the Ministry.

The Death Eaters on the tower were Amycus, Alecto, Rowle, and Greyback. Another was mentioned as setting off the Dark Mark over the castle - Gibbon. No one else was named or described in HBP and Rowle was the only one Harry identified as being there in DH. I haven't found any indication in HBP or DH that Yaxley was present the night Dumbledore was killed. Thought that really wouldn't change anything because Yaxley does not appear to be on the same level as Snape or Bellatrix when we see him in DH. Voldemort essentially disregards him and belittles what he had accomplished in favor of Snape.

That was just something that stood out to me with HBP. The Death Eaters who showed up to back up Malfoy were clearly in the lower ranks - unknown. Greyback didn't even have the Dark Mark. That emphasized the point that Draco was expected to fail - Voldemort sent people he could afford to lose as the back up. Having Bellatrix - his best lieutenant according to DH - be there undermines that, IMO.

I am quite sure Yaxley isn't present on the tower; the only time he is mentioned in HBP is during the conversation in Spinner's End, as one of those who went free after LV's downfall.

But for the sake of the film's narrative, Bellatrix's character needs to be there to add familiarity. If it were just Greyback and random extras, it wouldn't have the same impact. Also I could imagine non-readers asking, "Where's HBC's character in this scene?"

I think they are adding these more recognizable death eaters for cinematic effect for the casual moviegoer, who wouldn't know the subtle plot points like voldemort intentionally sending his underlings because he expected draco to fail. The nonreading audience just wouldn't appreciate that. They would probably prefer to see helena bonham carter, greyback etc on the tower since they had already seen her at the beginning with spinner's end and then in the middle at the burrow attack.
Having new, lesser known death eaters show up to the astronomy tower without bellatrix may actually be more confusing to the casual moviegoer than not having her there.

But for the sake of the film's narrative, Bellatrix's character needs to be there to add familiarity. If it were just Greyback and random extras, it wouldn't have the same impact. Also I could imagine non-readers asking, "Where's HBC's character in this scene?"
Agreed. It is kind of hard to develop a ton of characters in a movie so it is good if they focus on a few main DEs.

I think they are adding these more recognizable death eaters for cinematic effect for the casual moviegoer, who wouldn't know the subtle plot points like voldemort intentionally sending his underlings because he expected draco to fail. The nonreading audience just wouldn't appreciate that. They would probably prefer to see helena bonham carter, greyback etc on the tower since they had already seen her at the beginning with spinner's end and then in then in the middle at the burrow attack.
Having new, lesser known death eaters show up to the astronomy tower without bellatrix may actually be more confusing to the casual moviegoer than not having her there.

(underlining by me) :tu: I think you really nail the point here.

Why stop there? I would take it further and also include Narcissa in the tower scene. I think not having her there is silly and makes the whole purpose of introducing her in the first act almost pointless.

I think they are adding these more recognizable death eaters for cinematic effect for the casual moviegoer, who wouldn't know the subtle plot points like voldemort intentionally sending his underlings because he expected draco to fail. The nonreading audience just wouldn't appreciate that. They would probably prefer to see helena bonham carter, greyback etc on the tower since they had already seen her at the beginning with spinner's end and then in then in the middle at the burrow attack.
Having new, lesser known death eaters show up to the astronomy tower without bellatrix may actually be more confusing to the casual moviegoer than not having her there.

I'd still have to disagree. Helena Bonham Carter is great as Bellatrix, but the story is more important, IMO and the fact that Draco was expected to fail is significant to the story. It would have made more sense to have Bellatrix featured in the attack at the Burrow - which was supposed to succeed - and the lesser Death Eaters at Hogwarts - which is expected to fail. I think they should be emphasizing the fact that Voldemort expects Draco to fail from the beginning - but it doesn't appear that they did that.

But this is not the book! It is a different medium. For this medium, fine subtle plot points such as the one you've commented on are immaterial. The non-readers will not sit and ponder why Voldemort sent HBC to the Astronomy Tower on a doomed mission. They will expect to see a familiar face there. To help them understand that, given Bellatrix's presence who has been shown in OoTP and seemingly HBP to be a strong willed and important figure, this is a MAJOR SCENE. Random extras + Greyback will not convey this message.

In any case, how do we know Draco is expected to fail? We haven't the proper script for the Vow scene. Perhaps Narcissa begs Snape for help because she can't understand how Draco will feel after taking a life? I advise people not to take these films so seriously, and to enjoy them for what they are: entertainment. Finer plot points = entertainment? No. Logical film narrative = entertainment? It certainly helps.

Why stop there? I would take it further and also include Narcissa in the tower scene. I think not having her there is silly and makes the whole purpose of introducing her in the first act almost pointless.

I think that Narcissa is not a Death Eater and I don't think the way to go about proving you are a Death Eater is to invite your Mom along.

Plus, I think that if Narcissa was there, she would have AK'ed Dumbledore without a second thought without giving Snape a chance to do it. I think Narcissa is a "Mama Bear" determined to save her "cub" and she wouldn't have waited for anything to save him. Even if she didn't know how to perform the AK spell, she would have found a way to kill him. Having Narcissa on the tower and not having her kill Dumbledore wouldn't work, IMO. She needs to not be there so that Snape can do it (and Draco needs to be all alone without a true ally while he dithers about killing Dumbledore).

But this is not the book! It is a different medium. For this medium, fine subtle plot points such as the one you've commented on are immaterial. The non-readers will not sit and ponder why Voldemort sent HBC to the Astronomy Tower on a doomed mission. They will expect to see a familiar face there. To help them understand that, given Bellatrix's presence who has been shown in OoTP and seemingly HBP to be a strong willed and important figure, this is a MAJOR SCENE. Random extras + Greyback will not convey this message.

In any case, how do we know Draco is expected to fail? We haven't the proper script for the Vow scene. Perhaps Narcissa begs Snape for help because she can't understand how Draco will feel after taking a life? I advise people not to take these films so seriously, and to enjoy them for what they are: entertainment. Finer plot points = entertainment? No. Logical film narrative = entertainment? It certainly helps.

Bellatrix is not an important character in that regard. We don't need to see that much of her. Actually, because she's one of the "higher ups" in the Death Eater ranks we shouldn't see much of her at all. Just as we don't see much of Voldemort. The fact that she's a familiar face is irrelevant. All the more reason not to stick her in a scene where it makes no sense for her to be there. For a scene like this, it is the underlings who are expected to be there. It's Draco's mission - the underlings are just there to back him up.

The details are important. If they don't add up, the story suffers for it. And people do notice that sort of thing. You can bet there will be people in the audience wondering what the hell Harry is doing sitting out in open with no protection when he's supposed to be in such danger. And there will be people either wondering why Voldemort sent his best for such a menial job or they will automatically put Bellatrix in as one of the lesser underlings because it's such a menial job. It's a major scene, but it's supposed to be about Draco - not Bellatrix.

The fact that Draco was expected to fail and was given that task as a punishment for Lucius is not a "finer plot point" - it's a major plot point that ties into why Dumbledore asked Snape to kill him in the first place.

I think that Narcissa is not a Death Eater and I don't think the way to go about proving you are a Death Eater is to invite your Mom along.

Plus, I think that if Narcissa was there, she would have AK'ed Dumbledore without a second thought without giving Snape a chance to do it. I think Narcissa is a "Mama Bear" determined to save her "cub" and she wouldn't have waited for anything to save him. Even if she didn't know how to perform the AK spell, she would have found a way to kill him. Having Narcissa on the tower and not having her kill Dumbledore wouldn't work, IMO. She needs to not be there so that Snape can do it (and Draco needs to be all alone without a true ally while he dithers about killing Dumbledore).

Completely agree. :agree:

Why stop there? I would take it further and also include Narcissa in the tower scene. I think not having her there is silly and makes the whole purpose of introducing her in the first act almost pointless.
She is not a DE, she only supports their theories. But she will get her turn in the limelight in DH.

She is not a DE, she only supports their theories. But she will get her turn in the limelight in DH.
Assuming Kloves includes her in the screenplay. :p I wouldn't put it past him to not do so.

I just assumed she was always a DE. I've only read the books once. Since she is a DE in the last installment, then just introduce her as a DE in the film. Her husband is one and her son wants to be one, so? Isn't that the whole point of her asking Snape to help by making him take the vowe? Because if her son couldn't find it in him to kill Dumbledore and she did it herself, then Voldemort would kill Draco. So she couldn't possibly dare to kill Dumbledore. She would depend on Snape to do that. That's how i thought it was in the book anyway (due to my lack of memory). So to me it would be interesting to see the srtuggle between Draco and his mom & aunt pushing him to "be a man" and commit murder in the name of purebloods. I understand the argument you guys are trying to make, but I just fail to see a valid point in it. If I'm not going to see Narcissa again in either the second or third act of the film, then why is she there in the first place? Besides, her presence in DH is close to null. You could literally hand her role over to Lucius, both in DH AND HBP.

I just assumed she was always a DE. I've only read the books once. Since she is a DE in the last installment, then just introduce her as a DE in the film. Her husband is one and her son wants to be one, so? Isn't that the whole point of her asking Snape to help by making him take the vowe? Because if her son couldn't find it in him to kill Dumbledore and she did it herself, then Voldemort would kill Draco. So she couldn't possibly dare to kill Dumbledore. She would depend on Snape to do that. That's how i thought it was in the book anyway (due to my lack of memory). So to me it would be interesting to see the srtuggle between Draco and his mom & aunt pushing him to "be a man" and commit murder in the name of purebloods. I understand the argument you guys are trying to make, but I just fail to see a valid point in it. If I'm not going to see Narcissa again in either the second or third act of the film, then why is she there in the first place? Besides, her presence in DH is close to null. You could literally hand her role over to Lucius, both in DH AND HBP.

Narcissa was never officially a Death Eater - she never received the Dark Mark. She's there in HBP to set up the Unbreakable Vow with Snape and to lie to Voldemort about Harry in DH. The significance here is a mother's love. They only need one or two scenes with her for that. They already have the two they need in HBP with her doing the vow with Snape and accompanying Malfoy to Borgin and Burkes.

If I'm not going to see Narcissa again in either the second or third act of the film, then why is she there in the first place?


I think that part of her role is to set up that Draco is, in fact, up to something. It tells the audience that Harry's suspicion is on the mark and rachets up the tension when nobody believes him. Otherwise, some in the audience would just think that Harry is being paranoid. Narcissa going to Snape tells us definitively that Draco has been given a very hard task by Voldemort. I think it is also meant to make us suspicious of Snape. I remember thinking that Snape was on the good side, but after he made the Vow, I was tense throughout the book wondering how he would get out of it without ending up dead. JKR played me like a fiddle. I wasn't even sure who was supposed to end up dead (I thought it was Harry at first). When Snape did end up killing Dumbledore, I was stunned. I didn't know what to think (but became suspicious about everything when he kept shouting advice to Harry during their duel).

Besides, her presence in DH is close to null. You could literally hand her role over to Lucius, both in DH AND HBP.

Here, I would disagree. (the following is all in my opinion) Lucius and Narcissa play two sides of the coin. Lucius is the optimist who keeps thinking that he can get back into the Dark Lord's good graces and seems willing to sacrifice Draco for the cause (he is like an addicted gambler. No matter how many times he's beaten, he keeps thinking he can win). Narcissa is the loving mother and pragmitist. She realizes much earlier that Voldemort is a loon and associating one with him is bound to lead to one's evenutal doom. For her, family is most important and she willingly defies the Dark Lord (and does so by going to Snape and later saying that Harry is dead). Together, they show how two people on the dark side might react to Voldemort's treatment of his minions. Bella is devoted to the Dark Lord and doesn't seem to need any rewards (Lucius does seem to me to be in it for the rewards).

But I simply don't care.

I would be more than satisfied to just see Lucius Malfoy's character more strongly developed as single parent than to have someone appear so late in the game to serve a plot point through a scene and a half in one movie and then serve another plot point through half a scene in the next movie. I'd rather just see all that transferred to a more established character. As it is, if a character is going to be introduced in the first act of a film then, unless they die early on, they should at least be integrated accordingly into the remainder of the film. That's part of what an adaptation should do. How can one expect any average movie viewer--or moderate Potter fan, for that matter--to be bothered with anyone who doesn't play an integral role that can't just be handed over to someone more important or well established? Not that I'm surprised. It still baffles me that they give more screen time to a quaternary character like Filch than they do to a tertiary character like Hagrid. Oh well.

Here, I would disagree. (the following is all in my opinion) Lucius and Narcissa play two sides of the coin. Lucius is the optimist who keeps thinking that he can get back into the Dark Lord's good graces and seems willing to sacrifice Draco for the cause (he is like an addicted gambler. No matter how many times he's beaten, he keeps thinking he can win). Narcissa is the loving mother and pragmitist. She realizes much earlier that Voldemort is a loon and associating one with him is bound to lead to one's evenutal doom. For her, family is most important and she willingly defies the Dark Lord (and does so by going to Snape and later saying that Harry is dead). Together, they show how two people on the dark side might react to Voldemort's treatment of his minions. Bella is devoted to the Dark Lord and doesn't seem to need any rewards (Lucius does seem to me to be in it for the rewards).

I'm inclined to agree with you on this one. Lucius does very much so seem in it for the rewards, the pride it gives him and the warped sense of reasoning he has that allows him to associate the Death Eaters with valour and honour. Outside of that, Narcissa has huge doubts, because she loves her son, and her son is the most important thing to her. Lucius she also loves,this is seen at the end of the seventh book with the three of them together in the Great Hall. Despite her connections though, I would assume that she doubts based entirely upon the fact that she cannot imagine losing her son.

Lucius could not take up this role. He has been seen for the last few movies and books as being quite authoritarian with regard to Draco. Moaning about his grades, giving out about him and wanting presents, and seems to view Draco as a bit more of a cohort when they are lined up against the Weasley family to make jokes. Because their relationship as we have seen it does not test any emotional boundaries at all, I don't think Lucius can suddenly become a single and overtly loving father. We just have not seen this side to him thus far.

As it is, if a character is going to be introduced in the first act of a film then, unless they die early on, they should at least be integrated accordingly into the remainder of the film. That's part of what an adaptation should do. How can one expect any average movie viewer--or moderate Potter fan, for that matter--to be bothered with anyone who doesn't play an integral role that can't just be handed over to someone more important or well established?

I'm sorry, but I must disagree again. Very minor characters may just show up for one scene. Not every character can have a continuing role throughout the film because life doesn't work that way.

And Harry Potter already has a precedent for doing this. The Dursley's only show up for the first part of some of the films. Ginny and Mrs. Weasley only appeared for a tiny bit at the start of the first film. The ground work had to be layed for these characters early on. The story arcs do cover multiple films. Sure, some people may not have remembered Mrs. Weasley when she showed up in CoS, but I think omitting her in the first film would have been a mistake. Enough people would remember her for from before and it provides some nice continuity. The same is true of Ginny (all IMO of course). Aunt Marge, Stan Turnpike, Tom, and Ms. Vance (the woman at Harry's trial) all appear in the first bit of the movie and are never seen again. They do their jobs and help to fill the world with people.

I like the contrast of Lucius's and Narcissa's motivations. I think that she is a prime example of somebody doing the right thing for not necessarily the right reasons. I think she also provides more shades for Draco's character so that it is more believable that he is not a clone of his father.

Although, not everybody has to agree with me. I'm just explaining my reasons for liking the character and not being bothered that she shows up only in the first part of this film. I think she it is a good idea to set her up for the next movie. I like the Unbreakable Vow scene and I just don't see Lucius going cap in hand to beg for anything from a "mere half-blood, dirt poor teacher" (he might ask him for something or tell him to do something, but I can't see him begging at that point in the story arc). I can believe that Narcissa would do it (especially when her husband was in prison and her son in peril). Plus, I like that Lucius in the hoosegow...it shows that at least when somebody is caught red-handed in the Ministry, they can at least get them into jail for a short while. They are not totally useless (but pretty close).

I'm sorry, but I must disagree again. Very minor characters may just show up for one scene. Not every character can have a continuing role throughout the film because life doesn't work that way.

And Harry Potter already has a precedent for doing this. The Dursley's only show up for the first part of some of the films. Ginny and Mrs. Weasley only appeared for a tiny bit at the start of the first film. The ground work had to be layed for these characters early on. The story arcs do cover multiple films. Sure, some people may not have remembered Mrs. Weasley when she showed up in CoS, but I think omitting her in the first film would have been a mistake. Enough people would remember her for from before and it provides some nice continuity. The same is true of Ginny (all IMO of course). Aunt Marge, Stan Turnpike, Tom, and Ms. Vance (the woman at Harry's trial) all appear in the first bit of the movie and are never seen again. They do their jobs and help to fill the world with people.

I like the contrast of Lucius's and Narcissa's motivations. I think that she is a prime example of somebody doing the right thing for not necessarily the right reasons. I think she also provides more shades for Draco's character so that it is more believable that he is not a clone of his father.

Although, not everybody has to agree with me. I'm just explaining my reasons for liking the character and not being bothered that she shows up only in the first part of this film. I think she it is a good idea to set her up for the next movie. I like the Unbreakable Vow scene and I just don't see Lucius going cap in hand to beg for anything from a "mere half-blood, dirt poor teacher" (he might ask him for something or tell him to do something, but I can't see him begging at that point in the story arc). I can believe that Narcissa would do it (especially when her husband was in prison and her son in peril). Plus, I like that Lucius in the hoosegow...it shows that at least when somebody is caught red-handed in the Ministry, they can at least get them into jail for a short while. They are not totally useless (but pretty close).

The problem is that it seems like they turned Narcissa into a female Lucius. Proud, Arrogant, and Cold. Test reviewers have noted that Narcssa is not the concerned mother in Spinner's End but demanding and tough, a clone of her husband. This is a mistake, in my opinion and undermines the value of the existence of Narcissa's character in the first place, which was to work in the narrative to represent the emotional heart of the Malfoy family.

