HBP Sartoris22 comment - and my thoughts on what they did to it

[bboyminn]

--- "sartoris22" <sartoris22 at ...> wrote:
>
> carol:
> 
> I don't care at all about the relationships except to the extent that they contribute to the plot (for example, Ron's being poisoned after by the mead intended for DD after eating the love=potion- filled chocolates and the consequences for his relationship with Hermione). Ginny can be left out ...
> 
> sartoris22:
> 
> From conversations I have heard and read, there might be a considerable number of people,like Carol,who are not particularly interested in the relationships in HP, "except to the extent that they contribute to the plot." I find that position interesting because relationships, to me, seem so essential to HP, apart from their use as plot devices. ...
>

bboyminn:

I do care about relationship in the sense that they represent character development. In the short term it is not so important
whether a given relationship is played out in a given book or 
movie, but overall, across the series, if the character isn't
developed, and it is more developed through relationship, they
why should I care about that character? 

Why should I care that Tonks and Lupin are going to die, when
I've been give no reason to care about them? Why should Bill
and Fleur's presences in a movie mean anything to me when they,
in once case don't exist, and in the other case are poorly 
developed.

Why should I care about Ron and Hermione, when Ron's role has
been gutted. In the books, Ron is so much more than he is
portrayed in the movies, and it is because of how he is
portrayed in the books that I can about him at all. I certainly
haven't been given much since the first movie to make me care
about him. 

To create that caring and concern for characters, so that when
they are in mortal peril or when they die, it will matter to me,
I think, is a very important movie making technique. In this 
sense I think the movies have failed. If I hadn't read the books,
I don't think I would care at all about any of the characters in
the movies.

Dumbledore is a good example, in the movie Dumbledore is so poorly
and weakly developed, and Harry's feelings for him are so poorly
developed, I fee very little when Dumbledore finally dies.

And, I do indeed think that is founded in poor relationship
development. If it is not established that characters matter
to each other, how can they possible matter to me. 

Just a few thoughts.

Steve/bboyminn