Harry Potter and the Destruction of Character

[xela]

Earlier this afternoon I did something I rarely do: Post a comment on a youtube video. I'm a veteran of USENET flame wars, so not much phased by the knuckle-dragger insults a thoughtful comment often draws there. But BITD, my newsgroup comments were also likely to yield worthwhile replies. Youtube, not so much.

But comment I did. And then did something I do even more rarely: Shared the video on Facebook. And now I want to share it with you as well. Starting with my FB introduction:

I've read a lot of excellent essays about art — literature, film, theater, even music. I've read a lot more that was crap, of course (or at any rate, started a lot more that was crap, before giving up in disgust). The point being that I know what well-crafted criticism is. And this video essay on how JK Rowling's characters — especially Hermione — changed from book to film is one of the best pieces of criticism I've ever seen. Well worth watching.

Watch on YouTube

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And the comment I left on youtube:

Thank you for a tremendously well-observed and thought-provoking close-reading. The Devil's Snare episode was one of my favorite parts of _Philosopher's Stone_ from the first time I read it. And when the movie came out, I leaned forward in my seat and literally waited with bated breath for URupert Grint to say "Are you a witch or what?" And left the movie muttering something about "best line of dialog in the entire book, and _they left it out?!_"

But I entirely failed to see it as part of _any_ larger pattern, let alone the sevaral you bring out. Good criticism is rare. In producing a piece of excellent criticism that's also entertaining and perfectly true, you've hit the trifecta. Great work. Thank you.

Comments

[motodraconis]

Cheers for the link, that was rather interesting.

I'm wondering though, could part of it be the "Americanisation" of the films? It has been a thing for British TV series to have flawed, grubby and slightly more crappy human protagonists,* and then when a successful series is bought and re-filmed for the American audience, the protagonists are tarted up to be cooler, more attractive, more aspirational.

* And since everyone is a bit shit, no one is boxed into the "always shit" box as Ron has been placed into. Everyone is a bit shit, but everyone has their moments of glory too.

[hlinspjalda]

Thanks for this link.

Ron's character was plundered to pile more perfections on Hermione's. I haven't forgiven any of those moviemakers for taking away Ron's agency and expertise.