Dan's acting

[Kathy]

I want to add to Lynda's rant.  The incredible thing about JKR's 
books is that she allows her characters to grow - to mature 
throughout their Hogwarts years.

Harry is someone who has been abused for at least eleven years.  
People who are abused learn to get abused as little as possible...by 
not showing their emotions.  

Harry/Dan not showing emotion, or even crying (for the first time in 
Harry's life) is going to be difficult. When we read the books, we 
put our own spin on that scene...but in the movie...and I agree with 
Lynda about IMAX...you could see the tears, but the sound of it was 
horrible...again...as it should be with a boys first tears.

Ron/Rupert is the exact opposite.  He reacts because if he doesn't, 
his brothers will keep at him until he does. If he doesn't over 
react, they'll keep pestering him.  He's in a safe environment, 
therefore able to let his emotions out. 

Each of these actors are doing a marvelous job, because they've got 
their characters spot on.

As the characters get older, we see more coming from Harry/Dan, and 
less from Ron/Rupert.  Why, because Harry is feeling 'safe' within 
Hogwarts and his circle of friends, where Ron is learning that there 
are unsafe places, and that maybe he cannot trust everyone around 
him.  

And for anyone who wants to say that Ron/Rupert is still over-
reacting because of the spider scene...remember that this is how he 
was tortured by his brothers.  Spiders are his weakness and he 
reacts from habit, not from choice.  I personally think of Ron as 
quite the hero - not just for the chess game, but for going into the 
Forbidden Forest with Harry because of this childhood fear.  

Harry was raised with spiders in the cupboard under the stairs.  Ron 
had his favorite stuffed animal turned into a spider in his bed.  
With this giant phobia, Ron still went with his best friend into a 
place riddled with his worst nightmare.  Hooray for Ron!!!!!

KathyO

--- In HPFGU-Movie at yahoogroups.com, artsylynda at a... wrote:
>
>  
>  
> In a message dated 11/28/2005 8:16:38 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
> HPFGU-Movie at yahoogroups.com writes:
> 
> <<I've always maintained that young Master Radcliffe has severe  
> limitations as an actor, and that scene is a perfect  example.>>
> 
> 
> I just can't let this go unchallenged.  Dan has done a  credible 
job in all 
> the films, IMO.  Given the scripts and direction he's  had, he's 
done very well 
> with the material at hand.  I DID see tears in the  PoA crying 
scene (they 
> showed up clearly in IMAX), but I grant you, it didn't  SOUND as 
convincing as 
> it should have.  But how many 13 year old  boys can "pretend" to 
cry that hard 
> and sound convincing, particularly if  they're generally happy 
people who 
> haven't suffered much in their lives (which  seems to be true of 
Dan), and 
> probably haven't spend a lot of time crying?  
>  
> I give Newell full marks, as well as Dan Radcliffe himself, for 
the  
> tremendous improvement in Dan's acting.  He's matured, he embodies 
the  character I've 
> been reading about absolutely perfectly, and he touched my heart  
many times 
> in this film, at all the right spots.  His tension and shock  when 
everyone's 
> calling him a cheat when his name comes out of the Goblet of  Fire 
are 
> perfect.  I could feel how hurt and scared he was.  His  solemn 
face as he's walking 
> down that corridor while the students are all saying  goodbye to 
each other, 
> and the gradual shift in his expression from solemn to  slight 
smile, is 
> lovely.  His "weight of the world on his shoulders"  expression 
when he says "yes" 
> so simply to Hermione's "Everything's going to  change now, isn't 
it?" was spot 
> on.  His fear was palpable in many scenes,  and the resolve in his 
face and 
> body language as he stood up to face Voldemort  -- I was so 
impressed with his 
> courage.  And I LOVED seeing the  playfulness and "cheekiness" in 
his 
> character that I've always thought was there  (but it wasn't shown 
much in the films)  
> during the scene when Ron had  to dance with McG.  It was nice to 
see him 
> acting like a normal "sports  hero" teenager, too, when asking if 
the Gryffindors 
> wanted him to open the egg  -- it may have seemed a bit OOC to 
some people, 
> but you have to realize  that he's been the center of many a 
celebration after 
> winning Quidditch  games and he's used to that kind of thing now.  
That was a 
> fun scene.   And his tension while dancing -- perfect!  One of the 
best things 
> I've seen  in film lately, that both touched my heart, made me 
laugh and made 
> me remember  the "not so good-old-days" of being a teenager, was 
Harry's 
> discomfort in asking  Cho to the ball.  They could not have done 
that scene any 
> more  convincingly.  And Cho was quite charming, as well.  For 
her  first-ever 
> role, I was impressed with how she handled that scene in  
particular.
>  
> I've rarely been impressed with child actors (it requires a GREAT  
director 
> to get a good performance out of most of them), but I've always 
been  impressed 
> with Dan, and not just because he was a cute little boy and is a  
handsome 
> young man.  He fits into Harry's skin so well  and makes you  see 
the "magic" of 
> the magical world through his eyes, as well as the horrors of  
Harry's own 
> life.  When Harry brought Cedric's body back, his body language  
and heartbroken 
> tears were perfect.  Newell did a marvelous job of  direction and 
of teaching 
> the kids how to reach down inside themselves and pull  out those 
extreme 
> emotions they needed to show in this one, as well as the  subtle 
ones.  Dan and 
> Rupert were simply fabulous.  Emma was way  over the top at times, 
and sometimes 
> her reactions were just illogical to  me.  She's been pretty good 
in all the 
> films, but this was her worst  performance in many scenes.  Her 
scenes in the 
> ball sequence were  wonderful, though.
>  
> That's enough of a rant for now.  I'm excited to see Dan 
in  "December Boys" 
> to see how well he can portray a different character, but I  think 
he'll be 
> fine.  Harry and Dan are very different people, with  different 
looks and body 
> language -- Dan has potential as a great character  actor as well 
as a leading 
> man, I think, simply because he can look so different  with only 
the addition 
> of glasses and the proper attitude, at such an early age.   
> 
> Lynda AKA "Abraxan"
> 
> Read my Harry Potter fics here:  
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPRefinersFire/
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>