Tears ... - Don't cry ... Harry Potter (glycerin & water)

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 100199

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "(Mrs.) Lee Storm (God Is The
Healing Force)" <n2fgc at a...> wrote:
> Haven't seen the movie yet, but I'm gonna put forth a simple 
> observation or two re the tears thing.
> 
> Some actors just can't do the tears thing very well, so it's
> necessary to observe the rest of the attitude.  Case in point would 
> be an episode in Star Trek--Next Generation where Majel Barret is 
> supposed to be crying hysterically but her face is dry.  Now, here's
> an experienced actress who just can't get tears to flow.
> 
> This only one theory...that Dan R. just hasn't been able to learn 
> how to do it.
> 
> Another theory might be that Harry is to numbed to _really_ cry, or
> that he managed to dry his face before the cloak was pulled off and 
> is holding back more tears because the last thing in the world a 
> teen would want is for his friends to see what he may feel is 
> "sissy" behavior.
> 
> Just a couple of thinkings.
> 
> Cheers,
> Lee :-)

bboy_mn:

Good points one and all, Lee. As others have pointed out bawling-like
crying would have been inapproperate, Harry doesn't cry in the
books.In fact, the books make of point of bring Harry right to the
edge of tears, but not allowing him to go all the way, and I think the
books/author has a very definite reason for that. BUT...

Here is a cross-post of mine from another group on the subject of
crying. ---->


I'm going to teach you all how to cry on cue.

Mix a little glycerin with water and dab it under your eyes. Bada-bing
Bada-boom... crying. This wasn't a problem of acting, it was problem
of make-up.

First, the sobbing without a doubt that wasn't Dan, and even if it
was, it was dubbed in after the fact. The whole point of the sobbing
it to indicate an invisible Dan/Harry was there.

I don't think a blubbering Harry with tears pooring out of his eyes
would have been appropriate. In the book, Harry's eyes do well up and
water with various emotions, but being a typical 'guy', he fights hard
not to actually cry.

So, the logical way for the scene to been staged would have been for
Harry to have a little wetness under his eyes (glycerin & water) but
not actual flowing tears.

As long as we are talking about 'guys', people have commented why Ron
stood back reluctant too get to close or too involved. Well, of
course, the answer is because Ron is a 'GUY' and Harry is a guy, and
Ron wouldn't want to see Harry crying, and Harry definitely wouldn't
want him to see it. It's a guy thing, we don't do crying.

Finally, the shift in Dan/Harry's mood in that scene, from anguish to
anger, that is a pretty legitimate and common shift for someone who is
in the throes of complex emotions. Even when the anguish is
dominating, the anger is there just below the surface, and once the
emotions are enflamed, and in a sense, accelerated, they really can
shift pretty quickly.

In fact, this exact type of shift to explosive anger frequently occurs
when a person is trying very hard to repress the true underlying emotion.

So, I had no problem with the anger shift.

Just a few thoughts.

bboy_mn