Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a 2009 film based on the sixth novel by J. K. Rowling. It is the sixth film in the Harry Potter film series. David Yates, the director of the fifth film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, directed. David Heyman and David Barron produced, and Steve Kloves, though he did not write the fifth film, has returned as screenwriter for this installment. Filming began on September 24, 2007. The film was released in the UK, Canada and US on July 15, 2009 in regular theatres, and an IMAX 3-D release on July 29, 2009. Unlike the previous film, the sixth film was released in regular theaters on July 15 and IMAX 3-D on July 29 because of the IMAX release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The film has was chosen to be screened at the Royal Film Performance on November 17, 2008, but due to the date of release pushed back, it was not shown. On January 2, 2009, the film received a PG rating in the USA. On July 7, 2009, at the world film premiere of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in London, the cast and crew all wore white ribbons in memory and tribute of 18-year-old British actor and co-star Robert Knox. Knox, who played Marcus Belby in the movie, was stabbed to death on May 24, 2008.

Synopsis
''Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort's defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry finds himself more and more drawn to Ginny Weasley, but so is Dean Thomas. And Lavender Brown has decided that Ron is the one for her, only she hadn't counted on Romilda Vane's chocolates. And then there's Hermione, simmering with jealously but determined not to show her feelings. As romance blossoms, one student remains aloof. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.''

Development
Before David Yates was officially chosen to direct the film, many others had been offered the job, and previous directors had expressed an interest in returning. Alfonso Cuarón, the director of the third film, stated he "would love to have the opportunity" to return. Goblet of Fire director Mike Newell declined a spot to direct the fifth film, and was not approached for this one either. Terry Gilliam was Rowling's personal choice to direct Philosopher's Stone. However, when asked whether he would consider directing a later film, Gilliam said, "Warner Bros. had their chance the first time around, and they blew it."

Yates has retained composer Nicholas Hooper, costume designer Jany Temime, visual effects supervisor Tim Burke, creature and make-up effects designer Nick Dudman, and special effects supervisor John Richardson from the fifth film. Since February 2007, Stuart Craig, the production designer of the first five films as well, has been designing sets, including the cave, and the astronomy tower, where the climax of the film takes place. Academy Award nominated Bruno Delbonnel is the film's cinematographer.

Yates and Heyman have noted that some of the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows may influence the script of the film, and that there will not be as many memories in the film as in the book. Yates noted: "We're making a decision right now to compress those a wee bit, but we've still got some really cool ones." . Steve Kloves, who wrote the first four films, returned for the sixth adaptation. Rowling has read Kloves' script and crossed out a passage in which Dumbledore recalls a past female love, penning in the margin "Dumbledore is gay."

Filming
Filming began on 24 September 2007, with one week of rehearsals, and principal photography ended May 2008. Some sources stated that filming may move from the UK, where all of the previous five films have been shot. This is North Scotland reported filming will take place in New Zealand, due to the "more agreeable economy and climate" and lack of Scottish funding. The Sunday Business Post in Ireland has noted that the film's producers and WB executives have been scouting there, specifically Leinster and Munster because they "believe they have now exhausted possible locations in Britain." They are "particularly keen on Ireland, as the landscape is similar to Britain and will appear similar to the settings of the previous films." The crew also scouted around Cape Wrath in Scotland, for use in the cave scene. Filming is scheduled to return to Glen Coe and Glenfinnan, both locations that have appeared in the previous films, to preserve the continuity of the landscape.

On the weekend of 6 October 2007, the crew shot scenes involving the Hogwarts Express in the misty and dewy environment of Fort William, Scotland. A series of night scenes have been filmed in the village of Lacock and the cloisters at Lacock Abbey for three nights starting 25 October 2007. Filming took place from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily, and residents of the street were asked to black out their windows with dark blinds. On set reports indicated that the main scene filmed was Harry and Dumbledore's visit to Slughorn's house. Further filming took place in Surbiton railway station in October 2007, Gloucester Cathedral, where the first and second films were shot, in February 2008, and at the Millennium Bridge in London in March 2008.

Though Radcliffe, Gambon and Broadbent started shooting in late September 2007, some other cast members started much later: Watson did not begin until December 2007, Rickman until January 2008, and Bonham Carter until February 2008. Principal photography wrapped up on May 17 2008. And a confirmation that editing was complete was released on July 29, 2008, though we do not know when they finished exactly.

On January 6th, 2008, websites reported that the movie had been rated "PG" by the MPAA, for scary images, some violence, language and mild sensuality. This is the first time since the third movie that a Harry Potter film has been rated PG, although in Britain it is a 12A.

