Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)

"Dark Secrets Revealed"

- Official tagline

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 premier 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 film, was stabbed to death on May 24, 2008.

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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 defences 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 September 24th, 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 October 6th, 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 film had been rated "PG" by the MPAA, for scary images, some violence, language and mild sensuality. This is the first time since the third film that a Harry Potter film has been rated PG, although in Britain it is a 12A.

The Trio

 * Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter.
 * Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley.
 * Emma Watson as Hermione Granger.

Hogwarts Staff

 * Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore.
 * Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall.
 * Alan Rickman as Severus Snape.
 * Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn.
 * Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid.
 * Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick.
 * Neil Findlater as Wizard teacher.
 * Hazel Showham as Wizard teacher.
 * Gemma Jones as Poppy Pomfrey.
 * David Bradley as Argus Filch.

Order of the Phoenix

 * David Thewlis as Remus Lupin.
 * Natalia Tena as Nymphadora Tonks.
 * Mark Williams as Arthur Weasley.
 * Julie Walters as Molly Weasley.
 * James Phelps as Fred Weasley.
 * Oliver Phelps as George Weasley.
 * Adrian Rawlins as James Potter.
 * Geraldine Somerville as Lily Potter.

Lord Voldemort, His Death Eaters and Followers

 * Hero Fiennes-Tiffin as 11 year old Tom Riddle.
 * Frank Dillane as 16 year old Tom Riddle.
 * Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange.
 * Timothy Spall as Peter Pettigrew.
 * Helen McCrory as Narcissa Malfoy.
 * Ralph Ineson as Amycus Carrow.
 * Suzanne Toase as Alecto Carrow.
 * Dave Legeno as Fenrir Greyback.
 * Tom Moorcroft as Regulus Black.
 * Rod Hunt as Thorfinn Rowle..
 * Tony Coburn as Young Lucius Malfoy.
 * Guy Mannerings as a Slug Club member and classmate of Tom Riddle
 * Paul Davies as Death Eater (uncredited)

Hogwarts Students

 * Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy.
 * Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley.
 * Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood.
 * Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom.
 * Jessie Cave as Lavender Brown.
 * Alfie Enoch as Dean Thomas.
 * Jamie Waylett as Vincent Crabbe.
 * Josh Herdman as Gregory Goyle.
 * Devon Murray as Seamus Finnigan.
 * Georgina Leonidas as Katie Bell.
 * Anna Shaffer as Romilda Vane.
 * Scarlett Byrne as Pansy Parkinson.
 * Katie Leung as Cho Chang.
 * Unknown Actress as Millicent Bulstrode 
 * Amber Evans as Flora Carrow.
 * Ruby Evans as Hestia Carrow.
 * Louis Cordice as Blaise Zabini.
 * Freddie Stroma as Cormac McLaggen.
 * Isabella Laughland as Leanne.
 * Robert Knox as Marcus Belby.
 * Shefali Chowdhury as Parvati Patil.
 * Afshan Azad as Padma Patil.
 * William Melling as Nigel Wespurt.
 * Ashley Virgil as Ritchie Coote 
 * Unknown Actor as Jimmy Peakes 
 * Katy Huxley-Golden as Demelza Robins.
 * Kieran McAuliffe as Harper
 * Ivan Pastore as Urquhart
 * Stuart Gibson as C. Warrington
 * Charlie Buck as Vaisey
 * Matt Thorpe as Graham Montague
 * Tabatha St. Vincent as Hufflepuff student.
 * Dan Seekings as Student 
 * Phil Cross as Choir Member
 * Jamie Dickinson as Hufflepuff student.
 * Dean Garnham as Slytherin Student
 * River George as Laurasia
 * Olivia Jewson as Slug Club Member
 * Katy Newman-Wood as Student
 * Ifeoma Oboko as Gryffindor Student
 * Charlotte Preko as Slytherin Student

