June 6, 2002

Warning Not Diana-approved 8)
Danny

No offense is meant to those who I comment about here, but keep in mind this message hasn't been Dianna-approved 8).

Loremaster: I see your points, and feel that you are entitled to feel that strongly about them, but I do feel that some of your ideas are not correct. To say that Tolkien's work cannot be flawed unless he said so himself, is well not very realistic. I wish I could write a book, and merely by not saying it had flaws, make it perfect. I don't feel that the way he dealt with Arwen or Eowyn was a flaw, but I just don't think that your statement made sense.

Furthermore Loremaster, I understand if you are a major Tolkien fan and quite a pureist. I consider myself quite a fan also, and to some degree knowlegable in Tolkien. I suppose I cannot say that I am a true fan though because I can forgive PJ for his adaptations that you said no true fan will be able too.

It comes to this. I am a writer and an artist. Often, when I illustrate, I make minor adaptations to better suit the composition of the picture. Film is the same way, but it is much more complex. Perhaps I am more willing to forgive adaptations in the film because I know how hard it is to adapt written to visual at a much simpler level. But yes I am a true Tolkien fan, sorry Loremaster.

To someone elses remark that Arwyn's ability to secape from the nine is unrealistic, remember in the movie, Frodo was alone, and he escaped. I personally would have liked the ford scene to have been unchanged to give Frodo more of a heroic and strong portrayal, but if Tolkien feels that Frodo could escape from Nine Wraiths, than I think it is just as realistic that Arwyn and Frodo could have. I do however wish that the river flooding hadn't been due to her casting a spel or whatever that was. I think that was to avoid confusing non-readers so I will reluctantly forgive it.

About Glorfindle, yes the fact that he had seen the blessed realm and the light of the trees at Valinor is why he could withstand the nine. Okay, would you want to try explaining that in the film in a way that would make it not seem well cheesy, corny and very confusing to anybody who hasn't read the Silmarillion. That includes a bunch of FOTR readers too. To fret over that point is not very realistic because that is a point that is beyond being made just to satisfy readers of FOTR, but also the smaller group that has also read Silmarillion. It is much easier for someone who hasn't read Silmarillion to beleive that Arwyn would have power to resist the nine being the daughter of Elrond.

My point is, yes Arwyn flies in the face of hard-core Tolkien lore. But to put Glorfindle in would only be appreciated by hard-core Tolkien lore people, and would confuse a lot more people. Again I restate that I wish that Frodo had been given his moment of courage at the Ford as it was in the book. However, to fret over the details about the blessed realm, Valinor and other aspects of Tolkien Lore is similar to Star Trek fans who get mad if a Clingon mispronounces his language in a Star Trek Movie.