Okay , first of all, there was no way that WB would have allowed a 4 hour single showing of HP- why? The toilets would break in that 15 minute intermission. Can you imagine the crowds of people rushing out or trying to save their seat? shudders
Secondly, Cheezer over at HPANA says this was the feeling he got when he interviewed the cast and crew back in January. Haha to all the idjits who thought Dan wouldn’t /shouldn’t have a clue about who the director would be. He’s kind of the main character.
Thirdly, this puts a brand new spin on those bodyguard rumours. Hmmm, maybe they were trying to keep Dan from doing a runner…..
“but with the seventh, that can’t be done.”
Erm, yes it can. Deathly Hallows has got the most cuttable material since GOF. There is absolutely no reason why it could not have been one film. I don’t care what they say, this is indeed a “mercenary move”....that, or they’re trying to pander to the book purists. Neither of these is a good idea.
I’m also nervous about David Yates returning. I didn’t particularly like OOTP, which I feel lacked a realistic sense of humanity, and while slick and containing some good action scenes, left me feeling quite cold. GoF on the other hand, which I was sure was going to be a lousy film, actually turned out to be great.
Whatever the case, the decision is made. I can only hope that the remaining three films pleasantly suprise me (like GoF did). I doubt they will.
There’s plenty of overstuffing in DH. The whole camping in the woods, Dumbledore’s obituary, the wedding, the ministry scene (which is unnecessarily long), shell cottage…
It would be different if things actually tied together into the other books in huge, complex ways, but they don’t…they’re only somewhat related, often contrived, and sometimes evidently thought up only while Jo was writing book six.
It would be very easy to cut and combine things in this movie…they’re doing it for the fans, which is great, but this is going to seriously turn off a lot of people. The general public is already complaining about “series fatigue”.
@MattyJ
The crap that was OOTP on film was not the fault of the director. It was the fault of the editor and screenwriter.
Secondly, having actually written a Deathly Hallows screenplay, I’ve seen all these issues before and REALLY know the arcs of the story. In order to properly tell the story – so that it’s COHERENT, let alone decent, it would DEFINITELY need to be split.
Actually my mum and I were talking about what all happens on the day of the battle and it’s so much stuff that even cramming all that into one movie would be a bit difficult. There are so many important events and pieces of information that get delivered that it is psosible that you could end part one after the Gringotts break out and still have heaps left to fill out another movie.
As for the Bill/Fleur/Dobby thing. I think it would be easy to make it: Remus and Tonks’s wedding, Shell Cottage could be changed to the Burrow and Kreacher could rescue them instead of Dobby and then you have no need to introduce or reintroduce new characters. Or they could have Ron saying: ‘you know my oldest brother Bill? yeah well it seems he and that Fleur have been seeing each other. They’re getting married’ ... and then you’re all set up for them to be in that movie. Plenty of ways around it. I’m sure the movie makers will work it out just fine.
@Corey
The “Overstuffing” you speak of is stuff that would get slimmed in transition to film anyway. There are too many pivotal scenes to chop.
I was at first against doing it as two films. But I feel that if they have the approval of JKR (who would never let something of hers be done incorrectly and not to her satisfaction) and the team behind it, then I’m okay with it. I’m still going to go into it with good faith. They aren’t putting a huge gap between the release dates (which is good) and they are still keeping to the shooting frame that they were going to had they only done one more film, just pushing the release date of the first installment by 6 months (which is understandable, since they are now going to be filming more).
As far as I am concerned, the team behind this franchise is doing this because they want to give this franchise the ending it deserves. People can say that its because they want to get as much money out of it as they want, and all that, but the bottom line is, they are going to be making a lot of money out of it anyways. Between merchandise and everything else, these films and the Harry Potter franchise in general is going to be making a lot of money, not to mention the theme park which will be opening more likely than not right before the 7th film (which is good timing).
I think that if they also have the support of individuals such as Dan Radcliffe and the rest of the cast that the best way to go about this was a two part film, then we have to trust them. We weren’t in the meetings, we don’t know what the script is going to look like and we really don’t know much other than its two films and David Yates is directing with Steve Kloves writing.
I’m also happy with that. I think Kloves does a good job and writes a well written script and I like the idea of finishing the franchise with someone who knows it, especially Yates, who now knows it incredibly well. He’s been through the really big battles and deaths in the world with these characters and I like the idea of him taking them through the final battle.
I am going to wait until I see the installments to make any judgments on whether or not it is or isn’t going to be a good film. Heck, we haven’t even seen Half Blood Prince. I’m going to go into the next three films with an open mind and enjoy the fact that a book series that kept me engaged from the age of 12 until I was 21 is now going to keep me entertained filmicly until I am 25.
