Notes on character portrayal

[laurenmcoakley]

--- In HPFGU-Movie at yahoogroups.com, Karen <kchuplis at ...> wrote:
>
> There are many things that go into successfully creating a 
character. 
> In Potterverse, moving from page to screen, there is a challenge 
to 
> many of the actors in not becoming a cartoon representation, 
> particularly with certain characters. IMO, there are a few real 
> standouts in the HP cast, and perhaps the single most important 
acting 
> element that makes these portrayals an uncontested success is the 
> ability to deliver the dialogue, to find the character's voice.
> 
> Two particular favorites of mine are Snape and Hagrid.
> 
> Snape's introductory speech is one such example. Speaking of 
potions, 
> he is able to caress each phrase - make them sing. It's almost a 
croon 
> (which helped me imagine his healing of Draco in Book 6 easily). 
> Therefore, when he addresses Harry the first time, his use of 
staccato 
> bitten off phrases automatically "pop" and the viewer, even never 
> having read the books would pick up on a psychological imperative 
> between Snape and Harry. The manner of his speech - not just the 
tone 
> but the physical sounds- cue us to the fact that addressing "our 
new 
> ceelbrity" is akin to having his teeth pulled. Another favorite 
line of 
> his for me is in PoA when Snape encounters Lupin after he has 
cornered 
> Harry with the Maurader's map in the hall. We hear a similar 
staccato, 
> bitten off phrase "Lu-pin" snapped off. And then "Out for a little 
> walk...in the moonlight."  There is an added layer just in the 
manner 
> that he delivers this. The slight stresses on Lupin and moonlight 
add 
> the smallest touch of mockery; popping the "p" in Lupin and 
extending 
> the "ooo" in moonlight. So, we who know the books well know why, 
but 
> even without this, after that one small phrase anyone viewing and 
> listening is left with a slightly uncomfortable feeling of having 
just 
> witnessed, as an outsider, a jibe between two people with a 
history.

SNIP SNIP....

> 
> Well, this has become a novel but I was just thinking about how 
skilled 
> these actors are and how they have helped to make the movies more 
> fulfilling than they might have been if they were just wrote 
deliveries 
> of the books on celluloid. I think this goes across the board for 
the 
> eccentric characters; Lockhart, McGonnagall, Trelawney and Mad-Eye 
also 
> deserve special mention. I simply love their line delivery!
>

And now Lauren:
First of all, it KILLS me to snips any of this because this post is 
beautiful.  Karen, I LOVE THIS!  To anyone reading this, if you 
haven't read Karen's original post, I beg you to please read post 
#12438.  You won't regret it!

This was such a great point, and really screams aloud how lucky *we* 
are to have such talent in these films.  This series could so easily 
be passed off as children's fodder and be watered down with sub-
standard plots and characters and actors.  I think this franchise 
knows in its heart how many adults are vested in this story.  Though 
we all have our gripes with little things here and there in these 
films, it's really because of the high level of entertainment we 
receive that the movie fans stay movie fans of this series.

I would like to add to Karen's list Rita Skeeter's character- she 
was so perfectly nasty!