Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory.
Today we’re going to be diving in to, once again, an analysis comparing book with film.
Specifically, we’re going to be taking a look at the deaths of 10 Harry Potter characters
and HOW these deaths were portrayed differently on the silver screen.
We’ll also be diving in to the implications for portraying these deaths differently.
When adapting a beloved book series to the big screen, filmmakers face the daunting task
of translating the rich, intricate world of the source material into a visual medium,
and Harry Potter is no exception.
With its complex characters, intricate plotlines, and magical elements, capturing the essence
of the books while keeping the films engaging and accessible for a wide audience is a challenge.
The portrayals of character deaths, which often carry deep emotional weight and thematic
significance, are not excluded from these challenges.
Today we’ll explore notable differences between the deaths of characters in the Harry
Potter books and their film adaptations, discussing the impact of these changes on the story and
the characters involved.
Professor Quirrell
In the film, Professor Quirinus Quirrell's entire body combusts after Harry lays his
hands on him, creating a visually stunning scene as he disintegrates into ashes.
In the book, however, Quirrell's body is able to withstand Harry's touch, leaving him WEAKENED
but still very much alive.
He later dies off-screen when Voldemort leaves his body.
Dumbledore explains to Harry, "He [Voldemort] left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little
mercy to his followers as his enemies."
Frank Bryce
In the film, Muggle Frank Bryces death is made to appear more menacing by the presence
of Voldemort, Peter Pettigrew, and Barty Crouch Jr.
In this scene, Frank appears frail, lost and disoriented- heightening the sense of vulnerability
and fear.
By contrast, the book showcases a much more courageous version of Frank Bryce.
In the book, he overhears a conversation between Lord Voldemort and his acolytes in the Riddle
house.
Following his eavesdropping, Frank bravely confronts Voldemort and Peter Pettigrew after
hearing their plans.
Voldemort taunts Frank, and upon realizing that he has no useful information, kills him
using the killing curse.
Frank's death marks the beginning of the story and foreshadows the dark events that unfold
in the book.
Barty Crouch Sr.:
In the film Barty Crouch Sr.'s corpse is discovered by Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the Forbidden
Forest, serving as a shocking revelation that sets the stage for the uncovering of Barty
Crouch Jr.'s true identity.
We DO find out that Crouch Sr dies, but unfortunately the film entirely omits the details of Barty
Crouch Sr.'s death.
In the book, however, Barty Crouch Sr’s death is much more sinister and dark- as we
find out that he was murdered by his own son, Barty Crouch Jr, with the Killing Curse.
After killing his father, Barty Jr. transfigures his father's body into a bone and buries it
in the Hogwarts grounds.
This adds a twisted aspect to the father-son relationship, highlighting Barty Crouch Jr.'s
cold and ruthless nature.
Crouch Jr was awful, but I will say that Crouch Sr was no saint either.
Sirius Black:
In the film, Sirius is killed when Bellatrix Lestrange fires the Killing Curse at him while
standing in front of The Veil.
After he’s struck with the curse, We see Sirius fall backward in to the veil, but the
whole ordeal is a little confusing because he still seems to be somewhat conscious AFTER
being struck with Avada Kedavra.
The Killing Curse INSTANTLY kills people, so the way that his death is portrayed doesn’t
quite make sense.
In the book, however, he is hit by a standard curse that strikes his heart, causing his
body to fall through the veil in the Death Chamber.
The Veil in the Death Chamber acts as the physical manifestion of the barrier between
the land of the living and the dead, and because Sirius crossed OVER this barrier, he died.
Mad-Eye Moody:
In the film, Mad-Eye Moody's death is given almost no attention.
After arriving at the Burrow following the Battle of the Seven Potters, Bill Weasley
briefly mentions that Mad-Eye didn’t make it.
In the book, however, there’s a little bit more to it, as it’s revealed that Voldemort
killed him after Mundungus Fletcher abandoned him and fled the scene.
