February 13, 2003

Faramir - Eventual Hero
Bol

I haven't posted on this site before, but here goes.

I watched The Two Towers again last night, this time focusing all my thoughts on Faramir's character. Faramir has taken a lot of bashing in a lot of sites, and I feel that this is rather unfair. I can see why people have not taken to the change - in the books, Faramir is a very likeable character. He is a hero, and an instant hero at that.

The problem with Faramir as a movie icon is that the move already contains a lot of instant hero's. The last thing the movie needs is another hero. If the ring is so powerful and all consuming, why doesn't it consume Faramir as it consumed Isildur?

Some people have felt that Faramir is a slimy and uncouth character, lower than Boromir - the books clearly indicate otherwise. I watched with interest last night and I noticed a number of things. It is neither the for the Ring or even power that drives Faramir to keep Frodo and Sam hostage. He knows war is at hand and that it will come from both sides. He admits that "Gondor is weak" and that if an attack comes, Gondor will not be strong enough to defend itself. As he states "Gondor will fall".

It is this very fact that prompts Faramir to keep the ring. It is his hubris, his pride in Gondor and his will to be free that drives him to keep the ring. He describes it as a "weapon", that will aid them in the war.

In many ways, he is a tragic hero - the weight of the world is on his shoulders and he has no power with which to lift it off. The ring presents him with the opportunity. Although this is a major derivation from the book, it is in keeping with many of his major themes.

By the end of the film however, Faramir has a change of heart - his anagnorisis. He sees what the ring is, how it has changed Frodo, and how it will bring about the fall of Gondor, not it resurrection.

I found Faramir's character a welcome change from the books - he is still a hero; he just takes the round about way of getting there.

So please, leave Faramir alone.