[Baron Munchausen]

Originally posted by Singollo:
Actually, I am of the opinion that LotR cannot be properly (read: entirely, accurately) appreciated without a solid knowledge of The Silmarillion and the other material. LotR is an amazing story in and of itself, one of the finest fantasy tales ever spun, without a doubt. But it is only the tip, the very tip, of the iceberg that is Tolkien's extended mythology, and like an iceberg, you cannot possibly imagine the grandeur and size and power of the whole if you've only seen the tip. Things like Aragorn's relationship with Arwen, the nature of Gandalf and Saruman, the true stature of the Elves, and the overall point of the story are revealed only by the larger context in which it is set.

Oh, and I agree that the movie is fabulous, a work of art. Too bad it should never, ever have been made in the first place.

LOL... isn't that the truth? It's impossible to talk about the movie(s) without contradiction. Yes, it's great to see so many things from Tolkien's work made into cinematic images. But it's also impossible to make proper images of many of them, and also impossible to tell the whole story without making at least six movies, not three. The hack & slash approach to the story line is really jarring, even if he did manage to include the gist of it in the plot. And WTF is that "Lurtz^H^Hch" character for? Given how much he had to cut, why did he have to add something so cheesy? So watching the movie when you know the original story is both exciting and wrenching at the same time.

And yes, knowledge of the Silmarillion is essential to understanding the story and even the characters. The remote and formal Elrond is a very different person if you know his background. His personal experience with 'oaths' makes it quite understandable when he is so insistent in opposing with Gimli's wish to swear some sort of oath about their quest, for example.

[ August 13, 2002, 22:29: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]