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**lindil** · 06-11-2001, 10:56 PM

A snake w/ legs. My last bit on the movies [probably] till I see the Fellowship.Because as has been pointed out we all stand on this where we do -because we want to. Each of us loves the Legendarium for our own reasons and we all seem grown up enough to have figured out how to safeguard that relationship. Maybe I am not the purist I hoped I was becauseI am not at all against the movies being attempted, I am however puzzled by the desire to spend however many millions it is on the things and then start monkeying w/ the storyline. I can live w/ Gandalf hitting his head on a low Bag-End [although it sounds dumb], and a troll spearing frodo in moria instead of the uruk-hai and minor verbal emmendations to make the story flow better, but the Arwen/Saruman changes I have heard tell of and elves arriving in battles they were never at is plain stupid and unnecessary, reminds me of JRRT's criticism of zimmerman's [?] screenplay he looked at ,where eagles were inserted to resolve all travelling difficulties.Sure JRRT was willing to sell the rights to the film and he knew it could not be perfect or even likly to be excellent. But he still came down like a ton of bricks on anything that was plain dumb, if I recall the letters correctly. Cuts - sad but OK, serious alterations - these will only take away from the film over the length of time. While I agree w/ much of tLW on th eeffects of full-scale cinematic assault on private visualization of the books [and this is of course an individuallly experienced phenom.] , I however don't think the movies will be unrecognizable - the problem will be the opposite, Arwen doing un-Arwenesque things that were never even remotely suggested in the books will be nails on chalkboard for me - Ican't speak for anyone else but the fact that the majority of the movie by all accounts will be following the story and very well done then szkchreeeeeeechghh, out comes some bizarre 'interpretation'. This will be downright annoying, not sacreligious. Gilthalion is of course correct ,it is not the Bible, but it is something that has developed an integrity of it's own that deserves to be reproduced as faithfully as possible, I think .I will see the movie at least once, out of curiosity, just as i have seen all the others and I am sure in most resepects this will be head and shoulders over the others, but a stain on patterned fabric is just that. there is a chinese story about a painting contest, and one of the better painter's completed his excellent and sure to win work so much faster than all the other contestants that he decided to go a step further and paint legs on his snake. When the judges gave out the awards the painter was shocked that his excellent snake had not won anything. Why? he asked the judges- "because snakes don't have legs"they said. Lindil is oft found on posting on the Silmarillion Project at the Barrowdowns and working on yet a 2nd new Elven/Christian discussion board<a href="http://pub72.ezboard.com/bosanwe" >Osanwe</a> , and <A href="http://pub41.ezboard.com/btarostineruhir">Tar Ost-in-Eruhir</A>. and Finrod saith " Therefore Eru,if He will not relinquish His work to Melkor...then Eru must come in to conquer him.

06-11-2001, 10:56 PM	#32
lindil Seeker of the Straight Path Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: a hidden fastness in Big Valley nor cal Posts: 1,680	<BR>A snake w/ legs.</b><br><br> My last bit on the movies [probably] till I see the Fellowship.Because as has been pointed out we all stand on this where we do -because we want to. Each of us loves the Legendarium for our own reasons and we all seem grown up enough to have figured out how to safeguard that relationship.<br> <br> Maybe I am not the purist I hoped I was becauseI am not at all against the movies being attempted, I am however puzzled by the desire to spend however many millions it is on the things and then start monkeying w/ the storyline. I can live w/ Gandalf hitting his head on a low Bag-End [although it sounds dumb], and a troll spearing frodo in moria instead of the uruk-hai and minor verbal emmendations to make the story flow better, but the Arwen/Saruman changes I have heard tell of and elves arriving in battles they were never at is plain stupid and unnecessary, reminds me of JRRT's criticism of zimmerman's [?] screenplay he looked at ,where eagles were inserted to resolve all travelling difficulties.Sure JRRT was willing to sell the rights to the film and he knew it could not be perfect or even likly to be excellent. But he still came down like a ton of bricks on anything that was plain dumb, if I recall the letters correctly.<br> Cuts - sad but OK,<br> serious alterations - these will only take away from the film over the length of time.<br> <br> While I agree w/ much of tLW on th eeffects of full-scale cinematic assault on private visualization of the books [and this is of course an individuallly experienced phenom.] , I however don't think the movies will be unrecognizable - the problem will be the opposite, Arwen doing un-Arwenesque things that were never even remotely suggested in the books will be nails on chalkboard for me - Ican't speak for anyone else but the fact that the majority of the movie by all accounts will be following the story and very well done then szkchreeeeeeechghh, out comes some bizarre 'interpretation'. This will be downright annoying, not sacreligious. Gilthalion is of course correct ,it is not the Bible, but it is something that has developed an integrity of it's own that deserves to be reproduced as faithfully as possible, I think .I will see the movie at least once, out of curiosity, just as i have seen all the others and I am sure in most resepects this will be head and shoulders over the others, but a stain on patterned fabric is just that. <br> <br> there is a chinese story about a painting contest, and one of the better painter's completed his excellent and sure to win work so much faster than all the other contestants that he decided to go a step further and paint legs on his snake. When the judges gave out the awards the painter was shocked that his excellent snake had not won anything. Why? he asked the judges- "because snakes don't have legs"they said.<br> <br> <p>Lindil</b> is oft found on posting on<i> the Silmarillion Project </i> at the Barrowdowns and working on yet a 2nd new Elven/Christian discussion board<a href="http://pub72.ezboard.com/bosanwe" >Osanwe</a><i> , and <A href="http://pub41.ezboard.com/btarostineruhir">Tar Ost-in-Eruhir</A>. and Finrod saith " Therefore Eru,if He will not relinquish His work to Melkor...then Eru must come in to conquer him.</i> </p> __________________ The dwindling Men of the West would often sit up late into the night exchanging lore & wisdom such as they still possessed that they should not fall back into the mean estate of those who never knew or indeed rebelled against the Light.