Gambledore

[dumbledore11214]

--- In HPFGU-Movie at yahoogroups.com, Richard <hp at p...> wrote:
<SNIP>
> Frankly, I find the whole idea of this petition, and some of the 
comments 
> made on this list, seriously disagreeable. They might have been 
amusing if 
> they weren't quite so vitriolic. Some people bandy words about as 
if they 
> didn't have a clue what they mean. The words "assault", "attack" 
and 
> similar loaded terminology has been used about Gambon's reaction to 
Harry's 
> name coming out of the Goblet. Come on!
> 
> As it happens, I don't much care for Gambon as a person (or rather, 
his 
> public persona, considering I don't know the man personally), but I 
think 
> he's streets ahead of Harris in the way he plays Dumbledore. Sure, 
> Dumbledore is the old sage Harris portrayed, but he's so much more. 
Harris 
> (who, let's remind ourselves, did not care for the role at all!) 
just 
> played a stereotypical mage and didn't come close to showing 
Dumbledore's 
> more wacky side. I rather like Clueless!Hippy!Gambledore: after 
all, 
> regardless of his reputation, Dumbledore behaves fairly cluelessly 
> throughout the books (that's a separate discussion which I refuse 
to enter 
> at this stage).
> 
> The fact that Gambon doesn't take this role particularly seriously 
and 
> hasn't bothered reading the books is neither here nor there. 
Neither did 
> Harris, neither has Maggie Smith, nor most of the adult cast. For 
better or 
> worse, Gambon considers this particular gig as little more than a 
job: he 
> doesn't care for or about his character, and is doing the best he 
can with 
> what he's given. I suspect that all the other actors in that age 
range are 
> in the same boat. To put it briefly, no adult actor in the HP 
movies is 
> going to be as passionate about it as some of the fans are, or want 
the 
> actors to be.
> 
> As I've said before, I found his reaction in the Champions' room 
perfectly 
> understandable and I can't believe that the best thing so many 
people can 
> some up with is "that's not what he did in the book". Tough. This 
isn't the 
> book, and this isn't book-Dumbeldore. Frankly, I find it quite 
admirable 
> that with his directors' support (or perhaps even at their 
instigation) 
> Gambon's prepared to take the character as far as he does from the 
> stereotypical sage, and Harris's performance in particular. In many 
ways, 
> he reminds me of Nicol Williamson as Merlin in "Excalibur", which 
also 
> divided opinion 25 years ago.
> 
> I know some people are going to shoot me down for this and I may 
sound like 
> a broken record, but I feel that much of the problem with the 
> shoulder-grabbing sequence has nothing to do with Gambon, but with 
> everyone's blind-spot-in-the-(lack-of)-acting-skills-department, 
young 
> Master Radcliffe. I think he gets the tone of his physical and 
verbal 
> reactions to Gambeldore quite wrong. By appearing defiant at the 
beginning 
> of the sequence, he ends up looking scared of *Dumbeldore* rather 
than of 
> what entry in the Tournament represents, which is what I suspect 
the 
> intention  had been. Not to mention that this is also in the 
context of his 
> baffling (baffled?) reaction to his name coming out of the Goblet 
in the 
> first place. And talking of context, Dumbledore's physicality in 
that scene 
> is part of a more general physicality among the teachers throughout 
the movie.
> 
> Then again, "context" doesn't seem to be a concept for which most 
people 
> around here have any time, so I won't waste mine going into details.
> 
> I originally found it amusing, but now find it depressing, that 
some of the 
> same people decrying Dumbledore's OOC physicality in that scene 
name 
> Snape's physicality in the study-session scene as one of their 
favourite 
> moments. To my recollection, Snape has never been physical with 
Harry or 
> Ron at any point in the books, and in some respects, his whole 
persona in 
> that scene was more OOC for Snape than anything Gambon did 
throughout the 
> movie.
> 
> Yet I don't seem to be able to find any petitions to get Rickman 
kicked off 
> the cast, or indeed a single word against this characterisation, 
anywhere 
> in any of the forums I follow (and I've just looked).
> 
> So, can we have a little less of the hypocrisy, please?
> 
> --
> Richard, who wouldn't be surprised if people think he sounds 
unhappy. 
> They're right.
>



Alla:


Hmmmm, I think I want to respond to some of your points, Richard. 
First of all, let me state that I also find the petition of firing 
Gambon to not be quite agreeable - but that is because I find any 
type of this kind of the petition ( firing an actor) to be the waste 
of my time. JMO of course.


I think Gambon is a fine actor. I think he gets some parts of 
Dumbledore's personality really well, I think he has no clue about 
others, but of course it is not his fault - I am actually very 
surprised that people could think that it could be ANYBODY's but 
director's  and scripwriter's fault.

But having said all that, I really don't share your liking of that 
scene. I mean I do not dislike it, because I could see how 
Dumbledore's reactions could be legitimately read as fear for Harry, 
I really do.

But Dumbledore does NOT shake people, he just don't. You said that 
Dumbledore of the movie is different from the books. Absolutely, it 
is a very fair point. BUT I don't want him to be THAT different, you 
know. It is just my personal reaction.

It IS an adaptation after all, NOT an original screenplay. I guess I 
simply prefer screenwriter not to take THAT much liberties with 
characters as he did.

And you are completely right about Snape too - he IS never physical 
with the boys in the books, BUT it is much EASIER to me to see Snape 
being physical in the antagonistic contest, you know.

If Snape would decided to hug Harry and Ron in the movie, THAT type 
of physical interaction may force me to revisit my views about the 
petitions and start one ( Just kidding of course), but Snape smacking 
Harry and Ron, just feels right to me , you know - sort of logical 
progression of his personality as I see it.

Oh, and I also don't see what Dan's reactions have to do with 
Gambon's acting . IMO he should look scared of Dumbledore - because 
he does not expect such reaction from the Headmaster. I would think 
that his acting was off, if he did not look scared.

Now, Dumbledore being scared of the paper with Harry's name, THAT 
looked ridiculous to me.


JMO of course,

Alla