What to omit- PoA

[beccablue42]

This is my first post here, so let me know if I missed a discussion 
hidden somewhere in the archives. 

The previous talk about trimming down GoF for a movie (or two) has 
made me wonder about my thus-far favorite book PoA, and what is being 
chopped out of it as we speak. Particularly, I am interested in the 
Quidditch matches, as they received sizable cutting in the SS movie, 
and may get simmilar treatment in the movie version of PoA. 

Here's a problem with that, though. I think that the Quidditch 
matches in PoA, while long and probably horrendously expensive to 
shoot, all serve important roles in the plot. First, in the Gryf-
Huffle game, Harry encounters the Dementors and actually fails to 
catch the snitch for the first time in his life. This is also the 
beginning of his competition with one Cedric Diggory, a key character 
later on! The second match, Gryf-Raven introduces a second key 
character, Cho Chang, and allows Harry a much-deserved opportunity to 
triumph over Malfoy and his nasty trick. Finally, the Gryf-Sly season 
finale gives Oliver and the whole Gryf team a well-derserved and long-
awaited Quidditch cup-- as well as providing great opportunities for 
visual effects in the "dirtiest Quidditch match" Harry ever played!

Even allowing for the Quidditch scenes to be trimmed (we now return 
you to the Quidditch field in progress...), or even cutting (please 
no!) one or two of them, PoA as a book is still far longer than PS/SS 
or CoS. How will this be addressed? The entire climax-- beginning 
with Beaky's "execution" and leading through the Shack scene and the 
time-turning-- is far too important to trim too much, even if we do 
see an entire scene twice, from different perspectives. However, what 
makes PoA work are the infinite details all along, which make you 
think at the time that Sirius is evil, but can instantly be re-read 
(or seen?) as proof of his innocence. It seems to me that every scene 
of the book weaves together so well (Marauder's Map, Sirius' two 
separate attacks on Gryf. Tower, Hermione's insane schedule, and 
Prof. Trelawney's predictions) that it is hard to imagine going 
without any of them. 

Any thoughts? 

Becca
a book purist who sorely misses Peeves, and hopes that Malfoy's 
Dementor never suffers that fate! Ooh! or the part where the 
Marauders insult Snape-- I could not bear to miss that!