Heyman, D., Barron, D. (Producers) & Yates, D. (Director). (2009). Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. [Motion picture]. United Kingdom: Heydey Films. United States: Warner Brothers Pictures.
UPC 085391200390
•Plot Summary
In this sixth of the seven films to be produced based on the popular series of novels, we find Harry at the subway station reading a newspaper, and flirting with the waitress in the diner where he's reading. Looking up, he sees a train pass by, and Professor Dumbledore is standing on the other side once it's gone. When Harry goes to meet his professor, Dumbledore explains that he and Harry have somewhere to go, and that Harry's things will be waiting for him at the Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry when he arrives. Transporting Harry along with him, the two arrive at a dilapidated ruin of a house, and Dumbledore reveals that an old arm chair is in fact a professor he wants to have return to the school, Slughorn. Harry doesn't know why, only that it's connected to Lord Voldemort, who used to be one of Slughorn's students. The Dark Lord's activities have been escalating, with not even muggles safe any longer, and Slughorn begrudgingly agrees to return to the school. While still in London, and after visiting George and Fred's new joke shop, Harry, Hermoine, and Ron notice Draco Malfoy skulking about. He enters Borgin and Burkes shop, a place selling antiques, and meets with several of the known Death Eaters. On board the train bound for Hogwart's, Harry begins to eavesdrop on Draco's conversation with his friends, but Draco knows he is there. Casting a spell on Harry that renders him unable to move, Draco leaves him on the train, and Luna Lovegood locates Harry via her special glasses. Late in arriving on campus, Harry and Ron are also late to attend Potions glass with Slughorn. Not having books for the class yet, Slughorn tells the boys to use ones from the cabinet. The both dive for the new one, but Harry is too slow (curious for the Quidditch Seeker), and ends up with the older of the two books. What he finds inside, carefully scripted notes, launches him to the top of the class. Harry receives a potion for Liquid Luck, one that makes all his work successful, until the effects wear off. Later, Ron and Hermione think that Harry has placed some in Ron's drink so he will succeed at his first Quidditch match, but Harry later shows Hermione the untouched vial-Ron succeeded on his own. The former owner of the book is someone known only as The Half-Blood Prince. Hermoine attempts to research this person in the library, but finds nothing, and her level of tension mounts. Used to being the best in almost every class, she doesn't trust the information Harry is finding in the book, and is also having trouble of her own. Ron has been receiving attention from Lavender Brown, and the two begin snogging all over the school. She asks Harry what it's like he sees Ginny Weasley snogging Dean, her boyfriend, and he explains it's the same as when she must watch Ron and Lavender. Meanwhile, Dumbledore has shown Harry a fake memory, one between Slughorn and young Tom Riddle. He also requests that Harry allow himself to be "collected" by Slughorn, who has a habit of liking to have only the best, and brightest, students around him. After a failed attempt by someone to kill Dumbledore results in one student being nearly killed (as she was to have been messenger), Dumbledore and Harry know they are running out of time. He drinks the Liquid Luck potion, and goes to visit Hagrid, only knowing that he should. On his way, he comes across Professor Slughorn, who accompanies him. They find Hagrid mourning the death of his friend, the large arachnid, Aragorn. Eventually, the trio end up back at Hagrid's, the two men drunk. Hagrid passes out, and Slughorn explains about a flower he once received that turned into a fish. It was from Harry's mother, and Harry explains how her love saved him, but that it would have been for nothing without the knowledge Harry has been trying, unsuccessfully, to get the Professor to reveal. Slughorn relents, and gives Harry the memory, who then shares it with Dumbledore. Tom Riddle asked about a piece of magic that would allow him to store pieces of his soul away, and in so doing, keep him from ever being able to die. Dumbledore and Harry realize Tom killed seven people in order to store his soul away in seven artifacts. The diary Harry punctured using a basilisk horn was the first, a ring from Tom's family, was the second. He and Dumbledore go to retrieve what his Professor to believe to be another. Harry must agree to do what Dumbledore says, and the two retrieve a locket, which ends up being a fake. While this all goes on, Draco Malfoy has been given the task of killing Dumbledore, and is only saved by Snape when he and Harry engage in a pitched dual. He's been practicing in the use of a cabinet that will enable him to be transported to any location he wants, and Snape has made an Unbreakable Vow with Draco's mother, to keep her son safe. As Draco finally locates Dumbledore alone, he cannot kill the Professor, and the other Death Eaters arrive to urge him to action. Dumbledore looks to Snape, who has passed Harry with a finger-to-lips motion for silence, and asks only, "Please". Not trying to defend himself, Dumbledore is struck by Snape's magic, and falls from the castle wall-dead. Harry gives chase, and Snape keeps repelling his magic, finally explaining over Harry's exhausted body that the young man should not use his own spells against him. They are spells from the book, and Snape is the Half-Blood Prince. After Dumbledore's death, Harry knows he has to get rid of the book, but cannot bring himself to do it. Ginny takes him to the Room of Requirement, tells him to close his eyes, and hides the book in the room. The two have their first kiss, but there is more to be done. The search to find the third horcrux had been for nothing, but Harry knows he must go on, and Hermione explains to her friend that she and Ron will go with him on his quest.
•Critical Evaluation
Shortest of the films, although the book was the longest of the series, except for the last. Order of the Phoenix members are barely seen, and the search to find out about the identity of the Half Blood Prince is limited to the one mention where Hermoine looks for intel in the library's collection. Much of the film adaptation is given up to scenes of Harry and Ginny's shy interactions, and Ron snogging Lavender, until they break-up. Without certain elements from the novel, such as the muggle attacks, the relationships between older characters being developed (such as Tonks and Lupin), and the search for the rightful owner of the book, Snape, the ending does not make a great deal of sense.
•Reader’s Annotation
Adequate as a stand-alone film, but misses some of the elements that made the novel arguably the best in the series.
•Genre
DVD, Motion Picture, Film
•Curriculum Ties
N/A
•Booktalking Ideas
Harry Potter, witchcraft and wizardry in pop culture
•Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 6-12/Ages 11-19
•Challenge Issues
As with all the Harry Potter-related books and films, there is the possibility of a challenge based on the angle of supposed real witchcraft and spells. Recommendations include asking the challenger to read the book, with the purpose of finding actual instances of material that might lead young adults into dubious behavior, as well as pointing out that these are just works of fiction, and that spells used in the book are likewise imaginary.
•Why did you include this book in you’re the titles you selected?
I was a huge fan of the novel, and wanted to see how the two compared. With my daughter away for the Summer when this came out, and mixed reviews, the DVD viewing seemed the best idea.
