Did your View of the Characters change after seeing the films?

[Lobelia]

Originally Posted by Quirkette

I'm glad the 4 hobbits are handsome men in their 20's and 30's! When I first read the books, I pictured them as being vaguely middle-aged, and sort of dumpy and quirky looking.

Actually, go back and have another read. I think you'll find Frodo is the only middle-aged Hobbit and his youthful appearance has been preserved by the Ring. Pippin, the youngest, is 29. Merry and Sam are in their 30s and coming-of-age in Hobbit society is 33, so, really, it's quite appropriate to have them played by young men (and poor Sean Astin took all that trouble to put on weight so he could be a fat Sam only to have you call him handsome! ) [g]

Have a look, too, at the paintings by the likes of the Hildebrandts and Alan Lee and you'll find that they, too, portay their Hobbits as youthful.

That said, though I think Elijah Wood was very good in the role and I am happy to accept him, it was hard for me to imagine his Frodo as having the life experience of the one in the novel. I still play my recording of the BBC play and listen to a 24-years-younger-than-today Ian Holm in the role, and think, yes, that's Frodo!