The Return of the Flashback

[Tuor of Gondolin]

I thought PJ's flashbacks at the beginning of all three films (especially the
extended dvd for FOTR, were brilliant, especially for nonbook people, and
ironically were almost cut). And while as a general rule his added bits/alterations
tend to be the weakest parts of the films, the Boromir/Faramir flashback was
excellent, only marred by yet another example of his foolishness in his portrait of
Denethor. I've finally got what PJ's Denethor reminds me of (Shakespeare's
Richard III).

Sorry about this post. it was supposed to be edited from an above one.

[Noxomanus]

I liked all flashbacks (except the Arwen/Aragorn telepathy, wich was a waste of valuable time for me) but my favorite is probably in FotR when Gandalf thinks of his escape from Orthanc and then with visible pain answers Frodo: 'I was delayed.'

[Neferchoirwen]

Originally Posted by Noxomanus

'I was delayed.'

Plain and simple. His soft, apologetic smile in that scene is priceless.

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

Here are some of my thoughts. I like that, how there's a flashback at the beginning of all three films. It makes a nice "soft" start and kind of transports you in Middle-Earth (though I found the Smeagol strangling Deagol part very creepy).

When I first read the books, I was furious since Aragorn got married to some mysterious and strange elf instead of Eowyn. When I read the appendix, I was very contented with their marriage. So, if I hadn't read the story, without those Aragorn&Arwen flashbacks, I would have been quite confused. But somehow I think PJ gave the audience too much of their relationship (the horse-kissing part was quite superfluous).

In TTT EE the flashback of Gondor's victory is amazing (and there's the theme of Gondor playing...how could I not like it?). It's a little disturbing, though, that both Denethor and Boromir seemed to be very well informed about the Ring and it's powers. But the scenery is just breath-taking. And the scene is in my opinion very well placed in the movie. It's like we could peek into Faramir's mind.

[Essex]

off topic, but Tuor's point on

I've finally got what PJ's Denethor reminds me of (Shakespeare's Richard III).

reminds me of something I always think of when watching a particular denthor scene.

It was when he's dragging Pippin by the scruff of his neck and throwing him out the door with his immortal line "Go now, and die in what way seems best to you. " It was delivered in a totally different context to the one I always imagined when reading the books. In the books, Denethor (to me) sounded sincere and heart felt, but in the film, he seems almost as if he is toying with Pippin and (perhaps) ridiculing him. I was at first slightly annoyed by this, but then thought, hey why not? that's the scriptwriters' view of how they see Denthor speaking to Pippin. Why is my version any more 'right' than theirs?

I then realised that so much could be read into certain scenes and words in the book. Changing the way things are said can totally change the context, very much like the plays of Shakespeare, when one director has a totally different slant on a scene than another. This is obviously what keeps Shakespeare's plays fresh and interesting, and maybe this is why we go back to the LOTR books and discuss them again and again. There is so much to see and read, but maybe as importantly, so many VIEWS on what we 'see' in our mind's eye when we read LOTR (or sometimes when we watch the film)


back on topic. the smeagol/deagol scene, and it's placement at the start of rotk, was a work of genius.