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?

This is brilliant

m.youtube.com/watch?v=-gWHuiCIGG0

Oh, absolutely, tanith.

I get the shudders just imagining a US version. Not because I'm virulently anti-US, just, it's ours and I love how British it is.

ABland -I love it!

Especially the patronus as 'deer jesus'.

I always thought Richard E Grant should have been in the films. Somewhere.

The dance is Not In The Book. Harry's hatred and fear of dancing Are In The Book. I stand by this.
The change of Flitwick really annoys me - he's an actual character. Also, they wear robes, not school uniform. This one really drives me nuts.
I have spent hours of my life discussing the practicality of the harry potter world, such as career prospects and inbreeding. But the books will always be home, and I was 8 when I read the first one so have really grown up with them. I do think some of the 'crap acting' was due to poor scripts, that just didn't give any of them a chance to actually do a anything with it.

I can't believe all the hate on Rupert Grint. He was the only decent actor of the main 3.

And surely they could have cast a child actor who had a proven track record of good acting? I can think of a few fantastic child actors.
Emma Watson was APPALLING in my opinion, and DR was just cringingly bad!

Neville did so not marry Hannah Abbott. He married Luna in my world.

Me, too!

I'm pretty sure the burrow was better in the earlier films! Does anyone remember when the second film came out and on the website you could 'tour' the burrow online? Was way better than the one used in later films!

The uniforms instead of robes was one of the changes I thought worked really well.

I remember they also made a conscious decision to use corduroy trousers instead of jeans in the first film.

Privet Drive should have been a suburban 1930s semi, but I understand their reasons for changing it (they were afraid that an American audience wouldn't see it as boring and mundane) and I think it works just as well.

I liked the bathroom entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, too.

I must say, I watched the first film desperate to see a real, live Quidditch match, the realisation of Diagon Alley, the entrance to Platform 9 3/4, Ollivander's shop, the Great Hall... :)

BloodMan, they had to cast child actors prepared to do the project for eight years. Established child actors were probably less likely to do this .

Call me cynical but I imagine the change to uniforms had something to do with possibly more parents being prepared to fork out £££s for a Gryffindor jumper than for a long black sheet.

Quidditch is possibly the most boring part of any of it, book or film. I inwardly groan when I get to a Quidditch match on paper.

Yes, that's likely right, drank.

I do find, watching it as someone who went to the sort of school where teachers did wear academic gowns to assembly, visually funny. Because I am aware that academic gowns are not actually part of most people's image of teachers today, and I'm sure there must be children who see it and thing they're primarily wizardy rather than dusty-old-chalkboards-y.

I quickly skim over any quidditch matches in the books. Abit too dull for me.

Did they have a slightly different film in the US? I know it's called the sorcerers stone instead of philosophers stone.
Also I saw a clip of Harry and Ron finding Filtches teach yourself magic book ( or named something along those lines) whilst I was in the US.

Filtch is another brilliantly cast character. Such a good actor.

So agree with the fact that it would have been horrendous if Spielberg had produced it. It's most definatly had to be British.

I see the burrow as more hobbit like,or a tumbled down rambling cottage. The house in the film was too ostentatious for the Weasleys.

I think the child actors did a fair enough job really. Rupert Grint was in my opinion the best.

I forgot about this one till I watched 'everything wrong with....' But why add Harry to the triwizard tournament just to transport him to the graveyard? Surely there was another way to create a portkey.

Slithytove you have totally explained the plot to me after never really getting it completely despite reading all the books and seeing all the films numerous times and dh and my kids attempting to explain it to me.

Thank you so much.

I love hp.

Thanks for this thread, I have really enjoyed it.

Isn't it funny how our opinion of the actors is so radically different? I thought Rupert and DR were shocking, esp in the first few, and Hermione was the only credible one

I have just started reading them to DS. I have been waiting for this moment since he was born. It is brilliant .

The only thing bothering me is the way she uses people changing colour as a shorthand to their emotional state. It happens about three times on every page.

I could not hate GoF film more whereas GOF book is my favourite. Its got the quidditch world cup in, but in the film you actually dont see any quidditch played. DH wont let me watch it because he says I moan too much. So much missed out-should have been 2 films as far as im concerned- no winky, no house ekf liberation front.

I do love Gambon though, and maggie Smith is just great

lrd have you read The Shoebox Project?

I've come across it. I have to admit, I don't really get on with stuff that isn't narrative. I know people who like it say it's very good, though!

humphrey - no worries, I've enjoyed the thread too. I know what you mean about changing colour. And the bloody shouting! I know they're teenagers, but the caps lock is hard to read.

Another one who expected Neville to end up with Luna. Hannah Abbott, I mean...who?! (I know who she is, but hardly an interesting character).

Or MAYBE Neville could have married someone he wasn't in school with .

In fairness though I suppose they were all in school with all the British wizards their own age.

Well, when did all these "half blood" marriages happen?!