March 5, 2003

Movie Portrayal vs Book
Sara

I just stumbled onto this site this morning, and found alot of very interesting comments. I haven't taken the time to read all of them, so I apologize if this point has been made before and better by someone else. The conclusion I've come to is that I find a greater, more defined sense of urgency concerning the Ring's destruction than I found in the Books. You hear the Ring whisper, even watch it shape itself to Isildur's finger. You realize that it does have a will of its own, and even Gandalf won't touch it by virtue of its power. In the Book FOTR, when Frodo is wounded by the Ringwraith on the journey to Rivendell, the Company stops beneath the three stone trolls from Bilbo's time. Frodo is comfortable enough to request a song from Sam. In the film, nobody's in the mood to sing, Sam least of all. You're made much more aware of the seriousness of the injury, especially after having seen the Black Riders in all their wraithy splendor bearing down on the Hobbits at Amon Sul, and the Morgul blade crumbling to the hilt in Aragorn's hand. Now I found I really did miss some of the history telling and tale relating, especially the achingly beautiful song of Aragorn & Legolas as Boromir's body was cast adrift to Rauros-falls, but the very survival of Middle Earth was at stake. Like some others, I was bothered at first by Faramir's manhandling of Frodo & Sam. However, Frodo's lying to Faramir I think is justified in the context of what he'd been through. The only race that succumbed to the rings of power were Men. Though Frodo didn't know at that moment that Faramir was Boromir's brother, his being hunted by the Nine (all of them once men and kings at that), and Boromir's obsession & eventual attack to take the Ring from him, in my mind, justified his caution. It was only when Sam had had enough of seeing his beloved Frodo suffer that he, himself, spoke up. One last thing I'd like to say is that I got the distinct impression that these films were a labor of love. From the breath-taking beauty of New Zealand to the lilting Elvish, the portrayals of the Ents and of Gollum (Oscar! Oscar!), Frodo's journey from care-free hobbit to anguished Halfling, Sam's rise from humble gardener to fearless companion, on and on. I can still remember the first time I read the Books as a kid, how they carried me away. And I think, that when there were problems staging particular parts of the story, the question "WWJ.R.R.D" was frequently asked. I think he'd be pleased. The only reason why I'm in no hurry to see ROTK is because I don't want this to end.