Lovingly Dissecting the Half Blood Prince

By Wolfen Moondaughter

While perhaps an ideal adaptation of a textual work would have every line and scene portrayed intact, it’s not really practical for a variety of reasons. The best we can hope for is that an adaptation will strive to remain true to the heart if the work, if not exactly the letter — and perhaps more than any of the other films thus far, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince achieves this. Granted, there are scenes that didn’t make it in that I wish had, as well as entirely new scenes added, but while normally I would be annoyed at putting new scenes in when old scenes were left out, in general I actually liked the new additions here! The same goes for the parts of the timeline that have been moved around, other scenes that have a somewhat different context in film than they’d had in the book and a few alterations to plot and how the plot is carried out: they generally make sense and tell a good story, even if it isn’t quite the same story that Rowling told. While there are a few exceptions to my liking the changes, on the whole, I approve — heartily, even!

In fact, I feel like the film was written to cater specifically to my quirky tastes! There are three things that I look for most in a story: scenes focusing on my “ships” (that is, scenes that feature romantic overtones for couplings that I am a die-hard fan of); displays of “hurt/comfort” (situations where one character is hurt — be it emotionally or physically — and another worries for and takes care of them), and redemption (I identify as a “redemptionistra”, a rabid fan of bad guys going good, at least by showing remorse or uncertainty if not by actively being heroic). Almost all of my favourite scenes in the book featured one or more of those themes, and almost all of them made it in to this film in some form or another. This comes as a great relief, as I’ve come to realise with the previous films that no plot point is so important that they won’t cut it out, no matter how vital it may have been in the books. Considering that the Ron-as-Keeper and Ron-and-Hermione-as-Prefects storylines were cut out of the fifth film (a fact which nonetheless hadn’t stopped the fifth film from becoming my fave of the movie adaptations — well, until this one, anyway), I was prepared for the worst, but this film basically made up for the prior’s lack, in spades!

The Ron/Hermione and Harry/Ginny ships got plenty of love this time out, with the latter even having more scenes than the book! Which only makes sense: since we can’t be in Harry’s head in the film — unless they wanted to start having him do voice-overs, which would have been awful — we couldn’t know what he was thinking, so they had to show us. Situations like that are one of the best reasons to even do an adaptation, taking advantage of the differences in the mediums in order to give the audience something fresh. With that in mind, the Draco storyline came out superbly — in some respects, possibly even better than in the book, because, since the movie wasn’t limited to Harry’s point of view so much, we got to see Draco when Harry wasn’t around. To be honest, that point alone could have sold me on this movie! But I’ll come back to this ….

(Oh, and those avoiding spoilers should probably turn back now.)

Another aspect that made me feel like the film was made with me in mind (and I mean this in the sense of me specifically, not Potterheads in general) was that it’s a very … subtle film, rife with pregnant pauses and lingering looks, which I am a total sucker for. I’m talking about things like the look on everyone’s face when they learned that Snape was the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, or how the brooding Draco seemed oblivious to the things going on around him, or how Harry took a moment to gently brushed Dumbledore’s hair out of the dead man’s face in a last token of affection, or even how the Trio often seemed to communicate just through significant glances. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and this film was hard evidence of that, soooo much of the emotional resonance being expressed through the actors faces as much — or more — than through words. What Rowling took chapters to do (not that I minded) was done eloquently in moments, sometimes without a single spoken line. Bravo to the cast for that; they did magnificently! I did have to wonder, though, if the kids in the audience were bored by all the subtlety, or even missed some things/didn’t understand them.

Truth be told, I have wondered how much of the story people were really able to understand without having read the book first. The film is, at least it seems to me, something of a gestalt, with the viewers minds filling in the details of the story with what we already knew. In the fourth film, this had proved problematic, as the omissions were glaring, character’s motivations therefore perplexing. And the third film left out most of the backstory of the Marauders, leaving it at best only vaguely implied. In this one, however, sometimes I hadn’t even realised the stuff was missing, at least while I watched it, and even when I did notice while watching that something was missing or had been altered significantly, the retelling was deftly done. I did worry a little for non-readers, though, and some people I talked to who hadn’t read the book did indeed say they’d gotten a bit lost. But others said they gotten it just fine, and even thought it was quite captivating!

Now let’s get down to the nitty-gritty, starting with the things that … well, not that I didn’t like them, as there wasn’t really anything I hated, but that disappointed me in some way.

I was a bit surprised at the total omission of Fudge’s loss of office and the ascension of Rufus Scrimgeour to the position of Minister of Magic, and all subsequent scenes with Rufus — especially since I’m hearing that Scrimgeour’s supposed to be in the next one, played by Bill Nighy (next up for the “It’s About Time This Person Made It into the Potter Franchise” award). But again, he wasn’t integral to the story here, just added complications that a book has much more time for.

I was a little disappointed by the omission of Riddle’s family’s details, but at the same time, while I love grey characters and favour redemption, I think it worked in the story’s favour to leave his origin out: we waste no sympathy on the character, and he comes off as being more Super Evil, inhumanly so, like some sort of devil. It suits him. And the lack of that part of the story cut down on Dumbledore’s presence some. While I do think he did a much better job this time out, I’m not all that fond of Michael Gambon in the role — he just never really fit my perception of Dumbledore, not like Harris did. So being spared the extra exposure was something of a relief.

