If the Children of Húrin was filmed...

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

What would worry me is that the story of Turin is so at odds with the typical fantasy action blockbuster. Essentially it's about a man who wants to be a hero and champion of good, but who ends up destroying almost everything he touches. He kills his most loyal friend, gets his sister pregnant and helps to bring about the destruction of one of the chief Noldorin cities. Nearly everyone who follows him or helps him ends up dead, as do most of the people he tries to protect; and much of it is due to his headstrong and undisciplined pride, which is a virtue in action films. A film would probably feel it needed to make him more conventionally heroic, give him some more victories and mitigate his worst mistakes. The incest between Turin and Nienor would almost certainly be dropped to keep the age rating down. Finduilas would become the obvious replacement, so she would have to be kept alive at least long enough to take Nienor's place in Brethil; poor old Mim would be simplified into the archetypal treacherous comrade. Don't even get me started on what would happen to the dialogue.

Copyright expires eventually, so just make the most of what will probably be a great book. Perhaps by the time someone can legally film it the film industry will have grown up enough to do it justice. Maybe there'll even be support for a British production by then; a creative response from Tolkien's home country, although I doubt it. In any case I don't think I could bear to see Tolkien's most tragic hero turned into a marketing vehicle for action figures and console games. Beleg Strongbow Happy Meals, anyone? Spare me.

[Mithalwen]

I cannot imaginae any movie dragon as scary as the Glaurung that walks my imagination. Anything CGI is so deeply unfrightening to me - how much more effective is the horror of films such as The Others or the Blair Witch Project where you see just about nothing....

Whiole I share a lot of Squatter's fears, I can imagine a few "art house" directors who might do a very good job but the chances of them getting the chance int he face of Studios wanting to cash in on the lucrative action film market...

Of course it would make a wonderful Opera ... a genre which would be unlikely to baulk at incest or nudity.

[Lalaith]

Somebody like Derek Jarman could have made a very interesting version...or the guy who made Pan's Labyrinth.

[davem]

Of course the movie rights lie with the Estate & there's no reason to believe they will put them up for sale any time for soon. CT has stated that LotR was unsuitable for (visual) dramatisation & there's no reason to believe he feels differently about CoH. Adam Tolkien in a recent interview seemed to be less opposed to the possibility & it seems Adam will take over the CT 'role' when he passes on. So, its possible the rights will become available - & then we'll be back to the whole 'Cash or Kudos' situation.

Not as simple as it seems.... The family may prefer 'Kudos', but they could make a lot of money from selling the movie rights & as the rights are held by the Estate, which is a charity, they could do a lot of good by selling to a big studio & using the money to help good causes.

Of course, if they were prepared to sell the CoH movie rights one assumes they would be prepared to sell the rights to all Tolkien's works.

The whole situation is very unusual these days, where the movie rights are sold along with the book rights as a matter of course. It seems that the very fact that the rights have not been sold yet is a deliberate choice on the part of the Estate - they must have been asked by the publishers (not to mention hassled by studios who would kill to get their hands on the new work).

I agree with Lalaith that the director of Pan's Labyrinth would make a very impressive job. However, I fear that the studios would turn out something along the lines of 300 Hollywood seems more comfortable with presenting (& justifying) extreme violence (Glauring would make it) than 'difficult' themes (as Squatter states a 'hero' could not commit suicide, let alone incest - the 'moral majority' would have apoplexy).

Studio execs will know nothing of the story than that it is a 'new' novel from the guy who wrote LotR & they'll pay whatever for the rights without caring to find out. Once they got the rights they'd immediatley start excising anything that would upset the MM - one only has to look at the way Pullman's HDM has had negative references to 'God' removed. The rights to HDM were bought because the book was popular, the contents are basically irrelevant to the studios because movies cost so much to make that they want as much publicity as possible - buy a popular book to adapt & you've already got a ready audience. Once they're in the cinema you can feed them something safe & simple..

[Thinlómien]

Originally Posted by Legate

Of course, not speaking of the visual effects. But this, on the other hand, I think is not important for a Tolkien fan. Or at least I feel it like that.

Well not the most important thing, certainly, but if I saw a very beautiful Beleriand (in the trailers etc) and it looked like I had imagined it, I think I'd still go to see the film, even if I knew the story would be spoiled. (After all, I could speak bad about the movie with a good reason afterwards... )

Squatter, I think you're right but I hope you aren't. The scenario you show us is certainly quite pessimistic. I wouldn't like to see that kind of Narn i Hin Húrin. The incest and the suicide are very important for the plot and they make the story so tragic. Also, as you said, if everything was simplified in that blockbuster way, the result would be quite disastrous mass action film (like Legate already pointed out).

[Sauron the White]

If and when a film is made I predict that it will quickly divide followers and readers of Middle-earth into the same two camps that formed over the LOTR films. It is obvious to me that there are many things in COH that are simply death to a good money making successful film. The incest angle plus the complete downer of a story simply is not what epic fantasy films are made about. I would guess that a filmmaker would play that down - or eliminate it altogether. The epic heroic aspects would be emhpasized. You then get what may make for a better and more marketable film (see boxofficemojo.com for grosses of LOTR films) but incur the wrath, anger and ire of the purist community. And thus the entire thing continues on and on an on.

It would be very nice if people would accept that a book and a film are different. What makes for a great book does not necessarily make for a great film. And vice versa.

CT can take the position that he wants Middle-earth to be the books and not what is seen on the big screen. It is easy to take that position when you made millions of dollars out of increased revenue from the actual books sale due to film tie-ins including CT approved covers with film photographs. Yes, CT and the Estate did not join in film profits. But lets not fool ourselves that they did not profit greatly from the films spurring greatly increased book sales. He has been able to have his cake and eat it too. I wonder if the subsequent heads of the Estate can afford to do likewise without a revenue stream like CT has enjoyed over the last five years thanks to the LOTR films.

[Mithalwen]

And it is easy to slate Christopher Tolkien... but in fact the incidental revenue from the LOTR films has been given to charity through the Tolkien trust.

There is a link to the audited accounts elsewhere on the site.

[William Cloud Hicklin]

Originally Posted by Sauron the White

film tie-ins including CT approved covers with film photographs.

Negative. CT has no control over book covers, except to the extent HC and HM might consult him as a courtesy. He opposed film tie-in covers, but was overruled.