[Túroch]

Man this thread's been hopping, while I slept peacefully. The opinion on the board seems to waver between good and not so good. Now that i've slept on it some new perspectives that have come to light.<P>I am basing my jugdment not only on accuracy but also on quality. I loved the first movie. I'll be compleately honest. I saw it eight times in the theator. I almost cried when Boromir (my 2nd favorite character)died a heroic death that, although it wasn't shown in the book I could forgive PJ for his extrapolation. However, the 2nd movie made me wonder if I should have seen it that one time. PJ showed me that he was capable of really good film that doesn't stray away from the book nor does it stray to close to it. Is saw a really good movie in FotR. But TTT is too much of PJ and not enough Tolkien. He rewrote some major characters, but that in itself doesn't make me mad. Here is what makes me made. I am made becuase PJ's version of Faramir or Theoden now has the same credibility that Tolkien's does in the eyes of the public. I now that many of the people who watch TTT have never read the book and might never read it. In their eyes PJ's Frodo and PJ's Arwen are the real versions of the character and that Tolkien's characters are in some distant second. By puting the book on film he has lent authority to his interpretation and his vision. Now he can claim that his vision is the correct one. When people read a book after watching the movie on it, they sometimes see the actors as the characters and here their voices as the characters. By making these deviations in Tolkiens characters PJ is not only changing them for the 3 hours that theyre seen on the screen but for the lifetime of the viewer who saw them first that way. Because of TTT, many people see Frodo and Theoden as a wimp, hardly know who Eomer is and probaly think elves are so cool becuase Legolas has fancy moves and because the elves "saved" the Rohirrim at Helms Deep. I was reading the article in TIME a few weeks before TTT came out. I was a bit riled from how the author kept mixing Harry Potter terminology with Tolkien as if the guy was saying that all fantasy is the same. Well thats a minor gripe and I understand that a lot of people don't read fantasy, but now with PJ's TTT people like that author and others who haven't read the TTT are going to think that PJ's work is the real Tolkien.<P>In the TIME arcticle PJ said something to the effect of if we make a good movie the fans are sure to forgive us for whatever we changed. Yah but what does he consider a good movie. You alredady know the fans consider the story in TTT to be good, so why mutate it. Plus, how much are we supposed to forgive. How much can PJ change with out the fans, without us complaining. I wonder what he will do in the next movie if he thinks that he can get away with what he did in the 2nd movie. <P>The first movie had it's flaws, but I was able to forgive PJ for his different interpretation. An aduience is a very forgiving entity. I could let a lot of his mistakes in the TTT pass without comment. It is not the sublte changes of scences that I am lamenting. Neither is it the addition or even the deletion of certin scences. It is the radical departure in character developments and plot line. As many have said before me, PJ's contortion of character makes it hard to see how they can fufill their roles in the next movie. The changing of plot elements, such as the elves at Helms Deep, changes not only the view of elves, but of the Rohirrim as well. The former it makes appear as though they have a huge army just waiting to attack Sauron but just don't want to put out the effort. If there are elves at Pelanor Feilds in the next movie, well I might just break down and cry. PJ had no reason to put them in except for the fact that a lot of people thought that elves fighting were cool. ....Oh well people like these elves and we have only Legolas in this movie.....hmm lets just squeeze em in here now no one will notice. Besides it makes the story "better"....... I can imagine it now. The latter appear (as I have wept on before) like they have no army or strength of character at all. With Theoden weeping for despair and Faramir slabbering after the ring, a viewer of the movie might think that there are no strong men except for the one Aragorn of course. <P>Well i've said enough already. Thanks for the agreement Schmendrick last of the red hot swamis. You hit the nail on the head. Welcome to the Downs Olorin, I too share your grief over TTT. I also have some hope for the extended version Frieda, though how can they put more of Eomerin when he was left out of all the scenes he ws supposed to be in. By the way nice avater. The Last Unicorn is one of my favorite books.<P>But for one last point, how much of PJ's version of Tolkien can we let go. If we don't question is version of TTT, what will he do to RotK. I can only shudder. I really want to speak with the guy and ask him why and more importantly whay not. Well take care guys and Merry Christmas.