Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban [New Trailer is now available.]

TheMovieBox.net ^ | 04/032004 | Self

[SC Swamp Fox]

The new Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban movie trailer is now available on the internet.

[hg23]

The author gave Umbridge an authoritarian personality and Umbridge believes in corporal punishment. Percy also has an authoritarian personality, and he goes bad in the Order of The Phoenix. He looks down on his own parents partly because they don't make enough money. I don't see the conservative message that you see. Although the author does poke a little fun at Hermione for trying to help the House Elves be free wether or not they want to be free.

[Tribune7]

The author gave Umbridge an authoritarian personality and Umbridge believes in corporal punishment.

She reminds me of teachers/school administrators I knew who strongly supported NEA (leftist) causes and philosophies. JK nails them.

Think of those who say "think of the children." Few of them care about children. They want power.

[JenB]

Eh, you can find any message in Harry Potter you want. There's a anti-capital-punishment feel, IMO, as well as coroporal punishment in general - the evil Dursleys like corporal punishment, so it must be bad.

On the other hand, you have things like a bad government that throws innocent people in jail without trial (Sirius Black), ignores the wrongdoings of people like Lucius Malfor, while regulating everything to death. Non-humans are not permitted wands and are clearly considered inferior... I can see saying there's an anti-government feeling to the books.

And of course there are the World War Two parallels. Can we get any more obvious? I'm just waiting for Voldemort to commit suicide in a bunker somewhere.

[SauronOfMordor]

Maybe i"m reading too much into them, but those are the messages I get from it, and why I actually consider them "Conservative" books.

Some more aspects that make them very conservative:

• Everyone, including teens, are at all times armed with lethal weapons (the wands). The younger wizards are taught non-lethal offensive tactics(stun spells) and defensive disarming tactics in "Defense Against the Dark Arts" class
• Governmental officials are depicted as mostly either incompetent, corrupt, or actually undercover evil wizards who have infiltrated the power structure
• The above results in Harry Potter and company having to take direct, independent action against the bad guys, bypassing the wizardly law enforcement apparatus
• The elder Weasley brothers are entrepreneurs par-excellence, who (in the latest book, "Order of the Pheonix") forego going into wizard civil service to open up their own business
• When the wizard government(in "Pheonix") appoints an overseer in Hogwarts to keep a lid on things, and put a stop to any further talk about evil bad guys having infiltrated wizard society, and the administrator tries to disarm the students and put a stop to their getting training in self-defense, the teens finally have to form their own underground militia group to go after the bad guys

All-in-all, a very right-wing-subversive series

[Betaille]

"the administrator tries to disarm the students and put a stop to their getting training in self-defense, the teens finally have to form their own underground militia group to go after the bad guys"
Yeah, that seems like a very clear warning against gun control.

[hg23]

Could you be specific about what it is about her that reminds you of those teachers and administrators? If that is who she reminds you of Rowling didn't do it intentially. First of all she is British and I don't think they have the NEA in Britain. Another thing is that Rowling is thought to be pretty liberal herself so it is doubtful that she would make liberals evil in her books.

[Betaille]

"Another thing is that Rowling is thought to be pretty liberal herself"
Who says that? Forgive my skepticism... but please read my post from earlier about how some claimed that Lord of the Rings was "anti-war"(which is blatantly false)

[Tribune7]

Could you be specific about what it is about her that reminds you of those teachers and administrators?

She acquired and exercised authority amidst claims of compassion -- that's about as specific as you'll get since I'm not going to mention names.

She used dictates from the central government to undermine longstanding lines of authority and tradition that were working quite well. This of course is not a reference to a specific teahcer but to programs that were instituted often over the objections of teachers

In her defense of dark arts course, she substituted practice for book theory with the intent of not educating the students. Reminds me of those educrats who oppose phonics and support the "new math."

Now, why do you think she's a liberal?

[threat matrix]

Was that really Emma Thompson in the trailer?

[hg23]

I beleive that if she was a conservative she would be annoyed about being described in articles as a liberal and would have said something about it. It is hard to be sure though.

[Betaille]

"she would be annoyed about being described in articles as a liberal"
I have seen no such articles. She may feel that they are not even noteworthy. I assume she doesn't want to get mired in political controversey so she'd rather keep quiet and let people think what they want.

[JenB]

Yup! Emma Thompson should be a good addition. In general, the adult actors have been amazing, while ths kids have lacked something.

Thompson is playing Professor Sybil Trelawney, a... less than stellar Divination teacher. (Divination is Hogwarts' fluff class. The kids all just make stuff up. She's had all of two correct prophecies in her career)

[Tribune7]

Liberal in England means conservative, basically.

[SoftballMominVA]

Percy also has an authoritarian personality, and he goes bad in the Order of The Phoenix. He looks down on his own parents partly because they don't make enough money.

Aaaaaaaatually. I don't think Percy goes bad. I think Percy goes undercover. He never did a thing in OotP to actually hurt the Order and if you read his letter to Ron very very carefully, it may be a warning.

Just my opinion. :)

[threat matrix]

Mmmm..I wonder if her ex-husband Kenneth Braunaugh is still going to be in the series!

[JenB]

Well, Gilderoy Lockhart does have a cameo in book 5! Of course, he has no memory, but he's as egotistical as ever.

Casting Branagh for that role was one of the best decisions. He really helped make Chamber of Secrets better than the first movie. Still can't believe they got Alan Rickman to play Snape.

[null and void]

If you want a real good read on the Harry Potter series as a Christian work get a hold of "The Hidden Key to Harry Potter", by John Granger, Zossima press, ISBN 0-9723224-0-8

I recommend it highly!

[threat matrix]

Branaugh really made the character funny in the last time, I guess the film is supposed to be for teens but even adults were laughing at his portrayal!

[hg23]

I did a search and I found an interview with Entertainment Weekly by Jeff Jenson from Aug. 4, 2000 where Rowling describes herself as left-wing.

[ChuxsterS]

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