[HPFGU-Movie] See it with a Muggle/ Snape Opinions

[Shannon Compton]

Ok, I'm new to the list. Hello hello. :)  Been lurking for a few days and I
decided to dive in with this one.  So here goes.


Marianne said:

>I went to the movie with 
>a friend who has not read any of the books.  We thought this could be 
>interesting to see if the movie worked for someone who was only aware 
>of Potterverse in the broadest terms.

>Both of us felt some of the transitions were jumpy, especially in the 
>beginning.  I understand that some things had to be left out, but the 
>first 20 minutes or so seemed rushed to me.  

I've been very interested in the opinions of those who haven't read the
books as well.  My first viewing was with my aunt, her two girls, and my
mother. Of the five of us, only my mom hadn't read the books.  She loved
the movie, and had no trouble following it. I asked her that specifically
because I too thought it seemed a little jumpy and rushed through the first
30 minutes or so.  Once they actually get on the train, things seemed to
calm down a bit though.  As for my aunt and myself, we were almost weepy
with the sheer joy of how wonderful it all was.  I find it very difficult
to find much wrong with the movie, except for the sense of rush at the
beginning.  Like your friend, my mother also was duped into believing that
Snape was the bad guy.  I grilled her, because it's just so hard to judge
how effective things like that are when you already know.  She is of the
opinion that she was better off having not read the books, since everything
was a surprise to her. My aunt and I are of the opinion that no one could
*possibly* have enjoyed it more than us!
 
>awful teacher!"  Her main problem with the film was that Draco made 
>her think of a blond Eddie Munster (for those of you who remember the 
>TV show "The Munsters" from the 1960s.)

Oh dear.  Now you've done it...I won't be able to see it again without
giggling now.  Thank you so much. :)

>I had some minor disappointments - no discussion of wand material and 
>wand cores, the Sorting Hat speaking out loud, Fred and George being 
>relegated to very minor characters.

I had some very minor disappointments, but nothing I really even thought
much about for more than a second or two.  I would like to have seen
Peeves, but mostly because he was played by Rik Mayall and I adore him.
And I'd have liked to have seen Vernon going about his day, seeing all the
'strange folk' and hearing a 'whisper about the Potters' everywhere he
went.  Nothing that I felt was really essential was left out, though.

>nasty to Harry.  My non-Potter reading friend wanted to know if Snape 
>took a dislike to Harry simply because he was writing something 
>during the beginning of their first Potions class.  I had to tell her 

I thought it was fairly obvious on that first night at Hogwarts that Snape
disliked Harry. The filmmakers certainly made a point of showing Snape
glaring at him from the teachers' table.  But again, this might be because
I already knew that. I should ask my mom if it was evident to her.

>Okay, load up your blunderbusses and get ready to let me have it. I'm 
>not a big fan of the Rickman portrayal.  I love the voice, I get a 
>kick out of the sweeping, black robes, but I'd like a little more 
>facial expression.  I thought he was too expressionless, except for 
>those amazing dancing nostrils.  Give me a sneer, a curl of the lip, 
>a frightening frown, something....

Really? Oh, I thought he was fabulous.  No loaded blunderbuss here!  But I
did love his portrayal.  It was all in the voice and the eyes.  To be any
more animated would have detracted, I think, from his silent, still menace.
 But I'm a longtime Rickman fan, and was as overjoyed to hear he was going
to be Snape as I was to hear Rik Mayall was to be Peeves.

>
>Loved Robbie Coltrane.  Hated the music.

Robbie Coltrane was *brilliant* as Hagrid.  Am I the only one who has been
pronouncing Hagrid wrong?  I think his beard should have been longer though.

>Was James a Seeker, as indicated in the film, or a Chaser?

In the books he was definitely a Chaser.  Not sure why that particular
change was made, unless it was just a mistake.

Here's something I haven't seen discussed (could have overlooked it
somewhere I suppose)...why were Harry's eyes not changed to green in the
film?  I remember reading somewhere that they were going to digitally make
them green, and on the calendar and other photos I've seen around, they are
a rather startling brilliant green.  But not in the movie.  Not that it
matters, I suppose, I was just curious why it'd be so obvious in the
merchandise and not in the movie.

Ok, so there it is...first post!

Shannon