HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE - PREVIEW

(Click on image to download poster)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2008)

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, David Bradley, Jim Broadbent, Jessie Cave, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Frank Dillane, Tom Felton, Michael Gambon, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, Helen McCrory, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Natalia Tena, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Julie Walters, David Thewlis, Bonnie Wright
Director: David Yates
Rated: Unrated
U.S. Opening Date: July 17th, 2009

THEY SAY

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, the well-connected and unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry finds himself more and more drawn to Ginny, but so is Dean Thomas. And Lavender Brown has decided that Ron is the one for her, only she hadn't counted on Romilda Vane's chocolates! And then there's Hermione, simpering with jealously but determined not to show her feelings. As romance blossoms, one student remains aloof. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

And yet...

As in all wars, life goes on. Sixth-year students learn to Apparate - and lose a few eyebrows in the process. The Weasley twins expand their business. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Classes are never straightforward, though Harry receives some extraordinary help from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince.

So it's the home front that takes center stage in the multilayered sixth installment of the story of Harry Potter. Here at Hogwarts, Harry will search for the full and complex story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort - and thereby find what may be his only vulnerability.

— Some sources: Amazon.com

We say

Another year, another Harry Potter movie. Still, we take for granted just how good each installment up till now has been and how unknown director Yates did quite a competent job on Order of the Phoenix. Things might even go better on Half-Blood Prince, which is after all a better book even though it merely serves as a run-up to the last book, the somewhat flawed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Continue

Photo Gallery


(Click on images to download)

Trivia

Director Guillermo del Toro turned down the chance to direct this film.
Anand Tucker and Michael Hoffman were both rumored as possible directors for this film.
J.K. Rowling read through the script for this film, and found a line where Dumbledore mentions a girl he had a crush on when he was younger. After reading it, she informed the filmmakers that Dumbledore is in fact gay, and that his only romantic infatuation was with the wizard Grindelwald, whom he later had to defeat in a wizard duel. She later made this information public while promoting the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (due in 2010).
Helen McCrory had been cast to play Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), but had to back out because she was pregnant. She will play Bellatrix's sister, Narcissa Malfoy in this film.
Hero Fiennes Tiffin has been cast as Tom Riddle, Age 11, while his uncle, Ralph Fiennes plays Lord Voldemort (formerly Tom Riddle). His parents are Martha Fiennes (Ralph's sister) and 'George Tiffin' .
Jessie Cave beat over 7000 girls to win the role of Lavender Brown, Ron's "love-interest" from the book.

— Some sources: Amazon.com

Trailers

Quicktime Teaser: hi-res (640x480), med-res (480x360), lo-res (320x240); High Definition: 1080p, 720p, 480p; High Definition: 1080p, 720p, 480p; High Definition: 1080p, 720p, 480p; hi-res (640x272), med-res (480x204), lo-res (320x136) High Definition: (480p,720p,1080p)