tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post6723882771629912650..comments2022-03-24T16:11:50.124-04:00Comments on The Man From Porlock: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Wizard (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I)Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01450775188328918558noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-31523379359604976882010-11-26T19:47:13.693-05:002010-11-26T19:47:13.693-05:00Jason --
Second, I wish I had read the novels onl...Jason --<br /><br /><i>Second, I wish I had read the novels only so I could tell if the problem is that the films are too much of Rowling or too little. You seem to suggest that the Yates films are a little less strict in their obedience. But it seems to me that the films have never been particularly good about liberating themselves of the "tell because we can't show" approach that I suspect is in the books.</i><br /><br />Starting with the books, I'd say that Rowling is too much Rowling. Earlier this week I was talking with a twentysomething young woman who said she grew up on the books, and she perceptively noted the precise moment where Rowling stopped being edited and took over the franchise: the first three Potters are relatively trim, all between 250-350 pages; whereas the fourth novel through the seventh balloon to 700 pages plus. Thus the first two movies were able to dutifully follow the narrative very closely, but because a lousy director was at the helm, they missed the feeling entirely.<br /><br />Cuaron's film (the third) marked the first time the movies broke even a little from Rowling's prose to incorporate the director's own vision, and the critics loved it. (Personally, I thought it was a mess.) Newell's went bludgeoningly by the numbers, perhaps appropriately since "Goblet of Fire" is the most bludgeoning of Rowling's books. As I've written, it's David Yates who managed to hit the sweet spot; part of the reason for that, I think, is because he's applied to Rowling the Peter Jackson approach to Tolkien in eliminating a lot of the exposition, reasoning (correctly, in my opinion) that if you're not on board by now you never will be.<br /><br />However, for the non-readers of the books, this does create moments of dissonance like those you cited in your post. For the reader, it creates a conundrum that I'm trying not to fall into this time, where I explain the context of those scenes while you argue that if the scenes were truly effective then they wouldn't need explaining in the first place.<br /><br />And...you're not wrong. These movies really can't stand alone; they weren't designed to. They're a visual complement to a literary phenomenon, and a good one, I think, ending in a much better place than where they started (i.e., a supplement).Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01450775188328918558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-70205068102494226742010-11-26T19:29:58.748-05:002010-11-26T19:29:58.748-05:00Film Doc --
I didn't see enough of an attempt...Film Doc --<br /><br /><i>I didn't see enough of an attempt on Yates' part to play with solemnities of the novel in Deathly Hallows, although the Half-Blood Prince did seem more open to self-mockery. And the general media response to the new movie seems so unreflectingly worshipful, I had a hard time seeing the good points of the film that you explore here. I may be just getting burned out on the whole thing.</i><br /><br />You're right, there's very little sense of play this time out. Zacharek wrote that it felt like Yates and Kloves were "dancing as fast as they can" to cram as much in as they could. They made it through about 500 of the book's 700-something pages, so I'm hoping that they've given themselves a little more breathing room for the final film.Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01450775188328918558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-29016994318556521462010-11-26T16:50:58.681-05:002010-11-26T16:50:58.681-05:00First let me say that I envy those childlike tingl...First let me say that I envy those childlike tingles. Wish I felt those. Truly glad that you do. That's special; regardless of what creates it.<br /><br />Second, I wish I had read the novels only so I could tell if the problem is that the films are too much of Rowling or too little. You seem to suggest that the Yates films are a little less strict in their obedience. But it seems to me that the films have never been particularly good about liberating themselves of the "tell because we can't show" approach that I suspect is in the books. It's as if when adapting the books the screenwriters say, "OK, we need to have the scene where Harry and Dumbledore talk about this, and the scene where Ron and Hermione talk about that." And instead they should have been looking for the larger theme of what happens in those scenes and more often found ways to make that visual, more natural, less plainly descriptive. That's just my hunch.<br /><br />Finally, as for the League of Extraordinary British Thespians serving as "little more than window dressing" in this film, that's true and it's not. True in that there's a lot more of the three young heroes, where the past films have given more time to their villains or quasi-villains. But untrue in the sense that the movie is still most alive when members of the LEBT are on screen.Jason Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-84199788475854660822010-11-25T13:23:36.720-05:002010-11-25T13:23:36.720-05:00A nice defense of the film. I differ with this po...A nice defense of the film. I differ with this point:<br /><br />"As somebody once said about the Bible, Yates shows the difference between taking Harry Potter literally and taking it seriously."<br /><br />I didn't see enough of an attempt on Yates' part to play with solemnities of the novel in <i>Deathly Hallows</i>, although the <i>Half-Blood Prince</i> did seem more open to self-mockery. And the general media response to the new movie seems so unreflectingly worshipful, I had a hard time seeing the good points of the film that you explore here. I may be just getting burned out on the whole thing.<br /><br />One sad missed opportunity in the movie. When the threesome suddenly appear in Piccadilly Square, too bad they didn't run past Radcliffe's production of <i>Equus</i>. I saw him perform in that, and I much preferred that to the usual pitter Potter.The Film Doctor https://www.blogger.com/profile/03073505923746994988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-60900447044323541412010-11-24T20:16:45.811-05:002010-11-24T20:16:45.811-05:00Ronak,
