August 6, 2004

Rethinking Dislike
Lilly

ROTK, was, in my opinion, the most changed from its original story of all three films.

Many times with my friends I'll debate with them wich change in the story annoyed them most, and most who care say Denethor...the slobbering, stupid, flaming projectile.

I usually say it's when Frodo sends Sam away. I mean, if LOTR was a story original by Jackson, all his own, then I'd expect him to use a device like this to show Frodo's corruption. But, it wasn't his story: the story was already there, and it wasn't his place to mess with it (this attitude, I'm told, is the basis for purist-ism).

But, now that I think about it, it's not Frodo's sending sam that irks me at all. I mean, in the book frodo was getting pretty worn down by the ring, but he showed it in silence, sadness, and weariness, not viciousness. But in a movie the silence and stuff can't work as well. Frodo sending Sam was the ultimate warning symbol to the audience that FRODO WASN'T HIMSELF!!!

No, what irks me most about the change is...Sam actually left. Oh, sure he came back, all right, but he actually started to leave. It takes no great stress to my imagination to imagine frodo telling him to go, but in no alternate universe would sam have actually left!! I told this to a friend of mine and she asked, wouldn't he have, though? I mean, to obey frodo?

My answer: no. If they had wanted Frodo to desert sam and still remain close to the characters, Sam would not have left.

He would have sat down and cried, as we saw he did, but then he would have started to reason with himself as he has so many times in the book (some of my favorite parts are Sam's musings). Well, he's sent Sam away and that nasty gollum's won in the end. But Sam knows well he's leading master frodo to no good, and that he'll be needing his Sam soon. Besides, frodo's not been himself lately, and if he's not himself and he told Sam to go, then he didn't really send Sam away himself ('cause that's the sort of hobbit logic you just can't deny). Besides, he'd already made a promise. Don't you leave him, samwise gamgee.

And he wouldn't have. He would have waited for them to get a bit ahead, and followed them quietly, making sure that Frodo came to no harm.

ARRRRGH!! Sam's my favorite character! Samwise the stouthearted! Samwise, or Halfwise, but should be called Fullwise! Hope Unquenchable!! Staunch! Faithful!

What I saw in that scene was Sam, the Middle-Earth Wuss.

crap.

well, what about you all? Which change irked you most? Should sam have left? Should Frodo have sent him away at all? Should Somebody made an attempt to put Denethor out as he ran the 100-meter dash to the end of the cliff? Should Gandalf have kept his stick to himself?

yours.

Lilah
PS: I was wrong. NOT Dec. 10th, because I think that's a friday, and DVD's aren't released on fridays...tuesdays or thursdays, I think.