Cast

 * Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, who is now entering his sixth year at Hogwarts, with the wizarding world at war.
 * Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, one of Harry's two best friends. He develops a relationship with Lavender Brown and later with Hermione Granger.
 * Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, one of Harry's two best friends. Watson considered not returning for the sixth film, but eventually decided that "the pluses outweighed the minuses" and could not bear to see anyone else play Hermione.
 * Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore. The legendary wizard and headmaster of Hogwarts. The revelation of Dumbledore's sexuality prompted Gambon to "camp up" around the set when off camera, but his on-screen performance is expected to remain unchanged from the previous films.
 * Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn, the newly appointed Hogwarts Potions master. Broadbent described his costumes as "tweedy", and his character as "comic", while Radcliffe noted that "[Slughorn's] tragedy will outweigh the comedy".
 * Alan Rickman as Severus Snape, the former Potions master, who finally achieves his goal of becoming Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.
 * Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy, a classmate of Harry, who Harry suspects of carrying out a task for Voldemort across the year, and son of Narcissa Malfoy and nephew to Bellatrix.
 * Tony Coburn as Young Lucius Malfoy, a former Slug Club member.
 * Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister in her fifth year, for whom Harry develops intense romantic feelings. Her feelings for Harry never changed and they finally become a couple right after the final quidditch match, or in the film when they hide Harry's Potions book
 * Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom, a friend of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Luna.
 * Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood, a friend of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ginny. Takes Nymphadora Tonks's place in rescuing Harry on the Hogwarts Express.
 * Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher.
 * Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall, the Hogwarts Transfiguration teacher, deputy headmistress and head of Gryffindor.
 * David Thewlis as Remus Lupin, is a werewolf and a member of the Order of the Phoenix and former Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.
 * Natalia Tena as Nymphadora Tonks, a member of the Order of the Phoenix and an Auror who is in a relationship with Remus Lupin.
 * William Melling as Nigel, A red haired boy.
 * Helen McCrory as Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mother and younger sister of Bellatrix. McCrory was originally cast as Bellatrix Lestrange in Order of the Phoenix, but had to drop out due to pregnancy. Naomi Watts was previously reported as having accepted the role, only for it to be denied by her agency.
 * Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange, one of Voldemort's principal Death Eaters, older sister of Narcissa Malfoy, aunt to Draco and Nymphadora Tonks, cousin of Sirius Black.
 * Timothy Spall as Peter Pettigrew, one of Voldemort's principal Death Eaters and former friend of James Potter, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Severus Snape's servant.
 * Mark Williams and Julie Walters as Arthur and Molly Weasley, Ron and Ginny's parents.
 * James Phelps and Oliver Phelps as Fred Weasley and George Weasley
 * Jessie Cave as Lavender Brown, Ron's girlfriend. Watson described her as "perfect for the role," although Cave did not attend the open auditions. An open casting call was held for the part on 1 July, 2007. Over 7,000 girls turned out for the audition and read from a scene with Madam Pomfrey, Hermione, and Ron. Yates tested Grint with the top five choices for Lavender, reading certain lines and kissing, to see which pairing had the best chemistry.
 * Hero Fiennes-Tiffin and Frank Dillane each play Tom Marvolo Riddle, the child who becomes Lord Voldemort, at age eleven and as a teenager respectively. Fiennes-Tiffin is the eleven-year-old nephew of Ralph Fiennes, who plays the adult Voldemort in the fourth and fifth films. An open casting call was held for the part in July 2007, with applicants reading from a scene involving Riddle trying to persuade Horace Slughorn to explain what Horcruxes are. Christian Coulson, who played Riddle in Chamber of Secrets, expressed an interest in returning. However, Yates responded that since Coulson was nearly 30, he was too old for the part.
 * Gemma Jones as Poppy Pomfrey
 * Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick
 * David Bradley as Argus Filch
 * Georgina Leonidas as Katie Bell, the Gryffindor Chaser who is injured by a cursed necklace.
 * Anna Shaffer as Romilda Vane, a student obsessed with Harry; she tries to make him fall in love with her by using love potions.
 * Scarlett Byrne as Pansy Parkinson.
 * Katie Leung as Cho Chang, Harry's ex-girlfriend
 * Amber Evans and Ruby Evans as Flora Carrow and Hestia Carrow
 * Ashley Whitehead as an unnamed orphan
 * Louis Cordice as Blaise Zabini.
 * Freddie Stroma as Cormac McLaggen
 * Isabella Laughland as Leanne
 * Robert Knox as Marcus Belby. Knox was murdered on 24 May 2008, before the film was released.
 * Ralph Ineson as Amycus Carrow
 * Suzanne Toase as Alecto Carrow,
 * Dave Legeno as Fenrir Greyback. '''
 * Tom Moorcroft as Regulus Black, Sirius Black's brother. The only part in which he appears in the film is a moving picture in Horace Slughorn's posession.
 * Charlie Bennison as Sanguini, the vampire at Slughorn's party  
 * Lord John Paul Castrianni as Yaxley, a Death Eater
 * Rod Hunt as Thorfinn Rowle, a Death Eater.
 * Afshan Azad and Shefali Chowdhury as Parvati and Padma Patil
 * Elarica Gallagher as Waitress
 * Geraldine Somerville as Lily Evans
 * Alfie Enoch as Dean Thomas, a Gryffindor boy in Harry's year
 * Jamie Waylett and Josh Herdman as Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, Draco's cronies
 * Devon Murray as Seamus Finnigan, a Gryffindor boy in Harry's year.
 * Amelda Brown as Mrs. Cole of Muggle orphanage
 * Jack Pryor and Mark Lockyer as Skinny Kid and Waiter
 * Paul Ritter as Eldred Worple, author of Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires and friend to Sanguini
 * Joerg Stadler and Caroline Wildi as the Inferi, reanimated corpses at the Horcrux Cave
 * Elliot Francis, Stephen Modell, and Ben Shephard as Slug Club member, Feather Wizard, and Diagon Alley Father

Marketing
The special edition two-disc DVD for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix contained two sneak peeks of the film, while the US edition included an additional clip. Warner Bros and MSN will run an online Order of the Phoenix quiz, with the prize being a walk-on part in the film. As with the previous films, EA Games will produce a video game based on the film. The teaser trailer for the sixth video game was released along side of its website on July 2, 2008.

Teaser Trailers
thumb|right|Teaser trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince movie There have been one teaser and six trailers released for the film so far.

15-seconds teaser on IMAX
The first trailer was s 15-second long teaser. With just 1 sentence from Dumbledore. It was released before The Dark Knight on IMAX.

