My Review of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

[Carol]

md wrote:
> > 
> > In the book we have the narrators guidance, and we KNOW that Harry knows to look for the beazor, in the film we do not have these things so the scene makes no sense. 

Missy responded: 
> Technically- this is not true.  In HBP- a scene or two before the poisoning, Harry goes to see Sluggy at the end of a class and Sluggy is mentioning bezoars.  It doesn't help much- but at least it was mentioned before.

Carol asks:

But why change a scene that works perfectly well in the books, giving us not only the HBP's snide advice about shoving a bezoar down their throats and Harry's "cheek" in presenting a bezoar instead of an antidote, but (possibly) jogs the viewer's memory as it did Harry's to remind us/him of Snape's first lesson? The filmmakers could even present that memory as a b/w flashback. In the book, the HBP/Snape is doubly responsible (though Harry only dimly realizes it) for providing Harry with the information that saves Ron's life. And in the HBP's own movie, the filmmakers leave that out? If they want to provide hints that Snape is on the good side, better to do so that way (as JKR did) than by that altered scene on the tower. And Harry presenting the Bezoar to Slughorn in class instead of doing his work could have been a great suspense/comic moment, too.

Carol, understanding that some cuts and alterations must be made but thinking that the filmmakers missed the boat (again) on this one