Films gain major convert

[Sauron the White]

I am sure many of you are aware of the excellent site The Tolkien Library run by Pieter Collier. It is a great way to keep up with print news regarding JRRT and Middle-earth. They have a feature article which came out over the weekend titled BEST TOLKIEN BOOKS OF 2007. Among the books featured was The Frodo Franchise by Kristin Thompson.

The Collier site says this about the Thompson book:

This is one of the books that I enjoyed a lot. It was even hard to put down and I had to read it until the end before I could let it go. On the inside flap of the book The Frodo Franchise, to be published on the 1st of August 2007, we read these words by Tom Shippey and this is exactly how I feel about this book:
"This is the best all-around view of the Tolkien phenomenon. Thompson understands the books, she understands the movies--she also understands the money and the franchising. Best of all, she understands the people. Thompson offers cultural criticism of the highest order, examining one of the most significant shifts in contemporary popular media." It is a must read for any Tolkien fans. I have always been very much against the movie adaptions, but now have changed my view almost completely - thanks Chrisitine Thompson! Read an interview with the author here.

The part I felt was worth noting was the sentence near the end where the author says they were "very much against the movie adaptions, but now have changed my view almost completely..."
Looks like the Purist camp has a major defection and the film buffs have gained a well known convert.

[Thinlómien]

I really don't understand the division of fans to film buffs and purists and making these two camps opposite to each other and having some sort of class wars... Plain silliness, if you ask me.

[davem]

I think a 'major convert' would be someone like CT or Verlyn Flieger.....

[William Cloud Hicklin]

Shippey was never a Purist in the first place. At best a Pragmatist.

[Bêthberry]

I think hyperbole is simply a functional aspect of StW's style.

That might explain his taste in movies too.

[Lord Gothmog]

Looks like the Purist camp has a major defection and the film buffs have gained a well known convert.

And who would that be then????

This is the best all-around view of the Tolkien phenomenon.

Perhaps, maybe I will have a look.

Thompson understands the books, she understands the movies-

And I suppose no one who dislikes the films in any way can possibly do so?

she also understands the money and the franchising.

And??

Best of all, she understands the people.

And which people would that be?

Thompson offers cultural criticism of the highest order, examining one of the most significant shifts in contemporary popular media.

Good I could do with fertiliser for my garden.

It is a must read for any Tolkien fans.

Why? Tolkien fans did not need someone to tell them that 'The Hobbit', 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'The Silmarillion' were good books. They told the critics. So why would Tolkien fans need someone to tell them that they should fall down and thank the divine PJ for what he put on screen. I make up my mind on what PJ showed me the same as I did with what Tolkien showed.

I have always been very much against the movie adaptions, but now have changed my view almost completely

Perhaps he should have watched the films before making up his mind. Personaly, I was dubious of the claims I had heard for the films and knew that they would not fallow the book as some said. So in watching them I found that while I disliked the unnessasary changes make to the story by PJ, overall the films were for the most part enjoyable. I very much doubt that increasing understanding for the rubbish will change my view of them which can be summed up by a Meatloaf song. "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad".

[zxcvbn]

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

I really don't understand the division of fans to film buffs and purists and making these two camps opposite to each other and having some sort of class wars... Plain silliness, if you ask me.

Well, usually it's the purists who seem to draw the battle lines. Many seem to have the opinion that the terms 'movie lover' and 'hardcore Tolkien fan' are mutually exclusive; that only purists are real fans of the books and movie-ists barely know anything about them. Plus there's a 'I'm better than you' feeling among them.

No offence to barrow-downers; I'm talking about various other purists I've found over the internet that made my blood boil with their attitudes.