The Good and The Bad - a Quick Look at the Movies

[Boromir88]

Haven't you seen 300?!?!~Matthew

That part of the movie was supposedly accurate (although the movie was based off the comic book, and the comic book wasn't in any way trying to stick to history). Anyway, the Persian Kings believed they were the master of nature. They believed they could control the seas, the land...etc. It was either Xerxes or Darius I, who during a storm, actually whipped the ocean to calm it down, of course following the belief that the Kings controlled nature. So, whenever Persian ambassadors went to other "kingdoms" as a tribute they'd ask for land and water. By giving them land and water you are accepting Persian rule and are in the Persian Empire. By refusing, the Persians would just come with an army and take it themselves.

Well, in true Spartan fashion, when the Persian emissaries came asking for "land and water." The Spartans pretty much said "We got plenty of that down there in this well" and threw the ambassadors into the well...or so how the story goes. And seeing as the Spartans were battle-hungry, blood-thirsty, beasts of combat it comes to no surprise they would treat the Persian ambassadors in such a way. In Gladiator the Roman ambassador rides back without a head, but look how the Germania tribes were portrayed in comparison to the Romans. The Romans get a very good portrayal in Gladiator (and probably the way the Romans would have liked themselves to be seen!), and the German tribes were depicted as ruthless barbarians, hence they decapitate the Roman ambassador.

Enough on 300 and Gladiator, even though they are two movies I love watching.

As far as Boromir's death, we actually get a pretty good account of the battle from Pippin in The Uruk-hai chapter. I believe Pippin describes the orcs coming in three waves, and on the 3rd, Boromir was finally slewn...Pippin says "Boromir made them fight" and a "rain of arrows always aimed at Boromir." In fact, Boromir had successfully driven off the Orcs and they were on their way back to camp when the 3rd wave came and they were just too many. So, we get a really good account from Pippin, sometimes people can exaggerate, but I doubt Pippin was doing it here. Pippin tells Denethor it took "many arrows" to slay Boromir, and this is supported by Faramir telling Frodo and Sam that there were "many wounds on him."

With that being said, I'm perfectly fine with Boromir's death in the movie, as it is quite possibly the greatest death fight/scene ever filmed. Not only does it stir up the emotions, but visually it is absolutely stunning. Not much more to say about it other than, I was shocked with amazement. Too bad Jackson couldn't treat Theoden's death the same way. I didn't have any time to reallyjust like that Gimli's prancing around the battle, cracking jokes and there's some elephant marshmellow dude gimping around.