The big picture
- Philip Seymour Hoffman’s portrayal of Plutarch in The hunger Games The series subverted audience expectations and added an exciting twist to the story.
- Hoffman’s final scene in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 was instead completed with a letter read by Haymitch, honoring Hoffman’s legacy and providing a powerful conclusion to the series.
- The decision to have Haymitch read Plutarch’s letter was a touching tribute to Hoffman and an acknowledgment of his importance to the franchise and the friendship he had with the cast.
The hunger Games The franchise differed from other dystopian sagas based on young adult novels because of its mature themes and characters. While the films focus for quite some time on the central love triangle between Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) and Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth), they didn’t just focus on the fears of young people. Rather, The hunger Games The series also acknowledged the painful reality of life under fascism through a number of memorable older characters. While Philip Seymour HoffmanWhile Plutarch Heavensbee was one of the highlights of the series, Hoffman’s death in 2014 made completing his work on the final two installments challenging. Instead of cutting out the character or using computer-generated images to complete Plutarch’s scenes, the creative team found a touching way to get rid of the character.
The hunger Games
Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her younger sister’s place in the Hunger Games: a televised competition in which two teenagers from each of Panem’s twelve districts are randomly selected to fight to the death.
Created by Suzanne Collins
First film The hunger Games
Last film The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2
Upcoming films The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Plutarch subverted expectations in The Hunger Games films
Plutarch was first introduced The Hunger Games: Catching Fire as the main antagonist who creates the special “Quarter Quell” version of the Hunger Games. Philip Seymour Hoffman immediately succeeded in subverting audience expectations, especially those who had not read the books in advance and did not know who the character was. At first it appears that Plutarch’s aims are entirely malicious, as he seeks to “punish” the former victors by pitting them against each other in a more brutal version of the games. Ultimately, however, it turns out that Plutarch’s real goal was to rally the former victors so that they could work together to overthrow the Capitol, and that he had been secretly working with the revolutionary movement all along. It’s impressive that Hoffman managed to disguise this twist in such a way It’s really surprising when Plutarch reveals his true side in battle. He makes The Hunger Games: Catching Fire always exciting to watch, as Plutarch’s true intentions are repeatedly hinted at. And Hoffman’s Plutarch continued to play an integral role in the revolutionary movement in the last two films in the series, which moved away from the “games” and focused on the actual war.
Woody Harrelson read Philip Seymour Hoffman’s final speech in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2
Image via Lionsgate
Although Philip Seymour Hoffman had completed a majority of his scenes in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 before his death, he still had a critical sequence behind him The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 that hadn’t been filmed yet. In the sequence, Plutarch discussed with Katniss the future of the Panem districts following the death of President Snow (Donald Sutherland). It was an integral scene in the film, as Plutarch had become a fatherly figure to Katniss over time mockingjay Movies. His words of wisdom give Katniss the reassurance she needs to believe that progress can be made after the Hunger Games are over. Cutting the scene would have damaged the thematic core of the film The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, but it was important that these wise words came from Plutarch. To avoid this conundrum, Mr. Director Francis Lawrence decided The scene would be completed with Woody Harrelson’s Haymitch reading Plutarch’s advice to Abernathy in the form of a letter to Katniss.
This scene restored the dialogue that had been saved for Hoffman, and so the meaning of Plutarch’s advice did not change. In a way, it felt kind of charming that Plutarch would have written a letter to Katniss. He was a character who always used advanced technology through his involvement in the games. Perhaps writing things down with an old-fashioned pen and paper was his way of acknowledging that times had changed. In the context of the story, it also made sense to have Haymitch read the letter to Katniss. Plutarch had been given the position of “Secretary of Communications” in the new government in the months following the end of the war and would likely not have the time to visit Katniss in person. However, Haymitch was also an active participant in the conflict and had the emotional tenacity to help Katniss cope with everything she witnessed.
Plutarch’s words are a powerful closing moment to the series, as it is the first time Katniss receives words of encouragement from an authority figure. Katniss has lived her entire life in fear of those in power, and She even learns to distrust District 13’s revolutionary leader, Alma Coin (Julianne Moore).. Unlike the other adults Katniss had met, Plutarch is not interested in political games. His goal is to end the games himself, as he knows more than anyone that they are a destructive tool used by the Capitol to create fear. Even though Hoffman wasn’t present for these scenes, Plutarch’s words confirm to both Katniss and Haymitch that their efforts were not in vain.
How The Hunger Games franchise paid tribute to Philip Seymour Hoffman
While having Haymitch read Plutarch’s letter was a logical narrative solution, it also served as the perfect tribute to Hoffman’s legacy. Hoffman has been an active part of the series since his debut on the series The Hunger Games: Catching FireTherefore, it would certainly have been strange if he had not attended the graduation ceremony after the war. Much of the goodwill that Plutarch had generated among the series’ fans was due to Hoffman himself; Recasting the role or covering up Hoffman’s absence by using a computer-generated double would not have had the same emotional impact. Instead, the film acknowledges how important Hoffman was to the series by rewriting the situation. The friendship Katniss and Haymitch had with Plutarch is similar to the friendship the cast had with Hoffman in real life. Plutarch’s speech may have originally been written as a standard conversation between him and Katniss, but in the context of Hoffman’s death, it feels like a final monologue. Plutarch may be absent from the scene himself, but it’s clear from what he says that he wants to pass on these kind words to Katniss herself. These words of encouragement, measured advice, and empathy seem to be the final gift Hoffman and Plutarch could give the series.
The hunger Games Movies are currently streaming on Peacock.
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Source : collider.com