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Lyta_Underhill · 01-08-2005, 08:54 PM

Yet another great thread idea from Fordim's endless reservoir of analysis and appreciation and lots of theorizing as well! I find it irresistible to add a bit of my own thoughts on this theme:

I must second and third the impact of the film Boromir on my appreciation of the books, as Sean Bean humanized the Great Man of Gondor into a man conflicted by his nature, who recognizes it and redeems his fall almost immediately and far-reachingly. If it had not been for this newfound appreciation for Boromir, I doubt I would have found the additional depths in Pippin, who subsequently became one of my absolute favorite characters. The resonance between Boromir and Pippin (and also parallelled by the Merry-Theoden and Pippin-Denethor relationships) fleshed out an important aspect of hobbit nature that I could not have lived without now that I think about it. This development tied together all of Middle Earth in an important way for me.

Another aspect of the movie that brought the book to new life were the Ents, an important subconscious image that buried itself deeply in my mind the first time I read the books and subsequently surfaced in strange ways over and over again throughout the years. Seeing them and watching their interactions with the newly expanded hobbits made my mind explode in a real 'faerie' way, if that makes any sense. It was almost like eating the faerie star Tolkien presents in "Smith of Wootton Major." But there were many things that gained this level as I re-read LOTR several times thereafter and finally made it through the Silmarillion (twice in a row...) and on to the other tales. It was like finally seeing a magical figure that had been standing in front of me and waving its arms frantically for years!

There is more, but I will probably have to return later to finish my thoughts. Great thread!

Cheers!
Lyta

01-08-2005, 08:54 PM	#8
Lyta_Underhill Haunted Halfling Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: an uncounted length of steps--floating between air molecules Posts: 841	Recovering what was hidden but never lost.... Yet another great thread idea from Fordim's endless reservoir of analysis and appreciation and lots of theorizing as well! I find it irresistible to add a bit of my own thoughts on this theme: I must second and third the impact of the film Boromir on my appreciation of the books, as Sean Bean humanized the Great Man of Gondor into a man conflicted by his nature, who recognizes it and redeems his fall almost immediately and far-reachingly. If it had not been for this newfound appreciation for Boromir, I doubt I would have found the additional depths in Pippin, who subsequently became one of my absolute favorite characters. The resonance between Boromir and Pippin (and also parallelled by the Merry-Theoden and Pippin-Denethor relationships) fleshed out an important aspect of hobbit nature that I could not have lived without now that I think about it. This development tied together all of Middle Earth in an important way for me. Another aspect of the movie that brought the book to new life were the Ents, an important subconscious image that buried itself deeply in my mind the first time I read the books and subsequently surfaced in strange ways over and over again throughout the years. Seeing them and watching their interactions with the newly expanded hobbits made my mind explode in a real 'faerie' way, if that makes any sense. It was almost like eating the faerie star Tolkien presents in "Smith of Wootton Major." But there were many things that gained this level as I re-read LOTR several times thereafter and finally made it through the Silmarillion (twice in a row...) and on to the other tales. It was like finally seeing a magical figure that had been standing in front of me and waving its arms frantically for years! There is more, but I will probably have to return later to finish my thoughts. Great thread! Cheers! Lyta __________________ “…she laid herself to rest upon Cerin Amroth; and there is her green grave, until the world is changed, and all the days of her life are utterly forgotten by men that come after, and elanor and niphredil bloom no more east of the Sea.”