Teaser Trailer
The Teaser Trailer was released on July 29, 2008 on AOL, and later released with The Mummy 3, on August 1, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, on August 6, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars on August 15, 2008. It can be viewed here. Many new pictures and clips were released. The trailer basically revolves around young Tom Riddle at the Orphanage, but Dumbledore fighting the Inferi, Ginny, Ron on the ground, memories, and much more. This is the first trailer without Hermione. The trailer mainly focuses on the young Tom Riddle.

International Teaser Trailer
thumb|right The International Teaser Trailer was leaked onto the internet on October 26, 2008 and it can be viewed here. The music at the end is With an Iron Fist by Immediate Music.

New Trailer: 11/14/08
A new trailer was released on the Internet, containing scenes of the Horcrux Cave, the Battle of The Astronomy Tower, and the destruction of the Millennium Bridge by the Death Eaters. The trailer was released theatrically alongside Twilight and Inkheart. It can be seen here.

Trailer for Japan release: 01/23/09
A new trailer that was first reportedly at the Pottermania.jp last January 17, 2009 appears to be a brand new trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The trailer is quite low quality and has a Japanese guy speaking in some parts. We can see several new scenes like Harry and Slughorn enjoying a party, Harry and Dumbledore extended scenes in Apparition/Disapparition and in the Horcrux cave, Bellatrix enjoys attacking Hagrid's Hut, Fenrir Greyback attack someone in Diagon Alley, Snape on the Astronomy tower with Harry, Draco and many more. The intro has Daniel Radcliffe's greetings in Japanese. It can be viewed here.

WB New Trailer for IMAX: 3/05/09
thumb|right|Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Trailer released on March 5, 2009 A brand new trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has been released from WB which features new footages: Harry under the cloak of invisibility on the train, The boy Tom Riddle staring at in the midst of the flames, Stunning capture of the dark lake, surrounded by flames, apparently from the perspective of the boat, Narcisa Malfoy after the Unbreakable Vow crying, Draco working on a Wardrobe, Explosions in the Diagon Alley, Ball of Fire in the Burrow, Ginny and Harry fighting Fenrir Greyback, and Harry yelling to Snape. The trailer debut in theatres with the release of Watchmen, Friday, March 6, 2009.

4/09/09 Better version of HBP trailer shown in Japan
Clean copy of the Half-Blood Prince Trailer for Japan shown last January, 2009 was released online, with no voice-over or subtitles. It can be viewed here.

4/16/09 New Trailer
Worldwide Satellite Trailer Début: HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE

This new trailer contains extended scenes in the cave, new dialogue from Dumbledore on how he can not destroy the locket himself. New scenes such as Hermione hit Ron using a book multiple times at the Great Hall of Hogwarts, Ginny reaching out to Harry saying "Take my Hand", and then, they hold hands together. Draco Malfoy at the Vanishing Cabinet, Extended scenes of Death Eaters apparating, appeared from the Dark Mark, attacked the Millennium Bridge and a Plaza (Hundreds of Thrilled Muggles were shown), Extended scenes of Death Eaters cunning, attacked and kidnapped people from both the Muggle world and the wizarding world, Horace Slughorn yelling at Harry and Dumbledore in front of his house. Extended scenes of the attack at the Burrow, Army of Inferi, Truly horrific scene on which Katie Bell is in terrible pain and lift up in the air, Hogwarts students raise their wands, Draco and Harry Sectumsempra duel in the bathroom and many more... The trailer can be watch via this link. This trailer will also be showing in movie cinemas on May 1st before Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. It can be viewed here

Regal/Australia TODAY First Look: 2/23/09
First shown as a portion of "Regal FirstLook Play" attached to Coraline, Later shown on the Today show in Australia. Features include Hermione throwing birds at Ron, Extended scenes at the cave with Harry, Dumbledore and the Inferi, a look at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Dumbledore and Harry levitating objects at Slughorn's house and much more. This can be viewed here.

Belgian HBP featurette: 5/20/09
A Belgian movie website has a new video featurette on Half-Blood Prince which includes; new footage of Dumbledore and Harry having conversation at the Astronomy tower, Dumbledore giving a speech in the Great Hall while the carved-owl statue in a pulpit is moving, Harry and Dumbledore exiting the Ministry (a flashback to the end of Order of the Phoenix), Slughorn transforming from a chair into himself saying Merlin's Beard, The trio in the courtyard and more.

Plus it has interviews with the cast and crew including; Michael Gambon (Dumbledore), Daniel Radcliffe, David Yates, David Heyman, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint interwoven with behind-the-scenes footage. It can be viewed here.

Special Preview on Yahoo! Movies: 6/27/09
Warner Bros. has released a brand-new behind-the-scenes look at Half-Blood Prince through Yahoo Movies!, featuring many new sequences from the movie and interviews with Daniel Radcliffe, Michael Gambon (Dumbledore), Emma Watson, David Yates and more. It can be viewed here.

TV Spots

 * On December 5, 2008, ABC aired exclusively 1 minute sneak peak for Half-Blood Prince movie and they called it ABC FAMILY SNEAK PEAK. It was shown during the 1st day airing of Sorcerer's Stone movie on their channel with title The Story. It can viewed here.


 * The second ABC Family Sneak Peak was aired on the 2nd day airing of the Sorcerer's Stone movie on 12-06-08 and has the title Love is in the Air. It can be watched through here.


 * The third ABC Family Sneak Peak was aired December 6, 2008 during the airing of Chamber of Secrets movie and it has the title Meet Professor Slughorn. It can be viewed here.


 * Another sneak peak for Half-Blood Prince movie was aired during the airing of Chamber of Secrets movie and it has the title The Story of Tom Riddle. It can be viewed here.