And coming from the industry I find that pretty damn amazing.
@KaityBella – I just think it’s cute that you’re a freshman in high school now thinking about how you’ll be a senior in high school when they finish – I was a freshman in high school when the very first film came out and I’m about to graduate college. I’ll be 25 when the films finish and I think it’s crazy that I was 14 when they started.
But I still think that it’s absolutely amazing that it will have been that many years later and I will still be wanting to go see Harry Potter films. My tastes have changed on a lot of other things. Heck my tastes on basically everything else has changed yet I still want to go see Harry Potter. And I think if anything else, the fans that like me who will have waited that long to see these films – just the same way we waited for the books to come out (for I started reading when there was only one in print) will keep the franchise a live and to give us a full fill is a gift from WB and I thank them for it.
It’s Jo’s own fault that she added unnecessary plotlines to the story after repeatedly saying that book six and seven were “like two parts of the same story” and then dropping the Horcruxes for God knows how long so that Harry could whine about the Hallows.
Anyway, what is pivotal about this book?
Not the first chapter…it’s telling us what we’re going to see in a few chapters anyway. Absolutely no need.
All the Dumbledore stuff can be seriously condensed. I really don’t wanna have to hear twenty repeats of “WHAT? Dumbledore lived WHERE? His mother did WHAT? His sisters was WHAT?” from Harry.
No reason to show the Dursleys…they’re not important to the story at all, not even Petunia (who should have been).
There’s a lot of talking at the Burrow that is just filler and exposition. So is the wedding.
Do we really need the whole fake sword subplot? Can’t they just have the real one from the beginning?
This really can be done in one film. Not EVERYTHING in this book is vital, guys…it really isn’t. It’s like it’s own separate book, not a tie-up to every other book in the series.
I was thinking the same thing about the first film ending with Dobby’s funeral or just before. A really great place to break up the action. there is NO reason for any other actors to be in the Epilogue…..it is only 19 years….they won’t change that much…...Harry won’t be any taller! We Harry and Hermione shippers will be crying to see Harry and Ginny together, but that is life. I am just so glad they all lived!!
I am really happy they have listened to the FANS….I have NO problem paying for 2 movies.
Yay!!!
Not so happy that we’ll have to wait 2 years after HBP for the first DH, and not wild that Kloves will continue, but very happy about David Yates. I would suggest the break after the scene in the forest with the silver doe and that frantic scene with the Horcrux Harry and Hermoine as the climax, and reconciliation with Ron as the denoument.
I do think that the Gringotts scene and Taboo sub-plot can be cut. That would save tonnes of time.
You still have the following major scenes: The Wedding Escape to Tottenham Court Road {Or , perhaps, to Grimmauld Place} Build to the Assault on the Ministry Battle of the Ministry of Magic Camp Scenes – Particularly Ron’s Departure Godric’s Hollow Ron’s Return – The Silver Doe Lead to Xeno’s Xenophilius’ Visit {Capturing, if not at Xeno’s} Malfoy Manor {Gringotts, if not Cut) {Dragon Escape, return to Hogsmeade/Hogwarts) The Return of the Defence Assocation Luna Taking Harry to Ravenclaw Tower The Talk with the Grey Lady The Unknowable Room {Misc Battles} Snape’s End The Pensieve Scene The Return to the Dark Forest Harry’s Death King’s Cross The “Resurrection” Further Battling Voldemort’s Demise 19 Years Later
Re-post for formatting.
I do think that the Gringotts scene and Taboo sub-plot can be cut. That would save tonnes of time.
You still have the following major scenes: The Wedding Escape to Tottenham Court Road {Or , perhaps, to Grimmauld Place}
Build to the Assault on the Ministry
Battle of the Ministry of Magic
Camp Scenes – Particularly Ron’s Departure
Godric’s Hollow Ron’s Return – The Silver Doe
Lead to Xeno’s
Xenophilius’ Visit
{Capturing, if not at Xeno’s}
Malfoy Manor
{Gringotts, if not Cut)
{Dragon Escape, return to Hogsmeade/Hogwarts)
The Return of the Defence Assocation
Luna Taking Harry to Ravenclaw Tower
The Talk with the Grey Lady
The Unknowable Room {Misc Battles}
Snape’s End
The Pensieve Scene
The Return to the Dark Forest
Harry’s Death
King’s Cross
The “Resurrection”
Further Battling
Voldemort’s Demise
19 Years Later
Mwhahahahahahaha….two movies to screw up.
rubs hands together with fiendish glee
“This was the one book I felt could be condensed into a decent three hour film.”
Exactly!