As Harry Potter begins his sixth year at Hogwarts, he discovers an old book marked as "the property of the Half-Blood Prince" and begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort's dark past.As Harry Potter begins his sixth year at Hogwarts, he discovers an old book marked as "the property of the Half-Blood Prince" and begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort's dark past.As Harry Potter begins his sixth year at Hogwarts, he discovers an old book marked as "the property of the Half-Blood Prince" and begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort's dark past.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 9 wins & 39 nominations total
- Waitress
- (as Elarica Gallacher)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDame Maggie Smith completed filming this movie while undergoing radio-therapy as treatment for breast cancer.
- Goofs(at around 1h 3 mins) During the Quidditch Match, and the celebration afterwards in the Gryffindor Common room, you can see that the students are chanting "Weasley is our king!". However, the audio track we hear is "Weasley! Weasley! Weasley!" over and over.
- Quotes
Professor Minerva McGonagall: [to Harry, Ron, & Hermione] Why is it, when something happens, it is always you three?
Ron Weasley: Believe me, Professor. I've been asking myself the same question for six years.
- Crazy creditsThe end credits take their shape from what look like ink spills, resembling the appearance of the collected memories when they are poured into Dumbledore's Pensieve.
- Alternate versionsSome of the dubbed versions change the names of a few characters, to match their translated novel counterparts in each respective language. Examples include Hermione, who in the German version (of all the Potter films/books) is named Hermine, and Dumbledore, who in the Dutch version is Perkamentus. (Source: Multi-lingual Blu-Ray copies of the films)
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 81st Annual Academy Awards (2009)
- SoundtracksHedwig's Theme
Composed by John Williams
In the sixth Harry Potter, Harry works with Dumbledore to unlock a key secret about Voldemort. To do this, Harry has to get close to Professor Slughorn (played with aplomb by Jim Broadbent). What interested me most about the way this is played out are the quiet similarities presented between Harry and Tom Riddle. Dumbledore actively wants Harry to act more like Tom in an attempt to defeat him. This enhances the idea posited back in the 2nd film and book. The sub-plots surrounding this are delightful. Quidditch has never been done so well. The Slug Party is also delightful. Harry's fancying Ginny and Ron's troubles between Lavender and Hermione round out the film. A small downside of this is there is less room for some of the best talent in the UK, many of whom merely supply the garnish on a good meal.
Michael Gambon is wonderful in this turn as the greatest wizard Dumbledore. He just needed the screen time to shine. I hope this nails the lid on the doubters. Alan Rickman plays Snape to perfection, much as it would have been fun to see him momentarily lose his cool. Maggie Smith and Robbie Coltrane have wonderful cameos. I seem to be the only person that appreciates Daniel Radcliffe post-Equus. I think the young man has really come into his own. Rupert Grint has also become a fine comedic actor. Tom Felton slowly freaks the hell out as a young man given an impossible task. My favorite little scene stealer is Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood.
The film plays fast and loose with the source material, and, unlike with Prisoner of Azkaban, the results are not disappointing. On the contrary, this might be, next to Goblet of Fire, my favorite of the films. Part of the reason this time is the film's atmosphere is so appropriate, the characters so well acted and written, that it makes us yearn for more of everything that IS in the film, not lament what was cast aside. I can forgive plot simplification as film is a different medium. I would not have made all the choices Yates has, but he nails the beginning and end of the film, includes many touching character moments, and the movie on the whole is FUNNY damnit! True Potter fans should see that Yates has broken the letter to preserve the spirit of Harry Potter.
One note from the Potter die-hard within the competent film critic: it is disappointing to miss out on one crucial flashback that would have given Ralph Fiennes a terribly awesome scene to do with Michael Gambon. As for the rest. Potter-ites, Yates has this well in hand. Put aside the canon-charts, and enjoy watching small variations on a story you know and love. I know, given the choice, I prefer a story that pops to life over one nailed down to a strict regiment of plot points and exposition. A-
- joestank15
- Jul 18, 2009
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Harry Potter y el misterio del príncipe
- Filming locations
- Raumabanen Railway Line, Bjorli, Norway(Hogwarts express scenes in winter)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $250,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $302,334,374
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $77,835,727
- Jul 19, 2009
- Gross worldwide
- $941,055,851
- Runtime2 hours 33 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1