[HPforGrownups] Re: GoF Reduction Discussion

[Ariana]

No: HPFGUIDX 103535

Amber:
> Yes, it's typical Harry going to the rescue, but I
> would love to see the first task, too. When Harry
> summons his Firebolt to him, it would provide great
> special effects.

IIRC, in the same interview where Dan Radcliffe said he was learning
scuba-diving, he mentioned that he wasn't looking forward to filming the
scenes for the first task, because sitting on the broomsticks was very
uncomfortable (heh :). Which indicates to me that the first task is in the
script at least.

I've given some thought to the matter of what they could remove from the
movie. If they really want to tear out the heart of the book, the film
should
concentrate on two main points: the Triwizard Tournament itself, and the
Moody is actually Crouch Jnr revelation at the end.

We already know that the actors playing the Dursleys haven't been asked
back, so any scene involving them will have been removed from the movie,
which isn't much anyway. The next victim could be the Quidditch World Cup.
While it is a fascinating insight into the wizarding world, and offers a
nasty reminder of what the Death Eaters were all about, its only tie to the
two points above is the
introduction of Viktor Krum and Winky. One line of dialog from Ron would be
enough to explain who Krum is when the Durmstrang delegation turns up for
the Tournament, and Winky could be dismissed by Crouch after the Tournament
starts at Hogwarts. If they go straight to Hogwarts, that's 10 chapters less
to stuff into the film already.

(Having said that, PoA wasted a good chunk of screen time on the Knight Bus,
which served no useful purpose to the plot compared to say, explaining who
the Marauders were, so I don't know that they won't succumb to the "cool"
factor of the World Cup and skip the whole 'Moody is actually Crouch Jr'
plot instead! :)

However, assuming they do drop the World Cup... Once at Hogwarts, they can
introduce Moody, and start the Triwizard Tournament. They only need one DADA
lesson with "Moody" to introduce the Unforgivable curse that will kill
Cedric at the end. The first scene of the Triwizard tournament can introduce
Crouch Sr and Percy's relationship to him. The three tasks will probably go
as described in the book; they only seem to take a long time because there's
a lot of Harry dreading them in the book, but I don't think all that will be
necessary, or indeed very useful, in the film.

The Yule Ball will definitely feature, as it's a chance to play up the
romance between Ron and Hermione, which the films have always done so far.
It also starts the Harry-Cho-Cedric thing; why include Cho in this film if
there isn't going to be an opportunity for Harry to ask her out. We might
get a forehead-clutching scene to indicate Harry's growing connection with
Voldemort (unless they leave that for OotP). The graveyard scene will be
there -- though I'm not sure if the fate of Wormtail's hand would suit a PG
film. Cue Crouch Jr's revelation and there's a plot stuffed into two and a
half hours.

You'll notice however that my imagined scenario doesn't involve Rita
Skeeter; I personally wouldn't miss her at all, though I think she's been
cast for GoF. I don't know whether SPEW will feature; they pretty much
glossed over the protracted Crookshanks/Scabbers subplot in PoA, so I can't
see a great deal of screentime for a Hermione-centric topic. They'll
probably find time for a couple of scenes of Malfoy being a tit (or rather a
ferret :), Hagrid revealing he's part giant, a payday for Gary Oldman, and a
speech from Dumbledore. I think it's feasible.

Ariana