[Diamond18]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> Pippin&Palantir: I have a feeling that it will be cut out. They have so much to tell in three hours, that some things have to be left out. And even if that part is important, it isn't vital to the story. We'll have to wait and see. (like I had the patience for that...) <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>It's a lot more vital to the story than close ups of Liv Tyler's overbite.<P>The Palantír is very important to the plot. Essential. If Pippin does not retrieve the Palantír and look into it, Gandalf doesn't feel the need to spirit him off to Gondor. Pippin doesn't go to Gondor, Faramir dies. Not to mention you completely skip over the largest chunk of character developement for Pippin in the entire book.<P>If the Palantír isn't thrown out and retrieved by Pippin and given to Aragorn, Aragorn doesn't reveal himself to Sauron and Sauron doesn't become overly preoccupied with the world beyond Mordor, and Sam and Frodo are easily spotted.<P>Okay, I know PJ and Co. could find a thousand different ways around this important plot point if they really wanted to and felt they needed the time for more lucious lips shots of Arwen or increased tension between Aragorn and Éowyn. I could probably forgive them, too, because whatever they do (and I put nothing past them anymore) I can still read the book I have no problem with letting other people have their vision, however whacked. It doesn't hurt me.<P>But it really annoys me when people say that "oh, the Palantír and Pippin isn't essential so it will probably be left out." It's definitely essential to Pippin, perhaps the biggest turning point in his life. And Pippin is important to the plot. So there.<P>Oh, and Aratlithiel, if you look around here you'll see that a vast number of people agree with you about Frodo, and have talked about his movie characterization at great length.