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?

sangria - ooh, no, must disagree.

Luna irritates the heck out of me. I don't get what people see in her. Book or film.

I hate the character of Tonks in both the books and films. I just don't buy her and Lupin as a couple.

Daniel Radcliffe grew on me over the course of the series but I remember that the first time I saw a photo of him after the casting had been announced (I was 14 or 15), I had a really visceral reaction of "no, that's not Harry". Took me a while to get over it!

Oh yes, Branagh as Lockhart (if I was very rude id mutter about type casting)

And major complaint from eight year old consumer was the lack of Peeves!

Ooh yez the Aragog Pincer scene was Radcliffe at his best!

am i then the only one who yearned for Winky? agree David Tennant was under used.

No dance, I did too!

I don't get Branagh as Lockhart. He was meant to be young and good looking?

Jason isaacs was perfect as Lucius.

I loved Lupin & Tonks

Was gutted that they cut Teddy Lupin out.

Fred and George were pretty perfect.

Hacked- that was the bit- the pincer bit.

We-eeelll ... to be fair, about Branagh, I think we're seeing the 'young and good-looking' through soppy teenagers' eyes. Didn't you do that at school? People developing crushes on the one poor bloke on the staff who was under 50 and had all his own teeth?

I think it's clear in the books he's not that famous - his target market is Mrs Weasley's age range, isn't it?

I think the related argument is that we can't assume Snape is literally an ugly bat with crap hair, simply because Harry and Ron say so. Because kids always say that sort of thing about teachers they hate.

I have read the books umpteen times. Going to the tour next Sunday and I am SO EXCITED!!!!

I think the cast for Snape, the weasleys (all of them), Hagrid, McGonagall, Sirius, Luna and Neville were great. Dumbledore 1 was better than Dumbledore 2. Bellatrix, Peter Pettigrew and Voldemort also fantastic.

Daniel Radcliffe still really winds me up to this day... There is just no emotion. I cry fucking buckets every time I read the part when Dobby dies and DR does not portray it at all I have always tthought he was the wrong boy for the job. Not that I could have told you who is, to be fair.
The way they portrayed Ginny in the films was also bloody awful. No fire at all!
I totally agree with PP about the duel between Mrs Weasley and Belatrix being understated in the films, in the book I was on the edge of my seat, the film was just a non starter. And the actual death of Fred Weasley. Although the moment in the film where they are crowded round his body on the bed after was beautiful.
Also really wish they hadn't skipped so much important information qin the fourth and fifth films.

I am so glad they split the last book into two films. Would have made no sense otherwise!

Oooh yes, Lucius Malfoy was absolutely brilliant. And Rufus Scrimgeaour.

The Bill/Fleur wedding was such a let down. There was a huge part if the story there and it was missed out. Harry went as himself as well which pissed me off.

AR was too old to play Snape.

Totally disagree on Dumbledore. I'm sorry to say this of someone who's died, but Richard Harris was too old. Yes, Dumbledore is supposed to be old, but also incredibly charismatic and exuberant. I cannot imagine RH having done any of the fighting scenes in books/films 5 and 6. Gambon was brilliant. Cunning and sly, just like Dumbledore.

Agree entirely, I adore Gambon as Dumbledore. Agree that he represents much more of what Dumbledore turns out to be in the books rather than the fatherly figure of the earlier books, but that could be because as Dumbledore started to gain depth as a character the actors switched and so Gambon's DD looked dark by comparison (IYSWIM?)

Ian Mckellen was offered DD after Harris died and turned it down, I think because he was busy already being a wizard in LOTR.

Love Barty Crouch, Jr & Sr - love Bellatrix and think HBC's portrayal of slightly nuts was perfect. Maggie Smith too is perfect. Alan Rickman is good, Snape is the only role he's ever played where I actually liked him!

Didn't like Tonks or Luna in the books and didn't come round to them on screen either. Hate the pairing of Tonks & Lupin, but I did love all the Marauders casting (Tim Spall, Gary Oldman & David Thewlis).

Daniel Radcliffe gets in to the swing of it in later films but it took a few for me to warm to him (sounds mean since he was only about 4...) never liked Emma Watson's Hermione but Rupert Grint has always been superb (and without him the casting of the main trio would be really flawed IMO - he brings the other actors two up).

I never liked Dobby

Harry's parents were about 20-23 when they died in the books iirc, so what the fuck they were doing as old codgers I don't know. Pisses me off every time they pop up on screen.

I can take or leave the Dursleys but I really like Fiona Shaw.

Personally didn't think the back in times bit with young James, young Lily, young Snape etc were very well done - found them quite jarring.

I love Clemence Poesy as Fleur, but agree the character was not the same as in the book. Agree that Ginny was very wet compared to her book counterpart.

The epilogue was a pile of depressing shite and I hate hate hate it.

Look what you've done to me. I'm a grown woman writing essays about HP casting

I was just thinking as I caught up that I forgive Daniel as he seems so cool now. The thing with keeping the same clothes for the apps was genius.

Chris, DH a I did the tour in January. I cried at the first bit. Wont spoil it for you, but try sit at the front.

I also wish they hadn't filmed HBP in the bloody dark.

Dd and I say it every time "had the lighting budget run out or something?" (though my film critic buff student tells me HBP is the best for technical portrayal of cinematic tension etc but I just want to shriek "turn a bloody light on!")

I agree the Burrow is horrid. It should be higgledy piggledy, yes, but not in the middle of the set from Children of the Corn. Isn't it supposed to be in a village? Or on the outskirts?

Daniel Radcliffe says he can't watch the first 2 films as he cringes at his acting.

Tbh I think he has grown into a good actor who always seems to throw himself into it all and I'm glad he hasn't turned into an awful film brat.

Can't believe no one has mentioned the fantastic Miriam Margolyes as Professor Sprout.

Everyone of the older generation were cast too old - Harry's parents were supposed to be early 20s when they died, the Dursleys should've been early 30s at the start of the films as should Sirius, Lupin, Snape et al. But the biggest travesty was the death of Voldemort - in the book he fell with a pathetic thump, just a human man, whereas in the film he magically disintegrated. I felt they missed an important part of the story there - Voldemort wasn't a mythical monster, he was simply a man who commited immense evil.

Casting of Madam Rosmerta gets on my tits. She was just wrong and I don't know why. She seemed too stage schooly or something