[doug*platypus]

I really hated the Pippin-poke when I first saw it. Although I'm sure Ian McKellen had been looking forward to poking Pippin, ever since that fool of a Took killed him in Moria, it was a terrible thing to do.<P>But I <B>don't</B> think that it was a bad decision by the filmmakers. Gandalf's opinion does not prevent any of us from feeling warmth at Pippin's noble gesture. In fact, it probably shows us better that <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> Generous deed should not be checked by cold counsel. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>We end up thinking "Oi! Gandalf! No!" and thus learn the lesson a little better ourselves. We also feel for Pippin and the fact that he has been publicly rebuked by his superior. A lesson for all prospective parents or employers there.<P>It is a real shame that Pippin's loyalty turned out to be misplaced, and that Gandalf although rude was proved correct. But it is a comfort to think that Faramir's life was saved by Pippin being in the right place at the right time. We see Gandalf as not being completely beyond reproach, which is important I think. True, he's one of the good guys, but we should still judge him as imperfect on the way that he treated Pippin and Denethor. <P>Watching documentaries on Peter Jackson, I have come to appreciate the amount of thought behind each of the filmmaking decisions, and the high degree of knowledge of the text. Although frequently misguided, I think that there are actually times when they got it right. And those are the times when I can understand a minor deviation from the book if it still gets the point across.