Come and talk me through my Half-Blood Prince film canon WTF moment

[birdsofshore]

OK, this is going to take some explaining, but bear with me.

I was looking up something about the Vanishing Cabinets, and, being lazy and feckless, I looked on the Harry Potter wiki. YES I KNOW. We have had a lot of trouble with it before, I know, stating film canon as fact even when it contradicts book canon, using lego games as canon, I KNOW.

This is a bit different. It's about something that isn't mentioned in the books, but only in film canon.

When Draco is trying to fix the cabinet in the film, he tests it with various things: first an apple, which comes back with a bite out of it, and then a white bird, which comes back dead. Now, I took these as signs that the cabinet was now WORKING - that the apple and the bird had been successfully transported, and that Death Eaters had done these things to them to show that they had indeed traveled to Borgin and Burkes and back.

However, Harry Potter wiki (and on googling, loads of other sources on the internet) states that these things proved the cabinet was NOT working - that the apple came back 'missing a moderate chunk' because Draco HADN'T fixed it properly, and that the bird came back dead for the same reason. WHAT? I mean-- WHAT? REALLY?

OK, I am annoyed about this for lots of reasons. One, because it's WRONG. Two, because it's WRONG-- no, two, because there's clearly a BITE taken out of the apple. Three, because the interpretation that the Vanishing Cabinet isn't working when these things happen ruins all the implications of these scenes that I really like.

A bite from an apple has all sorts of symbolism: the poisoned apple that kills Snow White, the innocence lost in the Garden of Eden. There's chilling music when we see the bitten apple, not because "oh dear, Draco hasn't fixed it yet", but "oh shit, some Death Eater bit the lovely perfect apple with his big old teeth and ruined it", and both we and Draco know the implications for the school when Death Eaters come into Hogwarts via the cabinet.

The same with the bird. When it comes back dead, Draco looks stricken - and lots of sources are saying this is "because he knows he hasn't fixed it properly". NOOOO! It's because he knows he HAS. We have the symbolism again of the white bird (peace, love) being destroyed by the Death Eaters who are waiting at Borgin and Burkes.

This feels important to me, for the development of film!Draco's character. He isn't celebrating that he's repaired the cabinets - he's appalled, fearful, sickened and anxious at the knowledge of what it means that he has. The apple and the bird symbolise, to me, the innocence of the lives that will be lost at Hogwarts, but also Draco's lost innocence. I think Tom Felton did a bang up job of portraying this, and it makes me annoyed to read these scenes so misinterpreted.

I know it's all a bit cheesy, but I really like these scenes :( If you want to review them yourself, they are here:

Apple scene: from about 25 secs here

Bird scene: from about 3 mins 15 on the same video (which is a random collection of Draco scenes from the first 6 films).

What do you think? Am I completely wrong? Is Harry Potter wiki completely wrong? Am I mad for caring? Shall I go and do deep breathing? Will I have to sob in annoyance now every time I watch the Half-Blood Prince?

Comments

[traintracks.livejournal.com]

The way I've interpreted those scenes is that while the apple worked, and indeed Death Eater Anon sent it back with a bite out of it to prove it had gone somewhere, the bird did NOT work; the Vanishing Cabinet malfunctioned with a living thing and killed it, thus it wasn't yet ready to transport actual, living Death Eaters from the shop to Hogwarts.

Of course, the flaw in this is that one COULD assume Death Eater Anon DID kill the bird to prove it had gone somewhere. But then why does Draco, as you note, look so afraid and despairing that the bird is dead? I think he does assume that the cabinet malfunctioned and, therefore, that is perhaps what we are to take from that scene as well.

???

[birdsofshore]

I think he looks afraid and despairing because SOMEBODY KILLED THE BIRD, the little white bird he had held in his hands tenderly and nestled to his innocent breast (OK I am reaching very slightly here). And next they are going to come through the cabinet and kill a whole load of other people. DDD:

*sobs at poor Draco being misunderstood*

[kitty_fic]

I interpreted it the same way that you did!
I thought he was upset that it was working! D:

[traintracks.livejournal.com]

Dammit, I hit send before I was done! Blarg!

I was going to add that though your point was to refute what I just said, I really like your interpretation even if that's not how I'd seen it! I'm going to watch with new eyes now. <3

[birdsofshore]

YES YES! His sensitive soul trembles at the face of Death Eaters coming to Hogwarts. Book canon does back this up. He's not happy about it by any means.

[alisanne.livejournal.com]

Hmm.
I always interpreted the defaced apple and the dead bird as Draco NOT YET having gotten the cabinet working. He looks upset because he knows the DEs are waiting on him and he knows if he fails in his task that his parents' lives are forfeit.

