Two Thumbs up! was: Gambon as Dumbledore - Movie Spoiler

[Mandy]

Spoilers below
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> "Brooke" wrote:
> Just saw a special screening this evening and we thoroughly enjoyed 
> the movie, however I have a little problem with Gambon as 
> Dumbledore.  Visually he looks the part, but he talks too fast and 
> moves too fast.  Richard Harris as Dumbledore better portrayed the 
> part as described in the books.  He created the "presence" of 
> Dumbledore.   Did anyone else feel this way, or am I nuts?  


I too just saw a special screening last night.  You not in NYC by 
chance are you? 
I agree with the speed at which Michael Gambon as Dumbledore spoke 
and moved, but I thought the whole movie moves at an incredibly fast 
pace so it worked for me. 

I, who knows the story inside-out (like most of us here) was 
overwhelmed by the sheer volume of detail in the film. It is truly 
spectacular. Every scene has multiple actions taking place at the 
same time and it's hard to know what to what to look at times.  More 
than once I was caught looking at some wonderful detail in the back 
ground and missed a crucial moment in one of the leads.  Multiple 
viewings are definitely in order. Oh, what a shame. ;-) 

It is a beautiful and exciting film. The magic is seen to be normal 
part of the Wizarding World, with things constantly moving, witches 
and wizards using magic in their daily lives, magical signs and 
writing on walls and floors. It is more how I imagined it to be, 
rather than the in first two films where the magic was always this 
special event.  The characters a growing beautiful, both emotionally 
and physically. A lot of the minor characters get to speak.  We see 
other sides of Neville and Draco, as well as more if the Weasley 
twins.  

My only complaint is the Shrieking Shake scene, which has been 
stripped down to its bare minimum.  I think it really short changes 
the depth of the relationship between Remus and Sirius. It is my 
favorite scene in the book so I imagine I'm prejudiced about it, but 
the reason I love it is because of the enormous depth of the betrayal 
and misunderstanding which existed between these two men for 12 
years. Their discovery of truth in the Shack and the reuniting of the 
two great friends that are Remus Lupin and Sirius Black.  It moved me 
to tears when I first read it. Peter Pettigrew, a fantastic Timothy 
Spall, is also short changed.  You barely get to see and hear his 
explanation for his betrayal and you don't feel the depth of the 
moment of his begging for his life with Sirius and Remus standing 
reading to kill him.  It's in the movie, but so fast and sudden that 
you don't get that level of humiliation that was actually difficult 
to read at times in the book.

Also they cut my favourte line in the book! When Black jumps on 
Buckbeak and says to Harry' "You are truly your father's son, Harry." 
Why? It could have been in there. Ah well, it goes to show we all see 
different things as special. 

The performances are all wonderful. Oldman, Thewlis, Spall and 
Thompson are all perfect.  So is Julie Christie as Rosmarta. 

It is great.  Go see it.  I'm going again ASAP.

Cheers Mandy