 * The fifth and the last of the ABC Family Sneak Peak was aired also during the airing of Chamber of Secrets movie on 12-06-08 and it has the title "Comedy". It can be watched through here.

thumb|right|The HBP TV Spot aired on May 8, 2009
 * A preview segment for Half-Blood Prince was aired last May 8 evening on the CW network in the US, during the film The Game. The video ran about half a minute long: The first TV spot shown can be seen here.


 * Last May 14 evening, Another Half-Blood Prince TV spot was shown on ABC during the programme Grey's Anatomy. You can watch it here.


 * New TV spot for Half-Blood Prince was aired in the U.S. last May 18 on both ABC and Fox networks, The focus of the advert was on Draco and Bellatrix. The video can be watch through here.

On the same day, the first clip from the movie was released and first shown in Ellen talk show. It was the scene of Ron Weasley under the Love Potion, meant for Harry. You can watch it through here and the extended high-definition version through here.
 * On May 20, 4 New TV Spot for Half-Blood Prince were uploaded in the world wide web and with titles; #1 - Together (watch it here), #2 - Battle Has Begun (watch it here), #3 - Challenge (watch it here) and #4 - Answers (watch it here). You can also watch the videos through here.


 * On June 14, 2009. Another new Half-Blood Prince TV advert was aired, this time on the Cartoon Network, which featured many new Quidditch sequences from the trial and game. It can be seen via this link.


 * June 18, 2009 HBP TV spot entitled as "Poof" has emerged online. It can be seen through here.


 * On June 26, 2009. A new HBP TV spot has been available online featuring some new dialogue from Headmaster Dumbledore, Draco and Hermione and new shots of the Great Hall and the exterior of the Weasley twins' Wizards Wheezes joke shop. It can be viewed via this link.


 * On June 30, 2009. A new thirty-second preview for Half-Blood Prince was attached to an old interview with David Yates, and can be seen via this link. In it, there are new clips showing the Unbreakable Vow and the Half-Blood Prince's Advance Potion Making book.


 * Throughout the month of July, HBO will be playing special fifteen minute behind the scenes footage of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Movie Posters and Banners
Apparently both versions have emerged of the first 2 posters. In which we see is the text "Coming Soon", while others displayed the text "07/17/09." SnitchSeeker.com has just released the third poster in high resolution. It preview Harry, with Dumbledore's reflection in his spectacles and "HP6" in the lower right hand corner, a style not seen before on any of the films promotional posters.
 * Since the 5th of February 2009, Three Official Teaser Posters for the movie has been circling in the world wide web.


 * In August 2008, the website ScienceBlogs.com posted eight unofficial "Half-Blood Prince" movie posters. The posters seemed genuine and many website used them as promotional tools. Those images can be view here, here.

1. The Other Minister

 * The Millennium Bridge collapses in the beginning of the film and is shown to be caused by three flying Death Eaters. The scene with Scrimgeour and the Muggle Minister is omitted.
 * The first chapter, where Cornelius Fudge recaps all the bad things that have happened to the muggle Prime Minister has been omitted. It also explains how Fudge resigned as Minister of Magic and how Rufus Scrimgeour took office, as well as describing the murders, hurricanes, and bridge collapse that have been going on. However there is still a minor reference in the Daily Prophet at the beginning of the film that mentions there is a new Minister for Magic.
 * Harry had a copy of Daily Prophet in the Muggle world, He reads it while in a Dining Inn located along a Surbiton station but then he left it on the table when he saw Professor Dumbledore outside. The muggle waitress at the Inn flirts with Harry and asks about the Newspaper he reads, which is not included in the book.

2. Spinner’s End

 * The Spinner's End film location is consistent with the book. The mill referred to in the text is not a watermill or windmill, but a nineteenth-century textiles factory in a northern industrial town in the UK, most likely in Lancashire or West Yorkshire. The text references the mill chimneys (now disused) and rows of nearby houses. Terraced houses as shown in the film are typical of late nineteenth century mill-workers houses in industrial Britain.
 * When Narcissa and Bellatrix go to meet Snape, Bellatrix does not show the intense loathing for Snape that she does in the book and does not press him to answer questions about his allegiances. Narcissa doesn't seem as grief stricken as one might think and is not the one who suggests the unbreakable vow, however she does have tears in her eyes. Her hair is a mix of blonde and dark brown stripes, rather than being completely flaxen blonde. Snape also seems reluctant to make the vow, instead of immediately agreeing as in the book.
 * Peter Pettigrew a.k.a. Wormtail's role is smaller than his in the book. In the film, he peeps out of the door to greet Narcissa and Bellatrix, and in the next shot, after showing the two into the parlor room, where Snape was waiting, Snape used his wand to slam the door shut, barring Pettigrew from the room.

3. Will and Won't

 * The scene with the Dursleys when Dumbledore comes for Harry at Privet Drive as he had pre-arranged in a letter has been omitted. Rather, Dumbledore finds Harry in a train station restaurant. The Dursleys do not appear in the movie.
 * Harry is never mentioned to have inherited Gimmauld Place or Kreacher.
 * House-elf Kreacher is also omitted in the entire movie.
 * There's no sign of any pamphlet showing the Safety measures issued by the Ministry.

4. Horace Slughorn

 * The entire village of Budleigh Babberton is recreated from the book, including the old war memorial. There is a pub called Babberton Arms in the background.
 * Dumbledore does not give Harry the heads up about Slughorn by mentioning that they are short on staff or alluding that he needs his assistance. They just go to the Muggle house where Slughorn is hiding. Harry does not speak to Slughorn of what he stands to gain by returning to Hogwarts.
 * Safety measures issued by the Ministry and about the Inferi hasn't been discussed even throughout the entire film.
 * In the book, the flaw in Horace Slughorn's plan to hide himself was that he forgot to cast the Dark Mark. In the film, the flaw is the blood on the ceiling, which Dumbledore identified as Dragon blood.
 * In the book Horace Slughorn was said to have a big silver moustache like a walrus and was supposed to be quite large, both are changed for the movie.

