SALON on LOTR and Beowulf films

[Sauron the White]

Salon has a very interesting essay from editor Gary Kamiya giving his reaction to the new BEOWULF film and his comparison to the Jackson LOTR film. It goes for several pages and is a decent read but its essence can be described from this wonderful paragraph

In this regard, Peter Jackson's magnificent film version of "The Lord of the Rings" may mislead filmmakers into thinking that all they have to do to tell a mythical tale is shoot the literal action and let the power of film fill in the poetic blanks. But it isn't that easy. Jackson's film succeeds not simply because it captures the look of Tolkien's world, but because it captures its heart.

The complete essay can be found here

http://www.salon.com/opinion/kamiya/2007/11/20/beowulf/