The change in having Dumbledore Apparate himself and Harry directly off the school grounds — and back again after the mission — cut out a lot of the drama, as well as the introduction of Aberforth, Dumbledore’s brother. Still, this is Dumbledore we’re talking about — him saying simply that he can Apparate there when no one else can is good enough for me! I did miss the Apparation lessons, though, and now I wonder if they’re going to leave out the splinching problem of the next book. Would there be splinching in this version of the series, considering how differently Apparation works in the film compared to the book? For those of you who haven’t read it, Apparation is supposed to be instantaneous site-to-site teleportation, and when one isn’t careful, one gets “splinched” — basically loses a body part. Still, this whole “turn into smoke and fly around” thing has grown on me; it’s a rather interesting visual ….

Continuing with the idea of missing magical elements, I was, at first, baffled at the fact that Harry didn’t have his invisibility cloak at the end, especially since he did have it in the beginning. Even so, I think this version of events actually played out better than in the books — it was clever, having Harry watch the goings-on between Dumbledore and Draco and the Death Eaters through the floorboards; it worked as effectively as the spells did in the book for hiding and immobilising Harry! And the film version of events speak better of his ultimate faith in Dumbledore that he would obey the man’s command to do nothing even as he was obviously chomping at the bit to run up there to help, without it being an actual spell holding him back. It suggests that he both had too much confidence in Dumbledore’s ability to handle it himself and that he had so much unwavering faith in the man that he would obey Dumbledore even against his own natural inclination to be heroic — basically emphasising what was established by the scenario in the cave, Harry, however reluctantly, hurting Dumbledore purposefully because the man made him promise to force him to drink the potion no matter what. In fact, over the course of the whole film, I appreciated how Harry has gone from being a child to be nurtured and protected to a man that is coming to be seen as an equal and ally by all of his mentors, someone whose opinion/insight is sought (even when that opinion is then argued with).

Getting back to the invisibility cloak, I’m annoyed that they left out the special effect with the fabric that showed it’s being in use. Not to mention that I never saw the fabric when it was off of him — I don’t recall it being in Draco’s hand when he took it off Harry on the train, and I didn’t see it on the floor when Luna spelled it off him! Speaking of which, while I’m sad they took Tonks out of that sequence, I really liked these moments with Luna, so I consider it a fair trade. I especially enjoyed Luna fixing Harry’s nose. I do feel like she was wasted at the party, though — Harry takes her and then we don’t even really see her, save for in the background!

I felt like a lot of the characters we know and love — Seamus, Neville, Dean, Crabbe, Goyle and the other students, in particular — were given cameos just for the sake of giving the actors a chance to be in the film, for however short of a time. And dear Hagrid didn’t fare much better! Don’t get me wrong — I do appreciate that fact, as it’s better than them not being there at all — I just wish there had been more of them.

And yet, oddly, Bellatrix was in the story more than she had been in the book! Not that I mind, as I’ve grown quite fond of Helena Bonham Carter. Did anyone else, when Bellatrix and Snape were standing next to each other during the scene at Snape’s place, immediately think of the movie Sweeney Todd?) I do wish we had seen more of her sister; while Helen McRory’s Narcissa was far more sedate than I’d imagined the character to be in the book, I still her more dignified version of the character appealing (even with the black-and-blonde, rather than just blonde, hair). I would have liked to have seen the scene in the robe shop, but the condensing of the Trio’s encountering them into just some spying on them at Borgin and Burke’s worked well; it still got all the important bits across, like showing us the vanishing cabinet, introducing us to Fenrir, and having Harry realise that Draco had the Dark Mark.

Speaking of the revelation of Draco’s joining Death Eater ranks, I wish Crabbe and Goyle had been in the train scene with Pansy and Blaise (which was another part that had suggested Draco had been “promoted”), and that they’d had Pansy stroking Draco’s hair with his head in her lap — I liked, in the book, seeing a moment with the Slytherins just dealing with themselves, showing us the similarities and differences between them and the Griffindors. Well, at least they bothered to put Blaise and Pansy in at all, even if they didn’t do much with them. I also wish they’d had Harry comment at some point on how Draco hadn’t been hanging around them so much anymore. Still, at the same time, I can see how they would want to establish as quickly as possible how things were different for Draco this year, how desperate he was, and one way to do that was to emphasise his solitude.

I’m glad that Warwick Davis (Flitwick) was given a bit more to do, but I was disappointed to get confirmation that the creepy little character he’s played since the third film was indeed Flitwick and not just some choir teacher. I understand that there was a problem with the make-up, but the transformation of Flitwick from a sweet old gnome to this younger, cranky fellow is baffling. Which isn’t really this film’s fault, I’m just saying. At least McGonagall was in it a fair amount — more than I figured she would be, anyway. I adore Dame Maggie Smith!