5. An Excess of Phlegm

 * Dumbledore does not inform Harry, before leaving him at the Burrow, that he will be giving him private lessons and does not tell him to confide the truth about the prophecy to Ron and Hermione or to keep his invisibility cloak with him at all times.
 * Instead of Dumbledore and Harry apparating to the tool shed near the Burrow, Harry finds himself standing on the swamp alone outside the Burrow.
 * Discussion of Bill and Fleur's wedding arrangements, Fleur's stay at the Burrow, and even both characters, have been omitted.
 * The relationship between Tonks and Lupin is implied, as they leave the party together and Tonks mentions that "the first night of the full moon cycle is always the worst." She also calls Remus sweetheart but later in the film. Tonks doesn't appeared on this chapter in the movie.
 * There is no scene where the owls bring the examination results; the first reference to Harry's exam results comes when Professor McGonagall informs him (in the corridor) that he may take potions as he had exceeded expectations in this subject.
 * In the film, Ginny is the first one to notice Harry, in the book Molly Weasley and Tonks see Harry first.

6. Draco's Detour
Both Weasley brothers talk in tandem the entire time.
 * Diagon Alley is almost completely boarded up and vacated. The only life to be seen comes from WWW Joke Shop. The "U-No-Poo" posters are eliminated however there is a satuesque, moving sign of a typical Muggle-like magician lifting a top hat to reveal a rabbit. The sign is over a story tall.
 * There is no mention of how the Weasley's were able to open the store because of the winning prize of the Triwizard Tournament held two years before.
 * Draco does not sneak off on his own and talk to Mr. Borgin about fixing the cabinet, but instead goes with his mum and several Death Eaters. Harry, Ron, and Hermione do not follow him under the cloak and use extendable ears. Hermione doesn’t try to trick Mr. Borgin into telling her what Draco is reserving.
 * Borgin and Burkes appears with a sign without the 's' at the end of Burkes. There is a WANTED poster of Fenrir Greyback in Knockturn Alley. The trio climbs the delapidated roof of an abandoned building to witness Draco being shown one half of the pair of vanishing cabinets, instead of listening to Malfoy about wanting to fix something, from the beginning they know that the object that Draco wants is the vanishing cabinet, the cursed necklace is not mentioned nor seen. the cabinet is triangular-shaped and monolith in size. Draco enters the shop with a team of Death Eaters.
 * There is no mention of fake amulets, etc. being sold, or of Mr. Weasley's promotion.

7. The Slug Club

 * The Slug Club's first meeting does not take place at Slughorn's compartment in the Hogwarts Express, but at Slughorn's office in Hogwarts.
 * The Slytherin end of the Hogwarts Express is split into two sides, not compartments as had been seen in previous films. It looks like booths with a table in between them. There is no door to close as had been in previous films. The compartments where Harry, Ron and Hermione sit are similar to what was in previous films, with the sliding doors.
 * The Hogwarts Express is shown to have five coaches, instead of the usual four coaches as shown in the previous books.
 * Students move from the train to the school without school robes, rather clad in modern clothing.
 * The scene in which Draco catches Harry spying on him on the train is preformed verbatim from the book, however Luna Lovegood, not Tonks, finds Harry with her Spectrespecs, and states she can see Wrackspurts all over him.
 * What Draco reveals on the train is far less suggestive in the movie.
 * Harry Potter is not met at the gate by Snape. Instead, Professor Flitwick stops Harry and Luna (noticeably not recognizing them) then casted a non-verbal spell to the gate for defence.
 * Because Nymphadora Tonks was replaced by Luna in saving Harry from the train, The movie doesn't show Tonks' Patronus.

8. Snape Victorious

 * Snape does not take Harry to the castle; instead, Harry and Luna walk by themselves.
 * Hagrid is present in the Great Hall, instead of being in the forest with Grawp.

9. The Half-Blood Prince

 * Discussion about choosing subjects and questioning of Prof. McGonagall were also not included in the movie. Simply Professor McGonagall is seen in the corridor giving class schedules to students and then chastising Harry and Ron for laughing at the newer students. She then instruct Harry to take Potions lesson and to bring Ron with him.
 * There are no D.A.D.A. classes shown in the movie.
 * In the movie, when Harry and Ron entered the Potions class, they're both late, but Slughorn doesn't seem to have started the lessons yet. The two informed Prof. Slughorn that they don't have the required book, so Slughorn instructs them to get a book from the cabinet inside the room. When they see that there's only one new book left, they both grab for the new version of the book, titled Advanced Potion-Making. Ron successfully got the new book while Harry is left with the older copy, formerly property of the Half-Blood Prince. Like in the novel, Harry obeyed the markings and instructions of the Half-Blood Prince instead of obeying the original instructions written in the book. This is the reason why he successfully passes the first examination and wins the Felix Felicis from Prof. Slughorn.

