I love the Harry Potter series. Really, in my opinion it is one of the best stories I have read in a really long time. And though I’m not sure if JK Rowling believes in Jesus, the redemptive elements woven through her books are beautiful. The character of Severus Snape just amazes me. He was a character I immediately disliked, and I could never understand why Dumbledore seemed to be on his side. Until I got to the last book, that is. I remember sitting in my bed at 3 am, wide awake trying to finish Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in one sitting, crying as Harry (and I) realized the truth about who Snape really was. Finally I understood the anguish Snape’s character was in throughout the years, and I came to love him and what he did in sacrificing so much for the woman he loved.
Rowling wrote his character brilliantly, and the way Alan Rickman depicts Snape in the movies is breathtaking – most notably in the last one. Rickman was everything I pictured Snape to be – cold, aloof, snide, greasy, careful, and tortured. The moment I was anticipating the most in the last film was when the truth about Snape’s character is revealed, and I was not disappointed. It was done so well, and cemented in my mind the idea that Alan Rickman deserves an Oscar for his role as Snape. I read this article the other day where he talks about his time doing the Potter movies, and they agree with me as well. 🙂 I love that JK Rowling filled him in from the beginning – she gave him the one secret that was hidden from everyone else until the final book was released. I think that is what makes him so good in the films – he knew and was everything his character was supposed to be from the very first take.
A Mosaic 