The problem is that it seems like they turned Narcissa into a female Lucius. Proud, Arrogant, and Cold. Test reviewers have noted that Narcssa is not the concerned mother in Spinner's End but demanding and tough, a clone of her husband. This is a mistake, in my opinion and undermines the value of the existence of Narcissa's character in the first place, which was to work in the narrative to represent the emotional heart of the Malfoy family.

I agree with you completely. When I first saw that Unbreakable Vow picture, I worried that is what they had done and it troubles me that the reviewers from the test screening have reported that she is a female Lucius. I think that is a huge mistake and if that's what they have done, I'm going to agree with underscore that they should have just used Lucius. Plus, I think Lucius has WAY better hair than that skunk they gave Narcissa (LOL). I'm still going La-la-la-la with my fingers in my ears hoping that they have kept some of Narcissa's true character (denial isn't just a river in Egypt).

I agree with you completely. When I first saw that Unbreakable Vow picture, I worried that is what they had done and it troubles me that the reviewers from the test screening have reported that she is a female Lucius. I think that is a huge mistake and if that's what they have done, I'm going to agree with underscore that they should have just used Lucius. Plus, I think Lucius has WAY better hair than that skunk they gave Narcissa (LOL). I'm still going La-la-la-la with my fingers in my ears hoping that they have kept some of Narcissa's true character (denial isn't just a river in Egypt).

Yep. Character assassination at it's finest.

If they have changed Narcissa to where she is more like Lucius; it won't surprise me at all! I mean it is not the first big thing that they have changed for no apparent reason in the movies. I mean she is like him in some ways. Her pure-blood mania; muggle-born and half-bloods are the same keep away from them pretty much some other smaller details that aren't as important!

But she was also vastly different from him as well. She really worried for the well-being of Draco; I believe Lucius just thought of him as a way of redeeming his name as well as another way to keep Voldemort inside Hogwarts somehow!

At first before Voldemort came back, he may have cared for Draco. But once the Dark Lord returned it was all for the good of Voldemort. To make Voldemort proud, to please him. So he just saw Draco as another DE that hated the same person Voldemort did,as well as almost hating him as much as Voldemort did!

I found another review of the screening in chicago. It's from a book fan again.
I thought it was funny that she also felt narcissa looked like cruela de ville :lol.

One thing I noticed among all these reviews is that:

1. They all seem to agree that the opening is spectacular and a great action sequence. I am really looking forward to seeing that. I though yates did a good job with the opening of ootp as well.

2. The romance outweighs the underlying darkness of the plot.

3. slughorn sounds different from the character presented in the book and consequently has seem to garner mixed reviews.

4. Narcissa has been presented as haughty and arrogant, and less as the concerned, worried mom from the book.

Here's the review and some questions she answered:

Okay, to my amazement, IMDB has message boards.
Little did I know ..

Anyway, before I get started let's get things straight.
1. I'm not grammatically impaired.
2. I'm truly not a "n00b", I have been on message boards for years, just not these. So .. hello regs? If this is a real message board I'm sure there are some of those on here.
3. I saw the pre-release screening in Chicago, and am going to post my thoughts on the film. From the perspective of someone who has read the books like they were a newer testament, and someone who adores what David Yates did with the fifth film. So if you're going to mock my analysis of this movie, then just save yourself the breath because I could give two large sh!ts what you think. I'm telling you what I thought, as well as some others who felt the same who were near me during the screening.

Oh and, THIS POST IS GOING TO CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS.


Now, let the review begin:

After having an "airport style" security check, I was inside and ready to watch this movie that was being kept under wraps immensely. I knew it must be big because I have screened movies in the past and this was very, very strict in regards to privacy.

The movie begins with the bridge collapsing, as the death eaters fly in some weird fashion that seems to just completely destroy the bridge. Next we see on hand attacks on muggles and Diagon Alley, which I liked, because it would have rather boring if we just "heard" about the events instead of seeing them.

This made me happy, because the film was already off to an intense and up-beat start. We then see the infamous unbreakable vow scene, which looked great IMO. They cleaned Snape up a bit. Where he was greasy and unkempt in previous films, he seems to have been given a cleaner shave, some straighter hair and of course some well fitting robes. The only thing that seemed off in the scene was Narcissa Malfoy. This is one of many parts that may just annoy book fans like myself. First off, she had an unbelievably odd hairstyle. It was like some sort of half ponytail, and it was multi-colored, which kind of made me gag a bit. She was supposed to look distraught in regards to all the recent events that had occurred in her life, but instead had a very snooty attitude. It reminded me much of Cruela Devil (sp?), because she also seemed to be wearing these extravagant clothes that did not leave me with the same mind-set of "scared out-of-her-mind mother" as I was left with when reading. Never the less, I accepted the character for what she was worth, and since we don't see her much, I decided to get over it.

Next we see Harry, and to my dismay, without the Dursleys. That was a huge blow to me. The Dursleys need to star in the movie, they need to. Otherwise, things feel thrown off. Sorry, thats how it is for me. Though, they seemed to do a better job of skipping them than they did in the fourth movie. So anyways, we see some headlines about all the recent horrific events and we eventually go to Harry and Dumbledore who are off to retrieve Hoarace Slughorn. The apparition was developed quite nicely and close to the books description. I was happy they didn't skip that. When they arrive at Slughorn's home, pretty much everything is as it is in the book, and they even left in the part where Slughorn is a couch.

Now, from news readings, I knew Slughorn was going to look different, and with all the hope in my mind I hoped that Jim Broadbent and Yates would keep him the same in character. Well, fellow fans, he was not. While what they turned him into wasn't necessarily bad, it was certainly no Slughorn. Where Slughorn seemed to appreciate the finer things in life, this altered version seemed to be a rather scared old man who was either drunk half the time or just plain stupid. I couldn't honestly believe that the altered Slughorn could have attracted people of such wealth and superiority. In any case, his character did prove to have its comical moments, but I was a little too aggravated that so much was changed to keep a smile on more than a few seconds.

Trying to move things along here, I'll start summing things up a bit quicker.

The WWW scene was quite funny, and I enjoyed that part of the film a lot. Again, moving along, the train scene was alright, and Tonks didn't appear. Instead Luna and her looniness save the day. Which at first I didn't truly appreciate (because I love the Tonks character), but when I saw how little Luna actually appeared in the films entirety I realized I shouldn't be too quick to judge. The start of term feast proved to be better than I thought. The cinematography truly stood out here, and I got an unbelievably warm feeling compared to the cold an empty one I received in the fifth movie. Once again, Gambon seemed to read his lines a little "blah-zee", but actually had a much more Dumbledore feel than ever.

Now I've got to go out, so I'm just going to sum up the rest of the movie rather quickly. When I return, I may edit this to give some more detail, but, I might not.

Overall, I found the movie to be .. rather odd. Where as the book gave me a "one last hoorah" feel, the movie just seemed out of place. They did a poor job balancing the main plot into the movie, and seemed to add much more romance than needed. It just didn't give me a "Harry Potter" feel at all. More like an "Inspired by Harry Potter and the HBP". Scenes were either cut or changed too much, and while the things that happened in the book are still there, some things are just completely altered. Characterization being one of the largest things. I accepted OotP, because I knew the book would be impossible to translate completely, and what they did include, they included perfectly. In this movie, I thought the book could be easily adapted. Instead they changed too much, and I could not understand the reasoning behind it. I was really excited to see this movie, seeing as it is my favorite book. The movie .. it just didn't do it for me. I'm a little less appreciative of Yates now, and I'm worried about DH. I'm praying justice is given to that book, as it ought to be.

1. Bonnie was actually really good. I wasn't sure how she would evolve, since we haven't really heard her say more than a few lines throughout the series, but I am pleased to say she is definitely a good actress. Very pleased with her.

2. The acting in general has improved. There is definitely a little less Emma, which I suppose is good for some. I don't mind her, but I know some people don't really like her.

3. Of what they had, the special effects seemed decent. I mean they were no LOTR special effects, and I could definitely tell they were SFX, but they were good compared to previous films, and I'm sure more will be added and improved upon from now until July.

Ok last question for now, but Cormac has some decent screen time. The woman next to me certainly treated it as some time for eye candy. One thing I didn't like was that they introduced him in the WWW scene...

It was weird that they did that, because they made it seem like him and Hermione already know each other.

And yes, Slughorn's party was a hearty (intricate, I wouldn't say long, but decent) scene, and Luna was there in an awkwardly funny dress. It looked like it resembled a tree of some sort.

I was so fed up with all the romance it just got annoying at some point.
When I said "too much romance" .. I mean that almost every scene has an added bit of romance to it. Its like I couldn't escape from it. It really just took over, and the seriousness of the plot just seemed to be drowned in this sea of romantic puns and subtleties.

IMO the romances should have been left to school and the burrow. The WWW scene should have had some comedy, and then the seriousness of the Borgin and Burkes scene should have followed. Lavender and McLaggen could have easily been introduced later on. Putting them there was unexpected, and .. just made the atmosphere jump back and forth. First we're laughing at Fred and George's line about Ron being their brother, and then suddenly Lavender is giving a seductive look and greeting Ron, and McLaggen gives Hermione this awkward seductive look. Then the trio is on the prowl for seriousness. It just jumped around so quick, when it wasn't really needed.

its not that I'm completely against the Romance, but there seemed to be so much. And since HBP really builds the plot bridge for DH, I was surprised they didn't focus so much on the very important plot, seeing as it is .. well .. important.

I thought (snape) I thought he would be included a lot more.
He was great in what he had though, as always.

What I didn't like was that he told Harry to be quiet in the Astronomy Tower scene?
I was very annoyed by it, because it just kind of gave away that Snape's intentions were .. good?

They shouldn't have had him say anything, because I just think that having it all revealed in DH would have been amazing, now I suppose some people are going to get the hint.
I did not participate in the discussion, but there was a woman who I talked to for a bit, and she participated. We shared the same feelings about the movie so hopefully she might have suggested something for improvement. I know she was very annoyed at the fact that Snape told Harry to stay quiet before Dumbledore was killed. She said it gave too much away, and that it would lessen the hatred for Snape throughout the next movie, because there would be too much confusion as to why Snape said anything at all. So maybe that will be cut for the final version? Don't know.

The Harry/Dumbledore scenes are done very warmly and calmly. I'm sure the people who disliked the intensity of the GoF pensive scenes will be pleased. I'm not going to be able to list everything that was cut. The cave scene is actually done very well. I had heard something about it being made out of gems or something, and thought they would make a mockery out of the scene, but it was done well, and intensely. I've never really been spooked by an HP movie, but the inferi are certainly quite spooky.

Dumbledore's death was actually a problem with me. The actual scene seemed a bit rushed IMO, and once again, it did not have as much impact as the books did. When he died in the books, I was actually dropping a tear or two on the pages. The movies .. eh. It seemed like nothing really happened. The absence of the funeral and the awkward ending probably accounted for that. It was just .. awkward. I actually read the last few chapters of the books when I got home, because I love them so much. The emotion I get when reading it is incomparable. I thought the movie could pull it off (getting me to jerk a tear) but .. nope.

As a reader, I would say that the "give away" moment, although subtle, was definitely an annoyance. I mean I want the movie audience to be as shocked as I was when I read the chapter in DH. If they keep that part in, I think too many people would just be like ... "OMG I BET SNAPE IS GOOD LYKE I SO TOTALLY KN0W". DH delivered the news that Snape was indeed a good guy unbelievably well, and it should stay that way.

I actually liked the burrow scene. It was really a necessity since there was really no Hogwarts attack (which was weird). It substituted for the missing action at Hogwarts.

The cinematography is beautiful, really beautiful.
I wouldn't call it a drastic change from OotP though. Think of it this way. As much as OotP was blue, HBP is yellow. It has a very yellow color wash, and it fit well with the overall tone of the film. It seemed to be a lot darker as well. Low brightness and high contrasts, which is a combo I personally love (photo major), and it just looked great in my opinion. Best of the HP series by far.

And Dumbledore actually did resemble Gandalf, very much.
I suppose its because not only do the characters have similar physical features, but the actors themselves look a lot alike. I will say this though, Gambon's chunky-ness is very apparent in this film. Didn't effect me personally, but a woman by me was commenting that Dumbledore was heavier than Slughorn.

Bonnie had some decent screen time, but I wouldn't say it took away from the others. Though I could probably say with some assurance that she had more time than Evanna and Matt Lewis combined.

Also, Dobby nor Kreacher have been included, to my dismay.
They play large parts in the next film, and it is going to be a lot for the audience to take in if these characters just suddenly pop up out of no where. That is, if they aren't written out, which I'm fearing.

^I know, its like "how could they write that out?!", but I was surprised to see the things written out or changed in this one.

2. The romance outweighs the underlying darkness of the plot.



I am worried about that too. It's not that there are many more romance scenes than dark ones, but the fact that these romance stuff take away audiences' attention from more important things is not good at all. From another report, it seems that even Lavender's little appearance in the train scene still manages to distract people from the Unbreakable Vow discussion that comes before it, and the discussion (with Lupin) about Snape's loyalty that follows.

I'm still hopeful that enough people will complain about this, and these unnecessary stuff will be trimmed down.

I'm still hopeful that enough people will complain about this, and these unnecessary stuff will be trimmed down.

I'm sure that WB will be looking at the reviews and notices this a common complaint. At this stage it is very easy to cut things and hard to add, and luckily they only need to cut out some romance if they wish :p

A bit more positive stuff from this reviewer (before everyone becomes extremely depressed:lol:):


And to clear things up.

I don't hate the movie. It was actually enjoyable. So don't think I'm saying it wasn't.
I will say that things are different, and that I'm worried that if the romance subplot can be turned into something so big, I'm worried what will become of DH.

(about DD's hand)

Yes we see his hand, but I wouldn't call it "thoroughly explained" but it is certainly hinted at. So much it would be mindless for one not to understand why his hand is blackened. No mention that it was the cause of his death though, thank god . Oh! The Katie Bell cursing was rather chilling. The entire movie seemed to turn it up a notch. We saw the real brutality of what was going on.

And let me make this little statement to clarify some things again.
After taking a little time to ingest what I saw, I have decided it actually is my favorite of the films. Did it focus way too much on the romance subplot? No doubt! Were there some things that annoyed the living daylights out of me (changes, etc.)? Too much to even list! Did I enjoy the experience of watching the entire film? Hell to the yes!

Oh and if you haven't read the books (even though I'm sure 98% of people on here have), go out and buy them. Now. The movies leave out or change a lot. To not know how some things really went down is a crime in my book.

It is nice to hear even more good reviews about the cinematography.:love: Yellow tone has always been one of Delbonnel's signature styles so I don't think it's Yates who forces his DoP to use only one color filter this time.:lol:

From all the reviews, it seems the lack of DD's funeral is responsible for lots of disappointment, but I can already see more possibility of them including it in DH. It looks like the movie's ending scene takes place just a day after the death and before the funeral scene itself actually happens. The most damaging thing this cut can do to the film is lessen the impact of the death, and they'd better add back enough scenes after the death to partially make up for that (we know they've filmed a scene in DD's office with Harry and McGonagall, probably when Harry refuses to tell McG about his mission, and I'd never understand why they cut it from the test-screening version).

Anyway, if they are really going to add the funeral in DH, we should hear about it few weeks/ a month before the film comes out. I remember hearing about moving Shelob scene to Return of the King and moving The Golden Compass climax to the beginning of its sequel (which will never be made, sadly) quite long before these movies actually come out.

Anyway, if they are really going to add the funeral in DH, we should hear about it few weeks/ a month before the film comes out. I remember hearing about moving Shelob scene to Return of the King and moving The Golden Compass climax to the beginning of its sequel (which will never be made, sadly) quite long before these movies actually come out.

And a good thing it is. I don't care for DD's funeral, but I remember by gagging disbelief when sitting in The Golden Compass and suddenly, the credits came on. I kept on my seat until the very last second of the credits because I could not BELIEVE they'd cut the end away. A bit of a competent spoiler can prevent that sort of disappointment, and from what I read here, it seems as there are some people who care a lot for the funeral.

The translation is going to be too hard to pull through. Film wise, the death and the funeral suffer from the amount of narration used to convey emotion. I listen to the audio books at work and I was just at the part before the funeral. The way it's written, describing how Harry' greatest protector is gone, the greatest wizard he had ever known, all that runs and runs and it's done wonderfully but there's no action.

This is an excellent example of where the books truly hamstring the movies because it'll be next to impossible to present that without having either a montage of scenes, which create problems with the first two movies or having Radcliffe actually saying these things aloud which will come off VERY cheesy.

The translation is going to be too hard to pull through. Film wise, the death and the funeral suffer from the amount of narration used to convey emotion. I listen to the audio books at work and I was just at the part before the funeral. The way it's written, describing how Harry' greatest protector is gone, the greatest wizard he had ever known, all that runs and runs and it's done wonderfully but there's no action.

This is an excellent example of where the books truly hamstring the movies because it'll be next to impossible to present that without having either a montage of scenes, which create problems with the first two movies or having Radcliffe actually saying these things aloud which will come off VERY cheesy.

This is a problem, but not an insurmountable one. They can easily have the little man giving his speech, they could have voiceover of Dumbledore's more memorable lines, maybe even record some new ones (I would be interested to hear Gambon re-do some lines from early movies), they could do it quite easily. They could even open in Privet Drive, have Harry reading a newspaper with the giant headline "ALBUS DUMBLEDORE IS DEAD", have him read out the story beneath over flashbacks to the funeral, there are a lot of ways to convey that sense of loss and vulnerability. This moving of the funeral to DH is one of the better ideas that Yates and Kloves has come up with (if only they weren't splitting the movie in two:no:).

Kristin's answers to the questions at the Hogwarts Radio Forums (http://www.hogwartsradio.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10&st=0&sk=t&sd=a) have given me a positive impression of the film...

Yeah I was just reading Kristin's answers and it sounds like she really liked the movie. For those of you depressed over negative reviews I suggest you check it out on the above link boushh provided.

