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Who’s your favorite “Harry Potter” teacher?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I found plenty of things to enjoy about “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” — Potter and his witch pals flying around London on broomsticks; Dumbledore’s picture-perfect escape via his magical, fiery Phoenix; and the scary attack (near a playground, no less) of a pair of soul-sucking Dementors.
All that was good. But what was great was everything about mind-your-Ministry-manners Dolores Umbridge, so skillfully portrayed by the great British actress Imelda Staunton. Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) ought to watch his back because she turned her witchy teacher into one of the best “Potter” characters ever.
We’ve all suffered through at least one totalitarian teacher just like her. (You out there reading this, Ms. McClure? Oh, I bet you are.)
What parts of “Order of the Phoenix” worked for you? (Please don’t say it was the centaurs or that goofy giant; they both needed more CGI attention). And who’s your favorite “Potter” teacher?
Permalink | Comments (27) | Categories: Alan Smithee
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By Todd
July 16, 2007 9:48 AM | Link to this
Dumbledore
By Patrick
July 16, 2007 9:53 AM | Link to this
One thing I liked about the story was how it portrayed what is sadly going on in schools in apparently both England and here in the States. The government has too much control over our schools, and they are even trying to control the curriculum. In the book, the students were asked to read one chapter per class quietly. That was it. No practicing of spells, or anything that was actually useful. In the movie, this was portrayed greatly by showing a close-up of the textbooks, which bore a striking resemblance to the old Dick and Jane readers from the 1940s or 1950s. Like in the story, the government is “dumbing down” the curriculum, not preparing the students for the real world.
By cedric
July 16, 2007 9:56 AM | Link to this
dumbledore is the best teacher and it seems like the most powerful wizard at the end when he fought you know who ( the dark lord).
By jct
July 16, 2007 10:03 AM | Link to this
I have seen OOTP twice. What worked was the first 1/2 to 3/4 of the movie. At first I thought I was being hard on the director but upon my second viewing yesterday afternoon my thoughts have not changed. If three(small) things were changed I thought the movie would have been absolutely great.
It is hard to synthesize a book of that length into a less than 3 hour movie. However, those three things I believe hurt character development for the HBP. I want to see how Yates will handle that in the next movie.
My favorite teacher is McConagall (sp). She is strict with a sprinkling of sugar.
By Shannon, M.Div.
July 16, 2007 10:31 AM | Link to this
Snape, of course. Mmmmm, Snape. Mmmm, Alan Rickman. Mrowr.
By Fulton County Mom
July 16, 2007 11:22 AM | Link to this
Dumblore is amazing. Hands down the most awesome wizard.
However:
Flitwick has his charm (pun intended)
McGonagall you have to love for her humor/caring
Snape for his natiness
Lockhart for his idiocy
Hagrid for heart
Trelawny for her ditziness
Slughorn for his ostenatiousness
Lupin for being Lupin
Moody for his attitude
Umbridge because she is easy to HATE….the vile toad (I mean she actually out-naties Snape!)
Frienze because he loyal and outside the box
(I know I did not mention Quirrel but frankly I found him lame).
By Fulton County Mom
July 16, 2007 11:28 AM | Link to this
I know I wrote the charcters from all the books….why limit to just the movie when we could compare and contrast the performances (past and anticipate the future)………
McGonagall squaring off with Umbridge (FANTASTIC) made Dumbledore seem weak to me in the movies. Why is it they keep making him a doddering old fool (except in the 1st 2 movies)?????? In the books it is very apparent he is anything but a fool!
By Erin
July 16, 2007 11:58 AM | Link to this
LOVE MCGonagall. She makes me grin at every scene she is in, just waiting for her to take someone down.
Emma Thompson is great as Trelawney.
Each character would be a bunch of caricatures if it weren’t for the great actors in each role.
I agree with Fulton Co Mom about Dumbledore, but I think Rowling made him weaker in each book, too. But, Richard Harris was much better at the character.
By paul
July 16, 2007 12:33 PM | Link to this
Favorite would have to be McGonagall. She is sweet with a dash of the ol’ school marm that will not hesitate to give you a good paddlin’. As for the movie, it was good to see the house elf revolution out (would have been too destractiing) but missed having the centaur become a teacher at the end. Oh, well. The longest book (and my least favorite) was done overall very well.
By famuan
July 16, 2007 2:09 PM | Link to this
McGonagall….it wasn’t in the movie, but there’s a passage in the book where she is counseling Harry about his future and he says he wants to be an Auror. That nitwit Umbridge is in the room also….McGonagall is so classically rude and snide to her that it is just priceless.
