Half-Blood Prince

[dragonyphoenix]

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: A review, well more like random thoughts, combining notes from the movie and the novel

• So right at the beginning there are all these photos being taken of Harry and Dumbledore and I'm straining to think why. For some reason my brain jumped back two books to the TriWizard Tournament. It took me a moment to realize they were coming out of the Ministry of Magic just after Sirius' death. If I'd started the novel first, I wouldn't have had that problem because the novel does a better job of anchoring into the timeline.




• I think it was Ron who said this: “Hogwarts. Dumbledore. What could be safer?” Really? After all the almost dying you've done, you really believe that?




• I had a hard time watching the scene where Harry was about to be caught on the train by Draco.




• When Narcissia and Bellatrix visit Snape, is this the first scene that does not include Harry?




• Hermione, rejected, attacking Ron with the birds (when he stumbles in with that Lavender girl) rather parallels Snape attacking Lily by calling her a mudblood.




• Felix Felicis: Of course Malfoy wants a lucky day. I'm actually rather surprised the vial wasn't stolen.




• Riddle's mother staggers into an orphanage, gives birth, and dies. Why, Riddle is Oliver Twist. I'm not sure what the little scamps would be singing in that musical.




• Voldemort when asking for the teaching position from Dumbledore: “I have experience. I have pushed the boundaries of magic.” Sounds like Snape with his modifications of potions and creating his own spells.




• In the movie, I wish they'd show the scene with Fleur at the Burrow over Christmas ragging on Mrs. Weasley's taste in music.




• Toward the end of the novel, I cried.

And look how many credits there are before we see a female name, other than Rowling's:

1. Directed by David Yates




2. Screenplay by Steve Kloves




3. Produced by David Heyman




4. Also produced by David Barron




5. Executive Producer: Lionel Wigram




6. Director of Photography Bruno dedBonnel




7. Production Designer: Stuart Craig




8. Edited by Mark Day




9. Co-producer John Trehy




10. Score composed by Nicholas Hooper




11. Visual Effects Supervisor: Tim Burke




12. Costume Designer (FINALLY!): Jany Temime

Comments

[kikimay]

Yeah! I also get confused at the beginning. You have to remember that the flashback is about Sirius' death (and Dumbledore's ring)

Narcissa and Bellatrix scene is outside Harry's POV. I do think it's the first time. After all even the previous Voldemort scenes were from the nightmares and still in Harry's POV. It's quite a change, but I guess that JKR couldn't help it. We need to start suspecting Snape and better introducing Narcissa.

[dragonyphoenix.livejournal.com]

Draco has a strong personal arc in this book. Up until now he's been Harry's nemesis but in a school kids way. Now Draco has his own arc, separate from how he's interacting with Harry, so those scenes without Harry in them all follow that arc. So, yeah, we really are at a point where we can't have Harry's PoV of the scene.

[dragonyphoenix.livejournal.com]

If you Google Harry Potter alchemy, there are all kinds of links. This one (http://harrypotterforseekers.com/alchemy/alchemy.php) goes into detail on many of the characters.

[kikimay]

Wow, amazing! I knew nothing about it, although I find alchemy and the historical study of alchemy very very interesting. It's such an ancient idea heavily adapted in the Middle Ages. Fascinating!

[dragonyphoenix.livejournal.com]

I got into it via alchemical fire circles (http://vegasvortex.com/pages/firecirclehome). I'm only beginning to study alchemy.

[kikimay]

But I think it's also important because of Narcissa. We clearly get the impression that all she cares about is her son, Draco. And that is crucial to the final act of the story.

[dragonyphoenix.livejournal.com]

It's been a while since I've read it. In fact, my mother died the day I picked up the final book so the only time I've read it, I was up all night - till 7 AM when I finished it - using it as a distraction from grief. I don't really remember a whole lot of the plot.

[kikimay]

I'm very sorry. I imagine that reading it does not bring along happy memories.

[dragonyphoenix.livejournal.com]

We'll see. I have it on-hold at the library. This was way back in 2008 so I'll probably not recall it very well so old memories shouldn't be an issue.

[dragonyphoenix.livejournal.com]

Actually I was (mostly) introduced to Buffy the same way. I'd seen some eps in repeats beforehand but after my mother died a friend lent me all the DVDs season by season. Then I discovered fandom and fanfic and so on. Watching Buffy doesn't bring back bad memories so I think Deathly Hallows won't either.

[snogged.livejournal.com]

The film version of Half-Blood Prince is my least favorite of the whole series. Something about it just bugs me.

I do like seeing the conflict that Draco has to go through when he's torn between loyalties. I thought Tom Felton did a great job with that.

[dragonyphoenix.livejournal.com]

Yeah, he did make that work.