More on Harris as Dumbledore

[Shannon]

I've been following this thread with some interest, as I thought that
Richard Harris handled the role of Dumbledore nicely.  Upon reading all the
negative comments, I started to really try to think of his parts in the
movie (which I've seen twice) and consider his portrayal more carefully.
The biggest complaint seems to be that he doesn't let enough of
Dumbledore's good humor and 'twinkle' come through.  But, honestly, it's
not that Harris didn't bother with that aspect. Most of the bits that show
that side of him simply are not in the movie. The parts that come to mind
are his speech on the first night at Hogwarts, the bit about the socks in
the Mirror Scene, and parts of the first scene of the movie.  When Harris
*was* called on to show a sense of humor, in the hospital scene at the end,
I think he did so admirably and with a subtlety that made it all the more
believable.  So, in conclusion <g>, I think the blame lies mostly in a lack
of character development left in for Dumbledore (or got left out of the
final cut), rather than in Harris' performance.

Shannon
who's off to see Lord of the Rings now. :)