A 'darker' Hobbit

[davem]

Originally Posted by Sauron the White

Again, you seem to impart JRRT with superhuman almost god-like qualities that no other single human could ever hope to match. If JRRT did not do it then no one can. Nonsense. There are many type of creativity and talent. Some is evidenced in writing of books, others in making of films. To say that one is "far more creative" and to use a phrase like "lesser minds" is simply silly.

JRRT himself felt that LOTR was not a filmable book. Other creative minds proved him wrong.

Well, first of all, as far as I'm concerned PJ's production was not a film of LotR. The depth, mood & 90% of the backstory were all sacrificed to sfx, gore & puerile jokes about dwarf tossing.

However, that aside, Tolkien was a greater writer than Jackson, Boyens & the other one. Tolkien knew his world better than them, & was a deal more insightful when it came to what works & what doesn't. Tolkien couldn't make a more 'realistic' (ie in the form of LotR) Hobbit work. And the reason for that is clear when you read Tolkien's attempt. This is not a matter of a 'better' writer being able to do what Tolkien couldn't. Its a matter of the nature of the story itself. TH is a fairy story, not an 'epic romance'. You can't make a fairy story into an epic romance & have it retain its essence & spirit. It becomes something else. When you read Tolkien's attempt at revising TH what you notice is how much is lost. However annoying or 'twee' you find the narrator you realise that he is necessary to TH - certainly at the start. Even little 'jokes' being removed (like the reference to the origin of Golf in the killing of Golfimbul are lost because they wouldn't fit the more 'serious' tone, but you miss them. As you read you're constantly aware of what's been lost. The revised version is not 'comfortable'.