By Elizabeth
July 16, 2007 2:19 PM | Link to this
I have seen the movie & i am a huge fan of the books. Don’t get me wrong, the movie was really excellent. I really enjoyed it. but i do believe that they left out key parts in the movie that they are going to have trouble in the next films trying to explain.
mogonnagol is my favorite teacher. shes spunky, disipline & gets the job done.
By Elizabeth
July 16, 2007 2:20 PM | Link to this
I have seen the movie & i am a huge fan of the books. Don’t get me wrong, the movie was really excellent. I really enjoyed it. but i do believe that they left out key parts in the movie that they are going to have trouble in the next films trying to explain.
mcgonagall is my favorite teacher. shes spunky, disipline & gets the job done.
By NHB
July 16, 2007 4:03 PM | Link to this
Lupin…or course. Nothing tops a Werewolf!
By HP Fan
July 16, 2007 4:15 PM | Link to this
Gotta be Snape. He’s the one who is best preparing Harry for the real world. I think Book 7 will reveal a whole different side to Snape…he may end up being the hero in the end…
By Cassie
July 16, 2007 4:16 PM | Link to this
Patrick…very cool parallel. I didn’t pick up on it, but I totally agree.
I love McGonagall; she has the perfect attitude and always knows the right thing to do and say.
I liked the way they chose to portray Luna in OotP. Very ethereal, ditzy, but unflappable. However, I thought they made Bellatrix look too psychotic. I know she’s supposed to be evil, but she was looking more like a disorganized serial killer.
By War Eagle
July 16, 2007 4:17 PM | Link to this
I would say the first Dumbledore, and then Professor Snape.
By abacus2
July 16, 2007 4:55 PM | Link to this
McGonagall! She’s the epitome of tough love - we could use many more real teachers who are like her. Lupin is great, too. And I agree, Richard Harris was, by far, the greater Dumbledore.
By I Heart Alan Rickman
July 16, 2007 4:55 PM | Link to this
Snape. I call that Mrowr and raise you a cartoon wolf with eyes bulging out and a panting mile long tongue.
Alan Rickman is hotter than Georgia asphalt.
By Teach
July 16, 2007 5:21 PM | Link to this
Hey Patrick, you are not talking about Georgia when you refer to “dumbing down the curriculum.” Georgia’s curriculum is changing for the better. The new curriculum is performance-based, which is what our students need. You might want to do some research on that and see for yourself.
By Publicenemynumberone
July 17, 2007 8:27 AM | Link to this
I think Snape and Dumbledore are hot. Harry’s hot too, and Hagrid is just dreamy.
By Govt Waste Must Stop
July 17, 2007 8:53 AM | Link to this
Interesting reading the comments and the contrast on curriculum, quite a bit of misspelling, ot just the name of the characters, but in the regular text.
Maybe the good AJC should enable a spell check.
By far, Dumbledore would be my favorite, his compassion, wisdom, insight and knowing when to exhibit each quality, makes him the top.
By Patrick
July 17, 2007 1:50 PM | Link to this
I remember that scene well in the book between McGonagall and Umbridge (I usually call the latter something else…replace the last five letters with only four letters if you get my drift). Harry says he wants to be an Auror. McGonagall tells him he needs top-notch marks in Tranfiguration and Potions. Um….bridge says he wouldn’t make a good Auror, and the Ministry would never hire him. McGonagall says there may be a new Minister before too long. A few more insults, and finally McGonagall says she will see to it Harry becomes an Auror, even if she had to give him private tutoring lessons herself in Transfiguration.
So McGonagall would have to be one of my favorites, along with Dumbledore, Lupin (he really knew his stuff with some of the creatures), Moody (even though he turned out to be a Death Eater in disguise), and perhaps Firenze. I would have loved being in the classroom the way it was set up.
By potter fan's mom
July 17, 2007 2:10 PM | Link to this
I know he’s not a teacher in the strictest sense, but Sirius Black is totally hot. It’s the hottest Gary Oldman has ever been. Woo, baby!
Even though Alan Rickman is getting a little long in the tooth, His portrayal of Snape is kinda hot too.
My 17-year-old daughter, by the way would think I’m nuts. She’s gaga over Malfoy.
By jct
July 17, 2007 4:04 PM | Link to this
@Patrick
I am in agreement with you. McGonagall is the type of teacher who is my favorite. You really have the opportunity to thrive understand strictness with a sprinkling of sugar.
I wish there were more teachers like her…
By jct
July 17, 2007 4:09 PM | Link to this
Oops. I meant under not understand
By sophandros
July 17, 2007 4:32 PM | Link to this
Has anyone else read the books, or are all of your points of reference the movies?
Anyway, McGonagall, Snape, and Lupin were my three fav. profs.
By april
July 18, 2007 8:06 AM | Link to this
McGonagall for sure…I haven’t decided about Snape.