The Best Adaptions

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Okay this has been bugging me for days...
What are the best movie adaptions for the LOTR characters in the Peter Jackson movies?
I would say Sam.

[MatthewM]

What kind of specifics do you mean? Do you mean which character was portrayed the best from book to film? If that is the question...I suppose I would say...hm...it's funny how come to think of it, I have some sort of issue portrayal wise with every main character, especially those of The Fellowship...so I guess I would say Bilbo. Out of The Fellowship, I would agree and say Sam.

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Originally Posted by MatthewM

What kind of specifics do you mean? Do you mean which character was portrayed the best from book to film? If that is the question...I suppose I would say...hm...it's funny how come to think of it, I have some sort of issue portrayal wise with every main character, especially those of The Fellowship...so I guess I would say Bilbo. Out of The Fellowship, I would agree and say Sam.

Yes I do mean which character was portrayed from book to film...and I would say Bilbo as well... I wonder why I didn't think of him before?

[alatar]

I'm going to agree with y'all that it's Sam. He's most true to the books, at least to my memory. He's not portrayed as over-whiny as is Frodo, completely messed up as is Gandalf, and 'literalized' as is the Big Eye.

I wouldn't agree with Bilbo as he ages too quickly and seemed too fearful when he plays his 'trick' at his birthday party.

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by alatar

I'm going to agree with y'all that it's Sam. He's most true to the books, at least to my memory. He's not portrayed as over-whiny as is Frodo, completely messed up as is Gandalf, and 'literalized' as is the Big Eye.

I wouldn't agree with Bilbo as he ages too quickly and seemed too fearful when he plays his 'trick' at his birthday party.

Do you mean Gandalf the Grey is "completely messed up" or Gandalf the White? The Grey I liked; the White I thought too much like Roy Rogers. (But then I don't particularly like The White in the Book.)

Funnily enough, I think Boromir was credibly portrayed.

Treebeard was pretty good in the Movie too, as I recall.

Any takers for Eowyn or even Grima (except he was completely cut out of any credible ending)?

[alatar]

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

Do you mean Gandalf the Grey is "completely messed up" or Gandalf the White? The Grey I liked; the White I thought too much like Roy Rogers. (But then I don't particularly like The White in the Book.)

Never ate at RR, nor am I very familiar with the works of Leonard Franklin Slye. That being said, I too liked the Grey until he got all confused after Rivendell ("Let's take the Ring past Orthanc as Moria is just too spooky for me.") By the time Gandalf becomes the White, it's mostly over - he has a good moment in Fangorn but then relies on everyone else (Aragorn, Pippin) to carry his load. Grrr!

Funnily enough, I think Boromir was credibly portrayed.

Boromir was portrayed *better* than in the Books, and so I exclude him from the list.

Treebeard was pretty good in the Movie too, as I recall.

alatar's coworkers all 'take a break' as he has started screaming at his monitor.

Any takers for Eowyn or even Grima (except he was completely cut out of any credible ending)?

Eowyn Shieldmaiden I liked, Chef Eowyn was too much. Even I can cook stew. Grima was okay, but in his end is too much the dog for me.

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

Boromir was best. I didn't like how Sam repeatedly punched Gollum during the whole lembas saga. I thought crazy-Sam was a bad addition.

[Hammerhand]

I'll side with Boromir on this one; mainly because Sean Bean is a fantastic actor, he is worthy of more leading roles i believe.

[MatthewM]

No, no, no.

Boromir was definitely not the best portrayed from book to film. It gets to me when people think this- there are so many things that are blatantly different between book Boromir and PJ's Boromir. Some Beanamir pointed out. In hopes to shift all of your opinions who say Boromir was best portrayed from book to film, let's start with appearance.

Book Boromir

Let's look at one of Tolkien's best descriptions he gives one of his characters-

“And seated a little apart was a tall man with a fair and noble face, dark-haired and grey-eyed, proud and stern of glance…He was cloaked and booted as if for a journey on horseback; and indeed though his garments were rich, and his cloak was lined with fur, they were stained with long travel. He had a collar of silver in which a single white stone was set; his locks were shorn about his shoulders. On a baldric he wore a great horn tipped with silver that now was laid upon his knees.”

-6'4" in height (this fact is contained within an unpublished note by Tolkien, located at the Bodleian Library in Oxford, according to The Lord of the Rings: A Reader’s Companion by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull)

-40 years old and of high Númenorean lineage (Faramir lived to be around 117) meaning that he would not look 40 years old as we know it. Please do not combat this with the whole "Gandalf says the Númenorean blood does not run truly in Boromir like it did in Faramir and Denethor", because this is by most standards impossible. There is little doubt that Tolkien meant by this the personality traits of Boromir lacking in Númenorean standard when put up against the high airs of his father and brother.

-Although debatable, Boromir was not described as having a beard, therefore he most likely did not have one (again, the age).