While I’m sad at how little Tonks and Lupin were used in this one, at least they made a nod to their blossoming relationship, even managing to show some of the strain in it! I find it a bit odd, though, that the time was taken to remind us of the difficulties of being a werewolf (not just with that scene, but with the talk of the Wolfsbane potion with the nephew of the man who created it), when they didn’t even mention that it was Fenrir who actually turned Lupin into a werewolf (and they were standing just feet from each other no less) and they didn’t include Bill’s being attacked by Fenrir.

The character of Fenrir Greyback, for that matter, while well-represented, was rather wasted — he was around a lot more here than in the book, but he didn’t do as much, not even at the Burrow, much less in the final battle. For that matter, there wasn’t much of a final battle, either, what with the roster of players involved being stripped down to basically just Harry and Dumbledore versus the Death Eaters, with Draco in the middle. This is probably the closest the film comes to an actual failure, as it all seemed rather rushed and yet was lacking in suspense. It’s like, what was the big deal in getting the Death Eaters in if they weren’t going to really do anything other than having Bella blow out the windows in the Great Hall and their destroying Hagrid’s hut? What happened to all the devastation they’d supposedly wrought? Well, they might very well have destroyed more, but if they did, we saw and heard nothing about it! Well, at least Bella had more to do.

Speaking of the last battle, while the final confrontation between Harry and Snape was very well played, that last minute “Oh, by the way, I’m the Half Blood Prince” from Snape was a little lacking in nuance, considering that there was no mention of his mother, Eileen Prince, or his Muggle father. For that matter, I was baffled at the fact that there seemed to be no repercussion from Snape on Harry’s use of Sectumsempra on Draco. I realise there wasn’t really time to show the punishment, but couldn’t they have made a mention in passing of Harry having had detention and being denied Quidditch? That was a pretty serious thing for Harry to have done with no penalty!

On a more personal level, one of the biggest disappointments was the lack of the Dursleys. The revelation in the book that Petunia had taken Harry in out of a deeply buried affection for her sister was a big deal for me, hitting some nice notes on the hurt/comfort and redemption fronts. Still, the story didn’t really suffer for the loss, so I can respect its being cut. I even liked the diner scene and the bits on the train platform (probably just because I adore Chicago’s own El trains, and therefore get nostalgic whenever I see something similar). I was a little bothered by the notion of Harry being so careless that he would bandy about a magical item like the Prophet in a Muggle place …..

The other biggest disappointment was the omission of Bill and Fleur. Bill is one of my fave non-main characters, so I’m bummed that we never got to see him. Also, Fleur comes to be such a strong female character, it’s a shame to lose that — and the humour that came with everyone’s reactions to her, especially Molly’s.

I was shocked by the loss of the Burrow, especially in a scene that wasn’t even in the book! That was like losing a character, really! (Funnily enough, I destroyed the Burrow in one of my fics, so I guess I can’t complain). My question is, were they able to Reparo it, or will this be how they will handle the omission of finding the locket in the fifth film, by having the Weasleys move into Grimmauld place, seeing as there won’t be a wedding now? Anyway, the Burrow being destroyed was actually a good addition, in that it added some excitement and gave Ginny and Harry some more bonding scenes. Also, my heart broke for the Weasleys as they watched their home burn — yummy angst!

The Harry/Ginny ship was a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, it was great that they had more moments together; on the other, sometimes those moments actually fell flat a bit. Some have called it a lack of chemistry between the actors; I might have called it that too, but then again sometimes the sparks were there. I think maybe it was an attempt at the awkwardness of teen love that did come off sometimes as endearing but at other times as stiff and a bit contrived. Their relationship was also hurt as much as helped by some scenes — and in some cases, not helped at all.

One scene that didn’t play out well for Harry/Ginny at all was that, when they saw Ginny snogging Dean, the reaction we got was pretty much just from Ron; Harry was somewhat indifferent, apparently more concerned with Slughorn. There was a missed opportunity there — they could have had something like Harry getting distracted by the situation with Ginny, finding himself oddly bothered, and then had Slughorn spilling the drink on him instead of Hermione, snapping him out of it.

The “feeding scene”, where Ginny hand-fed Harry at Christmas, really straddled the borderline between sweet and forced for me. The same goes for a little later, the scene on the staircase in the Burrow where they almost kissed, it had a lot of potential, but was somewhat spoiled by Ginny’s was wearing that really unflattering robe that spoiled the romance. Harry was wearing “normal” clothes; why couldn’t she have been? The robe also felt really out of place when they were running for their lives in the field a few moments later — Harry seemed to be in a ready state and she didn’t. Despite the robe, though, Ginny did not lack confidence! I did appreciate that she ran out to protect him — even if he did end up grabbing her arm and pulling her behind him.

And then there was the issue of the extreme change in the circumstances of their first kiss; those of us who had read the book were expecting the jubilant post-Quidditch Cup match kiss, a boisterous affair, but instead it was very quiet and chaste. (I guess one post-Quidditch match celebration was all they were budgeted for?) There was also that sense of otherworldlyness about the scene in the film, like she was a ghost, a nearly unreachable spiritual guide. That didn’t exactly help promote the feeling that they’re supposed to be together, instead adding a sense of distance. The kiss itself was sweet but somehow sad, and the rest of the scene was almost creepy. Well I might have liked it better if I hadn’t already been expecting something entirely different. I did get a good laugh over Ron’s asking Harry if he and Ginny had “done it” yet, though.

