LotR1-FotR-Seq01

[The Saucepan Man]

OK, there are quite a few differences between film and book identified even in just this opening sequence. For me, however, the main interest lies not in the fact that the differences exist but in their impact on the story told by the film.

Do they matter in the context of the film?

Do they set up a logical inconsistency or improbability (eg Isildur running into the water with full armour)?

If so, are they explicable (eg the foolishness of Sauron reaching for Isildur as an aspect of the arrogance that ultimately proves to be his downfall)?

If not, are they likely to be noticed by, or detract from the experience of, the audience as a whole, as opposed to purely book fans (eg does it really matter that Sauron loses a few fingers rather than just one)?

Are the changes merely a consequence of the need to attenuate the story or is it possible that they are a product of themes that Jackson wished to develop (eg the somewhat unsympathetic portrayal of Isildur as an aspect of the weakness of Men, setting up Aragorn's "you are Isildur's heir, not Isildur himself" theme)?

These are the kinds of questions that I think that we should be exploring when looking at the changes from book to film.

[Tuor of Gondolin]

I would rather PJ and friends hadn't been overobsessed with "story
arcs" in the theme of the weakness of men/Aragorn and kept more to
the more interesting book Aragorn, who is steadfast in his beliefs despite
the long odds of success. But in the movie's context SPM is quite correct.

I do appreciate PJ's keeping true to the subtle LOTR allusions to Eru's and/or the Valar's interventions in the story (in the prologue the "But something then happened that the Ring did not intend"), and the later Gandalf comment in Moria. Although I do wonder what non-book people made of such observations.

[alatar]

Originally Posted by The Saucepan Man

These are the kinds of questions that I think that we should be exploring when looking at the changes from book to film.

Nice post, SpM, as it summarizes some of the issues with our first sequence.

Think that my problem (one of many ) is that I cannot recapture that feeling that I had when I first saw FotR. I remember going, as my wife and I see about one movie a year (we rarely go anywhere without our small tribe), but not much detail. Can remember watching Galadriel in Lothlorien and thinking, "we can't be nearing the end of the movie, as I've only been sitting here for 15 minutes - 30 tops!"

And so my analysis is tainted as I've viewed FotR:EE countless times even before I started here at the SbS. I can only speculate how the de-fingering of Sauron was perceived that first time.

[mormegil]

Originally Posted by alatar

I can only speculate how the de-fingering of Sauron was perceived that first time.

I remember well my first time and I didn't find it odd in the least. In fact only in the EE do I find anything odd and that is something previously mentioned, by Mister Underhill I believe, and that is when Isildur put on the ring in front of the green screen and the battle is placed after the fact and it looks awful. I can find things now that seem a bit odd but the first time everything seemed perfect in this sequence though by RotK I began to notice I was a bit more jaded.

[Gurthang]

I didn't really notice the fingers or even think about them. The scene really isn't about the fingers at all, except they are gone from Sauron. What's more important is that the Ring, along with the fingers, is apart from Sauron. The focus is that the Ring and Sauron are separated. When watching the scene, a person's eye is drawn to the One in the center and pretty much disregards everything else in the shot.

By the way, Essex, you're right. Sauron being arrogant makes complete sense.

Also, I did see something odd in the Battle scene when Isildur puts on the Ring. It looked odd, but it really didn't bother me too much.

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Tuor of Gondolin

I do appreciate PJ's keeping true to the subtle LOTR allusions to Eru's and/or the Valar's interventions in the story (in the prologue the "But something then happened that the Ring did not intend"), and the later Gandalf comment in Moria. Although I do wonder what non-book people made of such observations.

There is very little to go on as far as the existence of Eru and the Valar are concerned in the films. Gandalf's speech to Pippin in Minas Tirith is the only scene that springs to mind as coming close, although there may be others. Certainly, in the Prologue, there is not much that someone who was not already a fan or who was specifically looking for religious themes would pick up on.

But your noting Galadriel's comment about the Ring's thwarted intention brings another point to mind. In the book, Tolkien establishes the Ring's identity as a character very early on, in Gandalf's discourse with Frodo in The Shadow of the Past. With this line, Jackson does the same. Audiences are encouraged to view the Ring as a character in its own right from the outset which, given its central role, is, I think, vital.