Kristin's answers to the questions at the Hogwarts Radio Forums (http://www.hogwartsradio.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10&st=0&sk=t&sd=a) have given me a positive impression of the film...
Thanks for this, boushh. I am liking what I am reading.

There's another person who saw the screening posting in the comments on RG.net (http://rupertgrint.net/snews/harry-potter-and-the-halfblood-prince/hbp-test-screening-in-chicago-updated/#Comment1).

Jane Kelleher on September 8, 2008 (2:08PM)

Went and saw the movie saturday, was so excited it ended up being Harry Potter, as I'm a big fan and they ddin't tell you in advance what you would be seeing.

However, was disappointed as most HP fans will be if they don't fix it. I understand the need to cut out sidebar storylines for time, but they cut way too much, and unfortunately changed some details that shouldn't have been changed. My friend who went with has only seen the movies, and had a harder time following and thought too long because of it. I went home Sat night and actually reread the book sat & sun.
They cut most of Harry & Ginny love scenes. They cut Lupin & Tonks entire subplot. They showed nothing of the appartition lessons. Almost had too much Ron & Hermione, although I admit these were some of the best scenes of the movie and got most response from audience, cut beginning stuff which I didn't mind-but thought they could have just started the movie with Dumbledore showing up at Harrys house, and gone from there. They added some stupid cafe scene at the train station. They tried to install Bellatrix as a big character, probably because a star was playing her. But her scenes had nothing much to do with plot line and actually could have been cut out altogether, it was a distraction and waste of precious time. By far the worst was the finale however. The tower scene death of Dumbledore was almost an afterthought, and they actually changed the scene. Harry is not immobalized, nor doe4s he have invisibility cloak, but instead does nothing?? Not in his character to do nothing - this is huge problem. No fight scene after Dumbledores death. Then it ends NOT with a funeral followed by Harry talking to Ginny, then Ron and Hermione. But rather the 4 of them up on a tower talking, Ron, Harry & Hermione watch the Phoenix fly off talking very little, and Ginny just walks away out of the scene - no conversation whatsover with her. Just a letdown.

The movie did not have all special effects done yet, but I am not a believer in that this makes a movie. The plot was altered, and the best book in my opinion has become the the worst movie in its current form.

I am grateful that Warner Brothers let us see it in advance, so that they may fix it as I expect they will do. The final scene was probably the most talked about when people left the theater, so expect that to be especially changed.

For you HP fans, don't complain that it won't be ready until next July, thank the heavens the WB recognizes it is not as good as it should be and they are giving themselves time to fix it rather than trying for a quick buck in an earlier release.

There are some very good scenes in the movie, which is why I said it was good. But for HP fans, it will not be well received in its current form.

There's another person who saw the screening posting in the comments on RG.net (http://rupertgrint.net/snews/harry-potter-and-the-halfblood-prince/hbp-test-screening-in-chicago-updated/#Comment1).

Jane Kelleher on September 8, 2008 (2:08PM)

Went and saw the movie saturday, was so excited it ended up being Harry Potter, as I'm a big fan and they ddin't tell you in advance what you would be seeing.

However, was disappointed as most HP fans will be if they don't fix it. I understand the need to cut out sidebar storylines for time, but they cut way too much, and unfortunately changed some details that shouldn't have been changed. My friend who went with has only seen the movies, and had a harder time following and thought too long because of it. I went home Sat night and actually reread the book sat & sun.
They cut most of Harry & Ginny love scenes. They cut Lupin & Tonks entire subplot. They showed nothing of the appartition lessons. Almost had too much Ron & Hermione, although I admit these were some of the best scenes of the movie and got most response from audience, cut beginning stuff which I didn't mind-but thought they could have just started the movie with Dumbledore showing up at Harrys house, and gone from there. They added some stupid cafe scene at the train station. They tried to install Bellatrix as a big character, probably because a star was playing her. But her scenes had nothing much to do with plot line and actually could have been cut out altogether, it was a distraction and waste of precious time. By far the worst was the finale however. The tower scene death of Dumbledore was almost an afterthought, and they actually changed the scene. Harry is not immobalized, nor doe4s he have invisibility cloak, but instead does nothing?? Not in his character to do nothing - this is huge problem. No fight scene after Dumbledores death. Then it ends NOT with a funeral followed by Harry talking to Ginny, then Ron and Hermione. But rather the 4 of them up on a tower talking, Ron, Harry & Hermione watch the Phoenix fly off talking very little, and Ginny just walks away out of the scene - no conversation whatsover with her. Just a letdown.

The movie did not have all special effects done yet, but I am not a believer in that this makes a movie. The plot was altered, and the best book in my opinion has become the the worst movie in its current form.

I am grateful that Warner Brothers let us see it in advance, so that they may fix it as I expect they will do. The final scene was probably the most talked about when people left the theater, so expect that to be especially changed.

For you HP fans, don't complain that it won't be ready until next July, thank the heavens the WB recognizes it is not as good as it should be and they are giving themselves time to fix it rather than trying for a quick buck in an earlier release.

There are some very good scenes in the movie, which is why I said it was good. But for HP fans, it will not be well received in its current form.

Wow, we're getting so many screening reviews it's great :tu: Thanks for posting the link meesha. With all this info I feel like I've already seen the movie! :lol::lol:

I'm glad for the sneak peeks though- it has really helped get thru the delay regardless of whether the review was positive or negative.
It sounds like we have had at least 10 reviews so far but only 1 from a nonreader:

1- rachezee on leaky
2- eric on mugglenet
3- kristin on hogwarts radio
4-7- 3 different reviews on imdb
8- the one on rp. net
9-10- the 2 reviews on aicn

Now I hope we get some more pics and another trailer :drool:

I'm getting used to fans of the book not being happy with the film. I think when readers watch the film they tend to focus on all the deviations and omissions from the book, making it difficult to just sit and enjoy the film as a separate cinematic adaptation. I find myself doing exactly that whenever I sit down to watch an HP film for the first time. It's almost impossible for me to really enjoy it because I can't help but feel disappointed when the movie makes such drastic alterations from the book. When I watch it again; however, I usually end up appreciating the movie more than I did the first time.

I'm glad we are finding about all these changes in advance on this thread. Actually, all the changes Jane noted in her review are ones the other screeners have already commented on and surprisingly, I am not anywhere nearly as disappointed as I was the first time I heard about all these changes.

It sounds like the same things that annoyed her irritated us as well initially- i.e. the cafe scene at the beginning with Harry flirting, the change in H/G relationship, Harry not being immobilized in the climax and just hiding, the absence of any type of battle at hogwarts at the end, no apparition lessons, etc.


All this news used to bother me, but I'm accepting it. Thank goodness we know all of this ahead of time!

It's really starting to look to me that you'll enjoy the movie if you are adaptable to the changes they have made. If you are a real stickler type of purist then you may be so hung up on the changes that you won't be able to let yourself enjoy the movie.

I think I'll be able to go into this with the understanding that this is an adaptation, just like I've done with the other films. For the most part anyway... There are a couple of things that worry me a tiny bit, but if I like 3/4 of the movie then I'll call that a success in my book.

I'm not sure if anyone has posted this but here's another new pic from the burrow attack in HBP. I think it's the same on we saw on the calendar before, but this time we get to see more of the reeds in the background.

http://www.snitchseeker.com/harry-potter-news/new-harry-ginny-lupin-tonks-arthur-half-blood-prince-photo-58795/

I'm not sure if anyone has posted this but here's another new pic from the burrow attack in HBP. I think it's the same on we saw on the calendar before, but this time we get to see more of the reeds in the background.

http://www.snitchseeker.com/harry-potter-news/new-harry-ginny-lupin-tonks-arthur-half-blood-prince-photo-58795/

Yeah, I posted that, but it got missed amongst other things :p

Ok! I know things are a bit more exciting with all these test screening reports, but I'm still following the 5 month plan of posting chapter by chapter each fortnight! :p

Here is chapter 4-6!

The scenes outside Slughorn's house have all already been filmed. They have recreated the entire village of Budleigh Babberton from the book including the old war memorial. There is a store called: Babberton Arms in the background.http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk300/lcbaseball22/movies_hbp_lacock_night2_009.jpg?t=1215949885
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk300/lcbaseball22/movies_hbp_lacock_night2_008.jpg?t=1215950274
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk300/lcbaseball22/movies_hbp_lacock_048.jpg?t=1215949827
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk300/lcbaseball22/movies_hbp_lacock_054.jpg?t=1215950023http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk300/lcbaseball22/movies_hbp_lacockfilming_001.jpg?t=1215950076http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk300/lcbaseball22/movies_hbp_lacockfilming3_07.jpg?t=1215950143

A picture of Harry and Dumbledore (without effects) has surfaced (http://www.mugglenet.com/app/news/full_story/1815)
http://www.snitchseeker.com/gallery/albums/userpics/84186/normal_hpadfw5ef3.jpg

Jim Broadbent has been cast as Horace Slughorn. He has only read the sixth book in preparation for his role as the new potions master:
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk300/lcbaseball22/sluggy.jpg?t=1217823384

Some test screening viewers describe the films portrayal of Slughorn:
One of my largest concerns for the movie was getting to see Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn. Don’t worry. Throughout the movie, I was continuously impressed with how they adapted the character to the film, and to say that he does reflect my Slughorn from the books satisfactorily, with a little extra, is true. The scene where they meet Slughorn is surprisingly close to the events of the book, as is most of this movie, actually. I was surprised and delighted to see Couch-Slughorn put to film.

Dumbledore takes Harry along to slughorn's and at this point i thought i was getting a little wary considering slughorn wasn't at all like i imagined him to be... there's an illustration of slughorn in the book and that's more or less what i thought he would look like, whereas in the movie, he's much taller and a little thinner, and less indlugent and opulent looking..so i was a lil dissapointed by that, but trust me, as the movie goes on, that doesnt matter a bit because he fits in very well with the whole package...

The inside of Slughorn’s Home was featured on the Sneak Peekhttp://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk300/lcbaseball22/movies_hbp_ootpdvd_sneakpeak_007.jpg?t=1215950559
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk300/lcbaseball22/house-1-1.jpg?t=1215950418
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk300/lcbaseball22/house2-1-1.jpg?t=1215950674

The Slughorn chair transformation has been confirmed from the Mugglenet Set Report Teaser:
The chair version of Slughorn was also in the pressroom Ð I quickly had a seat in it. I plopped myself down a little too quickly and unexpectedly sank into it. His pajamas (which were right next to the chair) match the cloth on the couch and the transformation should be something hysterical.

Yates said there was a comical scene where someone goes to draw the drapes and the entire curtain falls. This might be part of the scene in Slughorn's house.


A picture of Dumbledore and Slughorn has surfaced (http://www.mugglenet.com/app/news/full_story/1812)
http://media.mugglenet.com/i//hbpfilm/ewfallpreview/slughorndumbledore.jpg


Nina Voelker, who was cast in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, explains what significance her original character, Wendy Slinkhard, plays in the film:Only a very small role, Slinkhard Wendy is a former student of Professor Slughorn's and is now a published author, so I was in a picture with Professor Slughorn, played by Jim Broadbent, which I will dedicate in my book. This picture might be in Slughorn's house.

Regulus Black has been cast and will appear in a picture in Slughorn's house or office


Young Lucius Malfoy has been cast and the actor, Tony Coburn, has sated he only was needed for a picture of Slughorn’s.


Gambon has been camping it up on set and word got out that they filmed Dumbledore saying the "I do love knitting patterns' line.


Slughorn will shout "Alright! Alright" I'll take the job!" as Harry and Dumbledore leave his house like in the book.
The Burrow is confirmed as in the movie.


Julie Walters has been re-cast as Mrs. Weasley and Mark Williams has been re-cast as Mr. Weasley.


Fleur Delacour has been cut. It can be assumed that Bill has been cut too.


A picture of Harry and Ginny has emerged online. It's most likely to take place when Harry arrives at the Burrow:
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk300/lcbaseball22/harrygina-6.jpg?t=1216010467


Some additional support for this assumption is a quote from Leaky’s Set Report Teaser:
The romance bug is making its rounds in this film, with Dan speaking of a script direction indicating an “oddly charged” moment between Harry and Ginny when they first see each other in the burrow

Test Screening viewers describe Harry’s arrival
It's actually another really cute part of the movie - Dumbledore tells Harry that his trunk and Hedwig are waiting for him at the Burrow (whilst they're still... wherever they are getting Slughorn) and then it cuts to the Burrow and Ginny comes downstairs and sees Harry's stuff and yells for her mom, wanting to know when Harry arrived. Molly sticks her head over the railing from one of the higher floors and tells her that Harry HASN'T arrived and Ginny says something about his stuff being there... then Ron sticks HIS head over the railing from higher up and says, 'Did someone say Harry? What about Harry?' and Ginny says, 'Is he up there with you?' and Ron says, 'I'd know if my best mate was here, wouldn't I?' and then the same thing happens with Hermione, and they all get downstairs just as Harry comes in.

Staying true to the book, according to the HPANA Set Report Teaser, the Weasley Clock will have all hands pointing to “Mortal Peril”
and the Weasley's Burrow (complete with the family clock -- all hands pointing to "Mortal Peril").

A scene in Ron's bedroom has been filmed and a picture of this scene has been leaked:
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk300/lcbaseball22/trioweasleyroom-1.jpg?t=1216010267


A test screening viewer describes this scene
This picture is when Harry first arrives at the burrow and Hermione and Ron tell him people are saying Dumbledore is not as sharp as he used to be.

A scene between Ron and Hermione was noted by a test screening viewer
At the Burrow, there is some tension between Ron and Hermione when Ron wipes spearmint toothpaste off of Hermione's cheek.
IMDB has a listing for "Scary Face" played by a “Martin Ballantyne (uncredited)”
It has been stated elsewhere that his scene will be in Diagon Alley


We have received some info about these scenes from a fan set report (http://www.leakylounge.com/Visit-HBP-filmset-t60162.html&pid=1605639&mode=threaded#entry1605639). Firstly, Diagon Alley will be seen again and Ollivander's has been destroyed:
We walked around Diagon Alley. Ollivander's had been destroyed, all the windows were smashed and it was trashed. The shops had complete interiors in case the camera caught a glimpse inside by accident. Quality Quidditch supplies had a Quidditch equipment display, uniforms on dummies and drawers full of clothing. Florean Fortescue's had fake ice cream sundaes lining the walls on shelves. Flourish and Blotts had hundreds of books inside the doorway piled up and on shelves. The large books in the windows are actually Watford phone directories covered!

The empty Ollivanders shop wil be visted, according to Mugglenet’s test screening review
Ollivander’s shop is empty. Can you believe they mention it? They do. They even have time to walk inside and feel sad.

More info from the fan set report (http://www.leakylounge.com/Visit-HBP-filmset-t60162.html&pid=1605639&mode=threaded#entry1605639) tells us that WWW Joke Shop is in the movie:
But WWW stood out in bright orange with a curved front door. It was the most wonderful place. It was like every dream you had as a kid. There were skiving snack boxes, puking pastels, U-No-Poo, sweets from floor to ceiling. It had a set of stairs winding up the middle and was three floors high. The detail was amazing; the shelves were crooked with brightly coloured goods on every surface. It was truly breath taking. At the end of our tour we watched them filming a scene there. When you see the scene where Fred and George are talking to Ron on the stairs, he asks how much for an item, they say '5 galleons', Ron says 'but I'm your brother' and they say '10 galleons'. Well I am standing behind the stairs (out of sight) by the door! It took eight takes just for that few seconds and I was told they only complete 2 minutes of film a day

A reliable source gave us the script for the WWW scene
24 - INT. WEASLEY'S WIZARD WHEEZES - DIAGON ALLEY - DAY

CLOSE ON a SHOPPING BAG, bearing Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, clutched in the hand of a boy being pulled by his mother through the throng packed sardine-tight in the store. It's utter madness: Ever-Bashing Boomerangs whip through the air, Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start No-Heat fireworks spit sparks, and Nose-Biting Teacups bare tiny porcelain teeth. FRED & GEORGE WEASLEY, in SCREAMING MAGENTA, stand upon a counter, selling to the masses:

FRED/GEORGE
Step up! Step up!

GEORGE
We've got Fainting Fancy...

FRED
Nosebleed Nougats...

GEORGE
And just in time for school...

FRED
Puking Pastilles!

A BOY stops chewing, turns PALE GREEN--literally.

FRED/GEORGE
Into the cauldron, handsome

Together, with the tips of their toes, Fred and George launch a SLOSHING CAULDRON down the counter, drop down on either side of Harry, begin to steer him through the store.

FRED
What'd you think, Harry?

HARRY
Amazing.

GEORGE
(to a browsing boy)
Pocket that and you'll pay in more than Galleons, my friend.

FRED/GEORGE
We've got eyes in the back of our heads.

The boy, working a SCREAMING YO YO, blanches as Fred and George turn, reveal they do in fact have EYES IN THE BACK OF THEIR HEADS--phony, but unnerving. As the EYES WINK, the tiny boy bolts.

GEORGE
Bloody urchins.

Harry eyes a display of ORANGE AND BLACK LUMPS.

HARRY
Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder?

FRED
A real money spinner that.

GEORGE
Handy if you need to make a quick escape. Hello ladies!

George drops one of the lumps in Harry's hand, turns to Ginny and Hermione, who peruse a display of "Wonder Witch Love Potions."

GEORGE (cont'd)
Yes, they really work.

FRED
Then again, the way we hear it, sis, you're doing just fine on your own.

GINNY
Meaning?

GEORGE
Are you not currently dating Dean Thomas?

Harry pretends to consider a rack of "Ten-Second Pimple Vanisher," but secretly eavesdrops.

GINNY
None of your business.

HERMIONE
These are adorable.

Inside a cage, small round BALLS of FLUFF roll about, SQUEAK.

FRED
Aren't they? Pygmy Puffs. Can't breed them fast enough.