And I did appreciate some other moments between — or at least regarding — them. I liked Ginny’s discussion with her mother (and the subsequent humourous appearances of Ron and Hermione) about whether Harry was actually there at the Burrow. (really, the whole arrangement of the scene in the stairwell was great fun!) I liked the hug between them when he did arrive. I loved the talk between Ron and Harry in the boy’s dormitory about her relationship with Dean, how uncomfortable Harry seemed to get (more of the telling the story with “body language” thing again). I loved how Harry looked a bit choked up when Hermione suggested that he could understand what she was going through with Ron and Lav because he was going through it in regards to Ginny and Dean. And the way Ginny held him as he cried over Dumbledore was very sweet!

But the Ron/Hermione stuff was even sweeter! I was very surprised and pleased that they’d even kept in the snowing scene (albeit in a somewhat differing context) in, much less any other shippy moments, like her Confunding McLaggen so that Ron would be Keeper. Her avoiding McLaggen at the party, even though he was her “date”, was hysterical! I enjoyed Hermione’s discussions with Harry about their love lives, especially the one in the library. And I’m still wondering if Hermione was drunk when they walked out of Honeydukes and she threw her arms around the guys — she seemed a bit goofy. Well, maybe she was just looking for an excuse to touch Ron, ‘ey? (*Wink*)

I’m glad they kept the bit about the love potion’s scents in, with Hermione mentioning that she smelled spearmint toothpaste, a call-back to when Ron had noted toothpaste on her cheek back at the Burrow. (I wonder, does this have even more significance in that her parents are dentists, so she pays special attention to what toothpaste a guy uses? Did she care what kind Krum used? *Grin*)

Hermione sending the birds at Ron after he hooked up with Lavender, played out brilliantly and was put to good double-use, giving exposition on both the Ron/Hermione situation and Harry/Ginny. I rather liked the change to the scene too, Ron paying attention to Hermione despite Lav pulling on his arm (in the book he kind of ignores Hermione and talks to Harry instead).

And the “Er-my-knee” line in the hospital wing is one of my very fave parts of the entire series, so I was thrilled that they hadn’t left it out! Granted the context was a bit different in that last, more humourous, but it served the story well, having Lav burst in and Ron’s saying it prove that Hermione was the better-loved; once again, it gave the moment a double-purpose, getting the most out of limited time.

I also adored the additions of Ron’s noticing Hermione, thinking about how she has nice skin, repeatedly noticing stuff on her face (a point of special interest to me since I had him lick ice cream off her face in a fic) and basically being a bit besotted without really realising that he was.

And as I’m a very big Ron-Fan in general, I’m thrilled that they kept the bit about him becoming the Keeper in the story this time! (For that matter, I’m thrilled to see Quidditch again — I’ve missed it! I don’t even generally like sports, but I’d be a Quidditch fan!) I loved watching both his fumbling at the tryouts and his stellar performance when he thought he’d taken the luck potion (another storypoint that I’m glad they left in).

I had been afraid that the poisoning of Ron, another of my all-time fave scenes, would be omitted, or that it would play out humourously instead of dramatically, but while the moments before it were damn funny, the scene shifted gears flawlessly from light-hearted comedy to intense drama! (Not to mention the glorious hurt/comfort going on between Ron and Harry!) And surprisingly, the scene didn’t really suffer for the loss of the “Ron’s birthday” context. In fact, I quite enjoyed the calculating look in Harry’s eye as he cleverly realised how he could use the situation to his advantage, since Slughorn had basically told him off the scene before and Ron’s predicament gave Harry an excuse to see him again!

Of course, that opportunity didn’t actually pay off, so Harry turned to “Felix”, the luck potion. While Daniel Radcliffe has proven himself quite the pro with the angstier scenes, this is perhaps where he shines the most in this film: there’s a palpable difference in Harry after he takes the potion, yet his goofiness and cheekiness is never forced. Harry might not drink himself into a stupor like Hagrid and Slughorn do, but it’s clear that the luck potion has an inebriating effect.

As for Slughorn himself, while Jim Broadbendt didn’t quite fit the look of the character (why, I wonder, did they not give him the mustache?), he certainly captured the spirit! I’d been long wondering when this venerable British actor would join the Harry Potter ranks, and I’m thrilled that he finally did! It’s almost like Rowling wrote the role with him in mind (much like how Rickman is the perfect Snape)! They pulled off the introduction to his character splendidly, too, keeping the most important bits intact: how fond he was of Lily (a point that was beautifully expanded upon by the mad-for-the-movie touching story told in Hagrid’s hut of the lily-petal fish); how he enjoyed connections with famous people; and the pivotal-to-the-next-film mention of Regulus Black. I also enjoyed the small humourous detail of Dumbledore’s wanting to have a magazine on knitting. Granted, he was just manipulating Slughorn, but it was such a fun way to do it, another example of the film’s beautiful subtleties!

