July 20, 2002

Elven Appearance
Felagund

I was very impressed by Peter Jackson's work in the movie. Of course there are several things that I would have liked to have seen different, but to see LOTR on film is something I've hoped to see for years.

I was particularly impressed with the majestic appearance of the Elves. The Elves of Rivendell and Lorien wore elaborate costumes, while the Silvan Elf, Legolas, wore the more simple clothing of a woodsman of Mirkwood. I wasn't sure that blonde hair should be so dominant, but after re-reading the Silmarillion and looking into the Unfinished Tales, I think blonde is correct for the Elves that were left in Middle Earth. I believe the Teleri were blonde as were many of the Noldor due to Finwe's second wife who was of the Vanyar lineage. I also recently read that the male elves were beardless, which threw out all of my pre-conceived notions of facial appearance. I would like to hear some comments on the heighth of Elves in the movie. I had always assumed they were a bit shorter than humans, but in the movie they are over 6 ft tall. I did read that some were tall but that is a relative term. Please help me on this.