[HPFGU-Movie] Re: sloppy school uniforms

[Shaun Hately]

On 29 Jun 2004 at 11:31, huntergreen_3 wrote:

> It works both ways then...you are making a judgement about what they 
> *should* look like in their off times as well. Yes, the world in the 
> books are based on a particular model of school (and I agree with you 
> very much on that fact), and the world in the movies is a reflection 
> of that, but its a reflection only. If the directer thinks that the 
> kids would dress more like regular kids in their off time, then what 
> huge difference does it *really* make?

By itself, none. But there's two issues that make it annoy me a 
bit.

The first is that I don't think Cauron is familiar with these 
schools, or their traditions, or the way they work (even JKR 
probably has a literary view of them - but she certainly has that). 
He's from a quite different cultural background. Without an 
understanding of the culture the school is based on, it's rather 
difficult for someone to do justice to the books in my opinion.

Cauron's strength as a director is that he does understand some 
things very well, and those things are also important in the 
context of these films - the whole idea of maturing is an important 
theme and he does understand that very well.

But if he doesn't understand the culture of the type of school, he 
can't represent it accurately.

Chris Columbus either did understand the culture, or at the very 
least he was obviously heavily advised by people who did - because 
on the school culture points, his films were very accurate.

The second issue is that Cauron was making the third film in a 
series - it wasn't a stand alone film. When something fairly major 
is changed between the second and third film of a series, it's 
quite jarring. And because Chris Columbus presented the clothing in 
a certain way, the change is quite noticeable.

It's awkward - because a different director has to have the freedom 
to change some things - otherwise there's no point in having a 
different director. But this bit just didn't work for me.
 
> >>Hermione's parents are sending her off to a boarding school they
> know very little about, except possibly that it's the best of its
> type. The clothes she wears in the first two movies seem to fit
> quite nicely with what her mother would buy in the circumstances to
> me (-8<<
> 
> Well, there is a chance that she could have brought along some of her 
> other clothes as well, her more relaxed summer clothes (but this is 
> all so rhetorical, that there's no real point in discussing it). 
> What about Harry though? No one would have bought him special 
> clothes, he would only have Dudley's old clothes, and those would 
> most-likely (knowing Dudley) be fashionable. Really, the argument 
> with Harry shouldn't be why he's in jeans, but why his clothes fit 
> him (I guess that's a detail that will sadly remain ignored).

Yes, Harry's clothing is certainly an issue.

The fact is, I don't have a major problem with the wearing of 
Muggle clothing in the third movie. This can be explained simply by 
the fact that the kids are a bit older - it's perfectly possible 
that kids who at 12 didn't bother worrying about their clothes, 
might at the age of 13.

But what we see them wearing in the first two films doesn't strike 
me as inherently unrealistic either.


Yours Without Wax, Dreadnought
Shaun Hately | www.alphalink.com.au/~drednort/thelab.html
(ISTJ)       | drednort at alphalink.com.au | ICQ: 6898200 
"You know the very powerful and the very stupid have one
thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the 
facts. They alter the facts to fit the views. Which can be 
uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that 
need altering." The Doctor - Doctor Who: The Face of Evil
Where am I: Frankston, Victoria, Australia