March 3, 2003

Finally Two Views Presented
Danny

I am releived to see that people are posting both sides of criticism for Two Towers now. I got bored of checking the forum because it seemed like it was wave after wave of anti-Faramir posts, or upset attacks on Treebeard.

I have submited articles on my take on the Faramir chage. I don't recall them being posted, but most of my thoughs have been brought up now. The Tolkien fan in me would have liked to see a different Faramir, but I do feel that he worked fabulously for the film.

All my life, I anxiously awaited the day that Lord of the Rings would be made into film. However, I beleived that it would never happen. I am so thrilled to see these films made that my only regret is that I wasn't able to be involved in their making. In another two years, I will hopefully finish a masters in computer graphics specializing in Maya etc which will hopefully land me a job doing that kind of thing. So I count myself lucky that I can even complain that the movie was made 7 years too early.

My point is that I beleive that we should be more grateful for the films. A litle healthy desire to see everything from the book in the film is fine, but moderation and understanding are the key. Nobody seems to be upset that Pippin and Merry light the dragon firework instead of Gandalf. Considering the complexity of the books, it is remarkable how true it has remained.

Take the movie Borne Identity for example. I love the film, but don't let the differences bother me, even when the list of differences is huge. In the book, Jason is another alias not his name, the government is not trying to kill him but a network of connections for a powerful assassin. Bourn is not one of many, but a single agent who went undercover to compete with an assasin and bring him in. The book has levels on levels of intrigue that the film never even hints exist. The only similarities really are that the main character is a highly trained agent who has amnesia. Even so, most of the book fans enjoy the film as a film.

I think we should realize that virtually all book adaptations suffer adaptations, and most of those are really more like reconstructions. Not doing so results in films like Harry Potter, which while fun and enjoyable, are so similar to the books that they end up relying on the book for their life, and tend to be boring to many who have read the books. Others I know didn't finish the first book because it was so close to the film, it took the fun out of reading the book.

I will be the first to say that Peter Jackson's creative takes on several moments of the film are drastically different from my interpetation. I will be the first to admit that I personally would have prefered some things different. However, I also strongly beleive that dwelling on those issues destroys our enjoyment of a fabulous work we should be grateful for. It would literally be impossible to make a LOTR film that will agree with everyones interpetation. So if we happen to be one of those that disagree with it, just remember that if you were to be satisfied, others would be upset.

I enjoy discussing the good and bad aspects of the film, and its similarities and differences from the film. I do however also feel that some chose to be upset about it, and by so chosing, we are depriving ourselves of the full enjoyment of wonderful films.