More on Parseltounge...

[snazzzybird]

--- In HPFGU-Movie at y..., Moonstruck <myphilosophy2001 at y...> wrote:
> It seems to me that Columbus could have very simply
> avoided the Parseltongue confusion by depicting the
> scene from two perspectives:
> * Harry's -- where we are seeing and hearing what he's
> seeing and hearing. 
<snip>  
> * Everyone else's -- where we are seeing and hearing
> what the students are seeing and hearing. 
<snip> 
> It only would have required a few simple cuts back and
> forth and I think the disparity between Harry's
> perception of his actions and everyone else's
> perception of them would be a bit more apparent. Ron
> and Hermione's shock and Harry's bewilderment would
> suddenly seem believable and justified. I understood
> what was going on because I read the books, but I
> can't say I'm certain that non-readers wouldn't have
> been rather confused by the entire thing. 
> -Jessica 
> 
Now me:
The parseltongue scenes bothered me too.  Before I saw the movie I'd 
been wondering how they'd show them, and what I came up with was 
showing at least part of the first parseltongue scene twice.  The 
first time it would be all Harry's point of view.  He'd just be 
speaking English -- "Get away from him!" or whatever it is he says to 
the snake (don't have the book at hand) -- and all the students 
reacting in horror.  Then afterwards, when Ron and Hermione are 
telling him what they heard, we see part of the scene from their POV, 
with Harry speaking Parseltongue.  From then on, we'd only need to 
hear the English version.  They could have left in the part where 
Harry's trying to open the chamber and asks Ron if what he'd just 
said was in Parseltongue or English.

Just my 2 cents...

--snazzzybird, who liked the movie despite the fact that it was 
definitely Snape-deprived.