Snape and the "Shhh!"

The new Japanese trailer for the Half Blood Prince shows us one of the more perplexing scenes from the upcoming movie, and it involves Professor Snape. In the scene, pictured here or at 1:38 in the trailer, we see Harry standing motionless, while Snape points his wand at him and gestures him to be quiet. The setting, however, is atop the Astronomy Tower (as determined by freeze framing the trailer and watching it over and over again incessantly). Those of us who have read the book know that this scene comes at a crucial, absolutely crucial, part of the storyline. Snape kills Dumbledore in this scene, but the act is written in a way that leaves the reader in the dark about whether Snape killed Dumbledore to save him or because he was working for the Dark Lord. This was the biggest cliffhanger of the sixth book (perhaps the entire series) – questioning whether Snape good or is he bad – and sets the tone for much of Deathly Hallows.

Okay, this is so frustrating!! Arg! By including this scene, the film essentially gives away a MAJOR plot point. Snape is not supposed to signal to Harry or to anyone else that he is on their side. Harry is not supposed to have a clue, any clue whatsoever, that Snape might be good – he, along with the readers, are supposed to figure that out in Deathly Hallows. Why would they include something so major in the film?! Why?

Where the producers of the film alive when everyone was debating the true nature of Snape’s character? Do they think the audience is stupid and that they won’t get it? Come on! We are not stupid! And, if it’s the non-readers that you are worried about, trust me, they aren’t stupid either! If anything, it will cause the audience to re-watch the sixth movie to see if we can better understand the situation with Snape. Or, after we watch Deathly Hallows, we will have a newfound appreciation for the Half Blood Prince film, just like readers did for the sixth book. Why are the producers afraid of leaving any kind of mystery at the end of these films? All five previous movies have proven that Warner Brothers will get people into theatres to watch the Potter films…and in incredibly large numbers, I might add. And, they will, without a doubt, come see Deathly Hallows if you leave this cliffhanger at the end of the 6th movie. If anything will attract criticism, it is ruining this major plot point. Warner Brothers, if you’re reading this, please cut this scene out! In the few months that you have left, please cut this part out!