Dan's acting, and other observations

[susanbones2003]

--- In HPFGU-Movie at yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <bboyminn at ...> wrote:
>
>SNIPPAGE:> 
> bboyminn:
> 
> SNIPPED yet again:

 We all know that even the best of these HP movies is rushed and that
> doesn't allow much time for a scene to develop or for an actor to 
get
> into the emotions of the moment. I'm recalling two very emotional
> moments from two separate movies; the long monolog given by the 
girl
> (Keisha Castle-Hughes) in 'Whale Rider' and the scene in the park
> between Johnny Depp (James Barrie) and Freddy Highmore (Peter 
Davis)
> from the movie 'Finding Neverland'. 
> 
> Both were stunning in their emotional impact, but the movies
> themselves had a condensed enough story to allow the emotions of 
the
> characters, the actor, and the viewer to develop to an intense
> emotional level. I'm reminded of another movie - Peter 
Jackson's 'King
> Kong'. While the overal movie was just OK, I couldn't help but 
notice
> Jackson's camera work; long slow pans, lingering on a characters 
face
> to capture their emotions in the moment, and to some extent 
allowing
> certain characters resonable monologs or dialogs. 
> 
> I don't see that in any of the HP Movie. In the HP movies, it's 
laugh,
> cry, mug for the camera, NEXT! There are many scene in the HP 
stories
> that are emotional, but if the movies don't set the groundwork and
> develop the backstory, then it is hard for us as viewer to /catch/ 
the
> emotion of the moment.

Again with the snips
> I guess on one hand I am acknowledging that both Dan and Rupert are
> developing as actors. We aren't seeing the final product yet. 
Further,
> it is a very exceptional actor who can play a deeply emotional 
scene
> like those I mentioned in 'Whale Rider' and 'Finding Neverland'.
> Further it takes an exceptional director and a movie context that
> draws that depth of emotion from both the actor and the viewers. In
> the next book we are expected to feel sorry for the death of 
Sirius,
> but it's going to be hard to feel that emotion, if the movie 
doesn't
> get us and Harry emotionally involved in who Sirius is and what he 
means. 
And again:
 
> Back to my central point, it is true that Dan and Rupert aren't
> perfect, but we can't blame their performance totally on them. The
> Producers, Warner, and the Directors all have a hand in the final
> product, and Dan and Rupert can't give a performance that isn't in 
the
> script or that isn't in the priorities of the producers. We have 
all
> said many times that Warner Brothers has completely misjudge the 
Harry
> Potter series. They are not taking it seriously enough, and they 
are
> not considering the movies as a series of movies telling a 
continous
> story. There is not one director who has a central vision of the 
final
> product the way Peter Jackson had a unique vision for 'Lord of the
> Rings'. 
> 
> So, to some extent I agree Dan and Rupert's performances were 
flawed,
> but no more flawed than what they were given to work with. In fact,
> considering what they were given to work with, I think they both 
did
> an outstanding job.
> 
> Just a little endless rambling.
> 
> Steve/bboyminn

Jen D, here:
Tried valiently to trim down your post to the salient features, the 
heart of your argument that 1)HP doesn't get the kind of writing and 
time that it deserves and 2)Consequently, neither Dan nor Rupert 
gets to do the best possible job because of that fatal flaw.

That's a very subtle argument because I have been approaching it 
from the opposite direction, and now I am confused. I have always 
assumed that Dan's limitations kept the creative team from doing the 
most they could with all the important stuff that Jo keeps writing. 
Let's face it, that crying in POA was embarrassing. I still can't 
get over it. Looping could have fixed that so easily. Why let it 
stand? Why? Doesn't make an iota of sense to let Dan take that fall. 
Hurts the picture, hurts Dan. No sense in it. Seems we agree that WB 
has maintained a certain desire to stick with a bankable formula, 
all AC and MN's sincere creative efforts notwithstanding. There was 
great creative effort going on but it seemed to have been tempered, 
held back. Maybe you are right, that if they'd allowed more of the 
challenging things to be in the scripts, then Dan would have come 
off as a more fully-realized Harry. I miss the emotions Harry 
experiences, knowing full well that those bits are embarrassing to a 
teen-aged boy, knowing full well they are difficult to film, that 
they require time, development, and a willingness to go into 
uncharted territory. I just don't think I will be able to gloss over 
my disappointment in OOTP if Sirius'death is handled in a shallow, 
time-conscious, managed way. If Harry doesn't get to grieve, doesn't 
get to tear around, railing in his grief. If he doesn't get some 
answers from DD. I know if won't matter much to WB to have one truly 
disappointed fan because the emotional precipice was avoided yet 
again. But it's my fondest hope that this film does go to the edge, 
does give Dan the chance to fully embody Harry. I just became a die-
hard LOTR fan (I am one of the last 3 people in America that hadn't 
see the films) and what they do is they make you realize how well a 
book can be adapted, not just being thankful the some of the best 
bits do get in. I want that for Harry and for Dan. 
Jen D. 
>