But he does, in the sixth installment of the Harry Potter epic. Once you read the seventh and final book, Dumbledore's death becomes clear in the context of his own story: you could say that he was already dead - just on borrowed time (given to him by Snape, the character we all love to hate). Of course, with such detailed and complex stories it's always a challenge to bring them to the screen in a way that makes sense, and especially for HP and the Half-Blood Prince it's essential to have read all the books up to and including this one before you see the film. The backstories, the build-up, the carefully crafted plots and subplots and all of their twists and turns can become muddled and confusing without having read the books first, but the filmmakers have done a good job delivering the story. There are a few changes which don't seem to make a lot of sense; for instance the burning of the Burrow, and an anti-climactic kiss between Ginny and Harry in the Room of Requirement, but overall the story is as exciting on film as it is in the pages. What's really noteworthy about the climax of HBP is that Harry has all along been saying Snape and Draco are the bad guys, and lo and behold it looks as if he was finally right. But is he really? Look for the upcoming film versions of The Deathly Hallows, but read it first! Two or three times!
Meredith Kennedy, author of The Red JacketGet more detail about Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (+ BD-Live) [Blu-ray].
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