Following Moody’s death, Harry, Ron and Hermione discuss Moody’s possible fate,
clinging on to a small possibility that he may have made it out alive.
‘But Bill saw him hit by the Killing Curse,’ said Harry.
‘Yeah, but Bill was under attack too,’ said Ron.
‘How can he be sure what he saw?’
‘Even if the Killing Curse missed, Mad-Eye still fell about a thousand feet,’ said
Hermione, now weighing Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland in her hand.
‘He could have used a Shield Charm –’ ‘Fleur said his wand was blasted out of
his hand,’ said Harry.
The way that Moody was discarded in the films did not do any kind of justice to his character.
Fred Weasley:
In the Deathly Hallows, Fred Weasley's death is briefly highlighted during the Battle of
Hogwarts.
The film doesn’t show the exact circumstances of Fred's death, but it does show Harry, Ron,
and Hermione discovering Fred's lifeless body- a painful reminder of what was at stake that
effectively conveys the grief and pain felt by his family and friends.
In the book, however, he dies with his brother Percy by his side and a smile on his face
after a huge explosion.
This detail in the book adds a bittersweet element to Fred's death, as he dies laughing
and reconnecting with his estranged brother.
Just before the explosion, Fred says to Percy, "You're actually joking, Perce...I don't think
I've heard you joke since you were—"
Severus Snape:
In the film, Voldemort slashes Snape's throat and instructs Nagini to finish him off, making
his death much more gruesome and violent than the book equivalent.
As Voldemort orders Nagini to kill Snape, he coldly states, "You've been a good and
faithful servant, Severus, but only I can live forever."
The book version of this scene is similar, with the notable omission of any form of ‘throat-slashing’.
In the book, Voldemort orders Nagini to attack Snape, which leads to him bleeding profusely,
HOWEVER, there is no throat-slashing involved.
As he lies dying, Snape gives Harry his memories to reveal the truth about his past and his
allegiance to Dumbledore.
This change in the film heightens the brutality of Voldemort's actions and the suffering Snape
endures before dying.
Bellatrix Lestrange:
In the film, Molly Weasley performs a spell that causes Bellatrix to swell up and explode,
providing a visually striking and satisfying end to her character.
This happens after Molly steps in to protect Ginny from the vicious dark witch.
It’s unclear WHAT spell she actually used, BUT if you’re curious then go and check
out my video on the topic once you’re finished here.
In the book, Bellatrix is killed by a curse that hits her in the heart, similar to Sirius
Black's death.
After being struck, Bellatrix simply topples over rather than being blown to pieces.
“Bellatrix’s gloating smile froze, her eyes seemed to bulge: for the tiniest space
of time she knew what had happened, and then she toppled, and the watching crowd roared,
and Voldemort screamed.”
Voldemort:
In the film, Voldemort turns to dust after his killing curse rebounds back at him, symbolizing
the end of his dark reign and the disintegration of his evil power.
Because he disintegrates, Voldemort’s body is nowhere to be found.
In the book, however, Voldemort’s body remains intact- later being moved to a separate location
for burial.
This difference in the book highlights the idea that, despite his quest for immortality,
Voldemort ultimately dies a mortal death, leaving behind a physical body like any other
person.
When Voldemort dies…Nothing special happens- he’s reduced to a corpse just like anyone
else.
Voldemort always saw death/dying as pure weakness- a fate reserved for the unimportant and powerless,
so I really appreciate his death in the books being so..commonplace.
To me, his FILM death felt a little too over the top.
Peter Pettigrew:
In the film, Pettigrew's death is barely shown, leaving his fate entirely uncertain.
In the book, however, Pettigrew's silver hand, given to him by Voldemort, turns on him and
strangles him to death when he hesitates to stop Harry and Ron from escaping.
This IMPORTANT scene from the book highlights the theme of paying for one's past choices
and the consequences of aligning with evil forces.