Just then, a HUGE BOY (CORMAC MCLAGGEN) passes behind Hermione and, with his eyes, takes the full measure of her. Noticing, she turns, receives a faint smile as he moves on.

RON
How much for this?

A TINY WOODEN MAN ascends a TINY GALLOWS and...DROPS. George rides a rolling ladder into FRAME, drops next to Fred.

FRED/GEORGE
Five Galleons.

RON
How much for me?

FRED/GEORGE
Five Galleons.

RON
But I'm your brother!

FRED/GEORGE
Ten Galleons.

RON
C'mon. Let's go.

The trio head for the door, passing LAVENDER BROWN, who smiles flirtatiously at an oblivious Ron.

LAVENDER BROWN
Hi, Ron.

RON
Hi.

Even more info from the fan set report (http://www.leakylounge.com/Visit-HBP-filmset-t60162.html&pid=1605639&mode=threaded#entry1605639) confirmed that Borgin & Burke's is in the film and there will be WANTED Posters of Bella and the Carrows in Knockturn Alley:
We saw Knockturn Alley but the lights weren't on so it was by torch light! Saw Borgin and Burkes that way. The vanishing cabinet was in the centre, it was dark wood with a slanted roof. There were lots of skulls and creepy looking objects – even creepier due to the lack of lighting. There were wanted posters on the alley walls for Bellatrix and the Carrows.

A test screening viewer describes the Borgin and Burkes scene
Yes we see draco in Borgin and Burkes, greyback is there too. The trio actually follow Draco and Narcissa to the shop (did I mention, there is no scene at Madame Malkins, some of you have asked). So Narcissa actually accompanies Draco. There are very unique camera angles over Knockturn Alley and Borgin and Burkes for this scene. It is fairly well done. Though Hermione does not go in.

We didn't actually see the inside of Borgin and Burke's except through a dirty window, and it's Fenrir Greyback that pulls down the shade.

DISCUSS!

The only thing all the reviewers seem to agree on is that the cinematography is beautiful. I have the feeling that this movie is going to be like OotP. Some people will hate it with a passion (mostly canon advocates) and others will say its the best HP movie yet.

I'm glad that a couple of the reviews have praise Bonnie Wright acting and that she finally got a break to show what she could do.

All there is left to do is make up our own minds about it when we see it.

Hello guys, I've been keeping up with this thread for the past couple days and finally decided to create a account here so I can discuss this film with all of you. :relax:8- the one on rp. netI haven't seen this review, link?

Edit: Nevermind, just saw it.

They cut most of Harry & Ginny love scenes.

According to almost all other reviewers, there are already enough, or even too much of those scenes actually. But the fact that this relationship is developed differently from the book (i.e. more buildup scenes, different kiss, etc.) seems to upset this reviewer that she considers the Harry&Ginny scenes to be 'cut' rather than 'included in the movie but done differently from the book'. IF most of H&G scenes are really 'cut', then I expect most shippers to be extremely outraged by now.:relax:

As for this review in general, I don't find anything worrisome in it at all. This review looks like just another list of differences between the book and the film. There is no mention of the film's more 'substantial' (IMO) problems (i.e. any scene being badly acted/shot/directed, wrong focus on the plot, bad pacing, etc.). I don't expect her review for POA or OOTP to be much different.

The only thing all the reviewers seem to agree on is that the cinematography is beautiful. I have the feeling that this movie is going to be like OotP. Some people will hate it with a passion (mostly canon advocates) and others will say its the best HP movie yet.


I am not a canon advocate, and I dislike most parts of OOTP. Not because of cuts and changes, but because it lacks the cinematic quality HP films should have (cheap-looking production, for instance), and I'm glad that HBP will not contain those problems.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind it too much if many of the Harry/Ginny scenes were cut from the movie or condensed. I've never been much of a "shipper", and I'd prefer to see the action rather than the romance in the movies, though that's just my personal preference. The things I'm looking forward to most in HBP are seeing Voldemort's past and the cave scene.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind it too much if many of the Harry/Ginny scenes were cut from the movie or condensed. I've never been much of a "shipper", and I'd prefer to see the action rather than the romance in the movies, though that's just my personal preference. The things I'm looking forward to most in HBP are seeing Voldemort's past and the cave scene.
I agree, but, unfortunately, this film seems to be taking the opposite route. While the teaser trailer concentrated on the darker mood of the film, I get the sense it is to be lighter, more playful, and less, to me, interesting. The amount of memories is likely cut down (a true shame: they, along with the conclusion of the book, were my favorite aspects of HBP), and I do not have faith that Yates will make the cave scene or the battle of Hogwarts as impressive as it should be (I can use OotP as my evidence for this).

and I do not have faith that Yates will make the cave scene or the battle of Hogwarts as impressive as it should be (I can use OotP as my evidence for this).We now know the battle of Hogwarts was cut, but what exactly about the Ministry battle in Order of the Phoenix makes you have little faith about the cave scene? I mean, sure the battle in the Ministry could have been longer, but it was fantastic as it is.

We now know the battle of Hogwarts was cut, but what exactly about the Ministry battle in Order of the Phoenix makes you have little faith about the cave scene? I mean, sure the battle in the Ministry could have been longer, but it was fantastic as it is.

:wave: First, welcome to CoS and our lovely little thread. Second: I felt that while the Ministry battle in OotP was full of plenty of special effects, the fact that the students didn't fight at all was largely the reason that I didn't enjoy it. Hadn't we spent the entire movie in and out of classes for the DA, training the students to fight against real dangers in the outside world? It was a cheap shot, that they were all captured so quickly and easily; we didn't get to see them put up a fight.

I also heard, I forgot who from on the forums, that handheld cameras were used during the final battle which, IMO, made it lose impact.

And finally... Sirius' death. I did not feel anything. It happened so quickly, and no weight was placed on it. Sure, Harry was upset when he chased after Bellatrix, but then...? It was technically Harry's fault that he died, and because Harry's anger was not added at the end (I agreed, somewhat, with the producers decision to exclude CAPSLOCK!Harry for most of the film, despite lines that contradicted the lack of anger; ei: "I'm just so angry... all the time." I do think, however, that at the final scene an outburst would've had all the more impact, because Harry had only raised his voice at one other juncture in the film), all impact was lost, IMHO.

Now, how does this relate to HBP?

The death of Dumbledore is written with such intensity, and because so much of it can be considered ambiguous to the extent of verbal irony, Yates has to play his cards right and carry it over to film with the same passion it contained in the book. Based mainly on the lack of impact of Sirius' death, I assume Yates won't be able to do it. The scuffle at Hogswarts, itself, seems to have been cut... I still dunno how I feel about that, actually.

The death of Dumbledore is written with such intensity, and because so much of it can be considered ambiguous to the extent of verbal irony, Yates has to play his cards right and carry it over to film with the same passion it contained in the book. Based mainly on the lack of impact of Sirius' death, I assume Yates won't be able to do it. The scuffle at Hogswarts, itself, seems to have been cut... I still dunno how I feel about that, actually.

We can hope that this is a good thing. A big action set piece of a battle might overshadow all the drama in these scenes - Draco's dilemma, the apparent murder of DUmbledore and Harry's reaction, the confronation with Snape...assuming that drama is captured, of course. :)

:wave: First, welcome to CoS and our lovely little thread. Second: I felt that while the Ministry battle in OotP was full of plenty of special effects, the fact that the students didn't fight at all was largely the reason that I didn't enjoy it. Hadn't we spent the entire movie in and out of classes for the DA, training the students to fight against real dangers in the outside world? It was a cheap shot, that they were all captured so quickly and easily; we didn't get to see them put up a fight.

I also heard, I forgot who from on the forums, that handheld cameras were used during the final battle which, IMO, made it lose impact.

And finally... Sirius' death. I did not feel anything. It happened so quickly, and no weight was placed on it. Sure, Harry was upset when he chased after Bellatrix, but then...? It was technically Harry's fault that he died, and because Harry's anger was not added at the end (I agreed, somewhat, with the producers decision to exclude CAPSLOCK!Harry for most of the film, despite lines that contradicted the lack of anger; ei: "I'm just so angry... all the time." I do think, however, that at the final scene an outburst would've had all the more impact, because Harry had only raised his voice at one other juncture in the film), all impact was lost, IMHO.

Now, how does this relate to HBP?

The death of Dumbledore is written with such intensity, and because so much of it can be considered ambiguous to the extent of verbal irony, Yates has to play his cards right and carry it over to film with the same passion it contained in the book. Based mainly on the lack of impact of Sirius' death, I assume Yates won't be able to do it. The scuffle at Hogswarts, itself, seems to have been cut... I still dunno how I feel about that, actually.Thanks for the welcome. :cool:

Though I don't agree with everything you're saying, I can completely understand where you're coming from. Like I said, I do think the battle at the Ministry could have been longer. As for Sirius' death, this is another scene I felt should have been longer, the shot of him just disolving very quickly in the veil could have been alot better I think, should have been more detailed and not so fast. I did love Harry's reaction though, and the music there was very fitting I thought. I think what would have been better, was to have Harry elaborate on why he felt it was his fault in Dumbledore's office, let Harry show more emotion and anger at his own self.

I think Half-Blood Prince will be better with Dumbledore's death honestly, it doesn't seem to be 'mourn after the event... move on afterwards' like Sirius' death (if what I said made any sense there :lol:) felt if the reviews are any indication.

I agree, but, unfortunately, this film seems to be taking the opposite route. While the teaser trailer concentrated on the darker mood of the film, I get the sense it is to be lighter, more playful, and less, to me, interesting. The amount of memories is likely cut down (a true shame: they, along with the conclusion of the book, were my favorite aspects of HBP), and I do not have faith that Yates will make the cave scene or the battle of Hogwarts as impressive as it should be (I can use OotP as my evidence for this).

I do think it's a bit odd that the teaser trailer only focused on the dark elements of the story. It actually gave me hope that we were wrong to assume yates would go thru with "the sex drugs and rock and roll" theme and actually understood that the main point of the book was harry and dumbledore's delving into voldemort's past to figure out how to defeat him.

The teaser may have misled the test screeners into thinking that HBP would emphasize the memories, which we already knew it would not given that they had pared the pensieve scenes down to 3.

As for the climax, I was disappointed with the department of mysteries finale in OOTP as well. I felt it was way too short, and did not show the DA actually fighting or sirius and bellatrix actually dueling nor any of the other rooms. Although not as important, I also missed the statues coming to life. Cuaron and Newell did much better with their climactic sequences with the time turner and the graveyard scenes in PoA and Gof respectively.

I'm willing to wait and see how the cave scene goes. So far the reviewers seem to like it. The only part they have complained about is that dumbledore doesn't pause to try and figure out what he's supposed to do with the liquid covering the locket and uses that "shell" thing to scoop it up.
It's the astronomy tower that seems to be somewhat divisive given the alterations that have been made and the absence of any faceoff between the DA and the death eaters. Maybe they were saving it for DH, but I really wish Yates would have stuck to the book for that part.

Interesting stuff those reviews! To be honest I much prefer the ones that focus on the film and not the ones that list what they change. They arent movie reviews at all really.

Maybe now we have our reason for a delay though, because the complaints were hearing arent limited to "they left this out! this is different!" but other issues such as the focus being on teen romance and not the Half Blood Prince. Issues with the actual film which concerns me far more than whats different, Ive never really minded changes.

Though I do like the sound of the scene around Dumbledores body Harry crying, Ginny comforting and everyone lighting their wand tips. And Im sure I'll enjoy the movie as fluffy entertainment, I always do, well the last three anyways.

Also no ones said anything about other characters reaction to Snape killing Dumbledore?!!! that just seems wierd. We seem to only get Harry chasing Snape, but nothing of him telling people that Snape did the deed?? Its a big plot point and stuff, I thought more of a deal would be made of it...

Also no ones said anything about other characters reaction to Snape killing Dumbledore?!!! that just seems wierd. We seem to only get Harry chasing Snape, but nothing of him telling people that Snape did the deed?? Its a big plot point and stuff, I thought more of a deal would be made of it...

That's a good point. Maybe they just neglected to mention any talk of it?

Oh my goodness! What is happening to the movie that we are all looking forward to so much? Did I read this right? Is the movie going to centered more on teen romance than the Half-Blood Prince? This can't be happening! First I find out that they cut a great scene from the movie and now I'm finding out that we may not get very much Snape? Yes, the book did center a little on the romances of the trio, but still it was mainly about the HBP. Please tell me I read it wrong and that this isn't true. We must have action, we must have Snape! :grumble:

Oh my goodness! What is happening to the movie that we are all looking forward to so much? Did I read this right? Is the movie going to centered more on teen romance than the Half-Blood Prince? This can't be happening! First I find out that they cut a great scene from the movie and now I'm finding out that we may not get very much Snape? Yes, the book did center a little on the romances of the trio, but still it was mainly about the HBP. Please tell me I read it wrong and that this isn't true. We must have action, we must have Snape! :grumble:

Well, I think he's in at least 7 scenes, which for him is pretty good. It's more than he's had lately.

I also encourage you to visit the Hogwarts Radio Forums and read the quoted posts from TLC poster Rachezee. There is stuff to look forward to, IMHO.

Do you mind giving a link?

Do you mind giving a link?

http://www.hogwartsradio.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10

http://www.leakylounge.com/Test-Screening-Harry-Pot-t64457.html

Thanks for the welcome. :cool:

Notta problem :D

I think what would have been better, was to have Harry elaborate on why he felt it was his fault in Dumbledore's office, let Harry show more emotion and anger at his own self.

:agree:

I think Half-Blood Prince will be better with Dumbledore's death honestly, it doesn't seem to be 'mourn after the event... move on afterwards' like Sirius' death (if what I said made any sense there :lol:) felt if the reviews are any indication.

Makes perfect sense :). And I agree that there does to be a sense of lingering weight carried from the initial impact of Dumbledore's death... unfortunately, I'm still worried the death won't be built up properly, nor will it be given the appropriate tension and intensity. I did love Harry's reaction to Sirius' death, but I didn't like the death itself there either, what with the dissolving and the odd expression on Sirius' face.

The end - the very, very end - will be fine as long as there is no: "Everything's going to change now... isn't it?"

Well. Ya think, Hermione?

Cuaron and Newell did much better with their climactic sequences with the time turner and the graveyard scenes in PoA and Gof respectively.

I agree. I loved almost all of Cuaron's work, and though I disliked GoF a tad, the graveyard scene was chilling, as was Cedric's death. Yates had a tougher book to work with, but I honestly think HBP is cut. It's pretty cut and dry, on what should be included and what shouldn't. It's also got room to work with, plenty of scenes that write themselves... despite the reviews, I think it should be impossible to completely drop the ball here.

ok, I can't remember if anyone spoke of this picture, but I can't figure out when this is:

http://www.snitchseeker.com/gallery/albums/userpics/84186/hp6hd-0.jpg

ok, I can't remember if anyone spoke of this picture, but I can't figure out when this is:

http://www.snitchseeker.com/gallery/albums/userpics/84186/hp6hd-0.jpg

Can be anytime. Though I somehow get the impression it is in Winter.

Can be anytime. Though I somehow get the impression it is in Winter.

Well, if it is in winter, then it could be when the boys are opening up presents. That is one of the times they are in their dormitory.

Neville looks awesome! I was hoping they would save his awesome super hero look for DH, but wow, he looks amazing here!

Well, if it is in winter, then it could be when the boys are opening up presents. That is one of the times they are in their dormitory.

No. Xmas is at the Burrow.

I do see how it could be winter - looks like snow outside...

ok, I can't remember if anyone spoke of this picture, but I can't figure out when this is:

http://www.snitchseeker.com/gallery/albums/userpics/84186/hp6hd-0.jpg

Too bad they cut the Battle at the the Astronomy Tower. That was Neville's most significant moment in HBP.

No. Xmas is at the Burrow.

I do see how it could be winter - looks like snow outside...

Oops! Forgot about that! Well, hmm... there could still be snow on the ground when Ron's birthday comes around. Maybe Neville is reacting strangely to Ron being in a trance!

And I agree. Neville looks really awesome here!

ETA: Oh, almost forgot. Didn't someone say that winter comes REALLY quickly in the movie? Or did I hear that wrong? If so, then it could be anytime.

ETA: Oh, almost forgot. Didn't someone say that winter comes REALLY quickly in the movie? Or did I hear that wrong? If so, then it could be anytime.

Well, by the sounds of things, it is winter by the time of 'Silver and Opals'. It turned winter in the first Hogmeade visit in OotP and I thought that was a little early... PoA's first visit (that Harry doesn't go to) is not winter - is it winter at the SECOND visit.

In the picture we saw oh Harry and Hermoine, that's supposedly the necklace incident, we can see snowflakes, too. And in the book, this took place in early October.

Notta problem :D



:agree:



Makes perfect sense :). And I agree that there does to be a sense of lingering weight carried from the initial impact of Dumbledore's death... unfortunately, I'm still worried the death won't be built up properly, nor will it be given the appropriate tension and intensity. I did love Harry's reaction to Sirius' death, but I didn't like the death itself there either, what with the dissolving and the odd expression on Sirius' face.

The end - the very, very end - will be fine as long as there is no: "Everything's going to change now... isn't it?"

Well. Ya think, Hermione? I agree, if they keep the ending as it is, I think it will be fine. I love what I heard about Ginny walking away looking sad after Ron and Hermione told Harry they would go with him to hunt the horcruxes. I'm thinking the funeral will be included in Deathly Hallows Pt. 1, which would be the logical choice and would carry the impact of his death into the next film.

Oh my goodness! What is happening to the movie that we are all looking forward to so much? Did I read this right? Is the movie going to centered more on teen romance than the Half-Blood Prince? This can't be happening! First I find out that they cut a great scene from the movie and now I'm finding out that we may not get very much Snape? Yes, the book did center a little on the romances of the trio, but still it was mainly about the HBP. Please tell me I read it wrong and that this isn't true. We must have action, we must have Snape! :grumble:I've been re-reading the book, but the book itself is alot of romantic comedy and not as much of the HBP as I find some people are saying. I'm not complaining about no battle of Hogwarts myself, mainly because we see a similair and far better one in Deathly Hallows, from what I've read of the reviews, outside of some of the cuts and changes made from the book, the tone is pretty spot on.

