Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince--SPOILERS!!!

[Nerdy Black Guy]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

I haven't seen those before. Very classy looking.

And I agree, these books are addictive. There is a reason why they got kids to read again (well, at least these and Twilight anyway). They are great stories and written in a way that you just don't want to stop.

Here's a bit of trivia for you. The reason why these more mature looking book covers were made was so adults can have the freedom of reading them in public without feeling embarrassed. True story.

Unfortunately they don't have them in US stores only Europe or Canada. What I did was pick them up while I was visiting Canada and then brought them back with me to California. But you can also make it easier and order them directly from Amazon Canada. They are great items just to simply add to your Harry Potter collection.

 

[Buttmunch]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

I've never felt embarassed reading them. Everyone has afterall. Plus you can just take the slip cover off and its a pretty plain cover that only people who have read the series would probably recognize.

 

[Darklord Dave]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Hmmm... I don't like it when they change things from the books. The books are sucessful for a reason. If its not broke, don't fix it. I'm fine with minor changes. I mean they are usually necessary when adapting a large book, but something as important as the ending needs to be handled right.

I still feel Sirus' death in OotP was handled like an after thought. "Oh yeah, Gary, I'm sorry but we got to kill you off here." "Oh OK, lets just hurry and do it then." :rolleyes

I was quite sad when Sirus died in the book but felt nothing when he died in the film. I've never been happy with it, but I can't really put my finger on it. Plus I think in the book he was blasted into the vail and he sorta walked into it in the film. In the film, he is clearly dead because of the killing curse, but it was more vague in book, leading me and many to believe he might be alive still.

But I'm rambling now...

See, I thought it was handled far, far better in the film. They made it absolutely clear that he died and wasn't coming back. The only reason for it to be that vague in the book is if she intended to bring him back.

 

[Agent0028]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

I think it was vague in the book so that the reader can experience the way Harry felt, hoping that Sirius was somehow still alive, while really knowing he was dead. That's how I felt anyway. And it sounds like Buttmunch did as well.

Also those new "adult" hardcovers look very cool, but why did they not make them uniform? On some Rowling's name is above the title and on others below it. The same with the font size, on some Harry Potter is the biggest part and in other the latter part of the title is in larger font.

 

[Hulksmashed]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

I think it was vague in the book so that the reader can experience the way Harry felt, hoping that Sirius was somehow still alive, while really knowing he was dead. That's how I felt anyway. And it sounds like Buttmunch did as well.

Exactly. The whole series was written to make the reader feel the emotions that Harry was feeling. Look at book 5 (order of the pheonix). The whole book was written in a sad, brooding and conflicted tone which reflects Harry's mood since losing Cedric in the tournament.

Also, I think the book points out that "Sirius is gone and he isnt coming back". They don't really make it vague, but the reader, like Harry, creates ambiguity in order to keep hope alive. The books just have a depth that can't be captured by the movies!

 

[Darklord Dave]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Exactly. The whole series was written to make the reader feel the emotions that Harry was feeling. Look at book 5 (order of the pheonix). The whole book was written in a sad, brooding and conflicted tone which reflects Harry's mood since losing Cedric in the tournament.

Also, I think the book points out that "Sirius is gone and he isnt coming back". They don't really make it vague, but the reader, like Harry, creates ambiguity in order to keep hope alive. The books just have a depth that can't be captured by the movies!

Well, it certainlymade it a more dramatic scene in the film when you see Oldman react to the death curse before falling through the veil. If he'd been alive going through the veil (as is implied in the book), the scene would have far less of an impact.

 

[Buttmunch]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

I think it was vague in the book so that the reader can experience the way Harry felt, hoping that Sirius was somehow still alive, while really knowing he was dead. That's how I felt anyway. And it sounds like Buttmunch did as well.

Also those new "adult" hardcovers look very cool, but why did they not make them uniform? On some Rowling's name is above the title and on others below it. The same with the font size, on some Harry Potter is the biggest part and in other the latter part of the title is in larger font.

Yeah I knew that he was pretty dead, but there was always that hope because of how he died by being blasted into the vail. I don't remember him being specificaly being hit by a killing curse (but its been a while since I last read it) so I always thought the vail is what killed him.

Exactly. The whole series was written to make the reader feel the emotions that Harry was feeling. Look at book 5 (order of the pheonix). The whole book was written in a sad, brooding and conflicted tone which reflects Harry's mood since losing Cedric in the tournament.

Also, I think the book points out that "Sirius is gone and he isnt coming back". They don't really make it vague, but the reader, like Harry, creates ambiguity in order to keep hope alive. The books just have a depth that can't be captured by the movies!

Yep, just like Harry we hoped Sirius would be alive and come back some how.

Well, it certainlymade it a more dramatic scene in the film when you see Oldman react to the death curse before falling through the veil. If he'd been alive going through the veil (as is implied in the book), the scene would have far less of an impact.

I don't know. Seeing him fighting one mintue and then just disapearing the next might have worked. It probably would have confused viewers though, thus going with the visual of him being killed before falling into the vail. I think how Sirius's death was handled and if you liked it or not is different person to person. Like I said, I can't really put my finger on what isn't working for me, but I just didn't feel that same loss as when I read the book. Maybe its because Sirius and Harry didn't have as much bonding time in the films as in the books?

All I can say is that this film's death needs to be handled much better. It can make or break the film as it is so important to the tone and feeling in Deathly Hallows.

 

[Hulksmashed]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Well, it certainlymade it a more dramatic scene in the film when you see Oldman react to the death curse before falling through the veil. If he'd been alive going through the veil (as is implied in the book), the scene would have far less of an impact.

