Over the weekend, I took in a viewing of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Now knowing that I have seen the one movie my parents actually ventured out of their house to see this year, I can share plenty with them as they are Potter fans. I've read almost all of the books (I forgot to read the Chamber of Secrets for some reason) and I have always meant to re-read the series. Now I have some drive to do that.
But before I get to that point, I had to point out something that the filmmakers decided to leave out from the Half-Blood Prince book. In hopes I don't come across like an angry early review I read last year, I thought the subtraction of Dumbledore's funeral was wise. Sure, I hope the scene is in the Deathly Hallows movie, but tone-wise, having a Dumbledore funeral after all the mourning and grieving that's already in the movie would seem redundant. Therein lies the challenge of adapting a book into a movie, and moreover, a book series into a movie series.
I can recall when the breaking news about The Return of the King was that Saruman's death would not be in the theatrical cut. An online petition was even started, begging Peter Jackson to put the scene back into the theatrical cut. Well, Jackson's stance stood, and the theatrical cut was all for the better. When the scene was placed in the extended version, people were happy to finally see it, and it made sense why it was removed. Pacing-wise, the scene just threw the beginning off, and the bigger villain in that film was Sauron anyway.
I say you could chalk all this up to understanding that there are more purists than editors speaking up on the Internet. The purists want everything from a book to be made into a film, not really thinking about the film meant to entertain and tell a whole story in one sitting. I think the filmmakers did a great job, and I look forward to final two-part film.
But before I get to that point, I had to point out something that the filmmakers decided to leave out from the Half-Blood Prince book. In hopes I don't come across like an angry early review I read last year, I thought the subtraction of Dumbledore's funeral was wise. Sure, I hope the scene is in the Deathly Hallows movie, but tone-wise, having a Dumbledore funeral after all the mourning and grieving that's already in the movie would seem redundant. Therein lies the challenge of adapting a book into a movie, and moreover, a book series into a movie series.
I can recall when the breaking news about The Return of the King was that Saruman's death would not be in the theatrical cut. An online petition was even started, begging Peter Jackson to put the scene back into the theatrical cut. Well, Jackson's stance stood, and the theatrical cut was all for the better. When the scene was placed in the extended version, people were happy to finally see it, and it made sense why it was removed. Pacing-wise, the scene just threw the beginning off, and the bigger villain in that film was Sauron anyway.
I say you could chalk all this up to understanding that there are more purists than editors speaking up on the Internet. The purists want everything from a book to be made into a film, not really thinking about the film meant to entertain and tell a whole story in one sitting. I think the filmmakers did a great job, and I look forward to final two-part film.
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