Lord John Paul Castrianni, has confirmed an invasion of Hogwarts.
I am involved in the invasion of Hogwarts (not so much of an invasion more of a skirmish) in which several Death Eaters attempt to infiltrate Hogwarts and find Dumbledore
The battle has been downsized, according to test screening viewers.
There is no battle in Hogwarts like in the books. Bellatrix and the others run through Hogwarts triumphantly destroying a bit of the castle in a euphoric tantrum along the way and then Hagrid's house is set on fire. But no one but Harry takes any action and that is only on Snape as far as I can remember. Snape blocks all of Harry's curses.
Producer David Heyman was interviewed about the film, one of the questions concerning the omissions at the end of the film.
As you know, Half-Blood Prince screenings were recently held in Chicago, which has given fans an idea what to expect come July 2009. Many were shocked to see the omission of the Battle at Hogwarts and Dumbledore's funeral. Can you explain why these scenes were left out?
DAVID HEYMAN: The reason why we left out the Battle at Hogwarts is because we have a battle at Hogwarts in the Seventh film and we are avoiding repetition. Dumbledore’s funeral was something that I really loved and is a fantastic part of the book and part of me would have loved it in the film. But we decided that while we loved it that what we came up with was the right ending for the film that we had made.
The second trailer, released October, shows Snape leading the Death Eaters through the Great Hall.
Bellatrix’s involvement in the battle is confirmed from a picture.
Test screening viewers describe this picture.
The picture of Bella running along the table is from right after Dumbledore is killed.
The Behind the Scenes Featurette showed Bella walking along the table.
The Featurette also showed Snape leading the Death Eaters through the Castle.
It appears that Hagrid's Hut will be burned (staying true to the book) as evidenced by a set report.
Hagrid's hut was a short bus ride away, it had been burned, even saw Hagrid's pumpkin patch though there were no pumpkins. They filmed it burning with a load of cameras (I forget how many they said) because they only got one chance to film it burn. A lot of the outdoor sets have camouflage nets around them. This is because the neighbours complained that the light was reflecting off them and that they were ugly.
A picture of Bellatrix further confirms this, showing Hagrid’s Hut burning in the background.
More screencaps from the second and third trailers, show Hagrid’s Hut on fire again.
Trailer and Featurette screenshots show Harry during the Flight of the Prince sequence.
A test screening attendee confirms the reveal of the Half Blood Prince.
Many of you asked what Harry’s reaction to Snape’s revelation that he is the Half-Blood Prince was. To be honest it was hard to say because he was lying on the ground besides being hit with counter curses from Snape, Bellatrix at one point runs up and curses him too, though I am unclear what spell she tried to use on him (much of the spell casting throughout the movie was done without words, and I am guessing, or rather hoping this is because voiceovers were just not added yet, but who knows).
Snape yells at her, saying “Potter belongs to the Dark Lord” and she leaves. That’s when Snape approaches Harry who is on the ground whimpering and enraged. He says the line “You may have your mother’s eyes but you are as dim as your father” That is when he reveals he is the Half-Blood Prince. Then he leaves.
I was disappointed that we didn't see the "DON'T CALL ME A COWARD!" line (I was waiting for it!) but I wasn't disappointed with the scene overall
He doesn't scream like in the books - Alan Rickman's Snape has always been a lot more "controlled" than Jo Rowling's Snape, though. He is perfectly in character as what I think of as "movie!Snape"... very "dangerous" but no overabundance of anger
Scott: So, basically, the Death Eaters just walk in, kill Dumbledore, and walk out, and then Harry chases them? Nobody's in the halls? There's no confrontation at all? They just --
Rachel: No.
Scott: -- stroll on out of the castle while destroying things?
Rachel: I vaguely -- I -- I'm -- I hope I'm not confusing what I remember with my book, but I -- I -- I vaguely remember them passing students who were kind of ducking down, but --
Scott: Oh. All right.
Rachel: -- and I think that actually did happen, but, you know what I mean? (laughs) Like it's --
Vince: Yeah.
Rachel: -- it's -- sometimes I find that I'm getting confused, but -- no -- that -- that -- I am virtually certain that happened. But, other -- but then no one stopped them, you know what I mean? No one -- no one was like --
Scott: Right.
Rachel: -- like -- no fight. And -- and Bellatrix was cele -- they were cele -- I mean, they were happy as hell. (laughter)
Meesha: Right.
Vince: She like jumps on the table, right?
Scott: What parts of the castle were they destroying? Like -- they ran through the Great Hall -- it looks like and --
Rachel: Yeah. I was hoping they would do the -- the hour glass, but they didn't. They didn't have those in the movie. You know, where they destroy --
Scott: Oh.
Aaron: Yeah. It's in a really bad spot in the movie.
Rachel: -- the Gryffindor hour glass, but -- but -- but, no -- but they -- they -- they were just celebrating. And -- and then they -- and then Bellatrix set -- I believe it was Bellatrix -- set -- set Hagrid's house -- hut on fire, but Hagrid didn't seem to be in it.
Vince: Oh --
Scott: So Hagrid wasn't --
Vince: -- he wasn't in the scene?
Scott: -- in the scene?
Rachel: He wasn't there, so ...
Vince: That's weird.
Scott: Huh.
Rachel: I believe --
Vince: Where would he be?