I agree with you 100%. The scene was more dramatic knowing that he had died! And then the metaphoric visual of him slipping away into the "veil" was well done!

IMO, however, the movies are weaker not because they are poorly done, but because you can't possibly add the depth of the book in theatrical format. In the book you can describe what harry was thinking at that moment over 2 pages if you want. In the movie what harry feels has to be summed up in a few lines of dialoge and a facial expression.

In other words, in the movie there just isnt time for harry to wonder and hope that Sirius is still alive because he isnt and its meaningless to the movie. IN the book you can take your time and allow the hope of sirius' return to linger.

 

[Darth Waller]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

I hope these come to Amazon Kindle soon so I can reread the entire series.

 

[Hulksmashed]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

I don't know. Seeing him fighting one mintue and then just disapearing the next might have worked. It probably would have confused viewers though, thus going with the visual of him being killed before falling into the vail. I think how Sirius's death was handled and if you liked it or not is different person to person. Like I said, I can't really put my finger on what isn't working for me, but I just didn't feel that same loss as when I read the book. Maybe its because Sirius and Harry didn't have as much bonding time in the films as in the books?

I agree the connection just wasnt there for me. I think it goes back to what I was just saying. In the book we had a 100 pages of Harry's feelings about Sirius and what he meant to Harry. Not only could JKR take her time in developing Harry and Sirius' relationship, but she could narrate what Harry felt and thought. In the movie, the same narration is a few words between the pair and some facial expressions. Just not enough to tie us to Sirius' character IMO.

Again though...not really the fault of the makers of the movie!

 

[Agent0028]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

That's true, Sirius' importance in the series is very diminished in the movies and that may have an impact on his death.

 

[Dementor]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Yeah...his death was pretty lame...I got a bit teary but otherwise...blah...

 

[Darklord Dave]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

I agree the connection just wasnt there for me. I think it goes back to what I was just saying. In the book we had a 100 pages of Harry's feelings about Sirius and what he meant to Harry. Not only could JKR take her time in developing Harry and Sirius' relationship, but she could narrate what Harry felt and thought. In the movie, the same narration is a few words between the pair and some facial expressions. Just not enough to tie us to Sirius' character IMO.

Again though...not really the fault of the makers of the movie!

Also JKR was trying to make a statement about how a child is affected by the death of a parent, there's no real time in a movie for that kind of philosophic musing.

 

[Nerdy Black Guy]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

The bonding and the building of the relationship between Harry and the father figure that he never had was a lot deeper in the books at least for me personally. You felt happy to see Harry finally have someone in his life who actually cared about him after all the abuse he took from his aunt and uncle. But then to see him lose Sirius so soon had alot more impact. But I also like the vague part where you actually hold out hope that there is a good chance that he may comeback. It's a natural feeling when you lose someone in some terrible tragedy where you actually didn't see the body that you hope he's out there somewhere alive and well. Example: a man was in Thailand years ago on business and was lost in the middle of the terrible tsunamis. They could never find his body but even so, his wife hoped and prayed that he may be alive somewhere under the sun thinking about her, just like she was always thinking of him. She never lost hope. You sympathized with her and her emotion, her pain and her hope.

It's very difficult for a filmmaker to fill all that raw emotion of book pages into just 2 hours. But if someone prefers the film version instead then that's OK to because everyone has different emotions and different feelings. I can argue with them to like the book better but it may not work....just like they can argue with me that the film was better even though I prefer the books. That's OK because in the end we agree to disagree since we are all different. My likes will always be different from your likes. People are different.

 

[KitFisto]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

That's true, Sirius' importance in the series is very diminished in the movies and that may have an impact on his death.

But having read the books I still felt the same emotion about Sirius' death in the movie because we knew how much Harry loved him and what he meant to him. I tend to tie the books and movies together when watching the films and can easily feed off of what I know from the books when watching the films.

 

[Darth Caedus]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Also JKR was trying to make a statement about how a child is affected by the death of a parent, there's no real time in a movie for that kind of philosophic musing.

I think I'm in the minority here, but thought his "death" being ambiguous and up to the interpretation of the reader was an excellent way of not actually showing him die. Granted, in the 7th book, you find out what the veil was and that he actually did die, up until then, there was just a slight glimmer of hope that he might still be alive and able to come back. Harry even thinks just that at the end of the book.

And I will agree that to fully show Harry's reaction to Sirius' death could have added a whole 45 minutes to the film BUT, I would have watched it

 

[Agent0028]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

But having read the books I still felt the same emotion about Sirius' death in the movie because we knew how much Harry loved him and what he meant to him. I tend to tie the books and movies together when watching the films and can easily feed off of what I know from the books when watching the films.

I'm the same. I also find that sometimes the movie makes me see something in a different light, or brings up something subtle I missed previously. Plus I don't have time to go back and re-read the books, but I can pop the movie in and watch them.

 

[Darklord Dave]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

But having read the books I still felt the same emotion about Sirius' death in the movie because we knew how much Harry loved him and what he meant to him. I tend to tie the books and movies together when watching the films and can easily feed off of what I know from the books when watching the films.

Yes, I've always looked at the movies at more of a supplement to the books rather than a replacement. I know as a movie it should stand on it's own, but since I've read the books I can't emotionally separate them in my mind.

 

[The Ween]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Our Carmike theater is going to run a marathon of all the old Harry Potter movies on July 14th for $15 leading up to the new one at midnight. So I could see all the movies for $22 on the big screen. I'm thinking about seeing them since I've never seen any of them them. Would make for a loooooong day though.

 

[pixletwin]

Re: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Ooooo ween. I wanna go. I wish they would do that here.