Radagast the Brown

[Keeper of Dol Guldur]

Well, the internet got hold of a pic of Decipher's Radagast the Brown card (see TheOneRing.net to find a pic). But anyway, as cool as he is, if they went to the trouble of designing a costume for him (and the other characters) and casting them . . . why not go to a bit more trouble and shoot the bonus scenes they'd be involved in? Radagast's scene would be only a few minutes long . . . maybe they could have moths fluttering around him to give us a little connection as far as the eagle. In the card pic, there's finches flying around him and roosting.

It just seems to me that if they're going to go casting the parts, why not incorporate the parts . . . idle fancy yes, but they did go to all the trouble . . .

Any thoughts? (Obviously everybody already discussed the hell out of putting the missing characters back in and special special editions and all that, I just wanted to note that the guy in the Radagast outfit seems like he's right out of the movie . . . so maybe he should be).

[Imladris]

Well, I don't have the time and go find the pic, but if he was supposed to be in the movie and was cut, I can give at least one good reasons why he was.

Imagine a Tolkien Newbie seeing FotR in theatres. Suddenly, it is cut to an old man with moths circling around him and then it cuts back to Orthanc or whatever. Who is he? Why doesn't he appear for the rest of the movie? Why was he even there? The way you're putting it, there would be no name or chance of introduction. If they wished to have him send Gandalf to Saruman, that would take even more screen time, yet another actor to play, etc. Remember, PJ and crew didn't have all the money in the world.

That's why. Even thought it would have been nice for Tolkien fanatics like us, it really would't have been possible.

Another reason is that Radagast doesn't forward the plot at all. He's just kind of there.

[Essex]

I know you've picked up the 'doesn't forward the plot' from Jackson, but MOST if not ALL characters, minor and major, further the plot of Lord of the Rings with their actions.

If it were not for Radagast, then Gandalf would have remained imprisoned in Orthanc, and just imagine the domino effect that would have. Gandalf himself states how important it was that he met Radagast, and that Saruman himself made the mistake of 'using' him in the first place.

What's more believable? A wizard passing on news to Gwahair or a moth? I know what I'd put MY money on.......

[Imladris]

As far as I can tell, it's perfectly logical to assume that a wizard can communicate with a moth (now, I don't know if Gandalf could do it since I haven't read all of Tolkien works, but I'm talking strictly movies here). The fact still remains that they would have had to introdcue another character that would not appear in the films again. That costs time, money, and a potential lull that could possible bore viewers (remember a book is different that a film). A theatrical release can't be as long as a director jolly well wants it to be. There has to be a limit. If he had put Radagast in there his screen time might have taken time away from a more important part of the story.

And yes, you're right. Radagast was influential. But we still got Gandalf there with a plausible reason. Or would you have preferred PJ to go through the back story about why Gandalf wouldn't trust the head of his order and that's why he didn't go to him immediately but had to be sent there by Radagast? Actually, if you read the part in FotR again, Radagast had just come to warn Gandalf about the Nazgul and that if he wished aide to go to Saruman....

The way PJ did it, he killed two birds with one stone.

However, I can tell that this argument could run in circles so this shall be my last post on the subject.

[Essex]

Let me explain. I am not saying that Jackson had to have all the characters in the film (it would have to be a mini series over a number of years to do this)

What I am saying is that when Jackson (and others) say that the characters do not forward the plot HE IS WRONG.

I understand that Jackson has to amalgamate characters, leave some out and come with other (mothy) ideas, but to say that the characters do not forward the plot is incorrect.

[Noxomanus]

I can fully understand why Radagast wasn't in the movies,but I'd love him to be. Though many of you might not agree with me I'd have loved PJ to enlarge Radagasts role like he did with Arwen. I surely know I'd have appreciated it much more to have far less Arwen and just a little Radagast.

[Imladris]

Just to clear something up real quick. I do not believe (nor did I say) that PJ said that Radagast didn't forward the plot. That is what I said:

Another reason is that Radagast doesn't forward the plot at all. He's just kind of there.

Now, I don't know if he ever said that or not. That's what I conjectured and I still hold that Radagast didn't have a major part in the general plot (though he did move it along). Feel free to disagree with me.

BTW, everything in my previous posts have been mere speculation deduced from what I've seen in the Appendixes on the Special EE and stuff I've heard Jackson say in referral to other things.

[Essex]

Imladris,

Cool. And what I meant is that I've heard Jackson and his cronies generally use the 'non plot forwarding' excuse many times, but incorrectly. I have not heard him mention Radagast at all either. I just cheekily put forward the point that you were copying Jackson's line of thought on minor characters.

