April 18, 2002

More Thoughts on Everything
Richard P.

Right, I've been thinking lots of things over for the past day (mainly because I was so bored at work), and have come up with some more things I'd like to voice.

The first is a nit pik...... OK, I'm sorry, I know that we're supposed to be being nice about the film BUT.......... this is a forum to discuss a film. Note the word discuss. I always like to think of a discussion as a kind of calm, non-shouting arguement. There have to be two side to be able to discuss, if we all agree that the whole thing is wonderfull and couldn't be better there'd be no point in writing in this forum!!!
Anyway, enough of my rant!!! My main problem today is with part of the movie score. In the Lorien scenes they have a peice of music entitled "Lament for Gandalf". This open with the lines.....

"Olorin who once was...
Sent by the Lords of the West
To guard the lands of the East
Wisest of all Maiar........."
Etc etc, in what is I presume Quenya, since Olorin does not occur in Sindar I don't think. Anyway, this is what annoys me about this. The person who composed this song is supposed to be a fan of Tolkien, and Peter Jackson would undoubtedly have looked over any music before it went in the movie, or was ok'd to be used. Why on earth then does the song refer to Olorin? He only ever once in the books refers to himself with that name, and amongst all Elves he is known as Mithrandir. Also, Olorin is his name in Valinor, not in the West, and there are very few people who are supposed to know his real name. Next, sent by the Lords of the West; and wisest of all Maiar? Why are they saying this? No one on Middle-earth, with the exception of Galadriel, Elrond, Cirdan and maybe Celeborn and Aragorn are supposed to know that Gandalf was sentby the Valar, or that he was a Maia. Thats top secret information. Why would it suddenly find itself in a song written by the "common" Elves???
What has this got to do with the film? Well, this is whats starting to annoy me a bit, every time I see it. Peter Jackson and his fellow script-writers claim to be big fans, and to have done all their research, in order to keep the die hard Tolkien fan happy, yet all the seem to be doing is putting stupid, or misplaced, or out of context quotes into the film, and thinking that that will keep us all happy. Seriously, if Jackson and co. had even read the Index's, or Unfinished tales they would have got this information totally right. Obviously they didn't, they got the bit about Gandalf being a Maia right, and then went, "right then, that'll keep 'em happy, chuck that in, and they'll know we've done our research!"

Another example is Aragorns, "this was once the great watch tower of Amon Sul". Now, on the surface granted, this is good... it says to people who've read the books, "look, we've read them too, here's a name you recognise"; but thats it, there's no follow up to it, not even the tiniest bit of information as to the history behind that name. That leaves most people in the cinema going..... "ok, so???". Thats certainly the feeling it left me.
Then there is Legolas', "He is Aragorn so of Arathorn, you owe him you alliegance." Followed by Boromir imediatly knowing who that is. Now, thats just bad. Take a look at it for a moment. Aragorn is heir of Arnor, the North Kingdom, defunct for hundreds of years. Boromir is from Gondor, the South Kingdom, and probably has never even heard of most of Aragorns ancestors, since they had little to do with Gondor except for sharing a mutual founder, and have been out of contact for the hundreds of years that Arnor has been abandoned. But in the film...... "he is Aragorn son of Arathorn".......... BAM, WOW, Boromir knows instantly who he is, even though he's never heard either name before in his life. Thats why in the books there is talk of proofs and heirlooms and why Boromir gives Aragorn a bit of repect because he as no idea who Aragorn is, and if some really powerfull people tell him thats who he is, he might give it a little credit. Once again PJ and Co. are dropping in names so that the Tolkien fans might go..... ah!!! I recognise that!!! They've obviously done ALL their homework!!!

Now don't get me wrong, I love the film, and I'm not trying to imply that they didn't get alot of other things right, and they did do most of their homework, the Ring of Barahir that Aragorn wears is brilliant attention to detail. Its when they drop a name in, and then don't even slightly follow it up, or drop a name in, and its totaly out of context that annoys me!!!

Well, enough of my rant!!!

On the subject of the Eagles, I think that the reason that they couldn't just fly into Mordor is that the Winged Nazgul were around, they just weren't revealed that early, and that, whatever happened, they would have to get OFF the Eagles to get to the Cracks of Doom. Once the Eagles were spotted Sauron could just pile his entire force around Mount Doom and they couldn't land or they'd be killed. They couldn't just drop the ring into the top as its not accurate enough, it could miss. They couldn't go real close to the top or they'd get burnt or shot by arrows.

On the Hugo Weaving thing, I didn't havetrouble with him, it was every time Sean Bean said "my city", I kept getting a mental picture of Sheffield, with Sheffield United FC's stadium in the middle!!!! ;-)