boycotting movie

[Caius Marcius]

No: HPFGUIDX 22267

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "mlmnb" <mlmnb at m...> wrote:
> To Melanie and all others considering not seeing the movie,
> 
> I have to agree with the other posts, don't judge til you see it, 

You misunderstand my point, which is not whether I think THE MOVIE is 
going to be a four-star classic or a 2-thumbs down turkey. Hollywood 
movies and TV are to culture what Microsoft is to computers: a near-
virtual monopoly. Most people, if they read novels at all these days, 
read John Grisham-type junk.  Once upon a time, writers like 
Fitzgerald, Hemingway or Faulkner could write significant works of 
literature which were also popular successes. That is, you could 
discuss and make reference to their books in the popular arena, and 
have a high likelihood of being understood.

Think how rare that is now. When it happens, it's generally with 
junky novels like Bridges of Madison County - and just think how 
quickly that was eclipsed by the mediocre film version.  Now, think 
of how many references you've seen to HP **well before the movie has 
been released**.  As I've said before, this may the only occasion 
during our lifetime when a work of first-rate literature achieves 
this level of popularity. And it has done so strictly as literature!  
A whole generation of children are learning to read and (more 
importantly) to use their imaginations as they read.

Movies on the other hand are a more totalitarian medium. When 
reading, I'm free to imagine Snape in a variety of ways, and I can 
vary him each time I re-read.  In THE MOVIE he must be Alan Rickman.  
Dumbledore must be Richard Harris.  I might or might not dislike Jim 
Dale's reading of HP, but I'm free to ignore it.  Blockbuster movies 
have such strong cultural impact that they can't be totally ignored. 
The movie will certainly sell a lot of HP merchandise, but how much 
will it do to fertilize imaginations?  Worse of all, many children 
who might otherwise have been encouraged to read to find out what 
their friends are all talking about will in a few months time be able 
to pop a cassette in the VCR, and never have to worry about making 
the effort to read.   

Harry Potter, like his nemesis Tom Riddle, currently lives inside a 
book.  Remember what happened to Riddle when he tried to leave his 
book.

>and since
> it's the only visual medium available to us, take advantage of it.

What are painting, etching, drawing, watercolors, tapestry, 
sculpture, etc? And many other art forms, such as architecture, 
theatre, even music in performance, have a significant visual 
component. Saying that film is our only visual medium is like the 
only form of transportation we have began is the internal combustion 
engine.

   - CMC