Wizarding World Related

 * Unknown as Adrian
 * Sian Thomas as Amelia Bones
 * Roger C. Bailey as Barnabas Cuffe
 * Ben Shephard as Diagon Alley Father
 * Paul Ritter as Eldred Worple
 * Juliana Fazekas as Extra
 * Patsy Franks as Extra
 * Lewis Winyard as Extra
 * Stephen Modell as Feather Wizard
 * Caroline Wildi as the Female Inferi
 * Rusty Goffe as Goblin
 * Unknown as Gwenog Jones
 * Joerg Stadler as the Male Inferi
 * Unknown (possibly John Hurt) as Mr. Ollivander
 * Les Bubb as Reader
 * Charlie Bennison as Sanguini
 * Jack Pryor as Skinny Kid
 * Elliot Francis as Slug Club Member
 * Mark Lockyer as Waiter
 * Janine Elliot as Witch
 * Chris Wilson as Yak Man-Daily Prophet
 * Aston Scott as Extra
 * Kay Hayes as Background Artist
 * Paul Warren as Diagon Alley Wizard

Toys

 * Imelda Staunton (voice) as Dolores Umbridge (voice/doll)

Muggles

 * Amelda Brown as Mrs. Cole
 * David Hankinson as London office worker
 * Simon Nock as London Office Worker
 * Teresa Mahoney as Sofie
 * Ashley Whitehead as an unnamed orphan
 * Elarica Gallacher as Waitress
 * Katie Head as Orphan
 * Taylor Triphook as Orphan
 * Yvonne Quenet as Muggle (uncredited)
 * Simon John Wilson as Muggle
 * Ninette Finch as Muggle

Animals

 * Uno and Luigi as Fang.
 * Gizmo, Ook, Kasper, Oops, Oh Oh, Swoops, Elmo, Bandit and Sprout as Hedwig.
 * Crackerjack as Crookshanks.
 * Mars as Pigwidgeon.
 * Maximus, Alanis and Cornilus as Mrs. Norris.
 * Hootie and many unknown owls as Owls.

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. The film will be released on 1-disc DVD, 2-disc Special Edition DVD, and 3-disc Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital Copy Combo Pack on December 8, 2009

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. All of the Muggles escape. The scene with Scrimgeour and the Muggle Prime 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 for Magic and how Rufus Scrimgeour took office, as well as describing the murders, hurricanes, and bridge collapses 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 has a copy of the Daily Prophet in the Muggle world. He reads it while in a café located along Surbiton station, then leaves it on the table when he sees Professor Dumbledore outside. Also, the Muggle waitress at the café flirts with Harry and asks about the newspaper he reads, which is not included 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 does not seem as grief stricken as one might expect—she does, however, have tears in her eyes—and is not the one who suggests the Unbreakable Vow. 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 parlour room, where Snape is waiting, Snape uses his wand to slam the door shut, barring Pettigrew from the room.
 * The scene where Bellatrix kills a fox is ommitted from the film.

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 film.
 * Harry is never mentioned to have inherited Grimmauld Place or Kreacher.
 * House-elf Kreacher and the Hippogriff Buckbeak are omitted from the film.
 * There is also no mention of Hagrid getting Buckbeak back.
 * There is 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 were not discussed 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 film. In the film, he does not have a moustache, and is relatively large, though not to the extent described in the book.

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.
 * In the film, Ginny is the first one to notice Harry, in the book Molly Weasley and Tonks see Harry first. Security measure before entering the Burrow is not implied in the film.
 * In the film, it is implied that Harry and Ginny already have an interest in one another when he looks dreamily at her in her bedroom window before entering the burrow, and she is very happy to see him when once he has entered.
 * 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. In the book, she was presumably discussing her feelings for and worries about Lupin with Mrs. Weasley before Harry arrives. Tonks does not appear on this chapter in the film.
 * Harry, Ron, and Hermione sit around a levitated smouldering wad of the Daily Prophet discussing about Dumbledore, which seemed to be ignited by Harry with his wand. This does not happen in the book and could not because Hogwarts students are not allowed to use magic outside of school. Though, as pointed out later in the book, the trace can only identify that magic has been used, so in magical households in is up to the parent to enforce the rule.
 * 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 Hogwarts corridor) that he may take potions as he had exceeded expectations in this subject.

