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If You Loved The Book…The Movie Is A Sigh of Relief
BY BECCA CHILBERT
A room full of cloaked and giddy muggles sat down to watch the first half of the coveted Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. They came ready to cringe at every book discrepancy, to sneer at every unbelievable effect and to leave the theatre shouting, “the book was better.” They left instead, elated.
The movie, directed by David Yates (Order of the Phoenix, Half Blood Prince), took careful measures to remain true to the bestselling novel. Little details were honored, some even as minute as the insides of the deceptively small giant tents previously used for the Quidditch World Cup. Hermione wore revealing perfume in the woods, and Lupin interrogated Harry to check his identity. Readers could sigh, knowing their story was being respected and simply enjoy the movie.
They could enjoy the delightful animation creatively crafted for the telling of the “Three Brother’s” a fictional fairy tale. They could laugh at Ron, Fred, and George’s witticism’s. Book readers could take in the aesthetic novelty of beloved characters morphing into Harry after drinking the form altering Polyjuice potion. When the opening chase scene had Harry and Hagrid riding the motorcar on the ground, using traditional ground chase scene staging, the bookworms enjoyed it. The well placed close-ups, the haunting music, and of course the special effects did not go unnoticed in this film. In fact, Yates respect for the original story allowed the transition to a movie medium to be celebrated.
A book reader myself, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that, “the movie was better.” However, I will say that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the movie, was extraordinary.
