Pathos much?
Added 2019-01-07 18:49:25 +0000 UTCOn the other hand, it is the Last Alliance.
Speaking of which: was anyone else horribly bothered by the Other Last Alliance in the third LotR film? I always try to skip that bit when I can (just like Mumak-surfing Legolas). I felt that those Elves shouldn't have been there, and it was just PJ sneaking in some Silmarillion action.
Comments
In both quotes you gave, it looks as if PJ was totally missing the point. The Elves had had their time. They're a dwindling people (which he says elsewhere!), so they have no business at Helm's Deep. The second is even weirder. Of course there is no tension in the Faramir scenes in the book - it's the passage that serves as one final breathing space before everything goes down in darkness and despair. That's the altar he sacrificed Faramir on? Oh my! At times, the good stuff and the bad stuff of the movies feel so different in my head that I can't believe PJ was responsible for both. That the same man could have given us an absolutely ethereal and unkitschy vision of Elves that I'm sure was, at times, 100% times on par with what Tolkien envisioned - and then gave us Dwarves squabbling about vegetarianism, or an Istar of Aman with birdshit in his hair.
Jenny Dolfen
2019-01-08 19:18:47 +0000 UTCSo we can rant a bit about the Last to the LAST Alliance? Good. I remember Peter Jackson saying that he moved the Lórien people to Helm's Deep because to him it looked like the elves were doing NOTHING to help in the war of the Ring. Well, he could have shown some scenes here and there about Lórien being attacked (to see a little of the war in the north would have been a dream come true, but that would have involved far too much production) if he wanted elves in combat. Now, I liked his work overall but some parts of the book I think he missed the point of. I didn't know what to think when he said that the meeting of Frodo, Sam, and Faramir had been like someone inviting them to have a cup of tea, and there was no drama in that. Oh, enough rant already. I'm loving this new picture. ^^
Laura Michel
2019-01-08 19:12:39 +0000 UTCAgreed! I remember being utterly floored by the first film, and then in 2 and 3, there was more that bothered me. And you're right - the Hobbit drags the Lord of the Rings down, and that is sad. There is something I am almost forgetting as I'm taking it so much for granted, but Gwendolyn has just reminded me again - the LotR films, particularly the first, did something absolutely invaluable. It brought a sweeping, awe-inspiring, high and beautiful sort of Fantasy to the big screen that had only ever existed in the minds of Tolkien fans, and it has established that look for Fantasy for coming generations. I've forgotten all the travesties I've seen that were labelled "Fantasy" prior to 2001. Petersen's Neverending Story is about the worst.
Jenny Dolfen
2019-01-08 13:57:12 +0000 UTCAgree to all of this!
Jenny Dolfen
2019-01-08 13:51:33 +0000 UTCI don't skip it, per se, but I definitely count it as a bit of sparkly stuff and not really a part of the movie... I tend to forget it, much like the... surfing. And I am VERY excited to see Gil-Galad, he is fearfully dashing and impressive!
Ell
2019-01-08 11:45:06 +0000 UTCElven WiFi!
Jenny Dolfen
2019-01-08 10:16:05 +0000 UTCJust the right amount of pathos, I would say. 🙂 As for the elves in the film, there are things that I dislike more (such as those mentioned by Becca Lusher) and this change is justifiable for me.
Matěj Čadil
2019-01-08 00:12:53 +0000 UTCI love the films for their beautiful visual of Middle Earth, and some of the decisions PJ made I understand - he was trying to turn a book into a movie after all. But I definitely get upset when the elves show up at Helms Deep. Not only was it an unnecessary addition, but it takes away from the whole idea of the War of the Ring. It is through this war that Middle Earth passes into the hands of men, and they must defend it themselves. And since we’re listing grievances, the change that most angers me is what he did to Faramir.
Gwendolyn
2019-01-07 23:16:55 +0000 UTCPJ did a lot of strange stuff. I mostly loved the series first time around, but I am afraid the Hobbit travesty rather spoiled it for me.
Steven Tryon
2019-01-07 21:41:01 +0000 UTCOh, right! I avoid that scene so much I forgot where it was!
Jenny Dolfen
2019-01-07 20:55:48 +0000 UTCThis looks wonderful! Certainly not too much pathos, this is Mordor, people, and the Last Alliance, this has to be dramatic! Comcerning the movie - kind of divided feelings here. If I keep them separate from the books, these inconsistencies do not bother me. The problem is that I really cannot do that any more, with the Silmarillion, and 12 volumes of HoME in my head. 😃 So, yes, they should not have been there. I was especially annoyed by the episode where Haldir of LORIEN is bringing word from Elrond of RIVENDELL to Theoden in Helm's Deep. How long did the Fellowship journey from Rivendell to Lothlorien...? 😒
Zane Libiete
2019-01-07 20:55:34 +0000 UTCI AGREE: I do like PJ's adaptation of the LoTR (contrary to his Hobbit), but there are still some elements about it (i.e. what the team chose to keep or to dismiss vs. their nonsensical additions) which make me cringe, and that is one of them! Anyway, what you are creating is a wonderful depiction of the LA and I'm already in love with it! (and I wouldn't talk about pathos here tbh. Besides, as you say, it has to be somehow /dramatic/)
Litsen
2019-01-07 19:25:03 +0000 UTCLooks fantastic! And I can't remember the Other Last Alliance in ROTK - wasn't that at Helm's Deep? (Which yes, did annoy me.)
Paul Leone
2019-01-07 18:58:28 +0000 UTC