6. Draco's Detour

 * Diagon Alley is almost completely boarded up and vacated. The only life to be seen comes from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes Joke Shop. The "U-No-Poo" posters are not mentioned. However, there is a statuesque, moving sign of one of the Weasley twins' lifting a top hat to reveal a rabbit. The sign is over a story tall.


 * There is no mention of how the Weasleys were able to open the store because of the winning prize of the Triwizard Tournament held two years before.
 * The scene where the trio meets the Malfoys in Madam Malkin's (and promptly fight) is neither shown or mentioned.
 * In the book, when Ron asks his brothers for a discount at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Fred and George knock one knut off the price of his merchandise. In the film, they double the price from five galleons to ten.
 * The scene where Ginny asks her mother for a Pygmy Puff is omitted. However, she is later seen on the Hogwarts Express with one sitting on her shoulder, which Luna Lovegood admires and remarks that they have been known to sing on Boxing Day.
 * 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 extendible ears, and Hermione does not 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 dilapidated 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.
 * 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 film.
 * Harry Potter is not met at the gate by Snape. Instead, Professor Flitwick stops Harry and Luna and then casts a non-verbal spell to the gate for defence.
 * Because Nymphadora Tonks was replaced by Luna in saving Harry from the train, The film does not 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.
 * Harry does not appear to be furious about Snape's appointment as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, nor are any D.A.D.A. classes shown throughout the film.

9. The Half-Blood Prince

 * Discussion about choosing subjects and questioning of Prof. McGonagall were also not included in the film. 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 instructs Harry to take Potions lesson and to bring Ron with him.
 * In the film, when Harry and Ron entered the Potions class, they are both late, but Slughorn does not seem to have started the lessons yet. The two informed Prof. Slughorn that they do not have the required book, so Slughorn instructs them to get a book from the cabinet inside the room. When they see that there is 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. In the book both Ron and Harry get an old copy (both handed by Slughorn), with Ron's even having what he described as looking like a vomit stain.
 * In the book, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are the only Gryffindor students to take Slughorn's N.E.W.T. Potions class. In the film, many other students are present in Slughorn's class as well, including Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, Neville Longbottom, Padma Patil, Lavender Brown, Romilda Vane, and Katie Bell, despite Romilda and Katie not even being in the same year as Harry and the others. In the film, Crabbe and Goyle are in the class as well, despite the book specifically stating that they were not. Pansy Parkinson also appears, although in the novel there was one unspecified Slytherin student in the class with Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, and Theodore Nott.
 * In the book, the Felix Felicis is gold. In the film, it is clear.

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 films are tricky things; they tend to hold up the momentum of the story you're telling."
 * The film 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 film doesn't emphasise 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 Resurrection Stone mounted on the ring is cracked down the middle, right through the symbol of the Deathly Hallows. However, in the film, the stone remains intact. However, the stone seems to have been purified, and is seen as clear rather than coloured.

11. Hermione's Helping Hand

 * During the Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts, instead of having each position try out separately (like in the book), Harry has all the positions play together, making it like an actual match without a seeker.
 * 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 Inn. 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".
 * In the film, they see Ginny, Dean and Malfoy around them, but in the book they were never around.
 * In the film Hermione appears to act tipsy after the three leave the Three Broomsticks, possibly from drinking excessive amounts of butter-beer, though she sobers up immediately upon discovering Katie Bell.
 * 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.
 * In the book, Leanne is crying when she tells McGonagall about what happened, but in the film she is calm.
 * When Harry is asked what evidence he has that Draco cursed Katie, in the book, he tells McGonagall about how he, Hermione, and Ron followed Draco to Borkin and Burkes. In the film, he says he "just knows..."

