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Re: Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince discussion...
I think we're forgetting a key point here - namely, that the special effects sections are far from complete. As we all know, a mass of extra scenes are generally shot, and I suspect that rather than bore the preview audience with half-completed special effects scenes, some ultimately destined for the cutting room floor teen romance scenes were inserted in lieu and thus were over-emphasised. I seriously doubt if they will be as prominent in the final version.
With regards to the 'why have they left out ...?', I think there are several key points to remember:
(1) a lot of the plot threads introduced in HBP find their resolution in Deathly Hallows. Now DH is a book very rich in incidents and plot details. The writers are going to have their work cut out even splitting the final movie into two parts. So a vicious pruning of all but the key elements in HBP will pay dividends in the final movie.
(2) as a couple of folks have said, what looks good when read doesn't necessarily look good on film. Much as I enjoy Rowling's writing, she does at times get flabby. Witness GOF, easily the most meandering of the books, and how much better the plot was when pared down to the essentials in the movie. And sorry to be a dissenting voice, but the ending of HBP the book was over-long and mawkish (don't know if you have this phrase in American english - it means over-indulging in sickly sentiment with an almost masochistic pleasure). A swift resolve is better and far less sickly.
(3) I'm personally delighted if the Harry-Ginny relationship *doesn't* get 'consummated' straight after the quidditch match. My toes curled with embarrassment when I read that section. It was way too cheesy.
(4) Remember that we are meant to see these movies as a totality. We already know quite a bit about Voldemort's past and in movie terms we don't need a great deal more. In the book, it's different - there we have the time and leisure to fill in more details of the back story. But for the sake of the plot arc, you really don't need all that much more. And remember that in Deathly Hallows, we get even more back story (this time essential). If HBP spends too much time on filling in inessential back story (which the book readers will already know and the non-book readers don't want to) then the final movie will fell too repetitive.
(5) I like the sound of the beginning. I was dreading that the start of the movie would have a cameo from Tony Blair (Prime Minister at the time the book is set).
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