10. The House of Gaunt

 * The Gaunt scene is cut. Yates stated, "In the books, the memories were a very big part of JK Rowling's story. We've actually pared them down in our story, and she was very supportive of that decision. They're such an enjoyable part of reading the Half-Blood Prince. But we've kind of distilled them down to two or three memories to try to keep everything more in the moment. Flashbacks in movies are tricky things; they tend to hold up the momentum of the story you're telling."
 * The movie only shows the memory in which Dumbledore goes to pick up Voldemort at the orphanage and the memory in which Voldemort asks Slughorn about the Horcruxes, which is shown twice, as in the book.
 * Harry doesn't get to know that the ring that Dumbledore has is actually a heirloom from the Peverell family.
 * The movie doesn't emphasize on the injury on Dumbledore's hand or Harry's insistence on asking him what caused it.
 * Dumbledore only refers to Merope Gaunt as "Voldemort's mother" when Harry asked about the ring. He tells Harry that the ring belonged to Voldemort's mother, when in the book it was retrieved in the hands of his uncle Morfin.
 * The ring was a black stone it the symbol of the Deathly Hallows on it, but in the movie it was uncracked as in the books.

11. Hermione's Helping Hand

 * Quidditch try outs were included in the movie.
 * Hermione does use the Confundus Charm against Cormac McLaggen, however the spell is whispered into her hand in order to hide the incantation. Also, the incantation she uses is not the correct one. It is revealed in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that the proper incantation is "Confundo". In the film, Hermione says "Confundus."

12. Silver and Opals

 * The scene where Harry, Hermione, and Ron meet Slughorn is moved from Honeydukes to the Three Broomsticks. During the scene Slughorn mistakenly calls Ron "Wallenby". This is presumably a reference to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire where Mr. Crouch repeatedly calls Percy Weatherby.
 * Katie Bell is cursed by the necklace as in the book, and she is lifted into the air and silently screams with her head tilted back in a very frightening manner. As in the book, Hagrid comes and takes her to the castle, however Hagrid's role on the whole is very diminished.
 * Harry doesn’t meet Tonks and Mundungus Fletcher at Hogsmeade.

13. The Secret Riddle

 * The memory of the Wool's Orphanage doesn’t include talks of Tom Riddle hurting kids at the cave, which is essential to why he chose it as a Horcrux hiding place. Only a crude picture of the place is shown taped up on Riddle's bedroom wall.

14. Felix Felicis

 * In the film, at breakfast before the first Quidditch match, Luna Lovegood, not Hermione, notices Harry faking to slip Liquid Luck into Ron's drink.
 * The weather on the day of the first Quidditch match is snowing and stormy in the movie, whereas in the book it is clear, a circumstance which Ron attributes to the Felix Felicis he thinks he drank.
 * Zacharias Smith's Quidditch commentary is omitted.

15. The Unbreakable Vow

 * The Slughorn's christmas party is included in the movie.
 * Professor Trelawney is not present, Eldred Worple, Sanguini and other guests were not introduced by Prof. Slughorn but Filch's interruption holding Draco and telling everyone his gatecrashing is included.
 * There is much less conversation between Draco and Snape. Snape only mentiones to Draco that he has made an Unbreakable Vow, then Draco emphasized that he doesn't need protection.
 * Harry overhears the conversation in the corridor while hiding but without the use of Invisibility Cloak.

16. A Very Frosty Christmas

 * There has been an additional scene in the film which has no book equivalent. The Burrow is attacked by Death Eaters during the Christmas holidays. Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback are the only Death Eaters shown. Bellatrix flies unaided by a broom to the Burrow, then encircling the Burrow with a raging fire (which may be Fiendfyre has the flames are quite large and take the form of a serpent). She taunts Harry, chanting "I killed Sirius Black! I killed Sirius Black!" Harry takes off after her in rage. Ginny takes off after him, trying to stop him. Lupin, Tonks, and Arthur Weasley follow them into the grassy marsh. While the five are lost in the field, looking for the Death Eaters, the Death Eaters take off and set the Burrow aflame, burning it presumably to the ground, before leaving. There is no further mention in the film of how the home is restored or what happened to it afterward. The burrow was supposed to be protected against the death eaters, and they simply set fire to it with no effort. This causes many problems with the seventh movie.
 * The discussion of Remus and Harry about Snape's character is shorter, Remus Lupin didn't reveal to Harry that Snape helped him while he taught at Hogwarts as D.A.D.A. professor by brewing him a Wolfsbane potion every month.
 * The movie omits the details that Fenrir Greyback is a werewolf, and also the part of Lupin mentioning that Greyback was the one who turned him into a werewolf.
 * No reason is shown for Tonks’ lack of color in her hair (Hair is black not pink). When in the book is was brown and lank because she was in love with Lupin and worried for his safety amidst the werewolves and also anxious because he could not communicate with her.
 * In the movie, the part where Percy Weasley arrives at the Burrow on Christmas Day with the new Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour is omitted, including the part where Scrimgeour attempts to persuade Harry to help the Ministry to tell to the Wizarding world that the Ministry's doing a wonderful job.
 * The part where the characters are listening to the music of Celestina Warbeck is omitted.
 * The Christmas season shown in the movie is a big contradiction on what the Chapter's title is. There are no sign of snow outside the Burrow and Ginny's nightdress seems not fit for a very frosty season.
 * Also included in the Christmas at the Burrow is the several scenes of suggested romance between Harry and Ginny. In the book, Ginny clearly didn't show scenes of affection toward Harry until after they started going out.
 * It is implied that Tonks and Remus are already going out, as she seems to know Remus's transformation habits and calls him, 'Darling', like most couples do.

17. A Sluggish Memory

 * The memory of the Gaunt House, Merope with the locket, Voldemort going to kill the Riddles and stealing the ring, the memory of Voldemort working at Borgin and Burkes and wanting the cup and locket, and the one when Voldemort returns to the school to ask to teach have all been omitted. Only the memory of the orphanage and of Voldemort asking about Horcruxes were kept.
 * There's no mention of Tom killing the Riddle family.
 * Slughorn's false memory does not show cloudiness; instead, when Riddle asks about Horcruxes his voice becomes muted and Slughorn rebukes him angrily.