I also loved Dumbledore’s fantastic use of the Reparo charm in that scene and, later, his stunning fire magic — what awesome special effects! One of the major flaws with the fourth film was that there had been what seemed to me a sad lack of magic, both in spellwork and magical creatures; they far more pervasive in this one, even when the use was understated, like a tiny dragon toy heating chestnuts. Which is how it should be; these are wizards, and there should be magic all around like all the time; it’s like breathing for them, they don’t even need to think about it! So I greatly appreciated that magic had a solid presence, even for little details. Besides previous (and upcoming) mentions of magic in use, I also appreciated: Fawkes being in Dumbledore’s office; Ginny’s Pygmy Puff, Arnold, sitting on her shoulder on the train (I was surprised they’d given him a face, as they’re never described as having any and I’d always considered them to be like Tribbles, but he was so adorable that I don’t mind that they did); Luna’s magic glasses; the little figure skiing on the cake at the Burrow; the exploding cracker the twins shared; the glimpse of the Marauder’s Map showing Draco (illustrating Harry’s obsession without words); Romilda’s magic card to Harry and her use of the love potion glimpses of the Daily Prophet, including a moment when the Trio was burning a copy while it levitated; the moving portraits; all the Apparating; the hopping chocolate frog on the train window; Katie’s being cursed, which was Japanese-horror-movie creepy; the force field the Aurors used; a glimpse of the Dementors; the Vanishing Cabinet; the creepy Inferi; and most especially that great scene in potions class where everyone’s potions went awry (how I’ve missed classroom scenes!) And I’m sure I’m forgetting a lit of great but more subtle examples, especially from the backgrounds.

Speaking of backgrounds, I love how familiar all the sets are becoming — although I admit that this has as much to do with the fact that I have all the computer games, which have been getting more and more film-accurate with every game, than it does with the fact that they’re staying more consistent with the sets. It makes me fee even more, when watching the films, like I’m a Hogwarts student, one intimately familiar with the halls, bringing me further into the story. And now I’m eager to see the DVD so I can sit there in the Room of Requirement scenes and see what I might recognise in the background! All these things may have no real bearing on the story, but they are evidence of an intricate, solidly-conceived world, giving us a sense of it existing beyond the confines of the camera frame, as aspect that makes these films all the more enjoyable. It’s actually a shame that the next one won’t likely have many scenes at Hogwarts, or even Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley for that matter ….

On that note, I was thrilled with the depiction of Fred and George’s shop, even more than I was with Honeydukes; it was everything I imagined it would be! And it was well used, too, not just offering us the much-desired glimpse of the twins but also setting up the Lavender-Ron-Hermione-McLaggen rectangle in an engaging and humorous way. The scene also, interestingly, included the Peruvian Instant Dark powder, but the powder itself was used to a very different effect than it was in the book. In the text, Draco used it to sneak around the castle and to bring the Death Eaters in; it nicely illustrated how what is created for amusement is a double-edged sword. Since the end was so simplified in the film, instead it was used by Harry, allowing him an opportunity to slip onto the luggage rack of the train to spy in Draco while everyone was distracted by the chaos. Granted, he had the invisibility cloak, but this effectively masked the sounds of him getting up there. I do have to wonder how he managed it in the dark without a Hand of Glory to light the way, like Draco did in the books, though ….

Speaking of Dracob, can someone tell me why Tom Felton, who played him and, as such, had a major role to play, was soooo far down in the credits (the ones right after the movie, done in ink, before the “cast” part), and yet Timothy Spall (Wormtail), who was barely in the film, was well ahead of him? This is certainly a mistake, as Draco was certainly one of the highlights of the film, with Felton really displaying his acting chops!

Okay, I’m about to get very philosophical and a bit ranty now. If you’re not interested in thoughts about how Draco is not evil (and don’t want to be “preached” at), you can skip to the end or just quite reading now.

Some of you out there may still hate Draco, and that’s fine — you’re entitled to your perspective, your own interpretations of the story and your own list of what you want out of your fiction. But I will say that I have been a bit baffled by some people’s reactions in the past, in regards to the books, to Draco’s story, their flat-out refusal to look at Draco with any kind of pity or admittance that, even if he didn’t exactly become a hero, he would not have harmed Dumbledore. Some people insist in still hating him in general, rather than just hating thing things he’d done in his past — hating the sinner along with his sins, even after he stopped being the sinner. The fact that this is even stated within the text that he didn’t want to kill Dumbledore seems to make no difference to them. I wonder if Felton’s performance has swayed them? Personally, I can’t fathom it not — any more than I can fathom wanting to refuse to believe a bully can ever change their spots. What a hopeless world to live in, believing that people can’t ever change for the better! Promoting hope is why stories like Draco’s mean so much to me, and why I’m so thrilled with how Felton (and the screenwriter, director, etc) illustrated that story.