One of the things I love about the books is the way that 'small' (inasmuch as the number of pages they take up) characters have essential parts to play in the books, that without them there would be major, perhaps catastrophic, consequences.

I believe a new thread is required at the books section on this, so I'll start one up. Take a look if you're interseted, Imladris.

[Silmiel of Imladris]

I looked up this picture on theonering.net and was suprised to find other cards with Tom Bombadil, Goldberry, and Glorfindel. I guess the elf that was next to Elrond at Aragorn's crowning was not Glorfindel as was suspected. In my opinion PJ never intended to put these characters in the movie and just used them as publicity and shots for the card game only.

[chucks888]

Raddy looks great.

[manaratowen]

from what my card dealer told me is that for the characters that where not in the movies, decipher is goin to kinda take digital pics, and blend them in with a computer background to make up the cards for anything after return of the king block. i havent gotten my tom or goldberry cards yet, and i havent seen them online, so i dont know how they are gonna look, but my card guy says they look like the pics where takken from a movie. but that is just what i heard.

Now, I may be completly wrong here, and if I am, I apolagise. There is a Lord of the Rings trilogy box set coming out, Im not sure when, but it is possible that there is more footage and or a longer and mroe detailed look at some of the other things in the books, like radagast, the wild men just to name an example.

[Elianna]

Here's a link to the card list we're talking about:

*click*

Might not work, technical things don't like me...yeah! It does work!

Tom, Goldberry, and Radagast looked cool. I'm glad that elf behind Elrond wasn't Glorfindel; he was...un-attractive...This Glorfindel's cool, although the card says he's revealed in his wrath, and he doesn't look scary, but at least he has a cool sword. Ah, sword....*drool*...

[The Saucepan Man]

I doubt that these (Radagast, Bombadil, Goldberry and Glorfindel) are anything to do with the film. I would imagine that the photographs were taken specifically for the card Game.

I stand to be corrected, though, if anyone has any better information.

I do, however, share the hope that the Elf behind Elrond in the wedding scene of RotK was not Glorfindel, as I never imagined him as a camp Bulgarian weight-lifter.

[Boromir88]

Radagast didn't really have any control what Gwaihir did or any of the Eagles. Radagast only sent Gwaihir with the intent to get news about Gandalf, which Gwaihir agreed to do, not to rescue him. Gwaihir rescued Gandalf because he was in Gandalf's debt, Gandalf healed Gwaihir from a poisoned arrow so Gwaihir owed him one. Also, Manwe was in control of the Eagles. However, if it wasn't for Radagast's sending of Gwaihir, Gandalf would have never been rescued. But Radagast only told Gwaihir to bring news about Gandalf, not rescue him, Gwaihir decided by himself to save Gandalf. I would have liked to of seen Radagast in the movies but I don't think he was important enough it would have only confused people.

[Kath]

I'd have loved to see more of the "small" characters in the film. I mean I know that it would have cost money and caused plot problems but actually they could haev ahd Radagast in it and made a plot about Gandalf mistrusting Saruman around it. Because in the film he seems to suddenly become evil with very little explanation.

MAn of the dancing sauce pan, on decipher's site there is a card for glorfindel, if you chance to look, he in the reflections set

[Guinevere]

I've looked at this "Glorfindel" trading card picture and was dismayed! He looks like a kid and weak and silly. Nothing at all like the powerful beautiful elflord that Tolkien describes in "many meetings" . If given a choice, I'd rather have the Elf standing behind Elrond at the wedding !!
In any case I prefer my own imagination...

[Noxomanus]

Just a thought...could there be a Radagast if The Hobbit is made into a movie? I'm almost sure it'll include scenes of The White Council attacking Dol Guldur and Radagast's likely to have been there,is he? Also,they could then include the line where Gandalf asks Beorn: 'Perhaps you know my cousin Radagast who lives on the southern edges of Mirkwood?'

[Essex]

that's a good point about the white council and the attack on Sauron being in the hobbit film.

this will be the only way they could explain the contstant toing and froing of gandalf from the book.

I remember at school when we read the Hobbit, we were always taking the mick out of Gandalf constantly leaving the dwarves to their own devices. "Where's he *$%!ing off to now?" This wouldn't work in the movie, so we will hopefully be shown the reason why.......

The confrontations between Gandalf and Saruman (mentioned in unfinished tales, etc) would be fantastic. Just imagine the scene where Gandalf blows the smoke rings infront of Saruman's face, grasps for them and they vanish......