May 18, 2002

Ents, Cirdan, Nazgul, Movie, Topics, and Saruman
Diana

Welcome Melodie! We can discuss any LotR topics here, so go ahead and submit. The Ents and Huorns can walk, so Old Man Willow must have walkted to the Old Forest. Cirdan didn't sail over the Seas with Bilbo, Frodo, adn the Three Keepers. He sailed on the last white ship, so he was still around for Sam.

Brett C., it sounds like the Nazguls were afraid of fire. Afterall, they're ghost and spirit-like creatures. I've encountered many stories and video games where ghosts and spirit creatures were weak against fire. I was confused on some parts of the books, too. Some parts of the story can be found in the Appendix, as you mentioned. I did feel the story incomplete as well. I heard that Tolkien also died before he really finished the story. He was also disorganized, so his notes were often cluttered and misplaced (kind of like Bilbo in Rivendell).

Lem and Mark, I don't recall Elrond hating Aragorn or men in the movie, just complaining "Men are weak." I agree that Bilbo should have been at the Council, and Frodo reacting to the axe on the Ring doesn't make much sense. It just one of the things that made him appear wimpy. As I've mentioned, the movies added and magnified negative aspects and diminished the positive ones, especially in characteristics. I wouldn't mind going to the theaters more often to see each part of LotR, but I forgot that now, many movies are often playing at once, so we need time for people to catch all the movies they like. Sometimes I wonder where all those movie producers get so many ideas for movies since I'm not creative.

I also didn't realize that many people who watch the LotR movies are not reading the book. The movies were meant for people to understand without reading, but those who didn't read the books often said they were confused, so I thought people would eventually read. Cathrine, I know people who have never heard of LotR, and my parents are an example. I didn't think the movie was too long.

It's "quality, not quantity," as what you're trying to say, Bob the Builder and Beechbone. I agree with your complaints. If the quality of the movie is good, then viewers are often willing to sit through the hours. For example, "Titanic" was even longer than LotR, and most people said that they didn't notice the hours flying by.

We are just trying to say how the movie could improve, Anthony T. We are NOT FORCING Peter Jackson and his cast and crew to change it. This goes for you too, Tavra. We know how to see the book as book and movie as movie. Not everyone "complains" about the "same" topics over and over again. You need to open your minds and have more patience. If certain comments bore or annoy you, then skip them. You don't have to read everything. As long as we don't attack others (as what you both are somewhat doing), there's nothing wrong. Some topics are good and worth discussing over and over again. Besides, people are often talking about DIFFERENT areas of the "same things." I visit this page everyday, looking forward to new essays, even when they're on topics I disagree or am not interested in.

As for Saruman and his palantir, it could be an error made in the movie, or just Saruman's mistake. It is typical of villains to make mistakes out of impulse, selfishness, over-confidence, and haste to get what they want. Saruman probably forgot what Gandalf said, or just became over-confident and thought that he could handle Sauron once he had the Uruk-Hai and Ring himself.