Rachel: I don't know --
Vince: That's weird.
Rachel: -- at the pub, you know? (laughs)
Meesha: Did he show up in that scene at all or --
Rachel: No.
Vince: Or Fang?
Scott: Doesn't sound like it.
Vince: Or Fang?
Rachel: No. He didn't. He wasn't -- he wasn't in the movie very much at all.
Vince: Is Fang in the movie at all?
Rachel: I'm sorry?
Vince: Fang.
Rachel: I --
Vince: Fang -- the boarhound.
Rachel: Yeah. I -- I think he was there at one point, but I don't -- he --
Vince: Oh.
Rachel: -- he -- not very much. I mean, they were -- he was barely in the movie. He was there for the necklace scene the most and that's main -- mainly what I remember. I don't -- I just don't remember seeing much of Hagrid at all.
Scott: That's odd.
Meesha: Was he there at the end at all -- when they were doing like the -- the candlelight thing?
Rachel: I believe he was, but I -- yeah, I think he was, but it was -- he didn't stand out unfortunately, (laughs) but I think -- I'm virtually certain the entire school was there.
Meesha: Oh, okay.
Rachel: So, yeah. But the person who stood out to me was McGonagall. She looked -- she -- she was the one who captured my eye. So ...
Meesha: Yeah. Okay. I -- I want to ask you about when -- okay -- Harry chases Snape down -- do they actually duel or -- I mean -- is it just --
Rachel: I'm sorry? Oh, Harry and --
Meesha: When Harry chases down Snape and -- I mean -- do -- do they actually have a duel with Harry trying to --
Rachel: Yes. And actually, that was -- that was --
Meesha: -- send spells at him?
Rachel: -- that was actually pretty good -- well done too. It -- the -- Harry tries to curse Snape -- we don't know with what, but he's -- he's ob -- he's throwing curses at him and the -- and -- and Snape has -- it deflects every single one of them. Like, he doesn't get hit by any of them. So --
Meesha: And how's Rick -- how's Rickman doing through all -- I mean, is he -- can you tell he's angry or --
Rachel: Yeah. He looks angry, but he also -- I think -- not enough -- for me, it wasn't quite enough.
Meesha: Uh-huh.
Rachel: It may have been for some people. It was - for me, it was -- he was a little -- a little too --
Vince: [inaudible]
Rachel: -- soft with Harry, you know what I mean? (laughs) But --
Meesha: Yeah.
Rachel: But --
Meesha: Did they cut Buckbeak?
Rachel: Yeah. (laughter) There's no-- there's no Buckbeak. There's no --
Meesha: Yeah.
Rachel: -- Grawp either.
Meesha: Yeah. Yeah. I kind of --
Vince: He actually --
Rachel: At least I don't --
Vince: -- just leaves?
(laughter)
Meesha: So Snape --
Vince: Snape just --
Meesha: -- Snape just walks away. Nobody intervenes or whatever? He just walks away?
Rachel: No. But then no one --
Vince: What hap --
Rachel: -- really knew he was -- there was anything wrong with Snape in the book either until after -- until they got to the hospital wing, so ...
Meesha: Uh-huh.
Scott: Hmm.
Rachel: You know, that wasn't out of character -- you know out of --
Meesha: Right.
Rachel: -- [inaudible] wrong necessarily, you know, but no one seemed to know -- no -- none -- there was no teachers around or any -- no one was -- no one had caught up with them. It was just -- it was just Harry and Snape. And -- oh, Bella --
Meesha: Right.
Rachel: -- and Bellatrix runs up and tries -- and -- and then curses Harry and -- and gets Harry and Harry -- so Harry is down on the ground by the -- when Ha -- when --
Vince: Snape --
Rachel: -- Snape --
Vince: [inaudible]
Rachel: -- goes up to him --
Vince: Yeah.
Rachel: -- and says, you know -- says -- and says, you know, "you're as -- you -- you may have your mother's eyes, but you're -- you're as dim as your father" and then he says that -- "I am the Half-Blood Prince" or something like that. (laughs) And, I think --
Vince: Ahh ... that's all he says? That's all he says about that?
Rachel: Yeah.
Vince: He just says that he's --
Rachel: It wasn't [inaudible] --
Scott: Was there a line -- a line about not using my own spells against me or something along --
Rachel: No.
Scott: -- those lines?
Rachel: No. I didn't -- I didn't -- unless it -- unless I missed it, but I was lis -- I was listening for it so I -- I'm virtually certain it wasn't there. I was hoping --
Scott: Oh. Okay.
Rachel: -- for it. I liked that line. (laughs)
Meesha: Yeah. That --
Vince: Yeah, me too.
Meesha: -- was a good scene.
Rachel: I thought it was good. I thought the whole -- actually, I -- I thought that they were going to keep that dialog from the book because I thought it was usable --
Meesha: Right.
Rachel: -- but they didn't. So --
Meesha: Yeah. It -- it sounds like they watered it down a little bit and --
Rachel: I understand that they get --
Meesha: Yeah.
Rachel: -- you know, they don't use things from the books because it --
Meesha: Right.
Rachel: -- it can't -- more because it doesn't apply, but this applied. (laughs)
Meesha: And that --
Rachel: You know?
Meesha: Yeah. That -- that will probably make more sense when they get to Deathly Hallows too so ... yeah.
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