Was Christopher Tolkien right?

[Child of the 7th Age]

Thanks so much to everyone who has responded to this question. There are many good ideas here, too many for me to comment on all of them, but let me point to just a few.

So much that makes the story so rich is in the details and layering of history and poetry and relationships. Those sorts of things do not translate well to screen

Greyhavener, I totally agree. In my heart of hearts, I have begun to think that CT is right. Certain things transfer more easily to cinema than others. To me JRRT and his writings are rich with layer upon layer of meaning, and that is just not easy to transfer to the medium of film.

PJ came very close with the hardest parts, the feel of it all, largely I think because he got Howe and Lee to do the sets and such instead of relying onm people with a fraction of the talent and love for the books.

Yes, I ended up going to TTT several times the weekend because each member of my family elected to drag me along when they went! And I finally decided that the right way to watch this movie was to plug my ears, and focus instead on the visual feast in front of me. Once I did that, the movie came as close to Middle-earth as I am likely to get on this planet.

I think the question is really one of audience. Peter Jackson has conceived of his audience as one fed by film rather than by book, particularly the swashbuckling Star Wars adventures, and so Lucas' films are touchstones by which PJ connects with audiences today.

Bethberry--This is an interesting point, although I'm not sure if I agree with your most optomistic overall assessment. But I think you make a good point that this particular adaptation was heavily influenced by PJ's conception of his audience as coming to him via Star Wars. In commercial terms, he is undoubtedly right.

I would add just one more point. The background of the filmaker also plays a critical role. I used to get very frustrated every time I saw Frodo the "victim" come on screen. Now I keep reminding myself that this director has prior background in horror films. So we are actually looking at characters like Frodo and Theoden through the eyes of someone who sees them through that particular prism.

sharon