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.
 * In the novel, Dumbledore pours the memory into the Pensieve. In the film, he gives it to Harry to pour into the Pensieve.
 * In the novel, Dumbledore accompanies Harry into the various memories; in the film, Harry is alone.

14. Felix Felicis

 * In the film, at breakfast before the first Quidditch match, Luna Lovegood, not Hermione, notices Harry faking to slip Felix Felicis into Ron's drink.
 * The weather on the day of the first Quidditch match is snowing and stormy in the film, 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.
 * Only a part of the match is shown. We see Ron save several goals, then we see Ginny score a goal. We see Ron save one more goal and the crowd starts chanting for him. Directly afterwards, the scene changes to a party in the common room, and it is implied that Gryffindor won. We do not see Harry catch the Snitch and end the game (in fact, we only see Harry once during the match, and it is very brief. He is far away, hovering next to Ron when the Gryffindors start their offensive play).
 * Harper is apparently omitted.
 * There is no explanation as to why Malfoy isn't playing in the match, but we don't see the Slytherin seeker anyway, so we wouldn't know if Malfoy was playing or not.

15. The Unbreakable Vow

 * The discussion between Harry and Hermione inside the Hogwarts Library is included. Romilda Vane was introduced but she does not speak. Madam Pince is not present in the film.
 * 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 he is gatecrashing is included.
 * There is much less conversation between Draco and Snape. Snape only mentions to Draco that he has made an Unbreakable Vow, then Draco emphasised that he doesn't need protection.
 * Harry overhears the conversation in the corridor while hiding but without the use of the 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. Greyback flies and lands in a ball of flame and casts a ring of fire around the Burrow (possibly Fiendfyre, as the flames are quite large and take the form of a serpent). Lestrange lands in black smoke and 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 afterwards. The Burrow was supposed to be protected against the Death Eaters, and they simply set fire to it with no effort. By the time Harry returns to it in the film adaptation Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, the Burrow had already been rebuilt.




 * The discussion of Remus and Harry about Snape's character is shorter. Remus Lupin does not 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 film 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's lack of colour in her hair (it is brown, not pink). The book explains that it was 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 film, 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.
 * In the film, Ron does not receive the necklace from Lavender for Christmas, rather, she is seen giving him it once they are back at school and Ron agrees to wear it, much to Hermione's disgust.
 * The part where the characters are listening to the music of Celestina Warbeck is omitted.
 * The Christmas season shown in the film is a big contradiction on what the Chapter's title is. There are no signs of snow outside the Burrow and Ginny's nightdress seems unfit for a frosty season.
 * Also included in the Christmas celebrations at the Burrow are several scenes of suggested romance between Harry and Ginny. In the book, Ginny did not show clear signs 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, "sweetheart". The Burrow sequence is their only appearance in the film; the only aspect of Tonks' personality changes from the book in evidence is that she appears to be more subdued than her previous appearance.

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. Also, significantly, the word "horcrux" is heard, but very silently; in the book it is heard in the altered memory, though oddly Dumbledore appears to be unaware of its meaning.

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.
 * When Ron eats the chocolates, which had the love potion and was intended for Harry, becoming lovestruck, and ultimately falls prey to Slughorn's poisoned meade, was changed. In the book, this was all on his birthday, and Slughorn, Harry, and Ron toast to Ron's birthday, wishing him to have many more memorable birthdays.  In the film, the events happened on Valentine's day, and the toast was "To life!"

19. Elf Tails

 * The Quidditch scene and Luna's Quidditch commentary from this chapter have been cut.
 * The film doesn't show Harry being admitted to the hospital wing, due to the absence of the Quidditch match.
 * No appearance nor mention of Dobby working in the Kitchen at the Castle, nor of Dobby and Kreacher tracking Draco for Harry.
 * In the film, Ron mutters Hermione's name while unconscious at the hospital wing with Harry, Hermione, Lavender, Ginny, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Pomfrey, Slughorn, and Snape present, and Lavender runs off in tears. This is how Ron and Lavender break up in the film.
 * The visiting of Hagrid, Fred, George, Arthur & Molly Weasley for Ron while in the Hospital wing were not shown in the film. 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. Dumbledore.