18. Birthday Surprises

 * There are no Apparition lessons or examination taught by Wilkie Twycross.
 * In the book, Ron and Lavender break up due to Lavender seeing Ron and Hermione coming down from the boys' dormitory (not seeing Harry due to him hiding under his invisibility cloak) and assumes they were together.

19. Elf Tails

 * The Quidditch scene and Luna's Quidditch commentary from this chapter have been cut.
 * The film doesn't show Harry being admit on the hospital wing.
 * No appearance nor mention of Dobby working in the Kitchen at the Castle. Nor Dobby and Kreacher tracking Draco for Harry.
 * In the film, Ron mutters Hermione's name while unconcious at the hospital wing with Harry, Hermione, Lavender, Ginny, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Slughorn, and Snape present, and Lavender runs off in tears.
 * The visiting of Hagrid, Fred, George, Arthur & Molly Weasley for Ron while in the Hospital wing were not shown in the movie. The praising to what Harry's did using a bezoar as a antidote to the poison is not mentioned by Fred but instead by Prof. McGonagall.

20. Lord Voldemort's Request

 * The memory showing Hepzibah Smith and House-elf Hokey were not shown nor mentioned in the movie, and Voldemort applying for the D.A.D.A position is also ommited.
 * Prof. Dumbledore didn't mention to Harry that this position is possibly cursed by Voldemort because he refused Voldemort's request, in that no one can retain the position for more than one year.

21. The Unknowable Room

 * There is no mention of Crabbe and Goyle using Polyjuice Potion and standing guard for Malfoy outside of the Room of Requirement.
 * Draco is seen testing an apple on the vanishing cabinet. It comes back with a bite taken out. He then tests a white songbird in the cabinet, and it comes back dead. Draco's desperation and fear in this scene is palpable. It is likely that he was repeatedly testing to see if it would work correctly, and became more frightened the more the tests failed, as everything he sent through except for the black songbird came back damaged in some way. It is also possible that the white and black songbirds and their respective failure and success may be an act of symbolism or foreshadowing.
 * Tonks doesn't appear inside Hogwarts looking for Prof. Dumbledore.

22. After the Burial

 * The trio did't receive a letter from Hagrid informing them that Aragog was dead. Instead Harry simply mentioned that he wants to go to Hagrid's place after drinking the Felix Felicis.
 * Instead of taking a few drops of the Felix Felicis, Harry drains the entire bottle.
 * Slughorn is seen stealing tentacula leaves, rather than working WITH Professor Sprout to obtain potions ingredients. It shows completely contradiction or disobedience of a Professor on what Dumbledore said later in both film and novel that Thieving is not tolerated at Hogwarts.
 * Aragog's size appears smaller than described and shown in both the books and the Chamber of Secrets (film).
 * Slughorn also asks Hagrid for the venom directly rather than sneaking a couple bottles.
 * Harry doesn't talk about his mum and dad's death to Slughorn to the extent that he does in the book.

23. Horcruxes

 * Only the ring and diary are mentioned to be horcruxes. The ring, which is supposed to be set with a plain round stone bearing a crude carving of the Deathly Hallows, is instead set with a fluorite-cut, honey-brown gemstone.
 * Dumbledore does not actually have possession of Tom Riddle's Diary as it is shown in the film; Harry gave it back to Lucius at the end of Chamber of Secrets. As noted, the cup and locket story is left out, and something of Gryffindor or Ravenclaw and Nagini are not debated to be horcruxes. However, cases of swords are seen to be mounted to the balcony wall in Dumbledore's study.
 * Dumbledore only mentions that the horcruxes could be anything, thus it implies that they don't know what they could be, Dumbledore never mentions that Voldemort searched for treasures and that it might be possible that his horcruxes were Valuable treasures of Hogwarts founders. Harry never gets to know how Dumbledore found out about the cave.


 * Dumbledore and Harry do not have many talks about Voldemort like they did in the book. Voldemort is not explained as someone who likes to control people, who is very charming with all the teachers, who places great meaning on places where he has tortured others, and who feels a deep connection to Hogwarts because it is proof he is special and is a wizard and because it feels like his home. However, these details were focused on in the Prisoner of Azkaban movie.

24. Sectumsempra

 * The duel between Harry and Draco at the bathroom took place just after Harry questioning Katie Bell at the Great Hall regarding the cursed opal necklace, Katie looked at Draco then suddenly Harry chases him. In the book, The questioning of Harry on Katie Bell and Harry's duel with Draco took place between a couple of days and not happened in a same day. In the book, Harry tailing Draco using the Marauder's Map until he saw Draco inside the Boy's bathroom on the sixth floor. He overheard Draco crying and accompanied by Moaning Myrtle.
 * In the movie, Moaning Myrtle is not included.
 * Harry and Draco briefly duel before Harry uses the Sectumsempra spell and Snape's countercurse Vulnera Sanatur is an incantation rather than a song.
 * In addition, the duel is composed of simple non-verbal dueling spells. Draco is not heard trying to use the Cruciatus Curse.
 * The scene where Severus Snape gives Harry detention for the Sectumsempra spell/ownership of his textbook is cut and apparently never took place.
 * Ginny, not Harry, hides the textbook in the Room of Hidden Things. This will prove complicated in the final movie when Harry knows where to find the diadem horcrux based on where he hid the book (although Ginny is present during the final battle, so she could assist him).
 * In the same scene, Ginny kisses Harry. Also, they find a second songbird Draco tested on the cabinet, a black one, alive and singing, but they do not know its significance. The cabinet is covered by a tapestry and they do not see what it is.

