HBP cut scene(s)

[justcarol67]

--- In HPFGU-Movie at yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <bboyminn at ...> wrote:
Carol earlier:
> > 
> > Are you sure? I could have sworn that Slughorn's luncheon, complete with Marcus Belby choking on his partridge, was shown in the theater. It was definitely missing from the DVD.

Steve responddc:
> 
> The problem is, in the movie, the scene doesn't open until they are done with dinner and having desert; they are eating ice cream. Pretty hard to choke on ice cream. 
> 
> I suspect the vivid images of the books in your mind, have clouded you view of the movie. 
> 
> The scene opens with everyone eating ice cream. Slughorn speakers with Cormac, then turns his attention to Belby, who is wolfing down ice cream like their is no tomorrow. Slughorn turns his attention away from Belby as Jenny walks in late. Being the only gentleman in the room, Harry stands as Ginny enters. Then, somewhere in the mix, Slughorn turns his attention to Hermione to says her parents are Dentists, and how a child bit Mr. Granger. 

<snip 
> Also, it was during Sluggie's luncheon on the train where Belby chokes on some pheasant.
> 
> Steve/bboyminn
>
Carol responds:

I'm not talking about the dessert scene (which is thoroughly altered from Sluggie's dinner at Hogwarts as presented in the book.) I'm referring to the train scene when we first see Marcus Belby (and he chokes on the pheasant). Neville is also invited to that get-acquainted luncheon and so is Ginny even though Slughorn doesn't know who she is because of a spell she cast. Hermione, Cormac McLaggen, Blaise Zabini are also there. I could have sworn that the luncheon on the train was in the movie when I saw it in the theater. It's rather pointless, IMO, to have Belby (and Zabini?) appear in the later scene if they haven't been introduced in the earlier one. The whole concept of the Slug Club becomes confusing to the viewer who hasn't read the book.

Setting aside the luncheon, the whole train scene seems terribly curtailed to me, including Harry's spying on Draco. And, of course, they eliminated the scene with the Dursleys and substituted the (pointless) scene with the Muggle waitress, who somehow seems to know who Harry is, but that's not what I'm talking about.

I won't even talk about having Flitwick rather than Snape admit Harry into Hogwarts.

Carol, who remembers being disappointed by the theatrical version primarily because of the treatment of Snape rather than the botched beginning

Carol, who probably waited too long to buy and watch the DVD