Nicholas Hooper did the score for the last...Ronak,<br /><br />Nicholas Hooper did the score for the last "Potter" movie. (Truth be told, I don't remember the music for that one at all.) Alexandre Desplat wrote the score for "Deathly Hallows", and it's deep and ominous and propulsive, not cutesy at all. He also did the music for "The Ghost Writer," my other favorite score of the year.<br /><br />Bonnie Wright (i.e., Ginny) isn't in this one too much. She'll have a bigger role in the next. And she's getting so tall she's damn near peering down on Radcliffe. It makes for an awkwardly charming romantic interlude.Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01450775188328918558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-50460477879370590222010-11-24T12:43:25.560-05:002010-11-24T12:43:25.560-05:00Interestingly, the only reason I'm actually in...Interestingly, the only reason I'm actually interested in the Harry Potter movies are the action scenes (and you've just reduced my enthusiasm for watching it). They seem to be the only at all good action movies coming out from Hollywood nowadays (I occasionally watch Hong Kong movies, but I don't get those on a big screen); the moment in the sixth movie when Helena B-C jumps out of a closet and smiles is still an enduring memory.<br />Also, the only thing I liked in the book (apart from, inexplicably, the Harry-Ginny love story) was the two hundred page fight scene. How many books give us that? (LotR does, but that's very mythic while this is very down-to-earth).<br /><br />Not only do I agree with your applause of Yates, I'd say that Yates actually improves the books in more than one significant way, and just in the sixth movie:<br />-> The group of three becomes practically a group of four, with the natural addition of Ginny that makes many many plot elements flow out more smoothly.<br />-> Romantic elements. In the books, boring even when present. And gawd, does that Ginny have screen presence!<br /><br />Btw, is the score you speak so highly of similar to the last movie's? Because I found that score very... umm, cutesy. Or maybe it's not the music I found cutesy as much as the fact that it was used to highlight dark scenes.Ronak M Sonihttp://ronakmsoni.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-86947377861575535732010-11-21T21:38:19.422-05:002010-11-21T21:38:19.422-05:00Jason, don't make me end our online friendship...Jason, don't make me end our online friendship!<br /><br />Just kidding. And, incidentally, I don't think you're an asshole. I just think it's funny how the "Harry Potter" movies leave me feeling more exposed than any other films I like (or dislike). All my online movie pals dismiss the films, while my day-to-day real-world friends and colleagues love them. And my regular disagreements about movies with those in the "real-world" are what made me seek out fellow online movie buffs in the first place. It's disorienting.Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01450775188328918558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-1339855320105128342010-11-21T21:03:29.450-05:002010-11-21T21:03:29.450-05:00What kind of an asshole would rant against Harry P...What kind of an asshole would rant against Harry Potter?!<br /><br />I've got thoughts on this film, which will come in the form of a proper review later in the week. More then.Jason Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-56101910163422373172010-11-21T19:33:26.650-05:002010-11-21T19:33:26.650-05:00Craig - You argue well for your preference, and I ...Craig - You argue well for your preference, and I totally respect that. And, believe me, as a high school teacher, I am surrounded by Harry Potter devotees of both the books and the movies. They agree with you that Rowling - and Yates - make you feel what the characters are feeling.Richard Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12397053921647421425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-77686300283693285332010-11-21T18:35:15.237-05:002010-11-21T18:35:15.237-05:00Hokahey,
Sorry for any typos -- it's hard to ...Hokahey,<br /><br />Sorry for any typos -- it's hard to write behind a veil of tears.<br /><br />But seriously. If you don't dig it, you don't dig it. I can respect that. And I can certainly see the argument to whittle down <i>Deathly Hallows</i> into one film. That's what Yates achieved with <i>Order of the Phoenix</i>, transforming the longest of the books into the shortest of the movies, and a good one at that. On the other hand, some of the best scenes (like that dance) would have ended up on the cutting room floor. The movie would have been one breathless chase after another without pause -- a common criticism of <i>The Fellowship of the Ring</i>, as I recall -- when what I like best <i>are</i> the pauses, those character moments that make the <i>Potter</i> films (or at least the last three) more than a franchise.<br /><br />It helps that Yates seems to like those moments best too. Action really isn't his thing, which is why a couple of those sequences fall flat. Tthough I recall far fewer crackerjack set-pieces in the last three <i>Star Wars</i> films.) He has a gift for comedy and visual puns and understanding the emotion of a given scene. You're not wrong about Rowling's grab-bag of "random moments." But what she does especially well -- which David Yates emulates without echoing -- is burrowing directly to the pulse of a passage, of letting you feel what her characters are feeling. I've said before that I can forgive a lot in a movie if the emotions are there. They are here in <i>Deathly Hallows</i>.Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01450775188328918558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3211112229982829419.post-89995186569080113792010-11-21T17:11:52.440-05:002010-11-21T17:11:52.440-05:00This is well written and well supported without be...This is well written and well supported without being the blind veneration of a fervent fan. You point out the strengths - and I agree with you in regards to the action scenes that worked and didn't work. And I liked the provocative temptation of Ron - but I wish there had been more of that, in a shorter, tighter movie, or in a final chapter done in one film. <br /><br />Sorry, this is too long and drawn out for me, with dramatic moments cut short, and boring dialogue delivered slowly, ever so slowly and thoughtfully. I have faithfully seen all the movies with my daughter, who loves them, but I am no longer enchanted by the series, if I ever was. <br /><br />I find, and this is more a criticism of Rowling, that the plot is too much of a conglomeration of devices that seem picked out of a hat. Reminds me of the line in <i>Life of Brian</i> when Brian is pretending to be the soothsayer; John Cleese says, "He's making it up as he goes along!" <br /><br />To me, it's a lot of random elements of magic and hocus pocus, and elements borrowed from other sources (you yourself seem to allude to the carrying of the horcrux as the bearing of the Ring in Tolkien), that it's too complicated and arbitrary for me to find it enchanting and engaging. I wish this had been the final movie, all in one. In the <i>Star Wars</i> franchise, you could at least count on each movie to have at least one chase scene or duel, as well as one battle, that were memorable set-pieces. For me, all the movies blur together and I don't find them very memorable.Richard Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12397053921647421425noreply@blogger.com