Originally Posted by alatar

I can only speculate how the de-fingering of Sauron was perceived that first time.

The only possible significance that I can think of, as far as "non-book fan" viewers are concerned, is the missed opportunity to establish a link between nine-fingered Sauron and nine-fingered Frodo. Although, given the immense time lapse between the films' respective release dates, I am not sure that this would really add much to their appreciation. I suspect that Jackson was more interested in having Isildur vanquish Sauron himself, rather than cut the Ring off his finger ex post facto. It does, I suppose, make for a more tense and exciting climax to the scene.

[alatar]

Originally Posted by alatar

I can only speculate how the de-fingering of Sauron was perceived that first time.

Note that this scene was meant to serve as an example, meaning that I'm not sure that I can recollect (wonderful word, that) how I viewed the movies the first time.

[Tuor of Gondolin]

Originally posted by SpM
"There is very little to go on as far as the existence of Eru and the Valar are concerned in the films. Gandalf's speech to Pippin in Minas Tirith is the only scene that springs to mind as coming close, although there may be others."
==============
I was specifically thinking of this instance when the
Fellowship was resting in the Mines of Moria.

"Frodo: I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.
Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work, Frodo, than the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the ring. In which case you also were meant to have it, and that is an encouraging thought. "

And in the book (not, I believe, the movie) Elrond makes an allusion
at the Council of Elrond. Something like: "I believe that this task is appointed
to (for?) you, and that if you fail the quest will fail."
(I think that's one bungled quote
but I don't have the book with me at the moment).

[Mister Underhill]

Originally Posted by SPM

For me, however, the main interest lies not in the fact that the differences exist but in their impact on the story told by the film.

Nice moderating work, Sauce -- great points in directing the conversation in a constructive direction.

I've already noted the stylized things that bother me a bit here, and will bother me more later down the (plot)line. As an example, I think Sauron's reach could have been executed in a way that was more believable (he's reaching out of arrogance... okay... but what's he reaching for?) and closer to the books, while still remaining short and to the point. I dashed this off in two seconds, but you get the idea:

				 GALADRIEL (V.O.)
		  But the power of the Ring could not 
		  be undone. 
 
SAURON swings his mace.  Warriors fly.
 
ISILDUR is knocked down.  His sword clatters out of his grasp. 
 
SAURON swings again.  GIL-GALAD ducks under flying bodies 
and drives Aeglos between the iron plates of Sauron's armor.
SAURON bats him away.
 
ELENDIL attacks from the other flank, but his sword shatters 
when it meets Sauron's mace.  Sauron crushes Elendil with a 
blow that flings him like a rag doll. 
 
THE SHARD OF NARSIL cartwheels through the air and sticks in 
the mud near Isildur.
 
				 GALADRIEL (V.O.)
		  It was in that moment, when all hope 
		  had faded, that Isildur, son of the 
		  king, took up his father's sword.
 
SAURON reaches for the crown on Elendil's bloody head--
 
With a cry, ISILDUR swings the broken blade of Narsil, severing Sauron's 
fingers--
 
The ONE RING flies from his body.
 
[etc.]

This take would be roughly as brief, maybe adding two or three shots, and would at least motivate Sauron's reach.

[davem]

Or

Sauron falls, mortally wounded by Aiglos, & crawls towards Elendil to grasp the crown. Isildur picks up the hilt shard of Narsil, walks over, stamps down on Sauron's wrist & slices off the ring finger...

[Mister Underhill]

Right, you could do it that way.

It occurs to me that I can see why Jackson doesn't want to execute it exactly as written in the books. If Sauron were slain and the Ring taken from his dead body, audiences will wonder, "How powerful is this Ring? It couldn't save him." They might not understand why a Sauron who regains his Ring would be so fearsome if he was already killed once while possessing it, a question even book fans might ask.

I think the answer has to do with Tolkien's theme of the overall waning of the greatness of Elves and Men from their glory days. The Last Alliance of Men and Elves could stand up to Sauron w/Ring and even bring him down -- but by the Third Age, most of the Elves have departed and the remaining Men are only shadows of their forebears.