25. The Seer Overheard

 * Emma Thompson does not return as Professor Trelawney and the scene where Snape's role as double-agent is not shown or mentioned.


 * The movie doesn't show Harry questioning Dumbledore as to why he trusted Snape.

26. The Cave

 * Dumbledore can apparate from Hogwarts as applied in the sixth book,where at the first Apparitioning lesson the instructor says that the headmaster (Dumbledore) has disabled the magic,that prevents Apparition in the castle,for the Great Hall.So he can disable this "magic" whenever he likes and at any place in Hogwarts.
 * The boat that has been used by Prof. Dumbledore and Harry to go to the island in the lake is not so small as described in the book. The potion was black rather than glowing green. The Goblet to be use to drink the potion in the basin was replaced into a shell. Dumbledore just saw it beside the basin rather than summon it using a non-verbal spell.
 * Dumbledore drank all the liquid in the basin (Harry fed most of it to him) and suffered terrible pain while doing so. The spell Lumos Maxima is shown again, this time as a glowing ball of light that could be thrown rather than a more powerful version of Lumos. When Dumbledore asked for water, Harry refilled the basin using the Aguamenti spell, but the drinking shell could not hold the water. Then Harry tried to get water from the lake, but an Inferius appeared and grasped his hand, pulling him under water. Dumbledore used a great wave of fire to get rid of the Inferi and then successfully escaped with Harry after casting a spell that was only mentioned in the movie.

27. The Lightning Struck Tower

 * Madam Rosmerta is cut from the film. Instead, Draco states he gave the necklace to Katie Bell, and also shows Dumbledore a Death Eater tattoo on his arm. Harry and Dumbledore Apparate directly to the Astronomy Tower. Harry is not frozen by Dumbledore and is on the floor below the top of the astronomy tower looking up through floorboards at the events.
 * Bellatrix Lestrange joins the Death Eaters at Hogwarts.
 * The scenes in which the moniker "Half-Blood Prince" are explained in detail are whittled down to a single line in which Snape states "I am the Half-Blood Prince," and walks off into the night. The meaning behind the title of the book and movie is cut. It isn't found out why Snape was the half-blood prince (He is half-blood and his mother's last name is Prince)
 * Snape's argument with Dumbledore, which took place at the Forbidden Forest at night and is overheard by Hagrid, who disclosed to Harry in the book, is changed to taking taking place at the Astronomy Tower during the day, Harry arrives to overhear part of it and Snape leaves upon seeing Harry.
 * In the film, Draco shows Dumbledore that he has been branded with the Dark Mark, whereas in the book this is only an assumption by Harry, with no solid proof.
 * In the novel, it is said that Dumbledore appeared frozen in the sky. In the film Dumbledore immediately falls over the railing and down towards the ground.

28. Flight of the Prince

 * The ensuing battle between Hogwarts staff and students against Death Eaters has been significantly reduced to a rampage through Hogwarts; Bellatrix Lestrange busts out windows in the Great Hall and burns Hagrid's Hut. Hagrid and Fang are not present.
 * The Battle of the Astronomy Tower was omitted from the film, along with the scene where Bill Weasley is bitten by Fenrir Greyback.
 * Furthermore, the role of Bellatrix Lestrange has been greatly expanded in the film. In the book, she does not fight in the Battle of the Lightning Struck Tower or witness Dumbledore's Death. Upon witnessing it in the film, she reacts by destroying everything with sadistic glee and delight.
 * In the book, Snape reacts with livid emotion when Harry calls him a coward. However in the film, although Harry hurls this same insult at Snape twice, he does not react.

29. The Phoenix Lament

 * Hagrid's Hut is set on fire by Bellatrix Lestrange, but the film doesn't show if Fang was trapped inside and also Hagrid is not present in this scene. Harry and Hagrid didn't put out the fire using the Aguamenti spell.
 * Professor McGonagall joins the crowd who discovered Albus Dumbledore's body in the foot of the Astronomy Tower. She leads the Hogwarts students and staff in raising their wands to be rid of the Dark Mark and in respect for the now-deceased Headmaster.
 * There was also no debate or meeting at Headmaster's office between professors to discuss whether or not Dumbledore would be buried on Hogwarts grounds.

30. The White Tomb

 * The entire funeral scene is cut, and the sole scene is trio watching Fawkes flying away through the blue sky. In this scene Hermione mentions to Harry that Ron was not concerned with his interest in Ginny.
 * It is inferred that Ginny and Harry's relationship is still going strong, although in the book he says to her that it is not safe for them to be together.

Awards

 * 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince won the 2007 Movies.com award for film you "Can't Wait For". 

Release Dates

 * July 15, 2009 = Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Egypt, France, Italy, New Zealand, Iceland, Ireland, Spain, Switzerland (French), Turkey, United Kingdom, U.S., Colombia.
 * July 16, 2009 = Argentina, Austria, Bolivia, Chile, Czech Republic, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Lebanon, Korea, Malaysia, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland (German), Thailand, Ukraine, India
 * July 17, 2009 = Bulgaria, Finland, Indonesia, Japan, Lithuania, Mexico, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Serbia, South Africa, Sweden, Uruguay, Venezuela
 * July 18, 2009 = Taiwan
 * July 23, 2009 = Croatia, Hungary, Lebanon, Puerto Rico
 * July 24, 2009 = Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Romania
 * August 27, 2009 = Greece

World Premiere

 * July 06, 2009 = Japan
 * July 07, 2009 = London, England
 * July 09, 2009 = New York City, U.S.A.
 * July 10, 2009 = Netanya, Israel; Zurich, Switzerland
 * July 12, 2009 = Giffoni, Italy; Paris, France; Australia