[traintracks.livejournal.com]

I'll add that my interpretation of his despair and fear is that a malfunctioning Vanishing Cabinet means Voldemort is going to kill him and his parents.

Maybe his feelings are mixed. ;-)

Whatever the reason, I love how Tom Felton plays Draco in HBP. He really moves me. </3 <3

[birdsofshore]

Aw I am maybe just being soft. I totally accept Draco is a vicious bastard - after all he does break Harry's nose in cold blood earlier in the same book - but Tom F just wrings my heart in these scenes and I feel sure the apple and the bird were chosen for their symbolism. It's all pointless if he's just upset it isn't working.

I can see the other interpretation of the bird, but I can't believe anyone thinks the apple came back damaged because the cabinet wasn't working. Except Harry Potter wiki does. Ho hum.

[birdsofshore]

Yes! I agree it does work to see it that way. His fear at not being able to repair the cabinet is definitely a possibility.

I think he gives a wonderful performance and I am so glad that he and the director brought out those vulnerable and sympathetic aspects of Draco's character so beautifully.

[kitty_fic]

sensitive soul!Draco FTW!

[birdsofshore]

That sort of makes sense. But I don't like that explanation so much as my one :DD Don't you think the apple looks like it has a bite out of it?

[nathalieweasley.livejournal.com]

My interpretation was that the apple was working. But when he tried using the bird, a more complex, living thing, transport was more complicated and didn't work.

[birdsofshore]

:DDD I am a little biased. But the film of HBP does portray Draco in his wonderful imperfection I think. He is shown as a vicious git but also a scared child. JKR blames Tom Felton for ALL the Draco lovers in the world (she cannot conceive of anyone liking the character for any other reason than fancying Tom F!)

[birdsofshore]

This is so interesting! I had no idea there were different interpretations before tonight, yet here we are all coming up with various scenarios.

[kitty_fic]

I agree with you I think his character had layers. He wasn't only evil. He was afraid and uncertain *nods*

[evilgiraff.livejournal.com]

I am in complete agreement with you - both examples are demonstrations that the cabinets are working. I have never considered otherwise; they both have far too much Death Eater = Bad symbolism to mean anything else.

[alisanne.livejournal.com]

Actually, I like your explanation, too, although in my mind it made more sense to have it take a long time to fix the cabinet and it made sense to have them show his many attempts to fix it as well, so that's why I came to the conclusion I did.
BUT, thinking about it, the apple does look like it had a bite out of it, so I will concede that. :) I guess I was passing that bite off as similar to when, In Galaxy Quest, they were learning to use the transporter and it destroyed things? *shrugs*
And the guilty look on Draco's face always read to me like he was sad because he'd killed the bird by not fixing the cabinet, not because he knew someone else had killed it.
You are going to force me to re watch those scenes, aren't you? :P

[birdsofshore]

Yes, the symbolism of the bitten apple and the dead dove seem far too clear for it to be a mistake, to me. I do see the bird coming back dead could be interpreted the other way, but the additional symbolism of the bird says otherwise, to me.

There's a later bird, a black one, that survives, and it flies out of the cabinet later (I think when Harry and Ginny are in there?). Again it's a bit cheesy, but the Death Eaters have killed the white bird and left the black one to live.

[birdsofshore]

Yes, sorry :DD They are two of my favourite scenes. I really think you should rewatch them, I found the video for you and wrote down the time and everything *flutters eyelashes*

I think if it was a woodlouse or something that came back dead, I would be more inclined to agree with you. But it's a white bird, and I really think someone has wrung its neck and Draco is all "OMG this is actually going to happen, things are dying now".

[themostepotente.livejournal.com]

Draco Malfoy = Seth Brundle

[birdsofshore]

Yes, *cough* evil *cough* and cute and hot and afraid. Did I say hot?

[birdsofshore]

Ah, thank you so much! It has been nagging at me all evening where there are similar scenes of someone trying to transport something and it not quite working. Brilliant. Yes, so the precedent of that film adds to the confusion, yes?

[alisanne.livejournal.com]

Ok so I have watched.
The apple doesn't look like it's had a bite taken out to me, more like a chuck was cut out, which could be because someone did it, but also could be because when it went wherever it did, it got damaged on the way and so the cabinet needed more tweaking. :)

I do think it's fascinating how differently we interpreted those scenes!

[birdsofshore]

It is really interesting! I am so surprised! And really happy that my flist like talking about these little details and don't all just shake their heads at me :DD

[capitu]

I think I got it all wrong? After reading some comments.

I thought the apple showed the Cabinets were working to transport things, but next he had to try on a living thing. When the bird came back dead, it wasn't yet fixed because, well, dead bird.

(the bf agrees, btw)

I think Tom Felton did a bang up job of portraying this, and it makes me annoyed to read these scenes so misinterpreted.

Yep. YES.