With November 19th drawing near, Harry Potter fanatics everywhere are biting their nails to see the first half of the final movie. The screenwriter, Steve Kloves, was the one who decided splitting the final book "The Deathly Hallows" into two separate films.
"And, personally," says Kloves, "I feel we owe it to Jo [Rowling] — in order to preserve the integrity of the work — and the fans — for their loyalty all these years — to give them the best and most complete experience possible." With this established, Part 1 will premiere in a mere 20 days. Part 2 will be showcased on July 15th of next year. Now here is the real big question.
Even with splitting the 759 page novel into two movies, will it still satisfy fans?
(Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Theatrical Poster [Part 1] - Image courtesy of Wikipedia.)
According to Media & Society, Harry Potter is one of the "most successful original book series of this generation." However, it ranks number one on the list of "Ten Most Challenged Books of the 21st Series!" The Harry Potter series has also "generated some of the highest-grossing movies of the past decade." Despite the large sum of money these movies pull in, are they really satisfying the fan base? For example, every time I watch "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" I die a little inside. There is a scene where the characters take place in the 'Yule Bale', a holiday dance. In the book, it specifies that Hermione Granger is wear a blue dress. She is way hot in her blue dress! J.K Rowling says so! But in the movie, Emma Watson wears a light pink/magenta dress. Come on, Mike Newell and David Heyman! You are the director and producer for the movies. I'm sure you've read the books. It doesn't take much to stick to little tidbits of information like that. If J.K. Rowling specified a blue dress, why is Emma Watson in a blue dress! Absolute poppycock.
Harry Potter is a series that has really branched out from one medium to the next. From books, to movies, to movies playing on TV, to movies being played on TV, to fan-made parodies and spin offs. For example, take A Very Potter Musical, a fan-made musical parody of the Harry Potter series put together by students from the University of Michigan.
So, will "The Deathly Hallows" spark more anger from me on costume choices and editing? Will it spark more spin-offs? Will Harry Potter fans be halfway satisfied come November 19th?
This is an excellent blog meditation on HP, Lauren.
ReplyDeleteI think I may be in London for the opening of the new film - won't that be nutty?
Sounds like you are a fan - like me.
Dumbledore lives!
Audeamus and onward,
Dr. W