Jackson's take seems to be: if not for a lucky stroke that separated the Ring from Sauron, he would have won. And woe betide the world if he ever gets the Ring back.

I'm not commenting on whether or not I agree with Jackson's perception of the story needs here, just speculating on what his reasoning might have been.

[Kath]

I'm not sure that davem's scene would work so well, as it seems to show Sauron as being weakened even with the Ring, and that is pretty much the opposite of what the filmmakers were trying to show. The general idea was that if the Ring is around then uh oh no win for the good guys. So to have him be defeated (or dying) while still wearing it, well it just doesn't work.

[Essex]

Please everyone sit down – I’m going to complain about a part of the movie I no longer agree with – Shock Horror!

After reading the Disaster of the Gladden Fields (as reminded to by Mr Underhill) – I now realise the story of Isildur, and not just from a LOTR Book/film perspective – I now know how Isildur himself realised his mistake in keeping the Ring – and that the Ring had to be returned to the ‘Keepers of the Three’ – and that he did not want to leave his men as is shown in the film version, but was almost commanded to by his son (?) into doing so, in effect stopping the forces of Sauron getting hold of the Ring.

But to deflect from this (brief) disagreement with the movie makers, I’d like to show a few points where they did a great job of conveying Tolkien’s story to screen.

Looking back on some comments I put together after LOTR was first released, I now realise how close (and what a good job of swotting up the guys did in some occasions) they came to being spot on with their adaptation.

I did a comparison of the whole movie and where they got their information / words from. For example, I like the way they use text from other books (other than lotr) – and not just the text of LOTR itself, but also the appendicies for info:


"Three were given to the elves, Immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings"

...tying up with the text from Silmarillion

Immortal were the Elves, and their wisdom waxed from age to age ……..Quendi shall be the fairest of all earthly creatures

Also:

"Nine rings were gifted to the race of men, who above all else desire power."

...against Silmarillion again…

But Sauron gathered into his hands all the remaining Rings of Power; and he dealt them out to the other peoples of Middle-earth, hoping thus to bring under his sway all those that desired secret power beyond the measure of their kind

and a final example...

"Darkness crept back into the forest of the world. Rumour grew of a shadow in the east, whispers of a nameless fear."

...paraphrased from Silmarillion

A darkness crept slowly through the wood from the southward, and fear walked there in shadowy glades…. It was the Shadow of Sauron and the sign of his return. For coming out of the wastes of the East he took up his abode in the south of the forest

Even the timings Blanchett mentions are very close:


"And for two and a half thousand years the ring passed out of all knowledge"

Time ascertained from the Tale of Years. - 2 Disaster of the Gladden Fields; Isildur and his three elder sons are slain - 2463 Déagol the Stoor finds the One Ring, and is murdered by Sméagol. Which equals 2461 years


"The ring brought to Gollum unnatural long life. For five hundred years it poisoned his mind."

Time ascetained from the Tale of Years - 2470 About this time Sméagol-Gollum hides in the Misty Mountains - 2941 Bilbo meets Sméagol-Gollum and finds the Ring. Which equals 471 years


Not bad! So I can forgive a few inconsistencies! Including one where Galadriel says “But they were all of them deceived. For another ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the dark lord Sauron forged in secret a master ring to control all others.”

In fact, in the Silmarillion again, it actually states

But the Elves were not so lightly to be caught. As soon as Sauron set the One Ring upon his finger they were aware of him…But he, finding that he was betrayed and that the Elves were not deceived, was filled with wrath

[Boromir88]

alatar, sorry the pic isn't working, I'll try to describe it. The Camera is down low, Isildur's lying in the water, the Ring is sinking and Isildur has his hand and arm out trying to grab it.

Essex, I thought Jackson did pretty good with the dates and times as well. As far as that type of info. When Gandalf reads Isildur's scroll he says " year 3434 of the Second age." In the appendices this is when The Siege of Barad-dur takes place, and Jackson condenses it to one battle and not a big 7 year siege. So, I think Jackson was well aware of the timeline of events.