Best Movie Setting

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Tuor of Gondolin

And I was disappointed at the small size of Edoras.

Like many (most in fact) of the settings, Edoras was just as I had imagined it. I have seen many comments to the effect that it should have been larger as it was the "capital" of Rohan. But Rohan was sparsely populated and many of its inhabitants remained semi-nomadic, tending to their herds on the plains and "living in camp and tent" (The Riders of Rohan). So I would not expect their settlements to be particulary large, and have never imagined Edoras to be a great city (in terms of its size).

As I have indicated, I was amazed at how accurately the films captured my own vision of most of the locations. Although I do wonder how much this is because my picture of Middle-earth has been influenced by the considerable amount of "Tolkien art" that I have seen over the years. After all, the two foremost Tolkien artists were central to the design team (and their work has itself influenced many others).

The only real disappointment for me was Fangorn. Its verges, where the Three Hunters come across the charred remains of the Orcs, lacked realism, particularly as the forest just "started" rather than gradually building up as (non-commercial) forests tend to. It looked more like a wall of trees. And Fangorn itself seemed much more like a set (which of course it was) than many of the other locations.