Brand-new footage from David Yates’ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has been shown at the Las Vegas’ ShoWest convention. Cinema Blend viewed the screening, hosted by Alan Horn, president of Warner Bros, and has given a brief summary of what they saw. They make a particular note in saying that the footage came from different sections of the two part adaptation for the final Potter book, making it impossible to determine exactly where they have split the films:
“We saw little bits of everything, from the seven Harry Potters escaping from the Dursleys house (totally surreal) to the attack at Bill and Fleur’s wedding to the escape from Gringotts on the pale dragon and even Hogwarts on fire. With unfinished effects it’s hard to really say how it all looks, though some of the most effective moments were the simplest– Ron and Harry’s fight in the tent, Harry visiting his parents’ graves, running away from the Snatchers in the woods, Harry defiantly telling Voldemort that he stays alive “because I have something worth fighting for.”
The footage also showed how much of the special effects in post production have been completed:
“Ralph Fiennes’ noseless Voldemort– had dots on his face marking the future digital alteration that really makes him who he is. But they weren’t just bold in what they showed us, but how they did it– the first scene of the extended trailer was Harry and Voldemort’s confrontation in the woods outside Hogwarts. Harry, bloodied and visibly terrified, approaches a cold Voldemort (flanked by Bellatrix Lestrange); Voldemort taunts Harry, “The boy who lived, come to die.”
Of the effects that have been completed, the smoky cinematography of The Half-Blood Prince will be making a return, having been featured in some of the shots at ShoWest. Scenes with old important characters such as Maggie Smith’s Professor McGonagall and Tom Felton’s Draco Malfoy were left out, perhaps because they are in scenes that won’t be shown until the release of the films. There was some early speculation that the split would occur before the Potter trio’s abduction into Malfoy Manor, which could explain the notable absence of Draco.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is not due for release until November 19 so there will be many test screenings before the final product is released, not to mention the press trail that will include the international trailer and undoubtedly many clips. Part 2 will be released July 15, 2011.
What do you think of the details from the new footage?