I agree, if they keep the ending as it is, I think it will be fine. I love what I heard about Ginny walking away looking sad after Ron and Hermione told Harry they would go with him to hunt the horcruxes. I'm thinking the funeral will be included in Deathly Hallows Pt. 1, which would be the logical choice and would carry the impact of his death into the next film.

Now it is my turn to agree.

There is only one thing that could have made this better. If Ginny would have done a little bit of arguing. She is a feisty red-head. She should have argued. Though perhaps it would have led people to believe she would be with the trio later in the hunt.

I also agree about the Funeral, though I would have loved if it was in this movie. As long as we see it in a movie, it is fine. Didn't we hear that the funeral was shot? So maybe they did it for the next movie. Or did I hear wrong again?

I also agree about the Funeral, though I would have loved if it was in this movie. As long as we see it in a movie, it is fine. Didn't we hear that the funeral was shot? So maybe they did it for the next movie. Or did I hear wrong again?

:lol: Not to my knowledge - we did hear of:

"Steve has taken the funeral from the book and written a beautiful scene. One of Jo's recurring themes is death and loss, and even though the sixth movie is playful and funny, Steve has adapted that Half-Blood Prince scene in a very poignant, plaintive, and special way"

That is probably this Astromony tower end scene we have all heard of...

Neville looks awesome! I was hoping they would save his awesome super hero look for DH, but wow, he looks amazing here!

Yes, he's really grown up hasn't he? He looks so mature now- a far cry from the clumsy neville in SS. From the test screenings it sounds like neville is barely in this film actually. I think he will finally get his time to shine in DH part 2.

Now it is my turn to agree.

There is only one thing that could have made this better. If Ginny would have done a little bit of arguing. She is a feisty red-head. She should have argued. Though perhaps it would have led people to believe she would be with the trio later in the hunt.

I also agree about the Funeral, though I would have loved if it was in this movie. As long as we see it in a movie, it is fine. Didn't we hear that the funeral was shot? So maybe they did it for the next movie. Or did I hear wrong again?Hmm, that's a very good point. I think it depends on how they portray her in the film, if she's more like she was in the book, I'd say that might work. But if they do her differently, we'll have to wait and see.

Like I said, I'm re-reading the book, this being the first time I've read it in a year. That said, I haven't reached this far yet, but didn't Ginny react to Harry, Ron and Harmione leaving hogwarts to search for the horcruxes the same exact way as described by the reviewers? I don't know, my memory is a little vague right now. :lol:

As for the funeral, I hadn't heard anything about them filming the scene, but I do remember Yates saying he was trying to work the funeral in the script and was looking forward to bringing it on screen, or he said something along those lines.

ETA:

:lol: Not to my knowledge - we did hear of:

"Steve has taken the funeral from the book and written a beautiful scene. One of Jo's recurring themes is death and loss, and even though the sixth movie is playful and funny, Steve has adapted that Half-Blood Prince scene in a very poignant, plaintive, and special way"

That is probably this Astromony tower scene we have all heard of...Ah, yes, that's what I remembered him saying. I do hope they still do the funeral in Deathly Hallows though, I desperately hope they don't completely forget one of the best scenes of the series. :(

:lol: Not to my knowledge - we did hear of:

"Steve has taken the funeral from the book and written a beautiful scene. One of Jo's recurring themes is death and loss, and even though the sixth movie is playful and funny, Steve has adapted that Half-Blood Prince scene in a very poignant, plaintive, and special way"

That is probably this Astromony tower scene we have all heard of...

I don't know... it certainly screams funeral. He's basically used the funeral from the book and written it into a beautiful scene?? That would be my interpretation of "taken"... it says "taken"... not "taken out" as in not used the funeral. But if the scene isn't in the movie...

Hopefully it doesn't mean that the funeral is out of the movies all together? :grumble:

This is all very disapointing. I'm actually dreading seeing the movie now.

This is all very disapointing. I'm actually dreading seeing the movie now.

Stop being so pessimist! ALL is not disappointing! :p

This is all very disapointing. I'm actually dreading seeing the movie now.Oh c'mon, there is plenty to be excited about. ;)

I don't know... it certainly screams funeral. He's basically used the funeral from the book and written it into a beautiful scene?? That would be my interpretation of "taken"... it says "taken"... not "taken out" as in not used the funeral. But if the scene isn't in the movie...

Hopefully it doesn't mean that the funeral is out of the movies all together? :grumble:

I think it might. I mean... taken the funeral from the book? Maybe we all missed the real meaning of that? Because he could've been saying that from the story the book told, they literally took the funeral, and instead wrote a beautiful scene. As in, the wands alit, over his body.

I think I'll like this film, actually. I've obviously read all the spoilers, so I know that most of the bits I was interested in seeing are there. There are some that aren't, but nonetheless, you can't fit everything into a movie. There is one bit in particular, but I'm not sure if this is spoiler free, so I'll tag it.

Snape doesn't do the COWARD yell... So disappointing...

However, I think the funeral, or what we see of it, will be a good scene, especially if the emotional depth of the film is on a par with say, Goblet of Fire, where the ending was a good one in terms of "That's my son!" and Order of the Phownix in the case of the possession scene. I like those, so I think this oughtn't to be too different in tone.

Neville looks awesome! I was hoping they would save his awesome super hero look for DH, but wow, he looks amazing here!

I agree. He has a much better hairstyle here. It's quite hard to imagine him being the leader of Hogwarts fighters with that OOTP awful hair.

Well, by the sounds of things, it is winter by the time of 'Silver and Opals'. It turned winter in the first Hogmeade visit in OotP and I thought that was a little early... PoA's first visit (that Harry doesn't go to) is not winter - is it winter at the SECOND visit.

According to the reviews, the winter comes MUCH sooner in this movie. The stadium seems to be covered with snow during the first Quidditch match (a nice idea to make the match look different from those in previous films).

:lol: Not to my knowledge - we did hear of:

"Steve has taken the funeral from the book and written a beautiful scene. One of Jo's recurring themes is death and loss, and even though the sixth movie is playful and funny, Steve has adapted that Half-Blood Prince scene in a very poignant, plaintive, and special way"

That is probably this Astromony tower end scene we have all heard of...

This comment was made when they have just started filming, I think. So Yates may actually be talking about the real funeral scene here, but obviously things change as they continued shooting the film. I think we can assume that after they made a decision to split DH, the filmmakers may decided to move the funeral to the opening scene of DH1, and HBP ending was rewritten at that time (it is also possible that they made this decision even before the DH split).

Right now, I'm more than 50% sure about the funeral being included in DH. They will have to show how DD's body gets into the tomb anyway.

Does Harry still call Snape a coward in the end during flight of the prince? I do recall the test screeners saying that snape does reveal to Harry that he is the half blood prince, followed by the line about Harry having his mother's eyes but being as dim as his dad. However, I don't remember anyone mentioning if that coward line is in there.

According to the reviews, the winter comes MUCH sooner in this movie. The stadium seems to be covered with snow during the first Quidditch match (a nice idea to make the match look different from those in previous films).Agreed. One of the many reasons why the quidditch match in Prisoner of Azkaban was the only quidditch match in the movies I actually liked (and it's also one of the best scenes in the film) was the different weather enviroment, just loved it. Can't wait to see what they do in Half-Blood Prince.

Does Harry still call Snape a coward in the end during flight of the prince? I do recall the test screeners saying that snape does reveal to Harry that he is the half blood prince, followed by the line about Harry having his mother's eyes but being as dim as his dad. However, I don't remember anyone mentioning if that coward line is in there.I've read that the Coward line was not included.

ok, I can't remember if anyone spoke of this picture, but I can't figure out when this is:

http://www.snitchseeker.com/gallery/albums/userpics/84186/hp6hd-0.jpg

Sometime after Harry arrives a Hogwarts! :p :lol:

But seriously, yeah...I have no idea either, it could really be a random scene at any time :shrug:

and yea! for the new pic :clap: Neville is looking MUCH better than he did in OotP :cool:

Not to my knowledge - we did hear of:

"Steve has taken the funeral from the book and written a beautiful scene. One of Jo's recurring themes is death and loss, and even though the sixth movie is playful and funny, Steve has adapted that Half-Blood Prince scene in a very poignant, plaintive, and special way"

That is probably this Astromony tower end scene we have all heard of...

or he may have been referring to the scene with everyone around the body lighting up their wands...like a candlelight vigil :hmm:

He said "adapted" so it sounds like the essence of the scene was kept but was completely changed :whistle:

Regardless, I don't understand where people are getting the idea from that it has been moved to the beginning of DH :p

I am highly doubtful of this...either it's in HBP...or it's getting cut all-together :relax:

Regardless, I don't understand where people are getting the idea from that it has been moved to the begging of DH :p

I am highly doubtful of this...either it's in HBP...or it's getting cut all-together :relax:I remember some guy on Leaky who seemed to have some very good information that many times turned out to be true, said the ending of Half-Blood Prince had been changed due to Deathly Hallows being split in two. Everyone just assumed the funeral was moved to the beginning of DH I guess, I'd like to think that myself.

I remember some guy on Leaky who seemed to have some very good information that many times turned out to be true, said the ending of Half-Blood Prince had been changed due to Deathly Hallows being split in two. Everyone just assumed the funeral was moved to the beginning of DH I guess, I'd like to think that myself.

I believe that was _||_ right, is that who you mean?

In that case I am not believing a word he says anymore :no: He said that the Dursley's were in HBP...which they are NOT. He said that we'd be receiving some info on or around the 16th months back...which we did NOT. And he's been wrong about many other things. I think the only thing he was kinda right about was the "teaser" with TDK...but everyone was expecting something with that movie (:p) even if it proved to be less than satisfying :relax:

Bottomline...it's just another SCOOP (something from months back btw)

Sometime after Harry arrives a Hogwarts! :p :lol:

But seriously, yeah...I have no idea either, it could really be a random scene at any time :shrug:

and yea! for the new pic :clap: Neville is looking MUCH better than he did in OotP :cool:



or he may have been referring to the scene with everyone around the body lighting up their wands...like a candlelight vigil :hmm:

He said "adapted" so it sounds like the essence of the scene was kept but was completely changed :whistle:

Regardless, I don't understand where people are getting the idea from that it has been moved to the beginning of DH :p

I am highly doubtful of this...either it's in HBP...or it's getting cut all-together :relax:

I'm inclined to agree. The funeral really does not fit in DH and they already have so much to work into DH as it is. I really don't see them trying to squeeze the funeral in there on top of everything else - particularly when it really would not make any sense. It's most likely that the wandlight vigil is being done in lieu of the funeral. And it appears that they've incorporated everything relevant in this scene in HBP so there is no need for them to have the funeral in DH - there's nothing left for them to show.

I'm inclined to agree. The funeral really does not fit in DH and they already have so much to work into DH as it is. I really don't see them trying to squeeze the funeral in there on top of everything else - particularly when it really would not make any sense. It's most likely that the wandlight vigil is being done in lieu of the funeral. And it appears that they've incorporated everything relevant in this scene in HBP so there is no need for them to have the funeral in DH - there's nothing left for them to show.

There is A LOT that can be shown in the funeral if they choose to use it as the opening scene of DH.

1. Remind audiences of the events in HBP, and show the current state of the wizarding world.

2. Re-introduce all secondary characters before they actually play their DH roles. For instance, we will get to see all Order members before they come to rescue Harry at Privet Drive; they can also introduce Scrimgeour here. He can introduce himself to Harry and persuade him to cooperate with the ministry like he did in the book; therefore, audiences will know about the Ministry's condition and Harry's loyalty toward Dumbledore (which will begin to crumble later on). IMO Scrimgeour should be included in DH since his death will show the fall of the Ministry, and we should be introduced to him before he actually plays his part. Umbridge and Percy can be re-introduced here as well (if their roles are included).

And in case they cut the wedding, even Xeno Lovegood can be introduced there somehow.

Having all these characters together in one place, audiences can get the general idea about which sides are these characters on, and also their motivations (the Order, the Ministry, etc.).

3. Introduce DD's backstory. In the book, the backstory is introduced via the newspaper, and they obviously can't do this in the film. If they use another prophet montage, it will ruin the impact of the eulogy IMO. It will be much better if the eulogy is read during the funeral itself.

We don't know if the filmmakers will actually do this or not, but I think (and hope) that they will do it. Having the funeral scene at the beginning of DH, almost all the information from the second chapter of the book can be given to the audiences in a much better way than the book did.

There is A LOT that can be shown in the funeral if they choose to use it as the opening scene of DH.

1. Remind audiences of the events in HBP, and show the current state of the wizarding world.

2. Re-introduce all secondary characters before they actually play their DH roles. For instance, we will get to see all Order members before they come to rescue Harry at Privet Drive; they can also introduce Scrimgeour here. He can introduce himself to Harry and persuade him to cooperate with the ministry like he did in the book; therefore, audiences will know about the Ministry's condition and Harry's loyalty toward Dumbledore (which will begin to crumble later on). IMO Scrimgeour should be included in DH since his death will show the fall of the Ministry, and we should be introduced to him before he actually plays his part. Umbridge and Percy can be re-introduced here as well (if their roles are included).

And in case they cut the wedding, even Xeno Lovegood can be introduced there somehow.

Having all these characters together in one place, audiences can get the general idea about which sides are these characters on, and also their motivations (the Order, the Ministry, etc.).

3. Introduce DD's backstory. In the book, the backstory is introduced via the newspaper, and they obviously can't do this in the film. If they use another prophet montage, it will ruin the impact of the eulogy IMO. It will be much better if the eulogy is read during the funeral itself.

We don't know if the filmmakers will actually do this or not, but I think (and hope) that they will do it. Having the funeral scene at the beginning of DH, almost all the information from the second chapter of the book can be given to the audiences in a much better way than the book did.

I would have to disagree. The funeral has no place in DH and doesn't make sense there. There are better ways to remind the audience of what happened in HBP - i.e. Harry having a nightmare about Dumbledore being murdered. The funeral does not show the current state of the wizarding world as it would happen within the time frame of HBP - not several months later during the time frame of DH.

The Order members and Scrimgeour can be introduced at the Burrow as they were in the book since the Burrow is headquarters for the Order and Scrimgeour comes to deliver the items Dumbledore left to them. Percy can be reintroduced there as well - coming to the Burrow with Scrimgeour. Though it's possible they might just have him there and not include the estrangement since they didn't have it in OOTP. We don't need to see Umbridge at that point - Harry can mention her when he refuses Scrimgeour and we'll see her at the Ministry later on.

If they cut the wedding, Xenophilius Lovegood can be introduced at Harry's birthday party. Luna is Harry's friend and lives near the Weasleys so it is believable for her to be invited - same for Neville. Given that they are at war, she would not be traveling alone and the audience will accept a father escorting his daughter to someone else's home in such dangerous times. Again, we can see Order members here since the Burrow is headquarters for the Order now and it makes sense for them to stick around with the danger towards Harry.

Aunt Muriel could also be brought in there if they choose - visiting the Weasleys or staying with them. She is perfect to bring up Rita's book about Dumbledore and the gossip she knows - which introduces that backstory to Harry as well as the audience.

The difference between the end of HBP and DH is several weeks not months, though I agree that having the funeral in DH makes no sense unless they're going to eliminate the Seven Potters and have him head straight to the burrow.

The difference between the end of HBP and DH is several weeks not months, though I agree that having the funeral in DH makes no sense unless they're going to eliminate the Seven Potters and have him head straight to the burrow.

It's about two months - HBP ends somewhere around the beginning of June - before their exams - and DH picks up around Harry's birthday in July. Not exactly, but close enough to two months for me to think in months rather than weeks. :)

But, other than that, I think we agree. I don't think they will cut the Seven Potters - they need that first confrontation with Harry and Voldemort and that gives them a good action sequence at the beginning. Even a few weeks would be too long to wait for a funeral and a flashback to weeks before does nothing to show the current state of the wizarding world. Everything relevant about Dumbledore's funeral is covered in that last scene of HBP described from the test screening. They don't need anything else there, IMO.

Yeah, but in the book, it was a pretty good beginning with Voldemort/Death Eaters discussion and the Seven Potters. Seven Potters chapter sure brought a lot of action, a little comedy, suspense and the feeling of what could come all in one chapter! I think Dumbledore's funeral might put a damper on all that. Remember, part 1 of DH isn't going to have that much action. Seven Potters needs to be in the movie.

Now, some people might disagree and say that having Dumbledore's funeral in DH instead of HBP is actually a good thing. If it was, the funeral would have been in DH in the book. So, I am not too sure about where I stand in the placement of Dumbledore's funeral.

Yeah, but in the book, it was a pretty good beginning with Voldemort/Death Eaters discussion and the Seven Potters. Seven Potters chapter sure brought a lot of action, a little comedy, suspense and the feeling of what could come all in one chapter! I think Dumbledore's funeral might put a damper on all that. Remember, part 1 of DH isn't going to have that much action. Seven Potters needs to be in the movie.

Now, some people might disagree and say that having Dumbledore's funeral in DH instead of HBP is actually a good thing. If it was, the funeral would have been in DH in the book. So, I am not too sure about where I stand in the placement of Dumbledore's funeral.

I was hoping that if they did not include the funeral in HBP it would appear in the beginning of DH. I am so disappointed, as I thought the scene was written so beautifully in the book with the tomb catching fire, etc. It would have been such an emotionally powerful scene, and it would have been nice to have the characters grieve and pay tribute to DD with the phoenix lament in the background. Having their wands lit up is a nice visual, but having that in place of the funeral is a much weaker substitute than what was in the original book. It almost seems like the producers just cut whatever they feel they can get away with instead of going all out with each HP film.

