Monday, July 18, 2011

Harry Potter 7.2

Or perhaps it should be either "7.5" or "8" from a mathematical perspective. Be that as it may, one of the changes that struck me most powerfully in the translation from page to screen was the evacuation of non-combatant students.

In the book, as I recall, a girl from Slytherin suggests giving Harry Potter up to Voldemort, and McGonagall promptly offers all non-minor students the chance to evacuate if they do not wish to support Harry and defend Hogwarts. Somewhat improbably, each and every Slytherin takes this offer, but a smattering of students from each of the other houses does as well (almost none from Gryffondor of course). They are escorted off school premises through the secret tunnel into the relative safety of Hogsmeade and the world beyond.

In the movie, a girl from Slytherin likewise suggests giving Harry Potter up to Voldemort, and McGonagall promptly responds. But Movie-McGonagall's response could not be more different - it is authoritarian and draconian. She immediately orders all Slytherin students sent away. Someone asks where they should be taken, and she responds with something like, "To the dungeons, that should do for now."

In other words, one Slytherin's treacherous cowardice taints the entire house. Movie-McGonagall does not allow for the possibility of individual choice, courage and heroism. Nor does she send the Slytherins out of the combat area to freedom, and presumably the comfort and protection of their families. Instead, she keeps them on school premises, in the dungeons under Filch's custody. The dungeons may be a little safer than other parts of the castle, but a Squib can't protect the students, and the clear intent is to keep all members of the untrustworthy house confined.

Militarily, I suppose this makes sense. On the field of battle, you can't afford to leave enemy "non-combatants" at liberty to sabotage your operations, report on your strength and strategy, or join the fight against you. And I suppose you can't really afford to individually assess the degree to which each individual with suspected ties to the enemy is in fact an enemy.

But in the movie - especially knowing how this differs from the book - it makes the good guys look bad.

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