For me, Draco’s tale reminds us that every bully is also a human being who may have been bullied in turn, may have reasons for being what they are. It’s true that this doesn’t excuse the horrible things that they do, particularly since there are plenty of people in this world who suffer horribly and are still kind-hearted, but it can explain why they are what they are. And sometimes having that understanding, the compassion that Dumbledore showed Draco, can help us to help bullies become better people, provided they prove capable of remorse, as Draco seemed to. It’s not that we should necessarily forgive and forget, but what purpose would it serve to never give someone a chance to do better? Prison, for example, is, for many, is actually intended to be about rehabilitation more than punishment, about the possibilities of the future more than the past misdeeds.

So this is how I perceive Draco: He is essentially a boy who was brought up in a household of Nazi-like mentality, a boy whose entire identity has, since childbirth, been programmed to believe that he is, by virtue of both his genetic and financial heritage, better than Muggle-borns (and even many purebloods). His particular world, that of purebloods (and mostly Slytherins at that), shapes youths into looking at every relationship as one that can benefit them in some way; those that can’t are to be scorned, and behaving with compassion is a sign of weakness that can bring about one’s end. (Even Rowling has said something to the effect that Draco had to learn early on to compartmentalise his feelings in order to do what was necessary to not appear weak in front of his peers.) Accepting that Muggle-borns are equal to or better than purebloods means facing that the very core of their identity is a lie, a terrifying prospect.

While it’s not unheard of for someone raised in such circumstances to be brave enough to face that lie and behave differently, it’s not easy, either, to go against what we’ve been taught all our lives by those whom we look to for guidance. So while Draco has been a horrible person in many respects, and yes, he is accountable, he is not alone in shouldering the blame for his behavior. Yes, he was exposed to moral high ground at Hogwarts, but he was still surrounded by youths of similar beliefs to those he was raised under, had a mentor (Snape) who didn’t exactly discourage those beliefs, and was taught to turn a deaf ear to those who would teach him otherwise. To give credence to beliefs that opposed his own would have been to admit defeat, failure, an unforgivable crime both amongst Slytherins and in the eyes of the one of the most influential persons in his life, his father.

To run with the programming analogy, you can hate that your computer doesn’t behave as you want it to, hate it for not doing so, but how far can you blame it for not operating outside of the parameters it was created to operate under? You can try to reprogramme it, sure — sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn’t. You can keep trying until you succeed or you can decide it’s not worth the effort and chuck it. But sometimes, if you’re lucky, it can repair or change itself, if given half a chance. So with that kind of thinking in mind, this is how I choose to interpret the things Draco did in the story. (For those of you who have read my review of the book, this might get a bit repetitive, although I haven’t looked at that review in a goodly while, so I’m not exactly copying myself. *Grin*) I could be giving him more credit that Rowling — or Felton, or Kloves or Yates (the screenwriter and the director) actually intended, but I chose to be positive. (Go ahead and be negative if you prefer, ey? Just don’t stain my doorstep with it.)

In this film, Draco, as is the case with many teens, is being given opportunities to see the flaws in the world he was raised in, to see the errors in his programming and attempt to reprogramme himself, if he can just find enough incentive. His father isn’t around to force his moral compass, and the most powerful being in the world, Voldemort, has shown him that life under Voldemort’s rule will be one of constant fear and peril, not the glory he was raised to believe it would consist of. Most children are unable to see the notion of death as anything other than a story, a game — they are desensitised to it from the get-go. But at some point it becomes real, we become sensitised. Now Voldemort is killing people that Draco knows, and is threatening Draco himself, so death has stopped being an abstract for him.

Draco’s programming is at odds with the new data he is encountering. Part of him is saying that he’s being given the importance that he’s always strived for in his own world; his belief that he’s the best is being vindicated. But another part of him recognises that Dumbledore’s version of the world never threatened him (well, save for jinxes from rivals and the occasional dangerous beast in Care of Magical Creatures) and seldom asked anything more difficult of him than passing his classes. Now that he’s seeing the price tag, he’s not so sure he wants the position — one which, should he manage to win it now, he could easily lose with his life at some future date, just on a whim of the Dark Lord’s — but he also can’t see a way out of it. He’s been taught for so long that Dumbledore is a fool that he can’t accept that Dumbledore could help him, can’t make that leap of faith. In this, Harrty has been far luckier than Draco. A lifetime of programming has hobbled Malfoy. And so his predicament has made him bitter and even cynical. He has to keep maintaining this pretense that he’s been given a great honour, as his pride won’t let him face the truth. And as trust is not something that’s cultivated in his world, he can’t even bring himself to rely on Snape; as Harry has become an equal and ally amongst his teachers, so Draco has, thanks to Voldemort, become an equal and a rival to Snape. There are no true allies in his world, at least not in his experience — the irony being that Snape actually is every bit as much of an ally to Draco as Dumbledore is to Harry.

