[The Saucepan Man]

Hmm, may be I am missing something, but there appears to be much wailing and gnashing of teeth here over what seem to me to be some fairly trivial issues.

Working from memory, none of the issues being discussed here gave me any cause for concern or confusion when I first watched FotR at the cinema. Admittedly, it was some time since I had last read the book at that point, but this sequence of scenes seemed to me to pass pretty much as I recalled from the book. I think that I did notice the attenuated timeline, but it didn't impinge at all upon my enjoyment of the film. Watching it, it all seemed pretty logical to me. I therefore find it difficult to see how any of these issues can comprise real criticisms of the film, in the sense of making it any less understandable or internally credible.

To be a bit more specific:

The timeline is not the same as that of the book. But it works for me. It flows pretty logically and, essentially in film terms, swiftly. I am with those who say that an apparent gap of more than a few months, let alone a few years, would have created unnecessary confusion and destroyed the tension that Jackson carefully builds up in these scenes. To my mind, the attenuated timeline enhances the film as a film.

The Rider beheading the Hobbit is not an issue for me, one way or the other. If anything, it demonstrates the Ringwraiths as a physical, rather than merely a psychological, threat, and is therefore likely to make the need to escape them more real in the minds of most audience members.

I believe Gandalf's visit to Minas Tirith's library to be important, since it enables the audience to understand how Gandalf comes to discover that this is indeed the One Ring. It explains why the appearance of the inscription on the Ring shows Gandalf and Frodo that this is the One Ring. The more observant members of the audience (and those who have read the book) will realise that this would have involved a round trip of some months and so assume that this is how long Gandalf took. The issue will be irrelevant to less observant audience members.

I suppose that it is slightly against Gandalf's character to jump out at Frodo from the darkness. I understand Mister Underhill's point about avoiding the temptation to use a great shot or moment if it undermines other parts of the film. However, given that it did not occur to me as being out of character when I watched the film, I don't see it as a big issue. I should imagine that most people are too busy enjoying the moment of shock that it creates to worry about whether it is the sort of thing that Gandalf would do. It could also be argued, I suppose, that it serves to illustrate Gandalf's worried state of mind, as a result of his discovery that this may be the One Ring. He is so preoccupied with it that he overlooks how his sudden appearance will startle Frodo. Nevertheless, of all the points raised here, this seems to me to be the most valid.

The delay in the words appearing on the Ring is just not an issue for me at all. It is not inconsistent with anything else in the film. When we see Isildur with the Ring, the inscription is already there because the Ring was already hot when he picked it up. When the Ring falls into Mount Doom, the inscription appears after a delay, so that is entirely consistent with what we see here. In these circumstances, I see no reason why Jackson should not play around a little with the audience's expectations and use the moment to show the states of mind of Gandalf and Frodo in their words and expressions.

One point that I think could possibly cause confusion is the fact that it remains unexplained how Gandalf uncovered Gollum's story. However, since this point did not occur to me when I first watched the film, I don't see it as a major issue. We can assume that there was good reason for Gandalf to have this knowledge, without actually knowing the reason.

Finally, I don't think that it will occur to many to wonder why Gandalf considers it more important to visit the head of his Order than to accompany Frodo and Sam. The reason for Gandalf's visit to Saruman is well explained and credible in the circumstances. After all, he does not know that the Ringwraiths are in the Shire. The more likely audience reaction is: "Oh no! Gandalf's going of to see his boss leaving Sam and Frodo alone to face those Black Riders, because he doesn't know that they are so close." Thus, the situation contributes to the rising tension.

OK, so this post may sound like I am Jackson's apologist. In some respects I suppose that I am, largely because of my admiration for his immense achievement. But that does not hold true for the entire film trilogy. There are many changes from book to film that I think are worth challenging because they do create internal inconsistencies or because I think that a different approach could have made the films better. But I see little point in criticising changes for the sake of it, particularly ones which are, on any analysis, minor and which, in my humble opinion, do little to impair the film and, indeed, in some cases actually enhance it.