January 21, 2003

Movie vs Book
Eujila

The question to me is who bears the burden of justifying changes to someone else's story and making sure those changes are necessary improvements.
There's nothing wrong with deleting or shortening book scenes for dramatic movie purposes, but it takes a LOT of arrogance on the part of PJ, FW and PB to replace important and beloved scenes in an international classic with trivial scenes of their own concoction. And, it takes outright hubris to alter essential traits of the major characters:
Strider would never insist on (or even permit) a fatal ambush, without preamble, of an old man, wizard or no. More importantly, Aragorn had no misgivings about accepting his destiny. His doubts had to do with having the strength, time and wisdom to do what needed to be done. He was out to defeat the greatest evil of the age (and that's the Dark Lord SAURON not Saruman as PJ, FW and PB seem to have it), save Middle Earth, win his throne, and incidently satisfy Elrond's condition for Arwen's hand. PJ's Aragorn's post-modern handwringing add nothing to the film as far as I'm concerned, much as I admire Viggo and think he's the perfect choice.

Establishing the strong emotional bond between Eomer and Aragorn is eschewed in favor of establishing a strong emotional bond between Aragorn and...his horse? Any why? They already went to the expense of filming the scene where Aragorn and Eomer meet!

PJ's Frodo is a wimpy hobbitchild! Frodo is meant to be "the best hobbit in the Shire" a mature, educated if not well-traveled, Elf-friend for heaven's sake. This Frodo is already so far gone before they get to Osgiliath in TTT movie (as if they DID), Faramir SHOULD take the ring if only to save the mission since PJ's Frodo will plainly GIVE the ring to the next servant of the enemy they encounter! They leave no room for his descent into despair in ROTK.

Theoden is now the vigorous middle-aged King, (merely ensorceled by PJ's new master villian Saruman) of a small, dirty, pathetic group of stone-age peasants who live in a stony, barren land WITHOUT any horses??!! (Where are the lush grasslands, beautiful herds and established culture?) It's the rising up of an OLD king out of the weakness and hopelessness caused by Wormtongue the spy's poisonous counsel, to one last great deed that gives this storyline it's emotional power. The exorcism scene in it's entirity REALLY bugged me because the scene in the book is SO MUCH better! PJ's new scene didn't save any screen time or improve the drama AT ALL.

Loyal, romantic, warrior Gimli is reduced to ever-cheaper comic relief. I don't object to comic relief, but his other qualities have been all but eliminated.

News-hungry, wise, old (actually the eldest living sentient in Middle Earth) Treebeard couldn't feel/hear the groaning and of the trees? Needed convincing to protect the forest? Then, finally seeing the Vale, rather hastily, descends on Isengard? Please.

Arwen seems like a teenager with a crush not an Elven Queen who's seen many lives of men. Sheesh. If you're going to put her in why is she such a wimp? Why would Aragorn be so attached to her?

No need for me to talk about Faramir, Others have amply covered the inexcusable alterations to him. I don't have the heart to address Merry, the character I most identified with on first reading so long ago...

This is not to say that I didn't enjoy FOTR, even TTT, and will continue to watch and wait for ROTK but I'm completely baffled by the huge changes in TTT. They are not improvements; don't add anything I can see to the story or pacing and have the result of removing a lot of the emotional content. It seems to me that PJ's team really wanted to flex their muscles and hurt the films in the process.