Now let’s talk about specific moments within the film. Draco could have killed — or at least captured — Harry on the train and won huge points with Voldemort, but he didn’t. Instead, it seems to me that he just did something mean but also therapeutic for him — a return to normalcy, really, as well as a much-needed boost to his confidence. And then he intended to send Harry away, which perhaps he realised would eliminate the possibility that he would have to actually kill Harry later. Even if he wasn’t thinking that far ahead, it seems his natural inclination was to simply move Harry out of his way rather than actually eliminate him, proof that he’s not a killer. And when he discovers that Harry made it off the train, his reaction seems tired, perhaps even regretful, and certainly far less hostile than it would have been just a year past.

So in the Great Hall, during the opening feast, Draco just stares at the table, looking morose, not even caring about his favourite teacher’s success in gaining the DADA position. He doesn’t torment anyone, doesn’t pay attention to his fellow Slytherins. In potions, he doesn’t bother harassing the Trio, instead simply looking like he’d rather be anywhere else, like he has other, rather unhappy things on his mind. We see him looking this way repeatedly in the backgrounds (and no, I never tire of it — I devour such angstiness like a shark on tuna). He stays out of the Trio’s way, even at times when he actually is around them and not working on the Vanishing Cabinet. It’s not actually commented on in the film, but he’s obviously not on the Quidditch team when they play Slytherin. He is quite alone, as none of his friends are in a position to really understand his situation; they are still the children who think death is a game. Here, he doesn’t even Crabbe and Goyle looking out for him while he works on the cabinet, as was the case in the books!

As I said, I’m thrilled that we actually get to see him work on the cabinet! They were more great moments where the story was told by facial expression, Draco’s face telling a story of worry and fear — and something else. Namely, while I’m sure in all of those moments he was feeling fear that his failures might mean his death, I choose to interpret his particular interactions with the bird as genuine hesitation at using it and regret that it died, not just worry for his own sake.

And when he walked into the Great Hall and saw Harry talking to Katie, sure, he may have just been afraid that Harry was on to him, or the glassiness in his eyes may just have been despair at yet another failure, or even remorse over the bird. But personally, I think there was also a bit of guilt there for what he’d inadvertently done to Katie. (And, well, I just really love the look on his face in that moment. I’m a sucker for boys who look like they’re about to cry!)

Even when he confessed, in a roundabout way, to Snape that it was him that had hurt Katie, it seemed to me that there were notes of panic, disbelief, and regret there. Even as he insisted that Snape’s offer of help wasn’t genuine but rather self-serving, I had a sense, through Felton’s performance, that Draco wanted to be a child again, wanted his mentor to take charge and take care of things, but feared that if he didn’t perform the task himself, if he let Snape do it in his stead, Voldemort would still kill him, even if the job did get done, that Voldemort would see no use in keeping him around. But Voldemort basically robbed Draco of his bond with his mentor, particularly as in Draco’s world, that bond was built on need rather than affection, even if it’s possible he had come to secretly also like Snape.

The Sectumsempra sequence is another one of those scenes that’s among my very, very faves in the series. I was blown away by Felton’s performance here as Draco burst into the boy’s bathroom, on the verge of a panic attack. I liked the atmosphere, the lighting, too. I think it was a good decision to leave out Moaning Myrtle — her presence was good exposition-wise in the book, but I think it would have ruined what was done quite effectively without words here. The duel, when Harry arrived, was thrilling! Part of me wishes we could have seen Draco’s face when he was hit with Sectumsempra, but at the same time, I appreciate how it was done here, cinematically-speaking. And of course I was thrilled to see one of my fave hurt/comfort moments, between Snape and Draco (a father-son sort of thing, get your mind out of the gutter), play out on the screen. Although … I do wish we could have had that moment with Harry going to Draco’s side — that would have been ever better hurt/comfort moment. (Yeah, okay, I admit that I’m a as much a Harry/Draco shipper as Harry/Ginny; you can go back into the gutter now.) Ah well, the scene was still really good as it was!

And then there was the final confrontation in the Astronomy Tower, with Draco holding Dumbledore at wand-point; again, Felton did a stunning job making Draco sympathetic (and admittedly Gambon did a terrific job with Dumbledore here as well)! My only complaint was with the script: it would have been a smidge better if they’d kept Draco’s line about how Voldemort would kill his family, too, to add a half-note of selflessness. Still, I appreciate how well they got across that Draco wanted to believe Dumbledore could — and would — help him, that he didn’t want to be apart of Voldemort’s world anymore and wasn’t a killer after all. That, to me, stressed the fact that Katie being cursed was an accident that he actively regretted, not just because he’d failed but because he genuinely hadn’t meant for her to get hurt (or Dumbledore, for that matter, as Albus himself said).

Draco seemed just as horrified by Snape’s action as Harry was. I think he was genuinely upset that Dumbledore was dead. Perhaps it was just because he feared that Dumbledore really was the only one who could stand up to Voldemort, and perhaps there was a note of him simply not being a killer and valuing life more than he’d thought, but perhaps it was also that he realised then that he had respect for Dumbledore and valued that man’s life in particular.

