Welcome! - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

***Mister Underhill*** · 10-13-2005, 01:32 PM

Welcome to the Sequence-by-Sequence discussion!

Years ago, Peter Jackson took on the formidable task of bringing the much beloved The Lord of the Rings trilogy to film. He faced many roadblocks, yet blazed many new paths around them. PJ did what had seemed impossible - filming three full-length movies simultaneously, attempting to stay true to the books while drawing in a new audience, breathing life into Middle Earth and not making something that would end up on the "campy" list. The Hollywood experts were doubtful, but he did it. By all standards the films were successful. Now we have Peter Jackson's work to enjoy for posterity on DVD.

But all is not well.

Some Downers think that what Peter Jackson did to Professor Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books is akin to blasphemy, and so want nothing to do with them. Others believe that he did a great job, seeing the movies as completely separate from the source material. There are those who think that Jackson did what he needed to do to make successful movies (read 'money') in today's illiterate world. More are in the middle, accepting the films as they were made yet still getting a little upset about a specific scene or two.

At the Barrow-Downs we have many threads regarding specific scenes in the movies. Most are of the "why I don't like this scene" kind. A few threads have tried to cultivate appreciation for PJ's work. These were more like "well, I liked how he did..." posts, but still seemed more focused on bits and pieces. But think about it - you don't watch a scene, but a movie. Or in this case, three movies that are really one huge 11 hour experience. And that begs the question: Instead of examining a scene or part of the same by itself, why not see what it looks like in relationship to all three movies, as part of the whole?

So here we are at the Sequence-by-Sequence discussion forum. Each week we will discuss a scene or group of scenes (a sequence) for all three movies, in order, as seen in the Extended Editions of the DVDs. By looking at the movies, entire, we all may learn a little more regarding why the movies are as they are. Please note that we'll be using the Extended Editions of the DVDs as our source material so that we don't leave anything out, but surely we can discuss how the theatrical versions differ from the extended.

This forum is open to all, both those just getting started here at the Barrow-Downs along with those long dead. Posts can range from short notes to long dissertations, from sterile technical analyses to emotional evaluations. Why was a particular scene from the books changed or omitted? Why was a particular color palette used? What did the producers or actors add with their commentary - the medium is DVD, and so we can include whatever information is on them pertaining to the sequences. We can discuss the theme music, the scenery, the props, the dialogue, the movements of the characters, the camera angles, the use (or not) of effects, special and otherwise. You'll see posts regarding a particular scene or set of scenes at the beginning of each week to get the discussion started.

And of course we'll refer to the books.

Post whatever thoughts come to mind regarding the sequence of the week, but try to avoid just stating "I liked it" or "I hated it" unless you add "because..." If something upsets you, scares you, brings tears to the fore of your eyelids or gains an immediate skip>> to the next scene, why? Why? And how did Peter Jackson do that? With different points of view and insights, the Barrow-Downs forum shows that not everyone sees things like everyone else, so let us know how you see it. Post and share!

So fire up those DVD players and let's get watching.

10-13-2005, 01:32 PM	#1
*Mister Underhill* Dread Horseman Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Behind you! Posts: 2,743	Welcome! Welcome to the Sequence-by-Sequence discussion! Years ago, Peter Jackson took on the formidable task of bringing the much beloved The Lord of the Rings trilogy to film. He faced many roadblocks, yet blazed many new paths around them. PJ did what had seemed impossible - filming three full-length movies simultaneously, attempting to stay true to the books while drawing in a new audience, breathing life into Middle Earth and not making something that would end up on the "campy" list. The Hollywood experts were doubtful, but he did it. By all standards the films were successful. Now we have Peter Jackson's work to enjoy for posterity on DVD. But all is not well. Some Downers think that what Peter Jackson did to Professor Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books is akin to blasphemy, and so want nothing to do with them. Others believe that he did a great job, seeing the movies as completely separate from the source material. There are those who think that Jackson did what he needed to do to make successful movies (read 'money') in today's illiterate world. More are in the middle, accepting the films as they were made yet still getting a little upset about a specific scene or two. At the Barrow-Downs we have many threads regarding specific scenes in the movies. Most are of the "why I don't like this scene" kind. A few threads have tried to cultivate appreciation for PJ's work. These were more like "well, I liked how he did..." posts, but still seemed more focused on bits and pieces. But think about it - you don't watch a scene, but a movie. Or in this case, three movies that are really one huge 11 hour experience. And that begs the question: Instead of examining a scene or part of the same by itself, why not see what it looks like in relationship to all three movies, as part of the whole? So here we are at the Sequence-by-Sequence discussion forum. Each week we will discuss a scene or group of scenes (a sequence) for all three movies, in order, as seen in the Extended Editions of the DVDs. By looking at the movies, entire, we all may learn a little more regarding why the movies are as they are. Please note that we'll be using the Extended Editions of the DVDs as our source material so that we don't leave anything out, but surely we can discuss how the theatrical versions differ from the extended. This forum is open to all, both those just getting started here at the Barrow-Downs along with those long dead. Posts can range from short notes to long dissertations, from sterile technical analyses to emotional evaluations. Why was a particular scene from the books changed or omitted? Why was a particular color palette used? What did the producers or actors add with their commentary - the medium is DVD, and so we can include whatever information is on them pertaining to the sequences. We can discuss the theme music, the scenery, the props, the dialogue, the movements of the characters, the camera angles, the use (or not) of effects, special and otherwise. You'll see posts regarding a particular scene or set of scenes at the beginning of each week to get the discussion started. And of course we'll refer to the books. Post whatever thoughts come to mind regarding the sequence of the week, but try to avoid just stating "I liked it" or "I hated it" unless you add "because..." If something upsets you, scares you, brings tears to the fore of your eyelids or gains an immediate skip>> to the next scene, why? Why? And how did Peter Jackson do that? With different points of view and insights, the Barrow-Downs forum shows that not everyone sees things like everyone else, so let us know how you see it. Post and share! So fire up those DVD players and let's get watching. Last edited by alatar; 10-13-2005 at 09:51 PM.