If you want a full analysis on the differences between Pettigrew’s death in the BOOKS vs
FILMS, then check out my video on it.
Lavender Brown:
In the Harry Potter films it’s quite clear that Lavender Brown does in fact die.
She falls off of a balcony and then gets savaged by infamous Werewolf Fenrir Greyback.
Actress Jessie Cave (who portrays Lavender) even confirmed this in an interview:
Q : What was the last scene you filmed on the very last film?
Jessie Cave : Mine was my death scene.
Which is quite fitting, really.
The same can’t be said for the books, however, which leave Lavender’s fate a little more
uncertain.
"Two bodies fell from the balcony overhead.
As they reached the ground a grey blur that Harry took for an animal sped four-legged
across the hall to sink its teeth into one of the fallen.
"NO!"
shrieked Hermione, and with a deafening blast from her wand, Fenrir Greyback was thrown
backward from the feebly stirring body of Lavender Brown."
In the book, Hermione appears to ‘save’ Lavender from Greyback, leaving her "feebly
stirring" after the attack.
Though it’s LIKELY that Lavender didn’t make it, we don’t have absolute confirmation.
The changes to Lavender’s fate in the film highlight the brutality and horror of the
battle, emphasizing the indiscriminate nature of the violence and the tragedy of losing
young lives.
Colin Creevey:
In the film, Colin's death is not shown or mentioned, which helped alleviate the emotional
weight of losing such a familiar and innocent character.
The book, however, showcased this a lot differently.
In the book, Colin Creevey's death is a poignant moment that highlights the devastating impact
of the war on the students at Hogwarts.
He dies during the Battle of Hogwarts, and Harry discovers his body in the Great Hall
among the fallen.
Colin's death is particularly tragic because he was underage and had been ordered to leave
the castle before the battle, but he sneaked back in to fight.
Hedwig:
In the film, Hedwig's death is shown after she’s released from her cage and flies into
the path of a killing curse, appearing to sacrifice herself to protect Harry.
This change from the book adds an element of heroism to Hedwig's death and emphasizes
her loyalty to Harry.
In the book, however, Hedwig's death occurs when she is hit by a stray killing curse while
still in her cage- symbolizing the loss of innocence and the end of Harry’s childhood.
While the film version’s incorporation of heroism was a nice touch, it didn’t feel
quite as ‘sudden’ as the books.
Rufus Scrimgeour:
I don’t think that the films OR the books do much justice to the death of Minister for
Magic Rufus Scrimgeour.
The films briefly mention his death while Harry and co are attending Bill Weasley and
Fleur Delacour’s wedding.
It’s here that an announcement is made that Scrimgeour had been killed and that the Ministry
of Magic had fallen to Voldemort.
And while the fate of Scrimgeour in the films felt…incomplete, the books don’t really
cover it much better, only including a few additional details.
In the books, Remus Lupin reveals that Scrimgeour was tortured by Voldemort in an effort to
get him to reveal the whereabouts of Harry Potter.
After refusing to divulge any information, it’s revealed that Scrimgeour was killed
by Voldemort.
The omission of Scrimgeour’s death from the films stunts Scrimgeour's character development
as it fails to depict the bravery that he displayed in the face of certain death.
Vincent Crabbe / Gregory Goyle:
In the book, Vincent Crabbe dies during the Battle of Hogwarts when he accidentally sets
off the powerful Fiendfyre spell in the Room of Requirement.
Unable to control the magical fire, Crabbe is consumed by the flames, which also destroy
one of Voldemort's Horcruxes.
In the film adaptation of the Deathly Hallows, however, Crabbe's role is replaced by Gregory
Goyle, who suffers the same fate.
This change was made due to the real-life unavailability of the actor who portrayed
Crabbe.
And that’s it for this video!
Did you know about these differences?
Which versions do you prefer?
Leave a comment down below
Until next time
Remember
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live