Dumbing it down

[The Saucepan Man]

You mean it’s not legitimate to adopt contrasting arguments and tactics depending upon the nature of the discussion? But Bêthberry, that proposition runs counter to all of my professional instincts!

Actually I have never sought to deny anyone’s entitlement in this discussion to hold the views that they do. Nor have I ever sought to suggest that those views do not matter because they are outweighed by popular opinion. Indeed, I have been at pains to try to avoid giving that impression. I am simply trying to bring some perspective to the discussion. The fact remains that the views expressed concerning the films on this thread are restricted to a minority of the audience for these films. Whether the fact that they are held (to varying degrees) by a majority of those who hold the book most dear makes them any more valid would, I think, be an interesting discussion.

Not all popular films hold up over time, nor are all Oscar-winning movies remembered.

True. And there are a few real “stinkers” that have won Oscars (my opinion, of course). Titanic and Braveheart were both recently nominated amongst the top 10 “worst” films to win an Oscar, although they no doubt remain strong in the affections of many who saw them. My own perception is that the LotR films will hold up over time, since they have the same “groundbreaking” feel to me as the likes of Star Wars (the first) and Raiders of the Lost Ark. And I have a feeling that Jackson will become as much a household name as the likes of Lucas and Spielberg. But that’s just my opinion.

For my part, my qualms about the movies were based upon their filmic qualities and not upon their relationship with the antecedent text.

Now that’s the kind of discussion I would like to see more of on this Forum. It would certainly make a change to discuss the films as films, rather than simply by reference to the text upon which they are based.