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 omitted. Dumbledore also does not scold Harry about his inability to obtain the unaltered memory from Slughorn.
 * 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. Rather it is suggested by Ron earlier at the opening feast (counterpart of the chapter "Snape Victorious"), stating "That job's jinxed. No ones lasted more than a year." and "Personally, I'm going to keep my fingers crossed for another death." But it is never explained who has jinxed the job, why, or, for that matter, if the job was actually jinxed at all.

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, as well as demonstrating how, as Arthur Weasly tells Harry, "tricky" and "very tempermental" the cabinets can be.
 * Tonks doesn't appear inside Hogwarts looking for Prof. Dumbledore.

22. After the Burial

 * Hagrid mentions Aragog's declining health to Harry earlier in the book, whereas no mention was made of Aragog, his health or otherwise, in the film prior to his death.
 * The trio didn'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.
 * 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.
 * In the film, Slughorn talks about a present that Harry's mother, Lily Evans once gave him. The present was a bowl with a few inches of clear water.Mourning_of_Aragog.png There was a petal ,floating on the surface, which gradually sank and turned into a fish just as it reached the bottom. The fish was named Francis. Slughorn discovered that the fish disappeared the day Lily Evans died. In the book, however, there is no mention of the present; Harry brings up the topic of his parents' death after Hagrid mentions them just before falling asleep.
 * Harry, Slughorn, and Hagrid sing a song while drinking after mourning Aragog. In the film, this scene is shortened, and only the final verse is heard.

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. (However, Lucius gave the diary to Dobby, and Dobby may have given the diary back to Harry or Dumbledore).


 * 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 Chamber of Secrets film.

24. Sectumsempra
"I know what you did, Malfoy. You hexed her, didn't you?"
 * The duel between Harry and Draco at the bathroom took place just after Harry questioning Katie Bell in the Great Hall regarding the cursed opal necklace. Katie looks 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 did not happen in the same day. In the book, Harry was 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 saw that he was accompanied by Moaning Myrtle, who is absent from the film.
 * In the film, Malfoy is running away from Harry and goes into a bathroom on the seventh floor, near the Room of Requirement. In the book, the bathroom that the duel takes place in is not on the seventh floor.
 * Harry and Draco briefly duel before Harry uses the Sectumsempra spell and Snape's counter-curse Vulnera Sanentur is an incantation rather than a song.
 * The duel is longer and more intense in the film. In the book, Malfoy turns around and attacks, and Harry almost immediately uses sectumsempra after the two of them cast about two spells each at each other. In the film, Harry and Malfoy shoot several spells at each other, hide behind stalls and shoot spells at each other underneath the stalls, run around the stalls while shooting spells at each other and finally Harry uses Sectumsempra on Draco when he sees him standing on the other side of the bathroom, directly after coming out from under cover.
 * In addition, the duel is composed of simple non-verbal duelling spells. Draco is not heard trying to use the Cruciatus Curse.
 * Directly before Malfoy attacks Harry, Harry talks to him, saying
 * The scene where Severus Snape gives Harry detention for the Sectumsempra spell/ownership of his textbook is cut and apparently never took place. This creates a plot hole in the film as Harry apparently gets away with using a potentially deadly spell against a classmate with no apparent punishment (this could also be seen as telegraphing the revelation that Snape is the Half-Blood Prince). Even more so since Malfoy was not trying to use Crucio as he was in the book.
 * Ginny, not Harry, hides the textbook in the Room of Requirement. In the final book, Harry knows where to find the diadem horcrux based on where he hid the book. In the final film, the diadem and Half-Blood Prince's books' locations are unrelated to each other.
 * In the same scene, Ginny kisses Harry and they both keep it secret. In the book, however, they kiss in full public view after the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw (during which, Harry was in Snape's detention); in the film a scene with Ron and Lavender kissing under identical circumstances appears instead. 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.
 * Also, when Ginny kissed Harry, she had not yet broken up with Dean Thomas.

