[HPFGU-Movie] Re: Gambledore

[nicholas dean]

My humble tuppence on the subject of a petition to recast Dumbledore;

It will have no effect whatsoever. As others have already said, 
Gambon is committed to OoP and I imagine that, having recast once, 
the producer will not be eager to do it again just because a few fans 
say that they don't like him.

Yes, the director has to take some of the blame for the way in which 
Dumbledore is being portrayed; so does the writer. There were several 
scenes in GoF which I felt were poorly written, and most of them 
featured Dumbledore; think about the debate with Crouch, McGonagall 
et al immediately after Harry's name had come out of the Goblet; also 
the scene in Dumbledore's office before and after the Pensieve 
episode (and what on earth had they filmed in that scene that the 
director felt was so awful that it was worth that appallingly bad 
edit with which they were left when it was removed?); also 
Dumbledore's apology scene to Harry...someone else (was it 
Lupinlore?) has already pointed out how inconsistent Dumbledore 
appears in this movie. Poor writing does not help an actor to get a 
handle on his character, especially when the actor hasn't read the 
source material.

It's also important to remember that there is one other person who is 
absolutely on the side of a decent characterisation; JKR. She's not 
deeply involved with the movies, but she does watch them, and if she 
feels that something is going very wrong with a character's 
interpretation, she will say something; and experience has shown that 
the movie makers do listen...there were not, in the end, tiny people 
in PoA, which Cuaron had wanted.

Petitions are fine when it's a matter of opposition to a massive 
public project or whatever; as a protest against an individual, 
however, I find it rather rude. If you feel strongly enough about it, 
why not write direct to Gambon, in care of his agent, and explain 
your concerns, and how you would like to see the character portrayed?

It may still end up in the trash; but it is surely more upfront than 
a stab-in-the-back move like a petition. And who knows? maybe your 
letter will inspire Gambon to read the books and take a different 
tack next time around.

Cheers,
Nicholas
nicknamed The Diplomat at work; can you tell?