PoA MOVIE DISCUSSION

[Carol]

Carol earlier:
> 
> > What's going on with the other guy (a student?) in pajamas and other, unrecognizable adults (faculty members who never appear anywhere in the books or the film???) after Snape and Dumbledore leave? Why isn't that patient still in the hospital wing, which is deserted except for Ron and their departing selves when Hermione and Harry return? 
> 
> Potioncat:
> Were you able to slow that down to get that detail? I tried a couple of times, but haven't really had time to do it justice. I thought I saw Snape in the background. I wondered if they had filmed his hissy-fit or his conversation with Fudge then cut it. But I could never tell. 

Carol:
I can't tell what's going on, but I recognize Snape, DD, Madam Pomfrey, and (I think) McGonagall hovering around what appears to be Ron's bedside. Since the kids end up in the hospital wing (and Black ends up in "the top floor of the dark tower," if I heard correctly), it seems clear that Snape brought them all in, with or without help. (Later, we see that Hermione's scratches and Ron's leg have been treated, and Harry is conscious, so they must have been treated as Snape talked to DD about the Patronus and the Dementors--and, presumably, the werewolf and Black. We can only guess that DD, as in the book, also got Sirius Black's version of events. If he had only Snape's--which, to Snape, is the full truth--he wouldn't have listened to the "three thirteen-year-old Wizards"--who, of course, don't provide any kind of plausible or coherent tale.) Anyway, there's no hissy fit and there are no stretchers, just adults busily moving around what looks like Ron's hospital bed. And then there's a whole set of new characters, including someone in pajamas, that have nothing to do with the story and which, presumably, represent routine hospital-wing business that goes on after DD, Snape, and (I think) McGonagall have left.

I don't have the best DVD player in the world, so someone else may have seen more details.
 
> Potioncat:
> It's always bothered me that Cuaron changed so much--even the look of Hogwarts and the grounds, as well as the appearance of characters. Yet the next director said that he had to follow in step with the previous movie. I didn't see why he had to follow anyone but JKR. (Not sure where I got that quote...from a web site interview, I'm sure.)

Carol:
I agree--though I don't mind the changes to Hagrid's house and grounds. The pumpkin patch, at least, is consistent with the book, and the hut is still on the edge of the so-called Dark Forest as it was in CoS. (Or was it actually inside the forest in the CoS film?) I can think of only two reasons why the next director, Mike Newell, would "have to" follow Cuaron's lead: to save money by using existing sets or to use the Cuaron sets because they conformed more closely to the books than Columbus's did. We could probably Google that quote, which, presumably, is archived on Leaky somewhere, to find out why he said that.
> 
Carol earlier:
>  Apparently, Columbus et al. didn't want to follow JKR in having the kids wear only underwear under the robes, or they didn't know what they wore. (Columbus also had the robes indicate the different Houses through insignias. How the first years knew to buy the right robes is not addressed.) 
> 
> Potioncat:
> In SS/PS the first years are wearing generic Hogwarts uniforms until after they are sorted. At that point the uniforms reflect their house. I thought that was pretty cool. <snip>

Carol:
A magical effect? I didn't notice that! Thanks.


> Potioncat:
> I also seem to recall seeing a JKR interview in which she says something positive about the shrunken heads and I think about the toad chorus. I just love the toad chorus and song! So maybe the interview is on the DVD extras.

Carol responds:
I just checked Disc 2 and it does contain and interview with JKR and the filmmakers (as well as numerous "head-to-shrunken-head interviews with other people that I don't care to subject myself to). It also contains lots of games, behind-the-scenes stuff, and deleted scenes (apparently from Trelawney's Divination class). I suppose I should watch the parts that are tolerable, but I almost never bother with Disc 2!

Cabal/md: 
> > > The only thing I took issue with CGI is the werewolf looks nothing like man or beast, but some third bastard offshoot. Don't understand why? In the book they "ran" with him, but in the movie he's not very animal at all.
> 
> Potioncat:
> Yeah, I kept wondering why Sirius couldn't control the werewolf, and why he doesn't turn into a werewolf at the next moon since he's clearly shown with injuries caused by the werewolf.

Carol responds:
Apparently, Wormtails' brief reference to a potion that Remus forgot to take is supposed to cover that problem. Lupin has been incapacitated once and sick or weak fairly often, but apparently the mysterious potion either prevents him from turning into a werewolf or renders him harmless, as in the books. (Apparently, we're supposed to think that he took it even as a student since there's no reference to WPP running with a werewolf as students, only the hint that young Remus couldn't see any "beauty" or goodness in himself though the angelic Lily could. I suppose that we're also supposed to figure out that Snape, as Potions master, would brew the potion and that's why he was following Lupin and knew to enter the Shrieking Shack--much too quickly in the Time-Turned scene since Lupin has quite a bit of dialogue before Snape bursts in, apparently having heard none of it, whereas in the book, we can tell exactly when he arrives and how much he does--and doesn't--overhear.) 

Potioncat: 
> Potioncat who hopes she hasn't made too many errors at this late posting, and thanks Carol for quietly replacing a missing "s" because I thought about it hours after posting.

Carol:
You're welcome. I sneaked it in hoping that no one would notice!

Carol, waiting for the car repair people to call and tell her that her car is ready to drive home
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