You know, now that I think about it, there is a good reason to have Dumbledore's funeral in DH. Because the coffin will be revisited when Voldemort finds the wand. Maybe that is the reason they are doing it. Because by the time DH part 2 comes around, moviegoers and non-book readers will have forgotten about the coffin if it is in HBP and not DH.

Scrimgeour proved to be so ridiculously pointless. I don't remember what they showed about Fudge during the headlines montage at the end of OotP, but if possible, they should just stick with Fudge and have him be the murdered Minister instead.

The difference between the end of HBP and DH is several weeks not months.

Time is a beatiful things in films.

Think how many weeks pass in some of the transitions in the first 5 films. A whole YEAR is in 2-2.5 hours!

So to pass this time issue, I'd go with a nice shot of the Hogwarts Express leaving, fading to Dark Lord Ascending...

Start it out Harry waiting to be picked up cleaning out his room, passing over old daily Prophets which can give a review of the previous events. The Seven Potters will be laden with CGI, if they do it properly, give it the type of attention they gave Grawp, it'll look awesome. Of course if it does look amazing they'll give away all the good stuff in trailers and behind the scenes looks (sometimes CoS isn't helpful :D).

The new Neville picture looks strange. Neville looks SO different to me!

Personally I think the movie should end with the funeral, but at the same time move forward setting up an opening for DH part 1. I think that the final image of HBP should be either Harry or DD's coffin in flames (or the reflection in Harry's eyes) and then fade to black. DH starts up with, IMO,with either the Malfoy Manor and that scene unfolds ending with Charity's death, a green flash and que a dream sequence where Harry sees DD's death, or the Malfoy Manor sequence is dropped and starts out with seeing DD die and then proceed to the funeral fade out to white and then be at the Dursley's.

The difference between the end of HBP and DH is several weeks not months, though I agree that having the funeral in DH makes no sense unless they're going to eliminate the Seven Potters and have him head straight to the burrow.

They can solve this problem by showing the scene as a flashback. Maybe show Harry alone in Privet Drive, than slowly fade to the funeral with his (or Elphias Doge's) voiceover.

Start it out Harry waiting to be picked up cleaning out his room, passing over old daily Prophets which can give a review of the previous events. The Seven Potters will be laden with CGI, if they do it properly, give it the type of attention they gave Grawp, it'll look awesome. Of course if it does look amazing they'll give away all the good stuff in trailers and behind the scenes looks (sometimes CoS isn't helpful :D).

That's one way to do it, actually. Zooming into a Prophet photo then show the scene (anything but another prophet montage, we've had enough of that IMO:p)


Now, some people might disagree and say that having Dumbledore's funeral in DH instead of HBP is actually a good thing. If it was, the funeral would have been in DH in the book. So, I am not too sure about where I stand in the placement of Dumbledore's funeral.

When I'm talking about moving the funeral scene to DH, I didn't mean that they should just squeeze the whole thing in and keep the details exactly as it is in HBP. The scene must be adapted somehow to make it serve the story of DH better.

They can solve this problem by showing the scene as a flashback. Maybe show Harry alone in Privet Drive, than slowly fade to the funeral with his (or Elphias Doge's) voiceover.

Though I'm not sure about the voiceover, maybe this would be a good way to do it. A flashback always shows a lot of great qualities, and it will look wonderful too. It will really look great to see a backwards glance of something, to keep it fresh in our heads. Half Blood Prince will still involve it somehow, so a refresher look wouldn't be a bad thing later on.


That's one way to do it, actually. Zooming into a Prophet photo then show the scene (anything but another prophet montage, we've had enough of that IMO:p)

Yep, that's another one. But the montage won't be necessary, surely. With two films, they don't need to cut out scenes to the extent they did have to in Order of the Phoenix in order to prevent the film being overlong.

I remember some guy on Leaky who seemed to have some very good information that many times turned out to be true, said the ending of Half-Blood Prince had been changed due to Deathly Hallows being split in two. Everyone just assumed the funeral was moved to the beginning of DH I guess, I'd like to think that myself. Well if they move it; then they are going to screw up the timing; and just completely throw the final 2 movies out of of line! They really should leave it at the end of HBP! Just because it is sorta the sentimental ending that most have had. Why do you think she has ended every book the way she did?

I think it is because she wanted every book to have a sentimental ending that really hit close to home for the reader! And each has ended somewhat happy!

Then she made 5,6,and 7 have darker endings because they are the darker sides(i forgot 4 sorry!). at the end someone important has died. and 5,6,7 all have father figures dying on Harry! So Then with Dumbledore it was the only other person he could go to for help, the only other person that understood what he was going through, and the only other person that was always able to tell Harry why what happened; had happened.

Now with him gone; Harry is at a loss. He has no one who he can really go to for help! Ron and Hermione have their abilities; but neither could stand up to what Dumbldore was able to do!


Yeah, but in the book, it was a pretty good beginning with Voldemort/Death Eaters discussion and the Seven Potters. Seven Potters chapter sure brought a lot of action, a little comedy, suspense and the feeling of what could come all in one chapter! I think Dumbledore's funeral might put a damper on all that. Remember, part 1 of DH isn't going to have that much action. Seven Potters needs to be in the movie.

Now, some people might disagree and say that having Dumbledore's funeral in DH instead of HBP is actually a good thing. If it was, the funeral would have been in DH in the book. So, I am not too sure about where I stand in the placement of Dumbledore's funeral. I say that moving the Funeral to DHP1 is a bad thing. Just because it wasn't meant to be there! It was meant to be the ending of HBP. If she had wanted at the beginning of DH then she would have done a seriously huge cliff hanger and gone out of her-self doing that! So it was meant to be the end of HBP. It is one thing that just can't be easily moved like it is a simple thing like Peter escaping! It is more complicated and very sentimental to a lot of us readers.

I hate to say this but if they cut it in HBP; then they may as well leave it out and not start it in DH!

Aunt Muriel could also be brought in there if they choose - visiting the Weasleys or staying with them. She is perfect to bring up Rita's book about Dumbledore and the gossip she knows - which introduces that backstory to Harry as well as the audience.

True, but I still think it would not have much impact to suddenly show Harry losing faith in a guy who died in the previous movie. In the book, we have the whole second chapter to remind us that Harry (and many others) love and trust DD. And I can't see any other way they can show this chapter on screen (except a prophet montage, which I am against:lol:).

Of course, the whole chapter could also be cut altogether. But if Harry has a chance to show his trust in DD at the beginning of the film, the information Muriel told him can provide much more impact both for him and the audiences.

Though I'm not sure about the voiceover, maybe this would be a good way to do it. A flashback always shows a lot of great qualities, and it will look wonderful too. It will really look great to see a backwards glance of something, to keep it fresh in our heads. Half Blood Prince will still involve it somehow, so a refresher look wouldn't be a bad thing later on.


Yes. We already know that HBP will also start with a flashback to OOTP time, showing DD escorting Harry out of the ministry while news reporter are taking photo around them, also with a voiceover (or probably a news headline) about Harry being the Chosen One. It's not impossible for them to start DH in a similar way. After all, they should show DD's tomb at least once before Voldemort breaks into it.

Anyway, this is starting to get off HBP topic, so I'll stop with my theory now.:p

Not matter how they do it; they need to do their best to show Rita doing her usual and digging up the hidden bones that people had. And they need to be able to show Harry trying his hardest not to believe it; but it slowly sinking in and him losing faith in DD as Ron leaves his side, and as everything just goes to the pits.

But most of all they need to be able to show Harry's reactions to what people say about what Dumbledore actually had in store for him and his actual plans! Without that their can be no real losing faith for Harry.

I don't know I am still going by if it isn't in HBP then there is no need for it in DH. It would ruin the time line and make everything awkward for us readers!

True, but I still think it would not have much impact to suddenly show Harry losing faith in a guy who died in the previous movie. In the book, we have the whole second chapter to remind us that Harry (and many others) love and trust DD. And I can't see any other way they can show this chapter on screen (except a prophet montage, which I am against:lol:).

Of course, the whole chapter could also be cut altogether. But if Harry has a chance to show his trust in DD at the beginning of the film, the information Muriel told him can provide much more impact both for him and the audiences.

I wouldn't mind a Prophet montage - I loved how they used those for scene transitions in OOTP. :)

However, that won't be difficult for them to do. They managed something similar with Cedric in OOTP by simply having the DA put pictures of him up in the Room of Requirement and having Cho and Harry talk about him. With the Order headquarters being moved to the Burrow in DH, there will be a lot of people talking about Dumbledore and the impact his death has had.

Likewise, the scene with Scrimgeour will demonstrate Harry's faith in Dumbledore - Dumbledore's man through and through. And we have the trio discussing the items that Dumbledore bequeathed each of them as well. I think that will provide a nice contrast that will give hearing such rumors about Dumbledore's past and learning about Rita's book the impact it needs.

I would prefer the actual funeral in HBP, but they've included all of the relevant elements of the funeral - Harry's grief, his decision to go on alone, Ron and Hermione's refusal to allow him to go alone, etc... It would be nice if they had worked Scrimgeour in there for HBP, but that is one element that they can move to DH with Scrimgeour coming to the Burrow to tell them about Dumbledore's will.

Dumbledore's tomb is something that can also be established in DH without showing the actual funeral. They can have the Order discussing how Dumbledore wanted to be buried at Hogwarts and add a scene of Snape standing by the tomb alone after the announcement that he has been made headmaster - his face an unreadable mask.

I believe that was _||_ right, is that who you mean?

In that case I am not believing a word he says anymore :no: He said that the Dursley's were in HBP...which they are NOT. He said that we'd be receiving some info on or around the 16th months back...which we did NOT. And he's been wrong about many other things. I think the only thing he was kinda right about was the "teaser" with TDK...but everyone was expecting something with that movie (:p) even if it proved to be less than satisfying :relax:

Bottomline...it's just another SCOOP (something from months back btw)Ah, ok.

You know, now that I think about it, there is a good reason to have Dumbledore's funeral in DH. Because the coffin will be revisited when Voldemort finds the wand. Maybe that is the reason they are doing it. Because by the time DH part 2 comes around, moviegoers and non-book readers will have forgotten about the coffin if it is in HBP and not DH.Good point. :tu:

Well if they move it; then they are going to screw up the timing; and just completely throw the final 2 movies out of of line! They really should leave it at the end of HBP! Just because it is sorta the sentimental ending that most have had. Why do you think she has ended every book the way she did?

I think it is because she wanted every book to have a sentimental ending that really hit close to home for the reader! And each has ended somewhat happy!

Then she made 5,6,and 7 have darker endings because they are the darker sides(i forgot 4 sorry!). at the end someone important has died. and 5,6,7 all have father figures dying on Harry! So Then with Dumbledore it was the only other person he could go to for help, the only other person that understood what he was going through, and the only other person that was always able to tell Harry why what happened; had happened.

Now with him gone; Harry is at a loss. He has no one who he can really go to for help! Ron and Hermione have their abilities; but neither could stand up to what Dumbldore was able to do!Interesting point. I think, if they keep the ending as it is, the ending still sends across the right message. I love the idea of everybody gathering by Dumbledore's dead body, it might arguably be just as or even more emotionally touching. The ending of Harry standing alone on the Astronomy Tower (I like that already) mourning and realizing just what lies ahead also works. So, while we don't have the funeral in Half-Blood Prince, the essence of the loss and the affect it brings on the story is still there and works.

I am warming up to the funeral bring in DH (if it is) - DUmbledore's death there is just as important as would need to be reminded. In HBP all they need is the death, not the funeral, to tell the audience he died...

I am warming up to the funeral bring in DH (if it is) - DUmbledore's death there is just as important as would need to be reminded. In HBP all they need is the death, not the funeral, to tell the audience he died...

Yes, but they need to show that he died. Think about back when the book first came out. Even with the funeral, some people were sure Dumbledore wasn't dead. In the movie, there has to be no question of his death. For the movie, the funeral would have told the audience that he was dead. If they do it like the book did it, you don't see him falling to the ground. You see him get hit with a curse... we weren't sure if it was the AK curse at first... and then later, you see his body. It brought up ALOT of questions... some which I am sure JK Rowling loved, and the director, editors and everyone else of the movie might love, but it would bring the whole "Dumbledore is not dead" argument back for those who didn't read the book!

It brought up ALOT of questions... some which I am sure JK Rowling loved, and the director, editors and everyone else of the movie might love, but it would bring the whole "Dumbledore is not dead" argument back for those who didn't read the book!

So? What is wrong with replicating that bit of the book readers' experience?

Though I disagree this would happen much. Believers in this theory were a minority, and their arguments depended on all sorts of magical details that have not been presented in the movies. (Nonverbal spells, the Draught of Living Death, which spells create green jets or fl;ashes of light, etc.) The theory, however, tended in my experience to have the psychological underpinning "Dumbledore, the uber wise mentor figure, CANNOT have been that wrong about Snape!" which is entirely correct, so no matter how well the movie or book tried to lock this down, they could not entirely. Some readers (and likely, some viewers) are just not all that easy with the idea of assisted suicide, or whatever you want to call what Snape and Dumbledore did together, so it malkes more sense for them to look for trickery of another sort, like a faked death.

So? What is wrong with replicating that bit of the book readers' experience?

Point taken. Though the first time it happened annoyed me a bit. :lol: I'd just hate to see it happen again.


Though I disagree this would happen much. Believers in this theory were a minority, and their arguments depended on all sorts of magical details that have not been presented in the movies. (Nonverbal spells, the Draught of Living Death, which spells create green jets or fl;ashes of light, etc.) The theory, however, tended in my experience to have the psychological underpinning "Dumbledore, the uber wise mentor figure, CANNOT have been that wrong about Snape!" which is entirely correct, so no matter how well the movie or book tried to lock this down, they could not entirely. Some readers (and likely, some viewers) are just not all that easy with the idea of assisted suicide, or whatever you want to call what Snape and Dumbledore did together, so it malkes more sense for them to look for trickery of another sort, like a faked death.

Yeah, I see what you mean. There were a bunch of reasons to back up the theories in the books, and we have not seen many of these in the movie. Though I think the crew and moviemakers will succeed, if they get a good percentage of people believing that he isn't actually dead.

Though I also believe his death in the movie has more of a theatrical impact. I think we actually see him fall to the ground. So that might make everyone believe that "Hey, he is dead. If he was alive, he could have magically floated to the ground!"

Exactly, the given details just aren't enough for non-readers to start a conspiracy. And even if they do, there'll be enough of us to nip it in the bud and tell them "Yeah yeah we know but its not gonna happen so move on"

I think I too am welcoming the idea of starting DH Part I with the funeral, its an excellent way of refreshing everything in the audience's mind!

So does anyone have any ideas as to how HBP is going to end with all of these scenes being cut out?

So does anyone have any ideas as to how HBP is going to end with all of these scenes being cut out?

If I'm not mistaken it's ending with the trio talking about sticking together to accomplish Harry's mission and Ginny walking away from them, because she isn't being considered part of it, I presume.

So does anyone have any ideas as to how HBP is going to end with all of these scenes being cut out?

We've had this from the test screen

Test screening viewers tell us of the discovery of Dumbledore’s body
Harry then returns to find the whole school gathered around Dumbledore's body, McGonagall in the front completely stunned and silent. Harry kneels down at Dumbledore's side, brushes a hair out of his face and finds the locket, but does not open it. Clutching the locket He starts to cry and Ginny goes and holds him also crying. Then following McGonagall's lead, everyone lights there wand (I think they all murmur something in unison but I can't remember what) and slowly raise them as one in the air. Final shot of that scene is from above with all the lighted wands surrounding the tower, Dumbledore, Harry and Ginny

There is a scene is the common room, according a test screening viewer’s vague remembrance
No there is something in between but my memory of it is vague, I remember Harry standing alone looking at his dormitory, then he goes downstairs where Hermione Ginny and Ron, maybe Neville? Not sure, but they are sitting solemnly in the common room. One of them says "Harry's here" and they all turn to look, but I honestly can not remember what happens next but it was very brief.

Test screening viewers describe the last scene of the film
The last scene begins with the four of them there. Harry and Hermione at first are the only ones we see looking out into the grounds discussing the locket. Ginny and Ron are behind them on the sculpture and when we see them as hermione reads RAB's note.

Speaking of the locket - some others have asked about RAB's note. In the very last scene with the Trio plus Ginny at the top of the astronomy tower, Harry and Hermione are talking and she says something like- "Its hard to believe that contains a piece of Voldemort's soul."

He says something like "actually it doesn't. Its a fake. Open it, see for yourself."
Hermione opens it and finds the note and reads it for us all to hear. I am virtually certain the note is identically worded to the one in the book. Harry says he knows that RAB has the real locket and they have to find him, or it. (Ginny and Ron are sitting on a sculpture behind them quietly listening) Ron probably says something but I don't remember what, because at some point towards the very end he joins Harry and Hermione.

Harry then says he is going alone to find the Horcruxes. Hermione says something like, yeah right, you think your going alone? We are coming too. (major paraphrasing there) Then Ginny not saying a word sadly just walks away and leaves. She actually does not speak during the entire scene. Nor is she spoken to. She just listens looking sadder and increasingly heartbroken.


Fawkes’ departure is in the film, from a comment made from a test screening viewer
No fawkes lament, but the end of the final scene is the trio watching fawkes flying joyously through the blue sky and away. Movie ends.

I'm so disappointed that they left out Snape overhearing the prophecy. I know they really skimmed over the prophecy in ootp, but I do think it's important that Harry knows Snape was responsible for selling his parents out to voldemort.

As disappointed as I am about a lot of the test screening reviews- especially the most recent info that Harry just watches DD die while hiding under the floorboards, I recognize that as a reader it's hard to see changes in the film.

I did read the imdb review of a nonreader and overall it was pretty positive. I am glad actually I have time to get resigned to all the changes they are making. It's really almost unrecognizable for me from the book I read.

