I believe Tolkien would possess the intelligence to realize that his creation in book form could not be translated without modification to the big screen. I'd also assume that Tolkien would have the interest in exploring and understanding why certain things work well on the screen, others not, and some only after some massaging. My hunch is that he would be less inclined to condemn than some Tolkien purists, because he would be able to identify with a director struggling to make the pieces fit as a fellow artist, a creator of visions, what have you. He probably would have stuck to his guns in certain circumstances, no doubt, but I think he would be impressed over the number of new people that have embraced Middle Earth and since become fans.
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