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?

(I've not clicked any - my brain is already sufficiently sullied by the thought.)

Didn't Daniel Radcliffe spend most of the time filming the last couple of films hammered? He's recovering from an awful drinking problem apparently :(

Hahaha LRD I'm not brave enough to click any either.

Maybe you could look up Firenze in the phonebook Drank

I'd have liked to have seen all the books done as bbc adaptations like they used to do in the run up to Christmas. But I doubt they'd have had the budget for it.

Ten 30 minute episodes would have been so much better.

"her romp with centaurs"

Just thinking- they were better in the films than the books. They were a bit drippy and dopey weren't they, going on about the moon, and doom signs and suchlike...whereas in the films they were a bit sexy?

imagining sex with things that whinny is wrong, repeat repeat repeat

MaryZ oh dear! It's always a bit sad when you see people like that.

He was one of the longest lived of the big drinkers wasn't he. Harris, Reed etc were all contemporaries of his who passed a good decade or more before he did last year.

Oh, that's so sad, maryz (the O Toole, obviously, not the advice against fantasising which I heartly endorse).

moomin - really?! Crikey. He does look a bit clammy at points. How'd you know?

Jason Isaacs was great as Lucius, oh how beautiful that man is.

I feel a fan fiction story coming on now.

Really Moomin? I know he's said in interviews that he had a problem but thought it was more along the lines of "bit of an unhealthy relationship" than "can't function with or without alcohol". Poor bloke.

I also thought it was more of a getting pissed a bit often (being a teen etc) rather than a full on vodka on the cornflakes situation.

Mmm. I think good on him for talking about it whatever it is. I don't think there are many blokes in their 20s who would do that, or have the sense to admit it might be an issue even if it's not the vodka on cornflakes.

tali - mmm, don't that one. He's nice looking enough, but the character puts me off.

I wonder how much better the films would be if all the books had been written before the first film was shot?

THIS. there must have been a point, once the first had been made into a film, where her writing was influenced by the fact that she KNEW the others would be films too. Did it make her writing more filmesque I wonder? There is certainly a marked jump in the tone of the films once you get past the first two. It seems like more than a years worth of 'growing up' goes on.

Need to Finnish re-reading the books, the films have blurred them for me!

He just doesn't look old enough to drink.

He doesn't look old enough for anything really. And that's part of my issue with him as an actor.

And those promo pics of him for Equus were so very wrong on so many levels.

I am now off to bed with disturbing images of centaurs and DR's penis in my head.

There were quite a few articles about it recently, and a few people who were close to him coming out and saying that it was a real dependence on alcohol. Will try and dig it out if I can find it

Yes, I really, really struggled when those Equus shots came out! And I'm not that much older than him.

But either I have become a dirty old woman, or he's become sufficiently detached from the very young bits of Harry Potter, because I'd not say no now.

I thought Fred and George were awful in the films, so wooden. I loved Jason Isaacs, HBC and Maggie Smith too.

Shame Liam Neeson wasn't in there somewhere, he would have been a great Dumbledore if he were a little older.

Ahh he became teetotal in 2010 so a bit longer ago than I thought, but he speaks about being drunk on set and spiralling out of control here - www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/harry-potter/9060794/Daniel-Radcliffe-I-was-drunk-during-Harry-Potter-filming.html

LRD I'm going with the dirty old woman...it's more fun!

And there was an article a few weeks ago where people were speaking about how bad it was

Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy was brilliant.

moomin - oh, that's so sad, poor him.

I do think it's really impressive to admit to it, because it'd be so easy to paint it as just being a typical young bloke and liking a drink.