OT- LOTR fan discussion thread - SPOILER WARNING

[Growltigger]

Will,

I agree with you about Glorfindel/Tom Bombadil. Although the Tolkien purist in me rankles at no mention of Glorfindel (he was an Elf Lord!), Liv Tyler is a rather attractive substitute, and I DID like the way that the role of Arwen was boosted in the film.

Elrond I think was unfairly treated. He never had the "Elves only" mentality in the book - he was a half-elf himself!! He was the great machinator of the ring-quest and for fighting for Middle Earth. I didn't like the way he was portrayed in the film, nor the way that Arwen seemed to bounce between "shall I go mortal/shan't I?".

I have seen the extended edition of Two Towers and think that Faramir was still woefully underplayed. He was the Captain best loved by the Gondor armies, and his defence of Osgiliath, the Rammas Echor and the Retreat over the Pelennor Fields (before being shot by a Nazgul arrow) were brilliant. The movie missed out on this point for me. It would have been rather nice to make more of the love affair and marriage between Faramir and Eowyn, as they were both heroic.

The Saruman scenes were cut from the ROTK, and I do wonder whether the extended Version will show the dialogue between Aragorn/Gandalf/Saruman at Isengard where Wormtongue yaks the palantir at Gandalf.

Agree with you about the witch king. I just loved the lines "Feast on his Flesh" soon followed by "No man may kill me, I am not a man, I am a woman" - whop!! marvellous.

The other thing the traditionalist in me would liek to have seen was the army of the dead being used to wipe out the corsairs of umbar, the ships being loaded with the armies of Southern Gondor (as per the book), and Aragorn leading these to the Pelennor, so that it was a victory of men.

They should also have played up the bit where Aragorn and Eomer meet up after fighting through the armies of Mordor. Would have made a great movie moment IMHO.

Narf/Will, there wasn't a suicide charge in the book, unless you count the plan for the Battle of the Morannon at the end, which could have been classed as a suicide attempt given that they were hoping to distract Sauron from the hobbits!! THe action at Osgiliath was Faramir taking his rangers to reinforce the garrison, it was never inteded that it could hold, simply to do as much damage to the orcs when they attacked osgiliath as possible and then retreat to the rammas echor. Denethor actually says that the rammas echor (the curtain wall round the Pelennor Fields) should be defended - Osgiliath was a forlorn hope

Atrocities, the extended movies are a bit more like the books, but still not 100%, more like 85% but what they do do if make the movies make more sense

[ January 07, 2004, 10:13: Message edited by: Growltigger ]