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[CCBC-Net] Movie number 5
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From: harryspenc at aol.com <harryspenc>
Date: Thu, 09 Aug 2007 11:35:57 -0400
I know that it's impossible to get all the details from a complex book into a feature length movie, but I have a problem when there are big changes in characters. In the book, Snape, (Oops! I mean Professor Snape) gave fake Veritas syrup to Umbridge, because it would have been illegal, not to mention that it would have broken his promise to Dumbledore to protect the students. In the movie, they use Veritas as a convenient solution to save time, along with combining Cho and Marietta as characters. I can live with that, I guess, but I was not happy with the duel at the Ministry scene.
I was a little disappointed that the statues didn't come to life. That would have been cool special effects! But here's the big problem: In the book version of the duel, Dumbledore was in complete control, and Voldemort was portrayed as unsure and even frightened. In the movie, Dumbledore was crouching and dodging and looking nervous. Voldemort looked more powerful, and that is not at all how it should have been done. I feel like I know Dumbledore as well as anyone, and it bothers me that he was looking scared while facing Tom Riddle. (especially now that we know he had an unbeatable wand!)
On another topic, someone wondered about age appropriateness of these later books. I started to wonder about elementary appropriateness with book 4. That graveyard scene is quite graphic. But in the end, I've concluded that any elementary student who has read the previous books deserves to keep reading. I talk to children about what they have read, and if they have a grasp of what happened in the previous book, and some predictions about what might happen in the next, I don't think we should be putting up barriers. If they haven't read the others to that point, I do my best to convince them to back up.
Bridget Hill Hintgen Elementary School La Crosse, WI
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Received on Thu 09 Aug 2007 10:35:57 AM CDT
Date: Thu, 09 Aug 2007 11:35:57 -0400
I know that it's impossible to get all the details from a complex book into a feature length movie, but I have a problem when there are big changes in characters. In the book, Snape, (Oops! I mean Professor Snape) gave fake Veritas syrup to Umbridge, because it would have been illegal, not to mention that it would have broken his promise to Dumbledore to protect the students. In the movie, they use Veritas as a convenient solution to save time, along with combining Cho and Marietta as characters. I can live with that, I guess, but I was not happy with the duel at the Ministry scene.
I was a little disappointed that the statues didn't come to life. That would have been cool special effects! But here's the big problem: In the book version of the duel, Dumbledore was in complete control, and Voldemort was portrayed as unsure and even frightened. In the movie, Dumbledore was crouching and dodging and looking nervous. Voldemort looked more powerful, and that is not at all how it should have been done. I feel like I know Dumbledore as well as anyone, and it bothers me that he was looking scared while facing Tom Riddle. (especially now that we know he had an unbeatable wand!)
On another topic, someone wondered about age appropriateness of these later books. I started to wonder about elementary appropriateness with book 4. That graveyard scene is quite graphic. But in the end, I've concluded that any elementary student who has read the previous books deserves to keep reading. I talk to children about what they have read, and if they have a grasp of what happened in the previous book, and some predictions about what might happen in the next, I don't think we should be putting up barriers. If they haven't read the others to that point, I do my best to convince them to back up.
Bridget Hill Hintgen Elementary School La Crosse, WI
________________________________________________________________________ AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at AOL.com.
Received on Thu 09 Aug 2007 10:35:57 AM CDT
