[Azaelia of Willowbottom]

I think there probably was a way for Faramir not to be changed...and I do like your idea, but I think that perhaps there is a faction of the audience that isn't so patient as to listen to all that talking. I'm not saying that's me...but there are some people out there who don't really care to see Faramir sitting down to a chat with Frodo and Sam... and then another one with Gandalf and Pippin.

I enjoy acting, and just from an actor's standpoint, the way that the script was written for the movie is far more interesting than the book (though from a Tolkien fan's perspective, I prefer the book). There's much more of an arc and development in the movie, which makes it more fun to play...and translates into a more interesting performance onscreen for those certain people who can't appreciate just talking with very little action.

I love the books, but I appreciate that things sometimes translate differently to screen. Sometimes in order to keep things rolling, changes need to be made. PJ thought that showing Faramir as the person he was in the book would hinder the movie onscreen. I don't think he was right about the audience thinking that the Ring had lost its power, but perhaps the scriptwriters had come out with some drafts of Faramir being unchanged, and then they were rejected as not conveying the power properly or as slowing things down. There is a group of fans who are not true fans of the book and are just in it for action, and they may have been bored by all the talking that would ensue.

I don't mean to sound like I'm using all that as an excuse to validate the change. I was just as thrown by it as the next Tolkien fan, and I still prefer the book version. It's just that there were many elements to consider.