For those who haven't read the imdb review- here is one of them.


I was invited by email a week ago to attend a test screening in Chicago. I went today and it turned out to be Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. it was almost complete. the only things that were missing were transitions and maybe 30%ish cgi. sound design also seemed kind of rough. the guy that introduced the movie said we were the first audience in the world to see it. it was a solid movie. i was worried during the first 25 minutes because it was very poorly paced but once they got to hogwarts things picked up and became more interesting. daniel radcliffe seemed to be going by the numbers and didnt have that good of a performance. rupert grint and tom felton were excellent however and jim broadbent (slughorn) stole the show. there was a lot of sexual tension that was pulled off very well. i would rank this chapter of the saga around the middle for quality and entertainment value, but of course it was still a rough cut so things will likely change - hopefully for the better.

i do not know how long it was, cell phones were not allowed so i couldn't keep track of the time. maybe around 2.5, probably less

this movie is different than the previous ones as this is more of a character development film than an action film. there are only a few action scenes, the movie is VERY character heavy (at least this cut was, it may change). sets were limited to a few places, nothing really new (at least at hogwarts) and the entire movie seemed scaled back (but remember it is still a rough cut).

i thought harry's performance was kinda weak.
emma seemed same as it has been
ron was very solid
his g/f was great
ginny was just fine, had a decent amount of screen time
slughorn was the best character
dumbledor seemed like he was going through the motions
malfoy was great

theres no funeral but it is good without it, save it for deathly hollows

a lot of previous trends were broken - no foster family, the seasons are represented differently (its winter really soon in the movie)

ginny and harry kiss once towards the end.

luna has a few good scenes

you see the weasley's joke shop

please only ask/pm specific questions, not about general relationships or the overall ending (i've explained that enough) and remember, i havent read the book so dont toss out random wizard words and expect me to know them

WHAT?!! No funeral?? No serious way... They cant skip the funeral, that would be horrendus... Oh well. I do look forward to seeing WWW in there, i hope the shop is as good as i imagined it in the books:)

We've had this from the test screen

Test screening viewers tell us of the discovery of Dumbledore’s body
Harry then returns to find the whole school gathered around Dumbledore's body, McGonagall in the front completely stunned and silent. Harry kneels down at Dumbledore's side, brushes a hair out of his face and finds the locket, but does not open it. Clutching the locket He starts to cry and Ginny goes and holds him also crying. Then following McGonagall's lead, everyone lights there wand (I think they all murmur something in unison but I can't remember what) and slowly raise them as one in the air. Final shot of that scene is from above with all the lighted wands surrounding the tower, Dumbledore, Harry and Ginny

There is a scene is the common room, according a test screening viewer’s vague remembrance
No there is something in between but my memory of it is vague, I remember Harry standing alone looking at his dormitory, then he goes downstairs where Hermione Ginny and Ron, maybe Neville? Not sure, but they are sitting solemnly in the common room. One of them says "Harry's here" and they all turn to look, but I honestly can not remember what happens next but it was very brief.

Test screening viewers describe the last scene of the film
The last scene begins with the four of them there. Harry and Hermione at first are the only ones we see looking out into the grounds discussing the locket. Ginny and Ron are behind them on the sculpture and when we see them as hermione reads RAB's note.

Speaking of the locket - some others have asked about RAB's note. In the very last scene with the Trio plus Ginny at the top of the astronomy tower, Harry and Hermione are talking and she says something like- "Its hard to believe that contains a piece of Voldemort's soul."

He says something like "actually it doesn't. Its a fake. Open it, see for yourself."
Hermione opens it and finds the note and reads it for us all to hear. I am virtually certain the note is identically worded to the one in the book. Harry says he knows that RAB has the real locket and they have to find him, or it. (Ginny and Ron are sitting on a sculpture behind them quietly listening) Ron probably says something but I don't remember what, because at some point towards the very end he joins Harry and Hermione.

Harry then says he is going alone to find the Horcruxes. Hermione says something like, yeah right, you think your going alone? We are coming too. (major paraphrasing there) Then Ginny not saying a word sadly just walks away and leaves. She actually does not speak during the entire scene. Nor is she spoken to. She just listens looking sadder and increasingly heartbroken.


Fawkes’ departure is in the film, from a comment made from a test screening viewer
No fawkes lament, but the end of the final scene is the trio watching fawkes flying joyously through the blue sky and away. Movie ends.
I skimmed through it and what I've read sounds like it'll be a good ending. Nothing will compare to the book though. I'm almost certain of that.

since I have not had internet I had time to reread and reread the test screen reports and really compare the reports to the book. I dont think it sounds that bad after all. Despite some of the things I was looking forward to have been really messed up and ruined like the Harry /Ginnny kiss, I think the movie wont suck big time like I had thought previously.

I was thinking back some time on the week , that the story, the gist of it. Might be there, the report did say the romance and the dark parts were brilliantly balanced.
I have come to the conclusion that the Ginny/Harry relationship might be looking forward to the Bday kiss and not the one I was looking forward to- We shall now wait and see how they make that kiss in Hallows.

If I understood correctly the cave scene will be properly made, even though Gambon might mess up the delivery of our so waited quote, I am hoping for a brilliant cave scene .

I am starting to accept Dobby wont make it, still I dont know how they will do Hallows without the elf, and I am hoping they do include him for the last two films.

Wow, I didn't notice they were keeping RAB's note. I'm surprised Kloves kept that in, though I guess with Yates including Grawp and various other things I shouldn't be shocked. That whole story with Kreacher seems like a rather laboured reinforcement of the 'accepting death' idea. I guess they're desperate for stuff to fill up the 2 DH movies with, because you can bet that if someone other than Yates was in charge, that bit would be the first to go. Is anyone in the audience going to care about the dead, never-before-mentioned Death Eater younger brother of a character who died himself in a movie 3 years previously? I suppose I see the thematic point, with the accepting of death being a theme Regulus's determination in the face of certain death would be relevant, and with the right actor the scene itself could be memorable (they could also do some neat callbacks to DD/Harry in the cave), so maybe I'm not that against it, but I doubt it's going to be given the treatment it needs to be genuinely affecting. Yates hasn't shown the deftness required to pull off something so clunky, as he proved with Hagrid's giant story in OOTP.

Well, wouldn't they need to put the note in, how else would they explain it, but i wouldn't have put it past WB to just skim over it somehow, so i am glad that they put it in. :)

Well, wouldn't they need to put the note in, how else would they explain it, but i wouldn't have put it past WB to just skim over it somehow, so i am glad that they put it in. :)


I'm glad they put that in too. It helps set up the horcrux hunt for DH.
One of the things I thought was unique about the ending of HBP were how many questions remained unanswered- whose side was snape on, what were the other horcruxes and where were they, who is rab, if the locket is a fake where is the real one, how was harry supposed to make it without DD, etc.
It was such a departure from all the other books which traditionally ended with jkr explaining all of the reader's questions thru harry's ending conversations with dumbledore.

That was what made me so excited about DH. I hope the moviegoer audience has that same anticipation after they see HBP.

Wow... they put the RAB message in?

I guess this almost has to mean that the Black house will be in DH, too.


I have to say, I am all right with the end as described. And I think that obviously means that the funeral is out - from HBP as well as DH. With that ending, they can hardly do the funeral after that in the next film.

In a way, I understand why they chose to do this.

I'm actually thrilled with the scene regarding Dumbledore and Harry coming to find him. I think that sounds very moving and I'm really impressed with the idea. I just hope that Dan Radcliffe gets the emotion right with this one, as opposed to having it be like "He was their friend!", which was just terrible for such a pivotal moment. Sorry! I hope this time the emotion takes on something new.

I wouldn't mind a Prophet montage - I loved how they used those for scene transitions in OOTP. :) I actually liked those montages in OOTP. You know I disliked the movie but I thought that at least was well done of them.

Cheers :tu:

We've had this from the test screen

Test screening viewers tell us of the discovery of Dumbledore’s body
Harry then returns to find the whole school gathered around Dumbledore's body, McGonagall in the front completely stunned and silent. Harry kneels down at Dumbledore's side, brushes a hair out of his face and finds the locket, but does not open it. Clutching the locket He starts to cry and Ginny goes and holds him also crying. Then following McGonagall's lead, everyone lights there wand (I think they all murmur something in unison but I can't remember what) and slowly raise them as one in the air. Final shot of that scene is from above with all the lighted wands surrounding the tower, Dumbledore, Harry and Ginny

There is a scene is the common room, according a test screening viewer’s vague remembrance
No there is something in between but my memory of it is vague, I remember Harry standing alone looking at his dormitory, then he goes downstairs where Hermione Ginny and Ron, maybe Neville? Not sure, but they are sitting solemnly in the common room. One of them says "Harry's here" and they all turn to look, but I honestly can not remember what happens next but it was very brief.

Test screening viewers describe the last scene of the film
The last scene begins with the four of them there. Harry and Hermione at first are the only ones we see looking out into the grounds discussing the locket. Ginny and Ron are behind them on the sculpture and when we see them as hermione reads RAB's note.

Speaking of the locket - some others have asked about RAB's note. In the very last scene with the Trio plus Ginny at the top of the astronomy tower, Harry and Hermione are talking and she says something like- "Its hard to believe that contains a piece of Voldemort's soul."

He says something like "actually it doesn't. Its a fake. Open it, see for yourself."
Hermione opens it and finds the note and reads it for us all to hear. I am virtually certain the note is identically worded to the one in the book. Harry says he knows that RAB has the real locket and they have to find him, or it. (Ginny and Ron are sitting on a sculpture behind them quietly listening) Ron probably says something but I don't remember what, because at some point towards the very end he joins Harry and Hermione.

Harry then says he is going alone to find the Horcruxes. Hermione says something like, yeah right, you think your going alone? We are coming too. (major paraphrasing there) Then Ginny not saying a word sadly just walks away and leaves. She actually does not speak during the entire scene. Nor is she spoken to. She just listens looking sadder and increasingly heartbroken.


Fawkes’ departure is in the film, from a comment made from a test screening viewer
No fawkes lament, but the end of the final scene is the trio watching fawkes flying joyously through the blue sky and away. Movie ends.

Thanks for posting that. I hadn't seen those comments. I'm still uncertain about the ending as a whole, but that makes me feel more positive about it. :)

I'm glad they didn't forget the note from R.A.B. That's a significant plot point for DH. It sets up the Horcrux hunt very well and gives them a good lead in to the trio staying at Grimmauld Place and eventually being forced out of it.

I think that pretty much rules out any funeral being shown for Dumbledore. They've covered all of the relevant plot points from that scene with the scene they've adapted here.

I'm actually thrilled with the scene regarding Dumbledore and Harry coming to find him. I think that sounds very moving and I'm really impressed with the idea. I just hope that Dan Radcliffe gets the emotion right with this one, as opposed to having it be like "He was their friend!", which was just terrible for such a pivotal moment. Sorry! I hope this time the emotion takes on something new.Considering how great Radcliffe's performance was in OOTP, I think we'll be fine with him in HBP. ;)

Considering how great Radcliffe's performance was in OOTP, I think we'll be fine with him in HBP. ;)

I thought Dan has done a pretty good job with these tragic death scenes- first with cedric in gof, and again with sirius and the possession scene in OOTP. I agree though, that the audience's response to DD death will rest a lot on how Dan's performance is and how well he captures the grief and despair at the loss of his key mentor.

Well, I have to agree. I thought that Radcliffe has really got rather good over the years. The Cedric death scene (especially the bit after they came back to Hogwarts) was very well played, I thought - and there was a lot of emotional stuff in OOTP which he did very well. I know not everyone agrees about this, but sometimes I wonder whether some of the issues that cause difficulties are due to Dan's acting or to the direction he got.....

I have to agree with those who said it is good to have a mention RAB and the locket in the movie. It really does set up the Horcrux Hunt, and I like how they went through with it. Surprised that it is read quite accurately from what we see in the book.

And even though the descriptions might not be entirely accurate, I am surprised that all Ginny did in that last scene was look sadder and sadder. Though as I said in a previous post a couple days ago, if they made her verbally retaliate, it would basically foreshadow her coming along at some point.

I also really liked the ending they have. With Fawkes flying away. Seems like a beautiful ending to the movie. I wonder if the trio watches him fly away, kinda like we see in Goblet of Fire, with the large carriage flying away and the ship sinking into the lake.

Considering how great Radcliffe's performance was in OOTP, I think we'll be fine with him in HBP. ;)

That is true. Very true, so hopefully things will just get better and better. That's all I can really want! :lol:

I think he's improved as he's grown up. He's serious about the acting, so that's always a plus. I don't have worries.

RE: RAB. I'm glad they left it in. It will hit home that they went through the whole cave thing for nothing... or so it seems.

WHAT?!! No funeral?? No serious way... They cant skip the funeral, that would be horrendus...

It'd work at the beginning of DH1. It would make it all flow together. JKR said herself that HBP and DH were two parts of the same novel.

and a note for those who can't imagine them putting the funeral at the beginning of DH...I was in the same boat with LotR when I heard that Shelob was going to be in RotK and not TT...but guess what...it worked.

I don't want the funeral moved to the beginning of HBP...because Hogwarts should not be seen until the end of DH.

Harry says he's NOT coming back at the end of HBP...his words should have some truth...not start the movie back off at Hogwarts :lol: :p

I am firmly believing if it's not in HBP, it's getting cut all-together and IMO that's how it should be, and I really don't care if it's cut :relax:

The CUTS I am most annoyed about in HBP from what I've heard so far:

1. DADA Scene :upset: :sigh:
2. "Invasion of Hogwarts" battle :upset: :sigh:
3. Houselves :upset: :sigh:

I don't want the funeral moved to the beginning of HBP...because Hogwarts should not be seen until the end of DH.

Harry says he's NOT coming back at the end of HBP...his words should have some truth...not start the movie back off at Hogwarts :lol: :p

I am firmly believing if it's not in HBP, it's getting cut all-together and IMO that's how it should be, and I really don't care if it's cut :relax:

The CUTS I am most annoyed about in HBP from what I've heard so far:

1. DADA Scene :upset: :sigh:
2. "Invasion of Hogwarts" battle :upset: :sigh:
3. Houselves :upset: :sigh:


I was also originally upset about the invasion of Hogwarts battle being cut but then I remembered how epic/incredibly awesome the one in DH will be (we don't need to see TWO Hogwarts battles) and I'm glad there at least will be the Death Eaters/Hagrid's hut getting burned.

I don't want the funeral moved to the beginning of HBP...because Hogwarts should not be seen until the end of DH.

Harry says he's NOT coming back at the end of HBP...his words should have some truth...not start the movie back off at Hogwarts :lol: :p

I doubt they'll open the movie with the funeral and jump forward, they'll probably open with a flashback as Harry is in his room at Privet Drive. That's what I'd do anyway. It could be powerful with the right treatment.


1. DADA Scene :upset: :sigh:

I agree here. While I appreciate that the DADA classes are not as important as Potions this time, I think it's a shame they've not carried on the continuity of DADA lessons. I guess we at least saw Snape teaching DADA in POA (which was brilliant).

I was also originally upset about the invasion of Hogwarts battle being cut but then I remembered how epic/incredibly awesome the one in DH will be (we don't need to see TWO Hogwarts battles) and I'm glad there at least will be the Death Eaters/Hagrid's hut getting burned.


I think that's why they cut the battle out of HBP too. Still, it would have nice to see some kind of skirmish between the DA and the death eaters. We already got shortchanged on that in ootp- I was hoping to get some redemption here. I really hope they go all out for DH.

As for the funeral, it was such a lovely scene in HBP. I still don't understand why they would cut something so poignant and allow Harry and the audience some closure time to grieve for the loss of such a beloved character. I just hope the ending isn't rushed and choppy like the other films. One of my friends who saw ootp said he just felt like everything was wrapped up so quickly. There was no time devoted to the loss of Sirius and how that impacted Harry. It was very much "blink and you'll miss it" type of editing.

I just hope that in HBP we don't jump from the students lighting their wands around DD to a quick scene of the trio talking about the horcruxes to the ending credits. I want it to flow smoothly. I think there should at least be 5 minutes for closure after the climax plays out.



I agree here. While I appreciate that the DADA classes are not as important as Potions this time, I think it's a shame they've not carried on the continuity of DADA lessons. I guess we at least saw Snape teaching DADA in POA (which was brilliant).

The DADA classes also helped highlight the animosity between harry and snape. It would have also been a good setup to the HBP plot and contribute to the ambiguity of snape's loyalty. I'll definitely miss that scene too, especially the "you don't have to call me sir professor" line.

Yea, i liked the montages as well. Do we know if Dobby will be in it. Probably not, and if he isn't do you think they will put him in before his death.

Quick thought. Maybe the funeral is in, and the directors kept it out of the test screening so it will be a major surprise.

BTW: What other characters from an eariler besides Madam Pomfery make a reappearance?

I agree with the five minute conclusion idea, that the wands lighting isn't followed instantly by something lighthearted. Or at least some kind of proper movement to the thing in question. There's no reason why it wouldn't work, and an upbeat happy scene isn't what we need. The end of the book made me cry, I'd prefer the end of the film to do the same. I think though, that overall I'll be very happy with it.

And now that I'm talking about it much more, I wish it were here sooner... But as things stand, we shall have to continue gathering as much info as possible! :lol:

And now that I'm talking about it much more, I wish it were here sooner... But as things stand, we shall have to continue gathering as much info as possible! :lol:

Yeah, right now I don't care about spoilers, and I will probably know everything about the movie by the time I see the movie :lol:. I mean, it isn't the same hearing about and discussing information in the movie, and actually seeing the movie, so it won't be that bad.

It is a long ways off though! We will probably have loads of information by the time the movie comes.

Quick thought. Maybe the funeral is in, and the directors kept it out of the test screening so it will be a major surprise.

BTW: What other characters from an eariler besides Madam Pomfery make a reappearance?

