Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Two-Disc Special Edition)
by David Yates
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Daniel Radcliffe, Elarica Gallacher, Emma Watson, Jim Broadbent, Rupert GrintDirector: David Yates
Brand: Warner Brothers
Cinematographer: Bruno Delbonnel
Producer: David Barron
Producer: David Heyman
Producer: Lionel Wigram
Producer: Tim Lewis
Writer: J.K. Rowling
Writer: Steve Kloves
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Color, Limited Edition, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 153 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-12-08
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product features:
- Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort's defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his
Movie Reviews of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Movie Review: Actually sir, after all these years I just sort of go with it
Summary: 5 Stars
Since I have never seen a Harry Potter film before, nor read any of the books, I had to agree with Harry Potter when he said to Albus Dumbledore: "...after all these years I just sort of go with it." I have four nieces and they are all followers of the Potter phenomenon. They had t-shirts made with their own Potter references and slogans, and wore them to the midnight show opening. One of them went down to wait in line at 6 PM so that we could all get good seats. She was the most passionate Potterite among them and had been interviewed at past openings by the local news wearing a Hogwarts uniform.
So it was that I found myself at a midnight show. The crowd was very excited to see the opening, and I was swept up in the excitement, even though I didn't have a clue about the finer points of the J.K. Rowling story. You could say that it wasn't my bailiwick, and I was eminently unqualified to review this movie, but nevertheless, I came, I saw, and I can't resist weighing in with my two cents..
My first observation was that the audience was mostly the same age as the actors playing Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright), Lavender Brown (Jessie Cave), and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), so they had been growing up with them, and were kind of in sync. They were ALL young and feeling love's keen sting, as Professor Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) so aptly put it. In fact there was so much snogging going on, it was hard to fit in the horcruxes, Death Eaters, and the Quidditch match. I would not be surprised at all if the climax of the entire series revolves around who took who to the Hogswart prom. In fact, if I am not mistaken, there was some kind of prom or dance in Half-blood Prince, and Harry asked the most unlikely of dates, Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch) to attend.
While we are on the subject, according to my sister the relationship between Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger was much better established in the book. She had more motivation for liking Ron in the book, but on screen, we're not buying it. Why aren't Harry Potter and Hermione Granger getting together? Actually, Emma Watson is out of BOTH Harry and Ron's league. They are like the chubby fanboy who tried to give Megan Fox the yellow rose and was completely ignored. She is like the girl next door who overnight morphs into a Super Model. Harry does kiss someone in the latest installment, and I would say who, but I don't want to spoil it. The kiss is a big deal, even overshadowing the death of a main character -- again, I won't say who, but we know it's not Harry Potter, although, Harry might feel a little guilt about standing by and not doing anything.
Enough, already. I am starting to ramble. The next thing I would like to talk about is the villains. Draco Malvoy (Tom Felton) makes a pretty menacing villain, with his hair so blonde it is almost white. Lord Voldemort is not seen at all, but somehow his presence was felt. Kind of think that this movie is just a set up for the movies to come. The final showdown between Harry and Voldemort. They do have scenes of Voldemort as a boy, Tom Riddle at 11, and he is played by Hero Fiennes-Tiffin. He takes that kind of creepy look that Draco has and raises it to the nth magnitude. Our young anti-hero, Hero Fiennes-Tiffin is related to Ralph Fiennes, who plays Voldemort, but he was not only cast because he resembled his Uncle Ralph, he also had that deep and dark look that hinted of the evil to come...
Harry Potter: Did you know, sir? Then?
Albus Dumbledore: Did I know that I just met the most dangerous dark wizard of all time? No.
Anyway, seeing a Harry Potter movie for the first time, it is easy to see why so many love them. I think the audience may have been split between those who want the films to be exactly like the book, and those who don't mind the film going in a different direction than the book if it could make for a better movie. J.K. Rowling has endorsed the second approach, although she would intervene if the movie veers too far away. For instance, when the script had Dumbledore remembering an episode from his past where he loved a girl, J.K. stepped in and said that could NEVER happen because... well, you'll just have to watch and find out, won't you?
