Shorthand in Film(was dark films, but morphed)

[laurenmcoakley]

--- In HPFGU-Movie at yahoogroups.com, "susanbones2003" <rkdas at ...> 
wrote:
>
> --- In HPFGU-Movie at yahoogroups.com, "Theresa" <anmsmom333@> wrote:
> >
> > I too am glad the Hogwarts song was left out but some of the 
other 
> > scenes I liked. I really wish they had left in the Snape scene 
> that 
> > seemed important to me, especially since we only had a log on 
fire 
> > for Sirius. I was wholly disappointed to not have the cave scene 
> in 
> > the film. I think it would have made more sense if they had the 
> trio 
> > visit him in the cave and chat about the tournament and 
> > the "suspected death eaters". My hubby who has only seen the 
films 
> > told me afterwords that if our sons and I had not talked so much 
> > about what we wanted to see prior to the film and chatted about 
> what 
> > we liked in the film afterwords that he would not have 
understood 
> the 
> > fact that Karkaroff and Snape knew each other, had been death 
> eaters, 
> > Karkaroff rolled over on his fellow death eaters and Snape 
appears 
> to 
> > be a good guy working for Dumbledore (he knows about HBP because 
> we 
> > were aghast at the outcome). 
SNIP  
> 
> Hi there,
> I was reading your message when it struck me how very well all the 
> deleted scenes worked in the first 2 films. It seems they were cut 
> merely to get the film below a certain time limit. ABC Family 
shows 
> both SS/COS from time to time with all the deletes. I really enjoy 
> them. I can not say the same thing at all for the deletes from 
GOF. 
> They seem to be abrupt, with little to get us ready for them and 
not 
> much to add. Even Snape and Karkarov were not given in enough 
> context for a non-fan (your very courageous husband) to make their 
> conversation intelligible. That's the one thing that bothers me 
> about the films. As they get deeper and deeper into the story, 
they 
> become more and more obscure to a non-fan. It seems a given that a 
> film should hold together in and of itself. Our HP films have 
become 
> a lot more clubby than is comfortable for me. I realize that 
almost 
> everyone in the civilized world has heard of/read HP but it still 
> seems to violate the nature of a narrative to rely on having read 
> the books to make sense of the event. 
> Jen D. (quickly putting her hands over her head to sheild herself 
> from the blows from angry film-lovers)

And now Lauren:
Whoa, boy am I glad to be back.  My crazy work schedule and computer 
issues have kept me from my favorite yahoo group and now things seem 
a bit calmer and I an so excited to get back into these great 
discussions going on here!  

Jen D, don't cover your head, I agree with you on this.  I have to 
mention that my husband too was frustrated with many points in the 
newest film because he has not read any of the books.  We saw this 
film together 4 times (he is not a non-fan, you see, he just isn't 
much of a bookworm) and each time afterwards he would shower me with 
a barrage of questions.  But for PoA, we (as in my husband and I, 
because at the time that that film had come out, I hadn't read any 
of the books, either!) didn't feel so much "left out" as non-
readers.  Which is really interesting too, because it seems so many 
of the long-ago book readers disliked the film PoA immensely. I only 
finally decided to read the series after viewing PoA because I 
wanted to see what in the heck my friends, the long-ago readers, 
were griping about in the movie, and if I would agree with them for 
the newest installment, finally reading a book version before seeing 
the film.

I like the film GoF a lot.  I think it could've been my all-time 
favorite, if not for a few small changes I would've liked.  John 
Williams as composer, as I've mentioned many times before (BTW- did 
anyone think it curious that they used JW's compositions to narrate 
the special features on the GoF DVD?!), that unclearness about 
Snape's point that someone was stealing the ingredients for Polly 
Juice Potion (was he saying that Harry or Neville stole Gillyweed 
too?  Weird segway) (and BTW- did anyone feel that the line that 
Snape says as he slams the door in Harry's face was inserted post-
production?  It has a different quality of sound to his voice, and I 
wondered if originally he said something else there, but they 
decided to edit it.  Anyone else catch that?).  I don't really care 
for the Bauxbatons and Durmstrang's entrances, though once I saw the 
special features I realized all three schools had a chance 
to "display their talents" and THANK GAWD we didn't really have to 
sit through Hogwarts dreadful song.  They never did set Fleur up as 
part Veela, did they?  I guess they won't even get into that. I 
would've LOVED to have seen more of the QWC (maybe not so much the 
Quidditch, but Harry & Ron being mesmerized by the Veelas sounded 
hysterical).  And the whole death-eater thing was sort of glazed 
over a bit.  Maybe they'll explain it better in OoTP.  I sure hope 
so!!