Guest Post: An Evangelist at the ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ Movie Premiere in NYC

November 28, 2010 by 8 Comments

And she was dressed as Dolores Umbridge! Enjoy her full story with tract after the jump —

“Mudbloods and the Dangers They Pose to a Peaceful Pureblood Society”—the tract!

By Melanie N. Lee, November 28, 2010

I slowly got into the Harry Potter movies over the past few years, and then devoured the books in the Summer of 2009.  That Halloween I dressed as Dolores Umbridge, and this year, 2010, in honor of the Deathly Hallows movie release, repeated the costume, albeit in a new pink suit.  I also thought, how cool would it be to hand out copies of Dolores Umbridge’s pamphlet “Mudbloods and the Dangers They Pose to a Peaceful Pureblood Society”—only as a Christian evangelical tract?  Especially in the light of recent events like the tough new Arizona immigration law, the controversy over the proposed “Ground Zero Mosque”, and increased attacks upon Muslims, Hispanics, and gays, such a tract about intergroup tolerance may be needed.

Professor John Granger, in an email, pointed me to the pages in Deathly Hallows with anti-“Mudblood” propaganda.  I lifted the Daily Prophet article from page 209 (fair use, right?), then wrote the tract:

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Filed Under: Movie Thoughts

The HogPro Contact Tab is Working Again!

November 28, 2010 by 1 Comment

I was sent this ‘Garry Baudin’ production on YouTube by a Serious Reader. Why? You tell me; I’m just delighted the Contact Form is working again. It’s not about Harry Potter per se but I’m pretty sure y’all can pick up the postmodern cliches for practice (“Bad Metanarrative! Evil Church-folk!”) while enjoying the beautiful music, Adagio in G Minor by Albioni (Giazotti?), performed by the Berlin Philaharmonic under Herbert von Karajan:

Filed Under: Hog Pro Notes

Whoops! HogPro ‘Contact Form’ Glitch

November 27, 2010 by 1 Comment

Short version: if you have tried to contact me through the sites ‘Contact’ form in the last year, I haven’t received it. Please re-send! I respond to all my email (eventually) and apologize if your question went unanswered.

Long version: I received a great email on wands the other day via and asked my correspondent to write it up as a ‘Guest Post.’ She agreed and then wrote to say she’d posted it at HogwartsProfessor. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Hog Pro Notes

Mailbag: Harry Potter and HogPro News!

November 24, 2010 by 8 Comments

I’m back from a month on the road and, of course, the email inbox was full of wonderful links to Potter news and fascinating ideas. Before I get to the movie and a million ideas I’ve had while on tour, here are the urls to events and discussions from friends across the nation:

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Filed Under: Hog Pro Notes

Movie Thoughts: Harry and the Deathly Hallows – Is it the Beginning of the Beginning of the End?

November 20, 2010 by 33 Comments

When I held my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for the first time, I felt about it much as I always do about the last piece of candy in the big box. Like Edmund and the Turkish Delight, I could eat those things until it kills me, but I always reach the end; the last piece, the piece I want but don’t want because it means the end of the box, is a bittersweet delight (regardless of what kind of sweetie flavor it is). With the film of Deathly Hallows in two bits, we’ve still one piece left in that big box, but this one is next to last, and has that same degree of joy and sadness. Considering the content of this, the first half of the last installment of our generational Shared Text’s cinematic interpretations, the sadness is certainly in force. Follow after the jump for detailed thoughts on the film, and my two galleons worth.

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Filed Under: Elizabeth Baird Hardy, Movie Thoughts