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 film doesn't show Harry questioning Dumbledore as to why he trusted Snape.
 * In the book, Dumbledore and Harry (who was under the invisibility cloak) walk till the Hog's Head in the village of Hogsmeade, from where they Disapparate to the cave. In the film, they Disapparate from the Astronomy Tower in Hogwarts. Although often cited as a continuity break with the other films and the novels (which establish that one cannot apparate from within Hogwarts' grounds), in fact the Half-Blood Prince novel establishes that Dumbledore is able to remove the enchantment preventing this from certain locations, specifically (in the book) the room where apparating lessons are held; this is also supported by Dumbledore's comment in the film about having certain privileges as headmaster.

26. The Cave

 * In the book, Harry and Dumbledore have to swim from the rock they arrive on to the cave entrance; this is not shown.
 * The scene in which Dumbledore gives Harry the back-story involving a young Tom Riddle bringing Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop from Wool's Orphanage to the Horcrux cave was filmed, but cut from the final production.
 * Once in the cave, Dumbledore does not ponder about how to access the hideout as in the book, rather, he appears to have already known how, as he promptly cuts himself and tells Harry that payment must be made to enter.
 * The boat used by Prof. Dumbledore and Harry to go to the island in the lake is not as small as described in the book.
 * In the book, Dumbledore attempts to reach into the potion to grab the horcrux, but an invisible barrier prevents him from penetrating the potion. In the film, he immediately concludes the potion must be drunk.
 * The potion in the basin was black rather than glowing green in the film, and the goblet used to drink the potion was replaced by a shell, which was placed beside the basin rather than summoned by Dumbledore using a non-verbal spell.
 * In the book, Dumbledore drinks about three cups of the potion before falling prey to its effects. In the film, he starts reacting after his first drink though in the film he stays awake but in the book he faints
 * In the film, 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.
 * Though the Inferi in the book climb out of the lake and attempt to drag Harry back in with them, they actually pull him underwater in the film.
 * Rather than trap them on the island with a lasso of fire as he doses in the book, Dumbledore attacks the Inferi by conjuring a massive wave of fire (which could be a controlled version of Fiendfyre ), then parts the flames using a spell that was not mentioned in the book.
 * In the book, Dumbledore is left in a considerably weakened state after drinking the potion, which continues up to his death. This is less evident in the film.

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 the Dark Mark on his arm. Harry and Dumbledore Apparate directly to the Astronomy Tower, rather than riding broomsticks. Harry is not frozen by Dumbledore as in the book, rather, Dumbledore instructs Harry to go and hide below, and not to speak to or be seen by anyone. Harry hesitantly oblidges and goes down to the floor below the top of the astronomy tower looking up through floorboards at the events. In the book, he remains unnoticed the whole time, while in the film, Snape catches Harry in the tower, and persuades him to stay silent, before going upstairs to kill Dumbledore.
 * 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 film is cut. It isn't found out why Snape was the Half-Blood Prince (He is half-blood and his mother's maiden name was 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.
 * In the novel, it says that a bright green light hit Dumbledore (Avada Kedavra), while in the film, its more of a Cyan colour.

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 . Snape jinxes one Auror out of the way outside of the Great Hall.
 * The Battle of the Astronomy Tower was omitted from the film, along with the scene where Bill Weasley is bitten by Fenrir Greyback. The castle appears to be deserted except for one Auror on duty, who Snape jinxes out of the way.
 * 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 Astronomy Tower or witness Dumbledore's Death. Upon witnessing it in the film, she reacts by destroying everything with sadistic glee and delight.
 * In the film, Draco's reluctance to go with the Death Eaters is much more obvious.
 * 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, he does not react.
 * The only Death Eaters who even acknowledge Harry's presence once he catches up to them at Hagrid's Hut are Snape, Bellatrix, and Draco. The other Death Eaters, including Fenrir Greyback, continue to walk towards the gates and act as though Harry isn't there. Malfoy soon runs after them, and Bellatrix is soon to follow him. In the book, Fenrir attacks Harry and the other Death Eaters try to jinx him, when Snape orders them not to, as Harry "belongs to the Dark Lord."