There is a third group, and that is my group, the people who don't care if it follows the book or not, because they haven't read the books. Just looking at it as a movie, without any preconceptions, I would say that there are great special effects and art direction. They really create a world and inhabit it with strange creatures that look right at home. I can see that these movies make a lot of money, and they really go all out, pumping the profits back into the products. The Potter movie I saw was really a great example of movie making craft at its finest. I think the fans will like Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, even if the ending is kind of anticlimactic. It is not the final showdown, but just setting the audience up for the battles to come.
Albus Dumbledore: You must be wondering why I brought you here.
Harry Potter: Actually sir, after all these years I just sort of go with it.
Art School Confidential (2006) .... Jim Broadbent was Jimmy
Vanity Fair (Widescreen) (2004) .... Jim Broadbent was Mr. Osborne
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - Criterion Collection (2004) .... Michael Gambon was Oseary Drakoulias
Rock Star (2001) .... Timothy Spall was Mats, Steel Dragon Road Manager
Gosford Park (2001) .... Michael Gambon was William McCordle and Maggie Smith was Constance Trentham
Topsy-Turvy (1999) .... Jim Broadbent was W. S. Gilbert and Timothy Spall was Richard Temple (The Mikado)
The Sheltering Sky (1990) .... Timothy Spall was Eric Lyle
The Rachel Papers (1989) .... Michael Gambon was Doctor Knowd
The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Norway ] (1987) .... Maggie Smith was Judith Hearne
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) .... Maggie Smith was Jean Brodie
Albus Dumbledore: Take my arm. That was fun. Most people vomit their first time.
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Summary of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort?s defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information. Even as the decisive showdown looms, romance blossoms for Harry, Ron, Hermione and their classmates. Love is in the air, but danger lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same.The sixth installment of the Harry Potter series begins right where The Order of the Phoenix left off. The wizarding world is rocked by the news that "He Who Must Not Be Named" has truly returned, and the audience finally knows that Harry is "the Chosen One"--the only wizard who can defeat Lord Voldemort in the end. Dark forces loom around every corner, and now regularly attempt to penetrate the protected walls of Hogwarts School. This is no longer the fun and fascinating world of magic from the first few books?it's dark, dangerous, and scary.
Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) suspects Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) to be a new Death Eater recruit on a special mission for the Dark Lord. In the meantime, Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) seems to have finally removed the shroud of secrecy from Harry about the dark path that lies ahead, and instead provides private lessons to get him prepared. It's in these intriguing scenes that the dark past of Tom Riddle (a.k.a. Voldemort) is finally revealed. The actors cast as the different young versions of Riddle (Hero Fiennes-Tiffin and Frank Dillane) do an eerily fantastic job of portraying the villain as a child. While the previous movies' many new characters could be slightly overwhelming, only one new key character is introduced this time: Professor Horace Slughorn (with a spot-on performance by Jim Broadbent). Within his mind he holds a key secret in the battle to defeat the Dark Lord, and Harry is tasked by Dumbledore to uncover a memory about Voldemort's darkest weapon--the Horcrux. Despite the long list of distractions, Harry, Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) still try to focus on being teenagers, and audiences will enjoy the budding awkward romances. All of the actors have developed nicely, giving their most convincing performances to date.
More dramatic and significant things go down in this movie than any of its predecessors, and the stakes are higher than ever. The creators have been tasked with a practically impossible challenge, as fans of the beloved J.K. Rowling book series desperately want the movies to capture the magic of the books as closely as possible. Alas, the point at which one accepts that these two mediums are very different is the point at which one can truly enjoy these brilliant adaptations. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is no exception: it may be the best film yet. For those who have not read the book, nail-biting entertainment is guaranteed. For those who have, the movie does it justice. The key dramatic scenes, including the cave and the shocking twist in the final chapter, are executed very well. It does a perfect job of setting up the two-part grand finale that is to follow. --Jordan Thompson
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