The same goes for Hogwarts, really. As they’d approached the school on the train, he’d mumbled about how he couldn’t wait to get out of the place — which I suspect was as much a matter of trying to psych himself up into believing he was now a grown-up who was going on to bigger and better things as an actual belief born of what he’d been taught by his father, that the place was full of pathetic people and going to the dogs. But as Bellatrix gleefully destroyed the Great Hall, there was a look of shock and grief on his face that I think was more than just horror at what happened to Dumbledore or even his own lost chance at freedom. I think, in that particular moment, he was finally realising that Hogwarts was his home, that he was losing something else that he hadn’t realised was precious to him until it was too late.

Yes, it was partially his own fault, as he played a big part in putting the events into motion, but I don’t see as that makes his situation less tragic or sympathy-worthy — quite the opposite! When a pit-bull that’s been trained to attack does what it’s been trained to do, how can you not feel pity for the thing when it’s put down for doing the only the only behavior it’s been allowed to do? But luckily for Draco, he didn’t actually do any biting, just barking, and has shown that he’s rather not even do that anymore if he could just get away from his abusive master — in which case, how can anyone not want to give him a chance to be rehabilitated? Particularly when the one he was actually attacking, Dumbledore, wanted to give him that chance?

On that note, I’m glad that, with everything else that was cut out of the end, they did still have Harry remark to the Trio that Draco did in fact start lowering his wand before the Death Eaters arrived, acknowledging that he did indeed realise for himself that Draco is not a killer.

I would be remiss if, after all that talk about Draco, I didn’t say something about Snape as well. I was rather pleased at how his story played out here. I’m especially glad that they included the bit where Harry witnesses Snape telling Dumbledore that the man was asking too much of him; I hope viewers who didn’t read the book noted how that conversation took place in the Astronomy Tower, the same place where Snape eventually killed him, and properly put two and two together. If you’re one of those who hasn’t read the books but plans to (all three of you), and doesn’t want to be spoiled, skip the next paragraph.

I had believed, well before even reaching the end of that book, that what Dumbledore had asked Snape to do was kill him when necessary, and that the pleading Dumbledore had done just before his death was actually Dumbledore begging the man to fulfill his promise. Snape’s story is, to me, as gripping a tale of redemption as Draco’s — more so, in some ways. I really hope the final film does him as much justice as this one has done Draco, especially given how one of my favourite scenes from the fifth book, Harry seeing Snape’s memories, was rather quickly glossed over in the corresponding film.

For that matter, it’s really too bad that they cut out all of the DADA class stuff in this one, but at least Snape did have some other good scenes, like the party scene, the Unbreakable Oath, the hallway bit with Draco, and the scene where Harry tries to convince Snape and McGonagall that Draco was the one who’d cursed Katie. I loved, loved, loved that little moment Harry had with Snape under the floorboards, that few seconds of trust and truce between them serving to reinforce that sense of equality and to emphasise Snape’s seeming-betrayal, as well as serving to further personalise Harry’s desire to hurt Snape afterwards, since he let Snape go upstairs to Dumbledore. And, as I said, I loved the final fight between them!

Getting back to the last scene with the Trio, I’m a little puzzled by the fact that Ron was so distanced from Harry and Hermione in that scene, and the fact that Ginny was entirely missing. Well, I guess I can understand the desire to keep that last scene as just the Trio, seeing as that’s much of what the next film will entail. And I suppose Ron was just feeling awkward, both in regards to his best mate dating his sister and his own growing feelings for Hermione. Or maybe he was just still in shock after Dumbledore’s death.

While I’m disappointed at the lack of a funeral, I’m glad we at least got that last glimpse of Fawkes. Besides, the scene with everyone raising their wands to the sky that night was a very moving scene in lieu of an actual funeral, especially with McGonagall leading them all. And I really loved the scene after, where she told Harry how much he’d meant to Dumbledore, and how he could only look at her in reply, with no words. While the film deftly portrayed many of my fave scenes from the book, that was one of my fave moments exclusive to the film. Well, aside from all the new Draco scenes, anyway. *Wink*

Needless to say, I’m already very eager to see the next films, my interest in the franchise having been stoked. Okay, so there will likely be less of Draco in these final installments, but after being so thoroughly satisfied with how his story was handled here, I have no fears that whatever we get in the next ones will be satisfying as well. And I believe I will be quite pleased on the Ron/Hermione front as well, probably even more so, which means the next review will probably find me rambling more about them instead. Well, and Harry — truly, I haven’t forgotten whose story it actually is! At any rate, this film is being released in 3-D on July 29th; I’ll certainly be seeing it again when it is!

After all, this is now my fave of the films, just like how the book it’s based on is my fave of the books!

Never miss an update. Subscribe to Pink Raygun by Email or subscribe via RSS

Wolfen Moondaughter is on the editorial board for the comics industry webzine Sequential Tart, for which she has written since late 2001. She’s an artist, too, having done spot illustrations for Dragonlance, among other things. In her spare time, she’s a rabid fanficcer/fanartist. See more of her work at her site, Wolfen’s Webworld.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Potter Stars Pay Tribute To Murdered Actor (news.sky.com)
• Half-Blood Prince Bits Fans Will Love (and Some They Might Not) (wired.com)
• Divining The Future Of The Harry Potter Franchise (cinemablend.com)

Related Stuff: