to think that the Harry Potter are timeless literature and the films are woefully miscast?

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

Inflammatory title to draw you in. I hope. I just fancied some HP chat.

I'm re-watching the films at the moment. Is it me or is there something old-ladyish about Alan Rickman's mouth? I realize I am thinking about this far too hard, and I know it's practically forbidden to speak ill of him on MN. But every time I see those films, I'm disappointed again that he just isn't as sexy as his voice.

I also think the Burrow looks all wrong to me. I love what they do with the reeds in the scene where Bellatrix taunts Harry and he and Ginny run after her. But I imagined the Burrow being rural and farmland-ish, with an overgrown garden around it - not plonked down in the middle of a marsh. Am I right?

What's your favourite bit of the films/books?

where does it say in the books that lily and james died aged 21?

I think JKR admitted she's really not good at maths so the ages/number of pupils at Hogwarts are quite off.

I found the backstory of the Elder Wand really unsatisfying in that sense, too. There's a string of names of former owners given, which are obviously meant to suggest a sense of history from medieval to about the eighteenth century. But WTF is going on with the names of the original three brothers? Is 'Antioch' a particularly obvious allusion to anything? I know 'Ignotus' means 'Unknown' which makes sense, but the others are bizarre.

And then when Hermione finds his grave (which is a really gorgeous scene otherwise), it's eighteenth century.

(Yes, I am aware this could not possibly matter less. )

Ok, the foetus thing.

Voldemort made horcruxes throughout his evil reign. He chose to split his soul and put a piece of his soul into certain things. Ring, locket, diary, snake, diadem, and cup. He had split his soul so much, that when the killing curse rebounded off Harry and hit him, it split his soul once more, which attached itself to Harry.

So 6 intentional, 1 unintentional.

The piece of soul, when freed from the horcruxes, looks like that slimy foetus in the waiting room (place between heaven and hell?).

So when Harry was 'killed', it destroyed the last horcrux, rendering voldemort truly mortal and just a man, therefore killable.

Harry understood that he was a horcrux and was meant to die. So he didn't fight. He let himself die, to protect all of his friends etc.

He was able to come back due to Lily's protection, but he in turn protected all of his friends etc because he was willing to die for them. Hence why all voldemorts curses weren't binding and he kept missing them with his spells.

Then, it came down to just Harry and voldemort. And the elder wand would not turn on its true master.

So in the end, it was hallows, horcruxes, and Lily's protection all needed to destroy voldemort.

I am so sad.

dance - their gravestone has their dates of birth and death.

Ahhhh. OK.

The actor who played Bill is Brendan Gleeson's son I think.

If we are getting on to logic (heaven forbid!), shouldn't Lily have been protected by James's self sacrifice?

Life is highly overrated, slithy. Stay here with us instead.

(I am doing absolutely no work today, because I'm worked out, and it is actually really difficult to relax and not fret about working, so this thread is very helpful!)

ABland - oh, no, that would have been annoying!

I like to think Lily and James love each other, but in a normal adult way, not the same way you'd love a helpless baby.

I am tired today and really not being productive.

Hence thread (and kindle sale!)

ABland - no, because james died trying to fight him off.

Lily was like - kill me, don't touch Harry. Not trying to prevent her death.

I saw an interview with jkr where she said Emma Watson was too pretty to play Hermione. Book Hermione had bad teeth and was uber geeky.

In ootp the film didnt include the search through the department of mysteries in the ministry. I was really looking forward to seeing the brains ect.

IMO the films left out too much info on Sirus's mirror, that harry and aberforth both have pieces of, and Harry's dilemma of wether to persue the horcruxes or the hallows.

James wouldn't have died to save anyone. Was knobber. (another thing which grates, the idyllic worship of a bully by everyone.)

Oh, and why didn't Lupin defend Sirius in PoA? He must have known he was innocent? Was he pretending? Pfffft.

Also, I wished voldermorts family history had been included in the films.

I fricking HATE the mirror of Sirius. If Sirius had explained that properly to Harry then he wouldn't have had to use the Floo powder and nearly get caught by Unbridge.

"Oh, and why didn't Lupin defend Sirius in PoA? "

No - they each thought the other had betrayed James and Lily, when it was actually Wormtail.

That's a great summary of James's character, drank.

When would Lupin have known Sirius was innocent, though? Surely he was in a horrible position because he'd have to believe one or other of his best friends was a murderer, wouldn't he?

YY, I wish Harry's Patronus had been a doe (which would have been more logical, given the blood sacrifice bit).

It is possible james grew up from being a wanky show off 15 year old.

And I got the impression Lupin didn't know Sirius was innocent

"ABland - no, because james died trying to fight him off."

Didn't James say - take Harry and run, I'll fight him off - with the implication being 'to save you both'?

slithy is that the written ending to the book or your interpretation of the ending? Either way it's great and ties things up a bit, thanks

Yes but it is because he was fighting.

Lily didn't. She was given the choice to stand aside and save herself but she chose to die to try and save Harry.

Mmm. I think Harry's patronus is a stag because he hero-worships his father. And people do make the point that patronuses can change as you grow up, so it might have done.

I agree James might have grown up, though, TBF. I also think Lily might be less wonderful than Harry imagines. Let's face it, she doesn't exactly compare well to Hermione, who hears Harry and Ron being utter gits to her in her first year and comes through it, and who spends a lot of time telling Harry to stop assuming Snape is evil, even though Snape is pretty foul to her. OTOH Lily hears someone who's being provoked call her a mudblood and never forgives him, which seems a bit odd to me.