Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Short description
Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts for his sixth year of study as Voldemort's followers spread fear through both the magical and the ordinary worlds, and the school is no longer the safe haven it once was. Convinced that something dangerous is stirring within the castle, Harry suspects Draco Malfoy of involvement, while Albus Dumbledore focuses on preparing him for a confrontation he believes is close at hand. Drawing on memories he has gathered over the years, Dumbledore leads Harry through the early life of Tom Riddle in search of a weakness that could be used against the dark lord. The retired Potions master Horace Slughorn is persuaded back to the school because he holds a crucial memory, and his return brings a love potion and a tangle of adolescent romance into the lives of Harry, Ron and Hermione.
David Yates directed this instalment, the second of the four Harry Potter films he made, following Order of the Phoenix and preceding the two-part Deathly Hallows. Steve Kloves wrote the screenplay, and David Heyman and David Barron produced for Warner Bros. Pictures and Heyday Films. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson lead a cast that also includes Jim Broadbent as Slughorn, Michael Gambon as Dumbledore and Tom Felton as Malfoy.
The film was released in July 2009 and runs 153 minutes. Made for about 250 million dollars, it took roughly 935 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds 7.6 out of 10 from 656,000 votes, on TMDB 7.7 from 21,207, while critics gave it 7.3 from 279 reviews, so audiences and critics rated it much the same.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film is based on the novel by J.K. Rowling, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, 2005).
- Before David Yates was officially selected as director, many others (including directors of previous installments) submitted their candidacies.
- The director of the fourth film (Mike Newell) declined an offer to participate in the film. Terry Gilliam, Matthew Vaughn, and M. Night Shyamalan were also suggested as directors, but for various reasons, they did not agree to participate in the filming. As a result, in May 2007, David Yates was chosen as director. He is the second director to work on two chapters of the film consecutively (the first was Columbus).
- Guillermo del Toro could have become the director of the film, but he preferred to work on "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" (2008). Anand Tucker and Michael Hoffman were also potential candidates for the director's chair.
- Helen McCrory was chosen for the role of Bellatrix Lestrange in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (2007), but was forced to leave the project due to pregnancy. In the sixth film, she played Bellatrix's sister – Narcissa Malfoy.
- Around 7,000 girls auditioned for the role of Lavender Brown, Ron Weasley's romantic interest. The role ultimately went to 21-year-old Jessie Cave.
- Hiro Fiennes-Tiffin, who played 11-year-old Tom Riddle, is the nephew of Ralph Fiennes, who portrays the adult incarnation of Tom, Lord Voldemort.
- The famous game of Quidditch was actually not shown after the second film (it receives minimal screen time in the third, and is absent entirely in the fourth and fifth). Quidditch returned to the screens in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince".
- Robert Knox, who played Marcus Belby, tragically died after being stabbed in a fight on May 24, 2008, just a few days after filming wrapped.
- Naomi Watts was the first choice for the role of Narcissa Malfoy, but due to scheduling conflicts, the actress had to decline.
- Thomas James Longley auditioned for the role of 16-year-old Tom Riddle.
- The first installment to receive a PG rating after "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (2004).
- J.K. Rowling wanted Terry Gilliam to direct the film, but the director declined – he hadn't forgotten that Warner had not entrusted him with the very first Harry Potter film at the time.
- Nikki Reed could have played Narcissa Malfoy, Draco Malfoy's mother, but she was too young for the role.
- In February 2007, Stuart Craig was chosen to create the film's sets (including the Astronomy Tower, where the film's climax takes place).
- In an early version of the script, Dumbledore uttered a line invented by screenwriter Kloves about how, in his youth, he loved a girl from a Muggle family. When J.K. Rowling read this passage, she pointed it out to Kloves and explained that Dumbledore is gay. The author later announced this to the world, sparking a considerable scandal.
- For a long time, rumors circulated that Christian Coulson, who played young Tom Riddle in the film "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" (2002), would return to this role. But by the time of filming, Christian was already 30 years old, and the creators considered him too old for the 16-year-old character. The role went to Frank Dillane.
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