For me personally, the films are not canon because they so drastically changed the character I was most interested in and the one I work with primarily on a fannish level. Snape in the books is world's apart from Snape in the films, so much so that, as you mention, it is not 100% clear to everyone that he is not Harry's father.
The books leave no ambiguity to that question.
I know JK was heavily involved with the scripts, but I've always held that the films changed/softened certain characters/situations on screen to make them more palatable to the audience.
I believe it's why Snape was turned into nothing more than a grouchy curmudgeon, and why we were spared Pettigrew's death as portrayed in the books.
Reading about certain things is much easier, and more removed than being hit with them in living color on screen.
Then you have bits like burning down The Burrow that were added to make the script more exciting. It's understandable, since books and films are very different mediums and require different things to make them work successfully. However, for me, the original source material will always be the one I defer to as canon, without exception.
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Date: 2014-03-28 10:12 pm (UTC)The books leave no ambiguity to that question.
I know JK was heavily involved with the scripts, but I've always held that the films changed/softened certain characters/situations on screen to make them more palatable to the audience.
I believe it's why Snape was turned into nothing more than a grouchy curmudgeon, and why we were spared Pettigrew's death as portrayed in the books.
Reading about certain things is much easier, and more removed than being hit with them in living color on screen.
Then you have bits like burning down The Burrow that were added to make the script more exciting. It's understandable, since books and films are very different mediums and require different things to make them work successfully. However, for me, the original source material will always be the one I defer to as canon, without exception.
Sorry for all the edits!