i haven’t liked the last 2 movies due to the way dumbledore has been handled. so very different than bookdumbledore. it really spoils the movie for me.
harry giving up the prophecy! that scene really, really, bugged me. for the life of me i can’t believe rowlings let that go, yet told them dumbledore didn’t have a girlfriend and should cut that scene. harry giving up the prophecy… gahhhhhhh!
i won’t see it again unless it is on tv and nothing else is on.
Wait–wha? What scene was cut between AD and a girlfriend? 
I am also now reconciled to AD’s being gay. Just for the record. It had never occurred to me to speculate on the sexuality of the characters, so that news came as a shock (rather like knowing Santa’s fantasies or something).
I did do a surf/search and found some “footage” of HP6:
HP6, a tidbit
Most of you all have already seen this clip, I’m sure. There is also up on YouTube the Biography special that aired Dec 19, 2007 on the Big Three. I didn’t see it on TV, but I just watched it now on YouTube.
Thanks for the link, rigs. I hadn’t seen that clip before.
There was a scene written for HBP in which Albus gave Harry some sort of relationship advice, and referred to a girl he (Albus) was once interested in. Rowling passed a note to the director or the screenwriter (don’t remember who) and it was fixed.
I hadn’t watched the footage yet, so thanks for the link! It was so weird to see Neville (I mean the actor who plays Neville, but his name has wandered off) with some facial hair.
They wanted to have DD make reference to a past (heterosexual) relationship, and JKR nixed it. In the past, she’d stepped in on casting issues related to characters’ ethnicity, which she knew but the movie folks didn’t.
The question about characters’ sexual orientations is very interesting, because I think there’s an assumption that everyone is straight unless stated or demonstrated otherwise. I don’t think it’s conscious, because I don’t think it necessarily even occurs as a question unless there’s a reason to wonder. As a gay reader/moviegoer, I’m always aware of whether a character’s orientation has been demarcated or implied. I didn’t think DD was necessarily gay prior to JKR’s comment, but I was aware that I didn’t know if he was straight, either.
Exactly–with most other adult characters, the orientation is either implied or obvious. AD and one other, (McGonagall), were to me, essentially neutral. I never thought of their sexuality at all. Perhaps that’s the kid in me or demonstrates some kind of sexual retardation on my part–dunno. It never occurred to me that AD was gay, because I never thought about it.
There was a thread about this with all manner of homophobic comments posted regarding posters like me who were dismayed to find AD’s orientation bandied about. Not to resurrect old arguments, but it wasn’t the type of sexuality that disturbed me, it was the sexuality, period. To me, he was a half mythic figure, kind of like Santa Claus (ok, I know Santa is all myth)–I never actually think of Santa’s wife (to me he works alone) or his marital relations. Maybe Gandalf is a better analogy or Merlin. Probably Merlin–who was “asexual” IMS. AD and HP have a sort of Merlin/Arthur relationship, afterall. Hell, Ginny’s full name is Guinevere!
anyway, sorry for the digression. I am not so sure I want to “analyze” HP. I liked The Science of Harry Potter, although it really didn’t have much to do with HP. I’m more interested in the world than the themes and archetypes portrayed–not that they aren’t interesting.
Ginny’s full name is actually Ginevra, an Italian form of Guinevere.
Some analysis is basically a detailed look into the world, less about the themes and archetypes than the geographic and demographic realities. There was a fantastic essay that figured out the full demographics on Harry’s year- I think it’s called The Secrets of the Classlist.
I still maintain that Rowling’s “revelation” that Dumbledore was gay was essentially needless and irrelevant. It’s like revealing his favourite colour is blue - nice to know, but has absolutely no impact on the plot of the books or their outcome.
I can understand that, though (without hijacking the OP too much), I’ll say that what disturbed me about it was not sexuality one way or the other, but that I thought she was a chicken not to say anything about any character not being straight in the books themselves. Yes, it may just be back story, but in that case, just veto the “advice to Harry” and be done with it without explanation. It feels rather like authorial cheating to me. Of course, if Movie 7 has meaningful glances between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, then I suppose it enters canon and I retract the “chicken” comment.
That sounds interesting! I will browse the HP section of Borders next time I’m in there. I am reluctant to put anymore on the credit card since Xmas, so Amazon is out for me at present.
There was another clip I watched yesterday that showed the cursed necklace, but I cannot find it today (of course). Also, there is another clip re the Quidditch costumes which is already irritating me. According to the costume designer, “Zey are playing harder, faster Quidditch now that they are older, so they need more protection.”
Gah. No, they don’t. Lee Jordan, the Weasley’s et al did not have this protection, nor did Wood. I wish they’d just say–we wanted to update the look instead of trying to make it seem logical and correspondent with the story, because it’s just not. Also, I do hope this protective gear goes UNDER the robes…
American football meets Quidditch
The first bit is the same clip as above, then they go into the Quidditch…
And I agree–to me it was like learning his favorite color–or perhaps not. AD being gay does give a lift to all the gay teens out there (although I also agree that it should have been alluded to in some way in the books–we’ll see about film 7), but it isn’t something we need to know about him.
Can I say again how much I hate the new Quidditch uniforms? Those robes are awesome–why are they fiddling with this stuff?