-Did not openly wear chainmail, as Gimli is said to be the only member of The Fellowship who does so.

All that being said, let's take a look at Peter Jackson's Boromir.

Movie Boromir

-Straight borderline blonde chin length hair (), the lightest shade of brown you could possibly think of, with blue eyes.

-I do not really see the proudness in Bean as Boromir is described. Instead I see nervousness and anxiety.

-No collar of silver

-Golden tipped Horn of Gondor, instead of silver. (Does PJ have something against silver?)

-Appears 40+ in regular years and has a trimmed up little goatee

-Openly wears chainmail


Almost everything you could do opposite to the character, appearance wise, was done by good old PJ.

Now let's take a look at personality.

Firstly, PJ's Boromir is thrown off from the start when he shows the deleted Osgiliath scene in the EE of The Two Towers, where the overly mad Denethor enters and demands that Boromir travel to Rivendell to retrieve him a "kingly gift." PJ's Boromir puts his tail between his legs and recoils at the idea. In the books, we all know that Boromir was answering a prophetic dream that he and his brother were having, and that Denethor did not want Boromir to go-

“Therefore my brother, seeing how desperate was our need, was eager to heed the dream and seek for Imladris; but since the way was full of doubt and danger, I took the journey upon myself. Loth was my father to give me leave, and long have I wandered by roads forgotten, seeking the house of Elrond, of which many had heard, but few knew where it lay.” (The Fellowship of the Ring)

Even though PJ contradicts himself by adding in the extended edition of The Fellowship a clip of the Council of Elrond where Boromir says he traveled hither because of a dream (I believe this was included) from the start of PJ's films Boromir was wrongly portrayed.

As already stated, Book Boromir was much like Aragorn. Proud, stern, and an air about him that echoed the memory of Númenor. I do not get that from PJ's adaption. Instead, we see a man with childish grudges who gets upset when he doesn't always get his way, and from the start paranoid at the intentions of Aragorn, Frodo, and Gandalf. He appears most of the time anxious and confused. Book Boromir hardly saw those traits. He was a man of grim but friendly nature. One would imagine him walking through the streets of Minas Tirith sternly, unapproachable yet lovable when his closest friends came around the bend. Rejoicing in his great victories, yet never tainting them with unnecessary antics. This is again opposite to PJ's extended edition Osgiliath scene where Boromir appears the let loose party guy because he won a battle.

In the books, Boromir only started his lust for the Ring after Lothlórien, after the Lady of the Wood had tested him. In the films, Boromir wants the Ring from his entrance on. Boromir's journey in the books is simply to go home and help the Ring-bearer on his way, but he gets caught up in his fault of power and pride, and ultimately tries to take the Ring as we all know. Even after Lothlórien, in the books Boromir just wanted to start heading home- "To the tall isle I will go, but no further. There I shall turn to my home, alone if my help has not earned the reward of any companionship." (FotR), showing that his true state of mind was still present, whereas in the films it has been long gone.

Let's not forget Boromir's aid from book to film. None of Boromir's shining moments in The Fellowship are present in the films. It was Boromir who decided to bring wood up while journeying through Caradhras, and it was Boromir who thought of plowing through the shoulder length snow so that The Fellowship could survive. Boromir's strength and wisdom of battle aided The Fellowship against the Wargs and in Moria (in Moria this is shown, besides in the EE Fellowship when Boromir is taken down by the Troll just to be saved by Aragorn.) His role is vital in helping Aragorn move the boats.

We see hardly any of this in the films. Instead, we see a man who takes Merry and Pippin into his arms and yells like a little girl when jumping from one broken stairway to the next. He even appears cowardly a lot of the time. It seems that in the films Boromir cared wholly for taking the Ring with little else on his mind.

On his death in book to movie

As already stated in this thread, in the books Boromir was shot with numerous arrows before falling. In the movies he was shot with only three and fell. It appears more realistic, but this still dampers the strength and fierce bravery of Boromir. Boromir's last scene alive, as he says his last words to Aragorn, is even problematic. There are things I would have changed, such as Bean's line of "I would have followed you..." and I would have also included Boromir's dying wish that Aragorn save Minas Tirith (it was depicted similiar in the films, yet not the same.) However, the most important part of Boromir's death is not featured in the films. It is the very last thing he does in the books, which confirms all rightful mind and intention coming back and the madness of pride and the Ring leaving him- Boromir smiles. PJ does not include this extremely pivotal emotion in the films, which is utterly disappointing.

Boromir's character was not developed even half fully in the films. Instead people who have no knowledge of his character deem him angry, irritated, and sometimes even evil. These are common misconceptions of Boromir that I am always ready to fight against.

And to alatar...as you might already know, I wholeheartedly disagree with your statement that movie Boromir is "better" than book Boromir. There is only one Boromir, and that is the one that Tolkien created. All of the characters in the films were merely adaptions of an untouchable story.