29. The Phoenix Lament

 * Rubeus Hagrid's hut is set on fire by Bellatrix Lestrange intentionally instead by Thorfinn Rowle due to the wand battle. The film doesn't show if Fang was trapped inside the hut 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.
 * In the book, Harry opens the false locket when he was sitting by the deceased Dumbledore, noticing it is smaller than the one seen in the memory, and lacks the distinct Slytherin "S" symbol. He then opens it, and holds the note to the light made by the school staff and students, and reads it. In the film, he just clutches the locket in this scene. Later, when he, Hermione, and Ron were in the Astronomy Tower, Harry hands Hermione the locket, and tells her that it was a fake. She then proceeds to open it and read the note.
 * Since the memory featuring the locket is not in the film, Harry wasn't able to compare it to the one in the cave, so he may have discovered it was fake when he opened it.
 * 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 last scene is the 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 they split up on Harry's insistence that it's not safe for her to be close to him.
 * In the film, Harry finds Dumbledore's wand in his office after the Headmaster's death. This may be a significant aberration from the book where the wand is entombed with Dumbledore's body, though this scene obviously takes place before the burial because the Elder Wand is seen in Dumbledore's tomb at the end of the first part of the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Character Ommisions

 * Kreacher
 * Vernon Dursley
 * Petunia Dursley
 * Dudley Dursley
 * Marvolo Gaunt
 * Merope Gaunt
 * Morfin Gaunt
 * Bob Ogden
 * Tom Riddle Sr
 * Cecilia
 * Pomona Sprout
 * Sybill Trelawney
 * Dobby
 * Mr. Borgin (does appear on script)
 * Florean Fortescue
 * Gibbon
 * Grawp
 * Rufus Scrimgeour
 * Fleur Delacour
 * Bill Weasley
 * Madam Malkin
 * Madam Rosmerta
 * Olympe Maxime
 * Mundungus Fletcher
 * Zacharias Smith
 * Percy Weasley 
 * Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody
 * Kingsley Shacklebolt
 * Aberforth Dumbledore
 * Cornelius Fudge
 * Muggle Prime Minister
 * Firenze
 * Colin Creevey
 * Ernie Prang
 * The Wierd Sisters

Behind the Scenes

 * The faint whistle that was heard whenever a spell/enchantment/charm was being used in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was heard for the first time after Prisoner of Azkaban in the Half-Blood Prince when Dumbledore put the muggles' house in which Slughorn was hiding back in order.

Mistakes

 * During the scene in the Three Broomsticks in which Slughorn invites Harry and Hermione to his "occasional supper parties", the shot of Slughorn from the front shows the cup he is holding to be full of liquid. However, the cup appears to be empty when it shows him from behind.
 * During a scene where Harry, Ron and Hermione are sitting in Ron's room, discussing about how old Dumbledore would be, there are two different angles taken: one, the angle by the door (that leads to a balcony outside) that shows the interior of the room, and two, the angle from the inside of the room that shows the exterior scenery. Basing on these angles, we see Hermione's legs folded together on one angle whilst on the other angle, her other leg is laid down on the floor.

Awards

 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince won the 2007 Movies.com award for film you "Can't Wait For."
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was nominated for the 2010 Academy Award for Best Achievement in Cinematography.

Box office performance
The film was the top grossing film at UK cinemas in 2009, taking £50.7m, closely followed by Avatar.-|The Guardian

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,Kuwait, Korea, Malaysia, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland (German), Thailand, Ukraine, India
 * July 17, 2009 = Bulgaria, Denmark, 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

Home video release dates

 * 8 December, 2009: United States (DVD/Blu-ray)

World Premieres

 * 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