Kloves on Adapting Harry Potter: "Books Are Difficult to Wrestle to the Screen"
Movies
Posted by: sue
April 30, 2009, 08:40 AM
The Baltimore Sun is running a new article today, featuring an interview with Harry Potter film director David Yates, and also contains new comments from screenwriter Steve Kloves. Mr. Kloves is very complimentary of working with David Yates, and also speaks to the task of transforming the beloved Harry Potter novels by J.K. Rowling to the big screen. Of interest are the following comments: "Kindness, decency and patience are the personal qualities that draw the
loyalty of Yates' collaborators. Screenwriter Steve Kloves, a
distinguished director himself (The Fabulous Baker Boys), has been working with Yates back-to-back-to-back on Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows I and II. He says Yates' "vast resources of patience" are good to have on Potter films, "since the books are difficult to wrestle to the screen." Kloves, the adapter of all but one Potter novel (Phoenix),
writes first drafts that tend "to be both wishful and practical" in his
desire to retain Rowling's details and plot twists. "Wishful in the
sense that I want to get the entire book on the page and practical in
the sense that I know the wishful side of me is insane."
The article also contains more from Steve Kloves on the decisions he and director David Yates made regarding which and how many Pensieve scenes to include for Half-Blood Prince.
"Prince presented challenges because of "a series of memories that inform the
past and the present." While Yates "enjoyed the flashbacks enormously
as separate incidents, he didn't feel they were satisfying within the
whole. In other words, they diluted the dramatic experience from his
point of view and he felt we needed to concentrate exclusively on those
memories that informed one particular thread of the story - the story I
was, by and large, telling."
Yates says, "We often have
conversations which go along the lines of 'Will the fans really like it
if we lose that?' Some choices may be right for the framework of the
film but will put the fans out." Yates wants "to make sure the fans are
happy" and says he always lets pieces of the book go "regretfully," but
his goal is to make "the best adaptation that will warrant spending
two-and-a-half hours in the dark."
Finally of note are high praises from director David Yates regarding the performance of actor Rupert Grint in Half-Blood Prince."He's always been the funny one, but he has so much more as an actor than that. In Prince, he has lovely stuff that's funny and true, but in Deathly Hallows,
he must be defensive and haunted, and Rupert took to that like a duck
to water. I'm always thankful that Jo Rowling gave us a world that
allowed us to turn corners with the actors."
75 Comments
398 Points
Ok, I guess Kloves did some “changes” again.. Personally his screenwriting is alright until he begins taking lines from the other characters and giving them to Hermione Granger character… Hooray for Ruoert. He is a natural and I think it is great we get to see this side of him. I am also glad that I see Ginny’s character is going to have some more lines rather than face time. Fingers crossed for HBP!
30 Points
Honestly, my biggest problem with Kloves is the fact that he is biased towards certain characters. Which was disappointing because it made me dislike parts of the first four movies.
I really felt that some of the parts they decided should be left out were big character development moments. However, I’m not saying that I can’t respect certain decisions made. OOTP was a long book and the movie turned out fantastically.
However, I have to say that I really like OOTP more than any of the previous films. (POA coming in second) So hopefully Kloves doesn’t edit character lines anymore.
1439 Points
I’m so glad to hear that Kloves is back! I was slightly disappointed by OotP on film, and I’ve loved all the others, so this gives me great hope for HBP.
4608 Points
I’m persuaded that the DH movies are going to be the most challenging ones when it comes to acting. Mainly for the Trio. There’s gonna be a lot more character exchange than in the previous movies, can’t wait to see how that turns out.
829 Points
Kloves back means the movie should be great :)
829 Points
hope he does make DH as good as COS
829 Points
Honestly, my biggest problem with Kloves is the fact that he is biased towards certain characters. Which was disappointing because it made me dislike parts of the first four movies.
I really felt that some of the parts they decided should be left out were big character development moments. However, I’m not saying that I can’t respect certain decisions made. OOTP was a long book and the movie turned out fantastically.
However, I have to say that I really like OOTP more than any of the previous films. (POA coming in second) So hopefully Kloves doesn’t edit character lines anymore.
But the prob was the movie was too short and many things were left out
140 Points
I used to hate Kloves.. Until my beloved OotP was butchered.
He is totally right though; as much as the book purists want to whinge and cry about it, it is so difficult to adapt from novel to movie. Doesn’t mean I’ve agreed with most of his decisions though..
791 Points
“While Yates “enjoyed the flashbacks enormously as separate incidents, he didn’t feel they were satisfying within the whole. In other words, they diluted the dramatic experience from his point of view and he felt we needed to concentrate exclusively on those memories that informed one particular thread of the story – the story I was, by and large, telling.”
Hell, this is not going to be good.
30 Points
But the prob was the movie was too short and many things were left out
But the same thing could be said about the other films as well. I’m not too concerned with what was left out and what was left in. ((I was referring to OOTP, is you read my post.)) I’m more disappointed with Kloves bias towards Hermione and the fact that he often gives her lines that belong to other characters.
1090 Points
It’s nice to hear how they think of the fans when adapting the books :)
6808 Points
Kloves did good work, It is very hard to reduce a 7hr read to a 2.5 hour movie
There’s always going to be disappointment when our particular beloved parts of a book are left out in movie translations, but what’s important is that the emotional impact be true. I was really disappointed in ootp in how the Weasley twins exit from the school was handled. It was like they had run out of money and someone said well…let’s do some noise and fireworks and that’ll take care of it. I really wanted to see that swamp and Prof. Flitwick saving a piece of it.
I’ve enjoyed Mr. Kloves screenplays of the other books and look forward to the final 3. Can’t wait to see the exchange with Snape and Dumbledore.
3423 Points
as long as they get most of the book in there it shouldnt be to bad!
We shall see