COS Soundtrack, and MOVIE ANXIETY!!!

[Nia]

 Lilac wrote:
> 
> Okay, I am wondering if anyone else is going through "movie 
anxiety".<snip?>  (For PS/SS) I found out all I could about the 
movie and the cast, and had seen just about every picture there was 
on the net.  I bet I had seen about half the movie in stills on the 
net.  So, needless to say, I got really,  really excited for the 
movie to come out.  My expectations were very, very high. 
> 
> Then, I saw the movie.  Oh, yes, I *liked* it well enough.  But 
there were parts that I obsessed over during the rest of the 
movie.   Especially his *blue* eyes. <snip>  Little things would 
bother me, like  "Hermione NEVER said that!"  and "Oh, they got that 
part mixed up", etc.  
> 
> I didn't love the movie like I expected to, and I felt let down.  
But, the more I saw the movie, the more I began to appreciate it in 
and of itself, as it's own separate entity.  Now I can actually say 
I love the movie, but it took quite a few times to get to that 
point.   
> 
> I see a similar pattern this time.  <snip>

Now me:
   I think all of us who found JKR's writing--her unique sense of 
humor and her approach to her subject so utterly fascinating can't 
help but have anxieties about someone turning all that out onto the 
big screen.  What I like to tell myself is that these are two 
entirely different media.  Our experiences with the written word, no 
matter how much we discuss and analyze with others, is largely 
personal.  We are drawn into a story in which we meet characters 
that reveal themselves to us in extremely intimate ways.  We hear 
their thoughts and know their secret desires. It is possible to find 
pages of a character's interior dialogue so compelling, that we 
cannot put the book down.  Now, compare that experience to film.  
Film, by its very nature must keep moving.  Filmmakers must 
translate, as best they can wonderful words on paper into images on 
screen.  How does one do that well?  Often it involves translating 
the idea behind passages of prose into other images that are 
slightly different but can be universally understood.
   In my mind, the books are exciting enough, and the words gave me 
goosepimples in all the right places.  In the demonstration duel 
against Lockhart, I could see the superiority of Snape's skill even 
though JKR used very few words.  How does one put that on screen 
without looking totally cliche?  I'm sure the filmmakers thought, 
how about having him lob a bit of fire at the prancing peacock? In 
shorthand, they've established Snape as the far superior wizard, 
given us a hint at how powerful he really is and elicited a gasp or 
two from some of their audience by inserting a bit of tension.
   So Daniel Radcliffe's eyes are blue and not green -- except for 
the reasons that are yet to be revealed by JKR, I had no problem 
with that.  He makes a wonderful Harry and his eyes are very 
expressive.  JKR loved the movie, and she loved Daniel in the role.  
She commented that (even though many scenes in the book had to be 
snipped) all the important bits were there. 
   I would love to see the movie as I've seen the book in my head, 
but that vision of the book is always with me and it's mine alone.  
The movie, on the other hand, is the collective vision of the many 
people who created it--their unique interpretation. We post our 
ideas (our interpretations) to chat groups on the Web. They, with 
considerable more resources, are able to "post" their ideas in 
several thousand theaters.  
Relax, and have a cup of tea.
;-) Nia