The Capturing of Myth

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by davem

I think this is why I agree with Tolkien's view that fantasy cannot be dramatised - its not about the script, the direction, the effects (Tolkien makes the point that it has nothing to do with how well those things are done), or the money, its simply the lack of creative input on the part of the audience. With literature we are involved. we participate in the sub creation, giving form to the places & people, so we became a part of it, with dramatisation we watch it happening 'out there'. Its the difference between being a player on the team & a spectator.

I do agree that, because the audience is less actively involved in them, the films will never be able to capture the "magic" of the books . This point was raised in the following thread, and is one which, I think, has much merit: Is all the "magic" gone? Because the films visualise everything for us, we lose that element of active imaginative participation in the story.

I do not agree however that the audience will, in consequence, necessarily find the characters and events portrayed in the films any less believable than those in the books. I will admit to a slight feeling of detachment, especially during my first viewing of the TTT film, as a result of the changes. This was because, as someone who had read read and loved the book many times before, the changes grated with me at first. But, once I got used to them, I was able to immerse myself completely in the films while watching them. This was especially the case with the film of RotK. They may have been telling a slightly different story to that told in the book, but it was nevertheless for me a totally engrossing one.

Ultimately I do agree with you davem. The full mythic quality conveyed in the book, particularly as a part of the whole (the Legendarium) can never be captured on film. The films don't form a part of the Legendarium, nor do they have the potential to add to our "mythic" experience. But I don't see this as a reason not to make them, or to regard them as failures. After all, this was not what they were aimed at achieving.