From: Leah Langby <langby_at_ifls.lib.wi.us>
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 2011 09:22:05 -0500

I have to weigh in here...I haven't seen HP7 part 2, but here's what I think of Dumbledore:

Dumbledore is one of my favorite characters in the book, and I was also very disappointed in the way he was portrayed, particularly in the fourth movie. For me, part of his charm is that he is so complex and powerful, but affable and not easily discombobulated, even when faced with terrifying circumstances. In the movie (particularly #4) he is mean and yelling and seems very scared, which didn't fit at all for me. Part of his charm is his mild manners, sense of humor, and civility when dealing with evil things. For me, it made him seem much more powerful and actually complex and delightful in the book than in the movie.

That was the deal for me.
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Leah Langby Library Development and Youth Services Coordinator Indianhead Federated Library System 1538 Truax Boulevard Eau Claire, WI 54703-1569 phone: 715-839-5082 ext.114 fax: 715-839-5151 email: langby_at_ifls.lib.wi.us www.ifls.lib.wi.us


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----- Original Message -----

From: Megan Schliesman To: ccbc-net, Subscribers of Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2011 8:50 AM Subject:
 HP Movie vs. Book

I've had a few conversations recently with people after we all saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt 2 about some of the differences between the movie and the book. Some of the most interesting observations are from people who have not read the books and only seen the movies.

One person shared the response of someone who knows HP only from the movies and said he had a really hard time with Dumbledore's character because he seemed to be so mean in the recent movies. Another after watching the most recent movie thought that Snape--based on the flashback sequence--was Harry's father.

And I thought how true it is that if you only have seen the movies you miss so many of the complexities of characters and interactions. Dumbledore does get darker as the stories progress, I think in part because he hates the burden he has to put on Harry as it draws closer. And I think that in both the movie (and even to some extent the books), Harry's father is fairly easy to dismiss. (In the movie, he just smiles a lot when the characters is seen--Lily gets to actually speak and interact with Harry).

I found myself really upset at one point during the recent movie after Harry told Ron and Hermione to kill the snake. "But wait!" I thought. "He tells Neville to kill the snake in the book. And Neville has to kill the snake because Neville is the other person whom the prophecy could have been about. IThis is so wrong!" I was relieved that it was, indeed, Neville who finally killed the snake, but really--I'm sure I missed part of the battle of Hogwarts obsessing over that.

I'm curious how many of you know kids or adults who know HP ONLY from the movies, and how well you think the movies do at conveying the FACTS of the story--the elements of the plot and interactions required to make sense of what has happened.

Megan

Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison 600 N. Park Street, Room 4290 Madison, WI 53706

608/262-9503 schliesman_at_education.wisc.edu

www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/

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Received on Tue 26 Jul 2011 09:22:05 AM CDT