June 9, 2002

Re: Thomas Bergstrom
Tavra

About the Balrog being like Tulkas, that could be true. But, I did want to point one thing out. In Tolkien's world, being wise and having intelligence are two completely different things. Being smart/having intelligence means that they can be cunning, they can come up with plans, and they just have a high IQ. I think the Balrog had this.

Being wise means that, smart or not, they are smart enough to do good. They realize they can't take the ring. They realize that they are weak (even if they are strong), they realize that they can also make mistakes, just like everyone. This would explain Gandalf.

Smart is just a thing that anyone can have and do whatever they want with it. Wisdom is a little different, and a bit more difficult to have. It also doesn't necessarily have to come with intelligence. Of course, someone could have both, such as many of the characters in LOTR.
Also, as for losing intelligence by being evil, I think you are mixing that up with wisdom. They lose wisdom, but they can definitely keep their intelligence. Like I've said before. Sauron is DEFINITELY intelligent. It's the quieter wisdom of humble people that brings him down.

So, I guess I just wanted to explain that wisdom and intelligence are different in Tolkien's world (and in our world, too). Oh, another example. Saruman was the most powerful, cunning, and intelligent of the Istari, maybe even all of the Maia (if not, he was near the top). The silmarillion does say this. And Gandalf was the wisest. So, they are different.

Oh, Loremaster. by the way. I am a TRUE tolkien fan, and I have been since the age of eleven. I will always be one. But, I loved the movie, and I'm willing to let in any changes. Guys, seriously, for a movie, it stays pretty close to the book. The sum of all fears, spiderman, and most adapted movies have been changed TONS more!!! So, knowing that, I decided at the first that I would accept any changes with an open mind. I guess that's where my stop complaining message came from. But anyway, loremaster, your statement was flawed (sorry). I'm a true tolkien fan, I just try to think of the book and the movie as two different stories told by differet authors.

Still. In the movie, the one thing that bugged me THE MOST was when Gandalf fell. In the book, atleast he can't even grab anything. In the movie, he grabs something, and even has a GOOD grip! They could have saved him in the movie!!! That bothered me. The second have of the bridge never even fell. It's not like it was unsteady as it was in the book! Oh well. We just have to remember that the stories that are books first have been and always will be almost always better than movies. We just all expect to much from movies, I think.