Me : What did you think of the last movie? You know, I kind of liked Harry and Voldy's confrontation in the book more. Even if it was all circling and talking. The thing is, the point of that dialogue was, Harry was standing upto Voldy the way no one has, you know Harry is the superior one, the one with the upper hand..I mean, little Harry Potter, taunting Voldemort! And it was happening in front of everyone, so Voldy cannot lie and change events even if he survived. Maybe I am too used to Bollywood, because I kind of wanted Harry to throw it in Voldy's face that he is the Master of the Elder Wand. I think he just hints it.
Beavs: I think it was depicted well, because it is not about power to Harry. It is not about winning the Elder Wand, but more like, doing what's right. Plus both Ralph Fiennes and Dan's expressions make up for it. The way Harry says, "Its mine" as if its no big deal that he has the world's most powerful wand, shows a lot about Harry's strength as a character.
Me : There was one thing I thought was a good script decision, Voldy manhandling Harry. Kicking him around like a schoolyard bully. It dawns on you that Harry is a boy. He is 17, so a grown man kicking a boy around..is ..cringe worthy. Also, the subtext looks like "Magic has failed to kill you, magic has failed me, physical violence would have to do!"
Beavs : Harry Potter has nine lives.
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Me : You know what annoys me the most? Selective reading and reading too much into it. Did you see that post on FB where a teacher takes too many meanings out of "The curtains were blue" about how it must be an allegory of the state of depression and yadda yadda? And what author probably meant was - "The curtains were f****ng blue!". So when the text and author says, "James Potter grew up." It means just that. He was a bully, no one is condoning his actions towards Snape, but he grew up, defied Lord Voldie three times, was an invaluable member of Order of Phoenix, and was a very good person. Why else would Lily marry him? The Prince's Tale is not to show James in a bad light but to give Snape a new dimension, and a redemption. It goes along with the theme as Dumbledore said, "Its our choices that show who we are, far more than our abilities"
Beavs : Yeah the only thing I didn't like was he picked on Snape, without provocation at first. That scene in the train? Otherwise I like him. Very Gryffindor-y. Although his death is very anti climatic- gives a jerk to the image of James Potter who is fearless. He runs to the hall, sees Voldie without his wand, asks his wife to run, and Voldie kills him. And Lily still didn't Disapparate with Harry!
Me : It is probably panic and shock. Her husband just died.
Beavs : Yeah but still. I have seen mothers do pretty much anything when their babies are threatened. But then again, the desperation works, and thats how story is written. So. But how the entire death is written is sad-like how its a happy family before Voldie creeped in.
Me : Btw, I like the actor who plays James Potter say this line during the Ressurection Stone scene " Until the end"- so proud that his son walking to his death is going to save the world. Fits with the description Voldy gave us of him back in books, "Straight backed and proud". The stag, if you will. Its interesting his patronus is a stag and Lily's a doe and then Snape's doe because he loves and 'remembers' Lily as his happy thought? I always wondered what Snape was thinking during the Silver doe chapter. He is sending a doe to the owner of a stag patronus :P
Beavs : whoa whoa, I bet even JKR didn't think that much! You know I always thought a lot of Snape's love for Lily comes from his admiration of her "goodness". That she is strong and can stand up for herself.
Me : yeah a bit of wishing he had those qualities? The dichotomy of Snape makes him one of the most intriguing characters of HP verse. I like the parallels JKR draws with Harry, Snape and Voldy, the abandoned boys.
Beavs : I never did get Voldy being eeevil. Dude, I understand you are an orphan living in orphanage but jesus, Harry has had it worse than you and he turned out okay!
Me : You know, I read somewhere about that. About how Voldemort came from a loveless union. Tom Riddle was under Amortentia that Merope Gaunt gave him ne? Poetry in smallest of places.
Beavs : Yeah, so Voldemort came from a woman with an infatuation and a man who didn't know what he was doing!
Me : That gives this such wrong image in my head! LOL! Speaking of poetry in smallest of places -Harry learnt Expelliarmus from Snape! Remember Duelling club , Snape disarms Lockhart?
Beavs : Poetry!
Me : Poetry! Although to add to the loveless union thing, Voldie's mom didn't stay alive to raise him. She chose to die. His father abandoned him, his mother chose to die, whereas Harry's parents were ripped from the situation not because they chose to abandon him. They died to save him, so Harry knows he is loved by them. He doesn't know all this until he is 11, so you do make a good point :D.. you know the only gripe I would have with the last movie, is that people thought Snape is Harry's father because both he and Lily say "Always".
Beavs : God! Seriously? how on earth do you end up thinking that?
Me : I know!! The dialogue is a nice echo! Thats it people! I did love Gary Oldman's delivery of "Quicker than falling asleep"..that voice! You know when he was first cast, he is not the Sirius with dark good looks I imagined.
Beavs : Gary Oldman is an acquired taste. He gets the character right.. the unpredictability and the tragedy of Sirius, you know? So if they had cast a good looking actor for Sirius, he might not have got the essence right. Like, that scene where Sirius orders Kreacher out in the movie. He walks with such aristocratic arrogance. Thats how Sirius should walk.. and I love the hug between him and Dan. Felt real.
Me : yeah I love the scene where he and Alan Rickman spar off in Prisoner of Azkaban [ Why don't you go and play with your chemistry set? ]. Alan Rickman brings a sophistication and dignity to Snape, doesn't he? Snape is nastier in the books.
Beavs : he and Helena Bonham Carter bring an extra element to their characters. Helena brings such madness to Bellatrix which isn't there in the books- the lunacy is a little toned down in the books, isn't it?
Me : yeah, and also there is an element of cruelty in Sirius. Which a lot of people gloss over. The Shrieking Shack joke? Since Snape was so desperate to find out what they were upto and get them expelled, Sirius thought it was amusing to actually tell Snape how to get in there and watch his friend transform? Although, Sirius such a tragic figure. But JKR said, the most good looking and the most dangerous of all of the Marauders. Really adds to the sexy bad boy appeal. [ we women are such suckers for fictional bad boys]
Beavs : Yeah. A bad home life, a bad life after Hogwarts. He was only happy in his Hogwarts days as a part of the Marauders.
Me : You know what is really admirable about Sirius to me? The fact he was raised to believe the nonsensical pureblood superiority and he rejects the ideals of the environment he was brought up in. That shows how intelligent he was. Thats admirable. His brother by contrast, bought into it and understood things way too late. Thats the tragedy of people who are seduced by the Dark side and once they are in it, the reality of it scares them.
Beavs : I don't get how Sirius didn't have a girlfriend.
Me : Maybe he was a womaniser.
Beavs : But in the Snape's memory chapter, Sirius doesn't even notice girls paying attention to him. Its James who keeps looking around for Lily.
Me : maybe he just didn't care. Ah well.
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we had covered a lot, lot more topics but it got deleted and I am too pissed about it to start remembering what our conversation entailed. [ Believe me, one of the best Harry Potter discussions I had in a while].