Umm, I'm pretty sure Rachezee said Madam Pomfrey does NOT make a reappearance :whistle: :p

And I really don't know...not Borgin, because the scene is shot from the outside of the shop and I believe we've had it mentioned that Professor Sprout isn't in it as well :shrug:

I wonder if she will be in Deathly Hallows...I'm still annoyed by how they've turned Flitwick from the awesome dueling champ Charms prof into the Choir Director (:rolleyes:) I hope he gets a moment in the spotlight in DH takin down some Death Eaters :cool:

Umm, I'm pretty sure Rachezee said Madam Pomfrey does NOT make a reappearance :whistle: :p

And I really don't know...not Borgin, because the scene is shot from the outside of the shop

And I believe we've had it mentioned that Professor Sprout isn't in it as well :shrug:

I wonder if she will be in Deathly Hallows...I'm still annoyed by how they've turned Flitwick from the awesome dueling champ Charms prof into the Choir Director (:rolleyes:)
Agreed.

And I thought I read MP was in the Hospital Wing sceen? I would ask Rachezee but she hates me for no reason.

I agree here. While I appreciate that the DADA classes are not as important as Potions this time, I think it's a shame they've not carried on the continuity of DADA lessons. I guess we at least saw Snape teaching DADA in POA (which was brilliant).

Yes, well that and it just doesn't make sense to me that they would cut the TITLE character's classes and not showcase him teaching :no: The title of the chapter in the book is "Snape Victorious"...IMO, it's not going to seem a very big deal if they don't actually show him teaching the subject he's longed for.

Not only that, but it's the PERFECT scene for expostition to explain the Inferi and Non-Verbal Spells. According to a test screening viewer all the spells were silent...it'd be nice if they highlighted NV spells. And those class scenes were just so great and funny in the book...it's a shame they aren't including them :sigh:


I suppose that means we won't be getting this line either (in addition to "DONT CALL ME COWARD")? :upset:

“Blocked again and again until you learn to keep your mouth shut and your mind closed, Potter!

I suppose that means we won't be getting this line either (in addition to "DONT CALL ME COWARD")? :upset:

Wait- what? I had read the coward line was in. :whistle: I can't keep up with all this nonsense!

Wait- what? I had read the coward line was in. :whistle: I can't keep up with all this nonsense!

Nope, sorry...I wish it was :sigh:

From the updated version of the list...which will be posted tonight :p

A test screening attendee confirms the reveal of the Half Blood Prince:
Many of you asked what Harry’s reaction to Snape’s revelation that he is the Half-Blood Prince was. To be honest it was hard to say because he was lying on the ground besides being hit with counter curses from Snape, Bellatrix at one point runs up and curses him too, though I am unclear what spell she tried to use on him (much of the spell casting throughout the movie was done without words, and I am guessing, or rather hoping this is because voiceovers were just not added yet, but who knows).

Snape yells at her, saying “Potter belongs to the Dark Lord” and she leaves. That’s when Snape approaches Harry who is on the ground whimpering and enraged. He says the line “You may have your mother’s eyes but you are as dim as your father” That is when he reveals he is the Half-Blood Prince. Then he leaves.

I was disappointed that we didn't see the "DON'T CALL ME A COWARD!" line (I was waiting for it!) but I wasn't disappointed with the scene overall

He doesn't scream like in the books - Alan Rickman's Snape has always been a lot more "controlled" than Jo Rowling's Snape, though. He is perfectly in character as what I think of as "movie!Snape"... very "dangerous" but no overabundance of anger

[QUOTE=lcbaseball22;5139603]
Not only that, but it's the PERFECT scene for expostition to explain the Inferi and Non-Verbal Spells. According to a test screening viewer all the spells were silent...it'd be nice if they highlighted NV spells. And those class scenes were just so great and funny in the book...it's a shame they aren't including them :sigh:
QUOTE]

How could they cut out the exposition of the nonverbal spells, yet have the characters already doing them? That is so strange. I really will miss the dada classes.

Do you have a link, lc- which test screen reviewer said that the spells were silent?

How could they cut out the exposition of the nonverbal spells, yet have the characters already doing them? That is so strange. I really will miss the dada classes.

Do you have a link, lc- which test screen reviewer said that the spells were silent?

Look at the post right above yours...and read it carefully :p

Umm, I believe it was Kristin on HogwartsRadio...let me double check :)


If you think about it though...they were already doing nonverbal spells in the MoM battle in OotP...and throughout the previous films :shrug:


EDIT:

Sorry, it was Rachezee :p (btw, if you click the link it will take you directly to that post...it's toward the bottom)

http://www.leakylounge.com/Test-Screening-Harry-Pot-t64457.html&st=310&p=1675668#entry1675668

Nope, apparently the "Don't call me a coward" line is not there... Such a huge loss, but given Rickman's huge huge talent, I know it will still be a great scene.

Yeah, right now I don't care about spoilers, and I will probably know everything about the movie by the time I see the movie :lol:. I mean, it isn't the same hearing about and discussing information in the movie, and actually seeing the movie, so it won't be that bad.

It is a long ways off though! We will probably have loads of information by the time the movie comes.

I figure we'll probably have seen most of it by the time it comes out! It's just under a year away yet already is in primary screenings... This thread makes me excited... No fair... :D

Now, now. Let's not jump to conclusions. This was only a test screening. If many people wrote in the comments that there was too little of Snape, then they might just edit a DADA scene back in. I'm sure they filmed it. Why would they even include Dumbledore announcing Snape as the new DADA professor and the trio reacting to it (if only by exchanging worried/scared glances), if they weren't intending on filming any DADA class at all?

I think I was foolish to judge this movie so much by what I read from the comments of the test screenings. I listened to mugglecast last night and Eric said how specific the questions were and they weren't the typical comments found for any other preview of a movie. They were tailor-fit for HBP which gives me the idea that the filmmakers are really concerned about this movie and plan to fix it up based on the screenings (which is the only reason I could think of, for even having a screening this early.)

Don't worry. If enough people write how Snape killing Dumbledore had no impact and how little of Snape there was, I'm certain that they will reconsider and put a DADA scene back in the movie.

It is so vital and as LC said, its the perfect place to explain Inferi and non-verbal spells.

Look at the post right above yours...and read it carefully :p

Umm, I believe it was Kristin on HogwartsForums...let me double check :)


If you think about it though...they were already doing nonverbal spells in the MoM battle in OotP...and throughout the previous films :shrug:


EDIT:

Sorry, it was Rachezee :p (btw, if you click the link it will take you directly to that post...it's toward the bottom)

http://www.leakylounge.com/Test-Screening-Harry-Pot-t64457.html&st=310&p=1675668#entry1675668

I started writing my post before the aforementioned was posted- sorry :)

I guess you're right- they were doing a lot of spell casting without words in OOTP too.

How could they cut out the exposition of the nonverbal spells, yet have the characters already doing them? That is so strange. I really will miss the dada classes.

This took place in the books, so I really don't see why it is a problem in the movies. In the OotP book, a number of characters used nonverbal spells (young Snape, Dumbledore and Voldemort in their duel, to name three), even though the notion was introduced in class only in HBP.

I am firmly believing if it's not in HBP, it's getting cut all-together and IMO that's how it should be, and I really don't care if it's cut :relax:

I agree. I think the new ending is more poignant for the big screen; in the book, the funeral was beautiful, but I have a feeling that in the movie it would not only cost a lot (because of all the special effects for creatures and stuff), but come off as slightly generic.

The HBP list had been updated again to fall in line with the 17th of the month (the 10 month mark to the movie :p)

It no longer has to be posted here and has its own shiny thread for convenience :D

It seems odd posting saying its up without these words being in the post :shrug:

---

Welcome (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=117938) to the eighth edition of the HBP list! We are at the 10 month mark in the countdown for this highly anticipated film and it is time for another update to the list. This list compiles everything we've heard about the film thus far from official announcements to set leaks to news stories to rumours. This list is a tribute to all the good times we've had in this thread and all the good friends we've made over the past 12 months and all the great discussions. This list is so we can have a reference and keep track of all the news in one place.

WARNING: Includes major spoilers from test screening reviews.

Hope you enjoy!

Ladies and Gentlemen
I now present to you:

Harry Potter
and the
Half-Blood Prince
As of September 17 2008 (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=117938)

(:lol: Now we don't clog up this thread with an oversized post :lol:)

Thanks for the list arry. I'll go check it out. Well, I guess the 10month mark is something to celebrate. It's just that we could have been almost reaching the 2 month mark instead if not for the delay! O well. Here's hoping we'll get another trailer around nov at least. The test screenings have definitely helped with the wait.

Thanks ArryGrotter! You're the best! :tu:

Thanks ArryGrotter! You're the best! :tu:

Thanks for the list arry

*ahem* we worked on it together...he's just the one that posted it (:p) and therefore got contacted by Andrew from Mugglenet (http://www.mugglenet.com/movies/movie6/index.shtml) :clap:

In addition, I believe MoD originally turned it over to me...how did you get so involved Arry? :lol:

EDIT:

Yep, I found when I revamped and posted V.6 of the list back in July (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?p=5090440#post5090440) (:wow: it's come a long way since then) :cool:

But, it has really been a team effort with my podcast pals (although Montse hasn't been able to join us :upset:):
The list could never have been possible without MasterOfDeath starting it back in late 2007.

And thanks goes out to Montse, houseelf25 and meesha1971 for proof-reading :tu:

Oh, and cause I'm not sure Aaron made it noticable enough(:whistle:) WARNING-The list (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=117938) includes MAJOR SPOILERS from test screening reviews


And why does it seem this ALWAYS happens...just as we get the list up to date...MORE INFO! :relax:

Kristin has posted once again on HogwartsRadio (http://www.hogwartsradio.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=80):

1. Is Dean on the Quidditch team? Who's all on the Gryffindor team, actually? Like who attends the Quidditch trials? Dean, Ginny, Ron and who else?

Hm... the action focuses on Harry, Ginny, Cormac, and Ron... I didn't even notice the others (except Hermione, who is watching, obviously) - I'm sure they were there, it's just too amusing and action-packed to take notice. Cormac stole the show as far as I was concerned.

2. How does Hermione react to Ron/Lavender's break up?

It's really quite funny - Ron was "unconscious" or whatever when he moaned Hermione's name and Lavender stomped out of the hospital wing... and then they're sitting at... breakfast, I think, and Ron asks Hermione something about, "HOW, again, did that happen? She seems really angry at me!" and then we see Lavender glaring at Ron from across the room and Hermione smirks a little and changes the subject...

3. How is Luna's lion hat? Does she wear it at the Quidditch game?

It got a big laugh from the audience, though I can't remember seeing it after she wishes Ron luck at breakfast!
4. Is Neville in the Slug Club?

Heh. I'm really tempted to not answer this question because it's just to precious, the way it happens, but I promised spoilers, so here goes...

Neville is at the first dinner that Slughorn holds - the one that Ginny's late for - and then we do't see him at another event until the Christmas party, where he's serving champagne in a waiter's uniform and he tells Harry, 'I didn't get in to the Slug Club...'

1. Are there any Harry and Draco scenes? I know the sectumsepra scene is in, but was that all? And in that scene, does Harry kneel down beside him and stare in horror at what he did like in the book?

It's actually more of a "fight scene" - it's kind of cool that way - and yes, Harry is obviously disturbed by what he's done and horrified at the effect that the spell has. The other notable H/D scene is the one on the Hogwarts Express at the beginning.

2. Could you describe what the Harry/Ginny kiss in the Room of Requirement was like? Did they put their arms around each other at all, how did Harry respond, ect?

Hm. I don't really remember arms around one another - but Harry's response was surprise for sure. It was a really kind of "forward" Ginny-esque moment.
3. And so far, from what I've heard, Ginny has made a lot of the moves toward Harry...but is there any instance where he is obviously flirting with her or putting the moves on her too?

Well, Hermione says she's "seen the way he looks at her" so I guess it's implied if it's not there - to be honest, since I knew what was going to happen, I don't think I probably took notice of those things as much as someone who didn't know. I'm sorry - I knwo that's a lame answer, but I can't think of a specific example.

*ahem* we worked on it together...he's just the one that posted it (:p) and therefore got contacted by Andrew from Mugglenet (http://www.mugglenet.com/movies/movie6/index.shtml) :clap:

In addition, I believe MoD originally turned it over to me...how did you get so involved Arry? :lol:

EDIT:

Yep, I found when I revamped and posted V.6 of the list back in July (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?p=5090440#post5090440) (:wow: it's come a long way since then) :cool:

But, it has really been a team effort with my podcast pals (although Montse hasn't been able to join us :upset:):


Oh, and cause I'm not sure Aaron made it noticable enough(:whistle:) WARNING-The list (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=117938) includes MAJOR SPOILERS from test screening reviews


And why does it seem this ALWAYS happens...just as we get the list up to date...MORE INFO! :relax:

Kristin has posted once again on HogwartsRadio (http://www.hogwartsradio.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=80):

1. Is Dean on the Quidditch team? Who's all on the Gryffindor team, actually? Like who attends the Quidditch trials? Dean, Ginny, Ron and who else?

Hm... the action focuses on Harry, Ginny, Cormac, and Ron... I didn't even notice the others (except Hermione, who is watching, obviously) - I'm sure they were there, it's just too amusing and action-packed to take notice. Cormac stole the show as far as I was concerned.

2. How does Hermione react to Ron/Lavender's break up?

It's really quite funny - Ron was "unconscious" or whatever when he moaned Hermione's name and Lavender stomped out of the hospital wing... and then they're sitting at... breakfast, I think, and Ron asks Hermione something about, "HOW, again, did that happen? She seems really angry at me!" and then we see Lavender glaring at Ron from across the room and Hermione smirks a little and changes the subject...

3. How is Luna's lion hat? Does she wear it at the Quidditch game?

It got a big laugh from the audience, though I can't remember seeing it after she wishes Ron luck at breakfast!
4. Is Neville in the Slug Club?

Heh. I'm really tempted to not answer this question because it's just to precious, the way it happens, but I promised spoilers, so here goes...

Neville is at the first dinner that Slughorn holds - the one that Ginny's late for - and then we do't see him at another event until the Christmas party, where he's serving champagne in a waiter's uniform and he tells Harry, 'I didn't get in to the Slug Club...'

1. Are there any Harry and Draco scenes? I know the sectumsepra scene is in, but was that all? And in that scene, does Harry kneel down beside him and stare in horror at what he did like in the book?

It's actually more of a "fight scene" - it's kind of cool that way - and yes, Harry is obviously disturbed by what he's done and horrified at the effect that the spell has. The other notable H/D scene is the one on the Hogwarts Express at the beginning.

2. Could you describe what the Harry/Ginny kiss in the Room of Requirement was like? Did they put their arms around each other at all, how did Harry respond, ect?

Hm. I don't really remember arms around one another - but Harry's response was surprise for sure. It was a really kind of "forward" Ginny-esque moment.
3. And so far, from what I've heard, Ginny has made a lot of the moves toward Harry...but is there any instance where he is obviously flirting with her or putting the moves on her too?

Well, Hermione says she's "seen the way he looks at her" so I guess it's implied if it's not there - to be honest, since I knew what was going to happen, I don't think I probably took notice of those things as much as someone who didn't know. I'm sorry - I knwo that's a lame answer, but I can't think of a specific example.

Sorry lc!! Of course, we know how much work you have put into it too, and that master started it all. Thanks for all the work . You guys/girls are awesome!:tu::clap:

What podcasts are you talking about- do you mean mugglecast or do you have your own? :)

I love the spoilers too- especially the part about neville. That does sound hilarious! Cormac sounds like he will be a source of humor as well.

This movie does sound very funny. I'm actually looking forward to the comedic moments, now that all the test screeners have said are the stronger aspects of the film.

Yes, um, it aint just me... MoD is the main man, but now lets his minions (me, lc and some others) do the work :lol:

THought v.6 was old?

http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?p=4998881 - version 4

Allow me to correct myself. Though my thanks at that time went to ArryGrotter for telling us it had been updated, I do love all of you involved. And no, love is not too strong a word..


The list could never have been possible without MasterOfDeath starting it back in late 2007. From then on, it would come out once a month in the All Inclusive HBP Thread.

As it came more lengthy with more information flooding in, more people became involved: ArryGrotter, lcbaseball22, Montse, houseelf25 and meesha1971

Many thanks to all of you who are so involved in this. :huggles: to you all, and I do so hope you all know how much you guys RAWK. :rockon:

:D:D

Wow.... AMAZING stuff. This is really awesome work you are doing there. :)

Thanks! What a great read that list is! :tu:

A couple NEW pics (and some different views of old ones) :cool:

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk300/lcbaseball22/scan-agenda-2009-1.jpg?t=1221696697
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk300/lcbaseball22/scan-agenda-2009-2.jpg?t=1221696970
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk300/lcbaseball22/scan-agenda-2009-4-1.jpg?t=1221697945

A couple NEW pics (and some different views of old ones) :cool:

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk300/lcbaseball22/scan-agenda-2009-1.jpg?t=1221696697


YAY! ANOTHER LUNA PIC


BTW: What about Kingsly? I have hear no mention of our favorite MoM and his role in the movie.

A couple NEW pics (and some different views of old ones) :cool:

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk300/lcbaseball22/scan-agenda-2009-1.jpg?t=1221696697
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk300/lcbaseball22/scan-agenda-2009-2.jpg?t=1221696970
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk300/lcbaseball22/scan-agenda-2009-4-1.jpg?t=1221697945

So that must be Harry and Luna (her hair looks odd... must be the light) arriving at the gate. What's weird is that looks like an old promotional picture of Draco behind the gate. I'm not sure if that's what it is exactly, but that's what it looks like.

Who is the other person there? It almost looks like Moody. Logically I would think that it would be Snape, but I can't remember if he has been mentioned as meeting them at the gate. I have to go and check the list to refresh my memory...

It is Filch. This scene has been described in the reviews.

Filch checks Draco for contraband, and Snape shows up and intervenes for Draco, IIRC.