[HPFGU-Movie] dark films/other bits

[Karen]

On Friday, March 10, 2006, at 04:58 PM, susanbones2003 wrote:
>
>
> Jen D. writes:
>
> Hey Karen,
> Again this is a post and I promise to put it up but you have to let
> me quote you. I object to calling the movies "dark." I feel that if
> a movie is dark, it gives the impression there is no hope. And I
> think most of the time, the film makers have done a good job of
> catching the tone of the books. The first two, while full of the
> discovery of the WW, certainly had their moments of suspense and
> tension and obviously,
> moments where Harry faced some great dark wizard or beastie but I
> have heard increasingly how wonderful it was that Harry is getting
> darker!. This bothers me because Harry is about good, and how good
> will triumph.

kchuplis:

I agree *Harry* is not getting darker but the story is no longer about 
scary Halloween moments. Perhaps, rather than "darker" I should say 
that maybe the studio is wising up that it is OK to portray the gravity 
of the situation. The books increase in gravity as Harry 1) experiences 
worse things and 2) realizes the wider implications of these events. 
They lost their nerve in the last scene to keep the gravity Harry 
deserved.

I have also noticed something else I wanted to point out that has been 
interesting me in all the films. There appears to have been some hints 
dropped to the film makers about characters future paths. I remember 
being taken aback by Hermiones discomfort at the end of CoS in hugging 
Ron (or rather, mutual discomfort) which seemed to speak of a big 
difference in how Hermione and Ron relate to each other. I checked the 
book the next time I read it an there just was not really anything to 
suggest this. Then in PoA, there is a moment when Buckbeak is 
introduced to Harry that Hermione grabs Rons hand and he is startled, 
again that odd foreshadowing of a "different" relationship than with 
her other friends. I check PoA the next time I read it and really found 
no hint of that. Of course, we all know that by GoF and the big Yule 
storyline that it was obvious where things were heading but definitely, 
IMO, the filmakers had a big heads up there or we wouldn't have seen 
those little moments in the previous three movies. Or did I just miss 
that in those books the first several times reading them? I'm curious 
as to what others think.

It makes me wonder what else we have actually been seeing in the movies 
in a slightly different light, maybe more subtle that are preplants of 
info on where characters are headed. George and Fred are certainly 
given a much larger share of the limelight in GoF which makes me 
hopeful that the great escape will be included in OoTP, but also, I've 
always felt they will be important in the denouement of book seven. The 
more screen time they get, the more I think this is going to pan out. 
It always has seemed that their level of magic has been slowly coming 
to be admired as better than average and their ability to scheme is 
certainly a possible useful tool for Harry. Any thoughts?