Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Key to success

first posted November 20, 2010
estimated read time: 3 minutes and 9 seconds

Harry Potter has been the greatest story of our generation, and one that has truly captivated the imaginations of children and adults alike. The seventh book in the series, The Deathly Hallows, has been split into two movies, the first of which came out on November 19, 2010, and has been without a doubt my favorite Harry Potter movie to date!

Warning 1: I am a huge Harry Potter fan.
Warning 2: If for some reason you have not read the book or seen the movie yet, then STOP. Spoilers up ahead.

Casting

harry-potter-cast

Let’s ignore the all-star casting choices that include acting greats Jason Isaacs, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, and Michael Gambon to name a few, and focus instead on the tripod cast. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson have been the same three characters throughout the entire series, and as a result, we as an audience get to see our young heroes grow and mature with each passing film. This has allowed for a far deeper character to audience connection that would have otherwise been possible.

The Opening Scene

hermione wipes parents memories

When first reading the book, I was surprised to find out that Hermione erased her parents’ memories. Her logic was simple: Death eaters know she is close with “Undesirable No. 1”, so they would probably try and find her through her parents. In the book, I never really stopped to think how hard this must have been for her and how she must have felt.

The opening in Deathly Hallows is Emma Watson in a very well acted and directed scene of this emotional moment. It truly makes the audience appreciate what it meant for Hermione to have to erase all memories of her from their minds, watching her vanish in all of the photographs on the shelf. Her parents never even knowing she existed.

The Malfoys

the malfoys

Pretty much everything Malfoy related in the film was bang on. Lucius’ desperation and fear upon giving his wand to Voldemort, Draco’s fear and refusal to identify and give away Harry, and Narcissa’s desire to protect her family, were all supreme acting scenes that conveyed true emotion in the characters. The subtilities in everything from the facial expressions to the scenery accurately portrayed the frustration and fear that even the death eaters felt under the leadership of the Dark Lord.

Godric’s Hollow

godric's hollow

Picture perfect. From the snow-filled small town on Christmas eve to the cemetery, to the Potter’s ruined house, Godric’s Hollow felt sentimental on multiple levels to the audience. Even Bathilda Bagshot/Nagini scene was just how I imagined it.

What Was Missing

Not much was missing from this film that I wish was included or changed. In fact, I can only think of two!

The first was Dumbledore. I wish they included more Timbits (I’m Canadian) of information on him such as the strained relationship with his brother, Grindelwald, and the accident with his sister. Things were only hinted at so far, such as the ‘blue eye’ appearing in the mirror shard and the meeting with Ron’s Aunt who to paraphrase “You don’t know shit about Dumbledore”.

The second thing is kind of corny, but I felt that the moment was kind of ruined in the film. After Ron rejoins Harry and Hermione, he is broody and angry at himself for having left. In the book he says something to the effect of “…even Dumbledore knew I’d leave, even he knew I was weak”, where Hermione’s reply is “but he also knew that you’d want to always come back”. In the film, Ron just says all of that by himself almost immediately after returning.

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There are 8 comments

This is the best part of the harry potter series i like it very much

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May 27, 2019 ~Dani
1

Just watched this movie yesterday. Loved every second of it

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April 30, 2011 ~flamingo
1

There are usually not many websites with info like this man! Bookmarked!

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January 29, 2011 ~Marleen Sampilo
-2

Great review! Just watched this movie (late i know!) and loved it!

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January 5, 2011 ~darin'
1

Saw the movie last week and couldn’t agree more with you!

Just a note, it was Harry who said “he’d always knew you’d want to come back” in the book, not Hermione 😉

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December 18, 2010 ~HPgirl
2

I agree completely with the “what was missing” section. Harry’s feelings of betrayal at Dumbledore’s lack of trust and confidence was an important part of the book, but barely mentioned in the film.

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December 16, 2010 ~Barry
1

Very interesting post, it really got me thinking. I too loved the movie and the books.

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December 13, 2010 ~Loyd
1