Smell this, I think it's expired... - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

alatar · 06-10-2005, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lathriel

I was also thinking of the lighting of the beacons... Those moments all had a magical feel for me.

I would agree that the scenes/shots of the beacons blazing on the mountain tops etc were magical, yet this was just after the 'Pippin had to light the first one' stupidity, for which I've still never figured out the reasoning.

Gurthang · 06-10-2005, 10:03 AM

Well, PJ, being the expert Tolkien scholar that he is, decided that Pippin didn't have a big enough part, and so had him do many more things, like light the beacons. There is definitely reasoning behind it, if very faulty reasoning.

Originally posted by Lathriel

Quote:

I have to disagree with the people who say that ROTK has less magic. As soon as I read that I had to think of Gandalf on Shadowfax, leaving Minas Tirith to drive away the ringwraiths from the Gondorian army.
I was also thinking of the lighting of the beacons, Galadriel's phial, the charge of the Rohirrim, the Ring's destruction, and the grey havens. Those moments all had a magical feel for me.

I do agree that all those moments were magical. Yet there was so much that broke that magical feeling; it became almost jerky and bumpy. It was like 'OH! that was magical' followed closely by 'What the! Why'd he do that!'. Scenes like Pippin lighting the beacons and Gandalf's illegitimate confrontation with the Witch-King are what takes the magic back a step.

It's not that FotR had more magic, per se, it just didn't have those things that paused the magic and clouded the plot.

alatar · 06-10-2005, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gurthang

Well, PJ, being the expert Tolkien scholar that he is, decided that Pippin didn't have a big enough part, and so had him do many more things, like light the beacons. There is definitely reasoning behind it, if very faulty reasoning.

Oh, I knew what the real reason was for Pippin's part, but when watching the movie for the first time, couldn't get a handle on the 'Theoden's not coming unless he saw some fire on the hilltops' and Denethor was short on matches or something.

It made no sense, but it looked good.

davem · 06-10-2005, 03:22 PM

Sorry if this has been pointed out before, but did anyone else get the feeling from the writers/directors commentaries on films 1&2 that on the first one they all seemed to be very pleased with themselves & their achievement while on the second one they seemed to spend a lot of time apologising & making excuses for the changes they'd made to the story?

Don't know if this was self doubt creeping in or whether they were just trying to placate the book fans, but either way they seemed a lot more defensive on the second one.

Eruanna · 06-10-2005, 03:40 PM

Quote:

It made no sense, but it looked good.

It did look good, Alatar!
I can clearly remember sitting in the cinema and feeling the 'goosebumps' at that running shot of each beacon being lit, one after the other. It brought tears to my eyes.
The next time I saw it, however, I was struck by more practical considerations, like how on Earth the beacon-lighters (for want of a better title) managed to cling to the top of those extremely high peaks!
Maybe it's just a case of changes being made purely to elicit an emotional reaction. Like the Elves arriving at Helm's Deep, it didn't happen in the book, but it makes me want to cheer every time

Kath · 06-10-2005, 04:56 PM

This isn't so much a 'mistake' it just broke the mood of the film for me. We have the amazing tracking shot of the beacons being lit and we see the final being lit on the outskirts of Rohan and then we focus in on Aragorn - who immediately gets up and runs like some kind of crazed, I don't even know what, to the king. It's just such a mad movement! It made me laugh out loud in the cinema and I still giggle at it even now!

Gurthang · 06-11-2005, 09:50 PM

Hey, that's another one! It really disturbed me how Theoden initially said he would not go to Gondor's aid. Even putting the book aside, I hated that part!

06-10-2005, 03:22 PM	#4
davem Illustrious Ulair Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: In the home of lost causes, and forsaken beliefs, and unpopular names,and impossible loyalties Posts: 4,240	Sorry if this has been pointed out before, but did anyone else get the feeling from the writers/directors commentaries on films 1&2 that on the first one they all seemed to be very pleased with themselves & their achievement while on the second one they seemed to spend a lot of time apologising & making excuses for the changes they'd made to the story? Don't know if this was self doubt creeping in or whether they were just trying to placate the book fans, but either way they seemed a lot more defensive on the second one. __________________ “Everything was an object. If you killed a dwarf you could use it as a weapon – it was no different to other large heavy objects."

06-10-2005, 04:56 PM	#6
Kath Everlasting Whiteness Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Perusing the laminated book of dreams Posts: 4,533	This isn't so much a 'mistake' it just broke the mood of the film for me. We have the amazing tracking shot of the beacons being lit and we see the final being lit on the outskirts of Rohan and then we focus in on Aragorn - who immediately gets up and runs like some kind of crazed, I don't even know what, to the king. It's just such a mad movement! It made me laugh out loud in the cinema and I still giggle at it even now! __________________ “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”

06-11-2005, 09:50 PM	#7
Gurthang Sword of Spirit Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Oh, I'm around. Posts: 1,401	Hey, that's another one! It really disturbed me how Theoden initially said he would not go to Gondor's aid. Even putting the book aside, I hated that part! __________________ I'm on a Mission from God.