CT participate in HOBBIT films?

[Sauron the White]

Galin - I have never read Jane Austen or seen any of the films made of here works. I understand and appreciate that her work is beloved by many women who feel her characters speak to them. My comment about the page to page adaption is made after several frustrating years of discussing these matters with others. I have only joined this site within the last year but participated in these debates elsewhere too many times to count. The anti-film crowd almost always concedes in theory that you have to make some changes from a book to a film but when it comes to real instances, they find few that suit them preferring to state over and over and over again how much better it was done in the book. Davem has said many times here how his favorite adaption is the BBC radio series which was extremely faithful to the books in its almost lifting of the pages to the airwaves.

Perhaps my statement was made in slight exaggeration to make a point - but only slightly.

Robert Deniro in THE DEERHUNTER said "this is this... this isn't something else ... this is this." A book is a book and a film is a film and they are two very different things. This fact of life apparently does not sit well with some here who insist on confusing the two repeatedly.

Aiwendil - I have no problem with anyone criticizing the films because what was in them did not work well as a film. Its when people cannot understand or accept that a book and a film are two different things and they keep comparing the two that I get irked. Allow me to give an example.

In ROTK, we see the Battle of the Pelennor Fields in some length. At its conclusion, the Army of the Dead is seen in green scrubbing bubble form quickly overpowering Saurons forces and washing away his soldiers like so much comet cleanser on a filthy sink. It happens so fast and is done with such ease that it completely negates the previous scenes of heroism and sacrifice by the Gondorians, Rohirrim and other forces of good. What was the point of the masive calvary charge if the Army of the Dead was going to so easily save the day anyways? Jackson could have still used the Dead if only he had edited that few seconds of scene in which the green bubbling army washes over the battlefield and the city. It was far too easy.

That it a criticism of the Jackson films based on what happened in the films. It requires no knowledge of the books and stands alone apart from the books regardless if a viewer has read them or not read them.

But over and over again, we read here and on other sites how such and such a scene was not done as well as it was in the book. Boromirs death scene was too dramatic and dragged out too much in the scene and was far more subtle and sublime in the book. Arwens weakness was not right because it was not done that way in the book. Boromir never should have picked up the ring on the slopes of the mountain because it was not done that way in the book. And on and on and on.

If you want to criticize the films - and they certainly are not perfect and are fair game for criticism - do so in judging them as films.

In the excellent film THE COLOR PURPLE, based on the equally excellent book, the character of Celie is questioned by Shug Avery. Shug has been sleeping with Albert the husband of Celie and cannot understand why he is so kind and doting with her while with Celie he is a crude brute. Shug asks how does Albert treat her when she is away and only Celie and Albert are together.

and Celie gives a heartbreaking answer that describes the motivations of many anti-film people here -
"He beats me when you aint here. He beat me for not being you."