How is it to have watched the movies first? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Macalaure · 08-02-2006, 08:11 AM

I belong to those people around here who only came to read the Lord of the Rings after the Jackson-movies came out. Though I watched the Bakshi one when I was a child and liked it (!) and knew several people who read the book, it only made it on my "books I'm going to read somewhen"-list and somehow never to the top of it. Then I watched Jackson's Fellowship and Two Towers and they were simply awesome to me.
So I finally read the books and it made me end up here.

Sometimes people who were fans (long) before the movies (the vast majority here, I'm convinced) speculate on how it is to have been introduced to Middle-earth by Jackson (most recently Mithalwen on the "What did Christopher Tolkien think?"-thread). So, to get some first-hand information, my question to my fellow movie-first readers is: How is/was it to you?

How significant or important are the movies for you today?

In how far has your reading been influenced by it?

Did you have difficulties making your own picture of Middle-earth because of having Jackson's picture in the back of your head?

How do you like the movies now?

There are plenty of questions like this you can ask. I'm curious about your experiences and will share my own soon.

I think this might be quite interesting since, from now on, most new readers will come into contact with Jackson first.

SarumanCymraeg · 08-02-2006, 11:44 AM

I also saw the movies first, Macalaure, so let's try and answer some questions!

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How significant or important are the movies for you today?

The movies were very important for me, because without the movies I would never have bothered to read Lord of the Rings (nor gone on to read The Hobbit, the Silmarillon and other stories). So, for me personally, incredibly signifiant.

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In how far has your reading been influenced by it?

Not much.

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Did you have difficulties making your own picture of Middle-earth because of having Jackson's picture in the back of your head?

Yes; most things in the movies I transfer when reading the book. However, I must admit that is doesn't bother me. The scenery was amazing, and the characters were, for the most I believe, superbly casted. But I still have my own imagination on how Dol Guldur looks, or Erkenbrand or whatever etc etc

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How do you like the movies now?

I still love them. They're an interpretation, and while I myself get frustrated at some parts I take them as they are and think they're superb. One must accept that when making a movie from the book it simply isn't going to be the same and should be took at a cinematic level, not a literary one. And cinematically they triology are some of the best movies ever made.

However, I really would have liked to see more Elves and certainly more Dwarves (maybe someone could have had a monologue talking about Lothlorien being burned and Dale and Erebor being attacked). Because, not knowing the plot when I saw the movies, I just kept thinking "where are the Elves and Dwarves to help?", and loved when the Elves came to Helm's Deep. Although, I'm not too sure about that after reading the books!

Personally, I'm happy that I saw the movies first, though, because if I had read the books first then I wouldn't have enjoy the triology which I love to much.
I like to think that even what Tolkien wrote is actually an interpretation of the history of Middle-earth. I don't believe that anyone (apart from JRR himself) should consider themselves guardians of the literature.

The best thing about the movies, though, is that they have introducted LOTR to a whole new, wider audience, and that's certainly a good thing.

Elrowen Tinúviel · 08-02-2006, 01:07 PM

I had read The Hobbit long before the movies came out... and when they came out was when I first started reading the Fellowship... I wanted to read the books before I saw the movies. Didn't happen. After seeing the movie though, I promptly devoured the rest of the books.

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How significant or important are the movies for you today?

I love them... granted there are things that I don't like, but I can understand a bit of why they made some of the changes that they made.

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In how far has your reading been influenced by it?

Not much... it helped with the Elvish pronounciation to hear it... (I'm extremely auditory - therefore hearing it spoken (albeit perhaps with errors, I'm not sure) helped a great deal).

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Did you have difficulties making your own picture of Middle-earth because of having Jackson's picture in the back of your head?

Not really... some things though, inevidably were influenced, like some of the character's appearances, and the land, but not much.... Faramir still has black hair in my mind, for instance.

Quote:

How do you like the movies now?

I love them! Except like I said, stuff irritates me. The Elves were not supposed to show up at Helm's Deep, Haldir wasn't supposed to die there. Faramir never was going to take the ring, Frodo never sent Sam away... oh, and Elladan and Elrohir were supposed to show up with the Rangers!
Other than stuff like that... I love them.

But what it all boils down to is... Peter Jackson has his view of Middle Earth, I have mine, and probably everybody else has their own version of the tales.

~Elrowen

Macalaure · 08-02-2006, 02:13 PM

Don't restrict yourselves so closely to my questions. Those were just general ideas.

When I read LotR for the first time the way to Bree went quite slow, compared to the rest. The speed of the narration is slower in this part anyway, but the many scenes that weren't in the movie or were very different had me a little disappointed. But maybe this was just because I'm not that big a hobbit fan: I didn't find the Scouring of the Shire that interesting, too, even though I read it before the Return of the King came out. I liked chapters like the Shadow of the Past and the Council of Elrond because they finally gave some much-desired background information. Interestingly, my favourite parts of the trilogy today are Book 5 and the end of Book 4 - parts that weren't in the first two movies. Coincidence, maybe.

On my first reading my mental images were very movie-influenced. I even had Elijah Wood as Frodo in my mind, though I knew of course that it was completely wrong. This has changed by now. I think I can say safely that I now have a complete set of own imaginations, though quite a few of them don't differ much from the movies (the look of Orthanc, for example). The scenery of the movies was mostly very good and fascinating.

Having my own images had a strong effect on my feelings while watching the movies. I still like to watch them for fun and I still say that they are great - as movies, but they don't manage to transfer me to Middle-earth anymore. Now only the books do.

One strange thing that occurred to me is that, when reading or imagining a corresponding scene, I hear the soundtrack in my inner ear. I admit that I like this. The music, with few exceptions, was brilliant to me, and the books were not able to create their own soundtrack in my head - at least not yet.

Even though the significance of the Jackson-movies has dropped for me, I will always hold them in high regard because it was them who introduced me to Tolkien and Middle-earth, which has now become a part of my life.

davem · 08-02-2006, 03:00 PM

I suppose its inevitable. With me its the BBC Radio series that overshadows my readings of the book (even though I'd read it once before hearing the series). I always hear the actors voices & the series music in my head. It certainly helped with my pronunciation.

One effect the movies have had is that I have difficullty reading the De-luxe edition of LotR with the Alan Lee illustrations, because they bring the movies too strongly to my mind & conflict with my own images.

Certainly I think its difficult not to recall some scenes from the movies when reading the books. I tend now to read copies of the original paperbacks which Lalwende bought for me a while back (I'd lost the ones I bought when I was 16). Reading them transports me back all those years & helps me keep the movies at a sufficient distance.

So, for me, the movies are not much of an influence, but I can't (& don't want to) separate the radio series from my reading of the book.

Lush · 08-03-2006, 04:14 PM

Well, I saw the first one before I ended up reading the book, so...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Macalaure

How significant or important are the movies for you today?

I own the full special edition set. Sometimes I put on FotR in the background when I'm moping about/trying to write. It helps. Lots of Legolas Love & general admiration for Ian McKellen's peformance.

Quote:

In how far has your reading been influenced by it?

I think in the beginning it was pretty ifluential, but over the years, that influence has ebbed away. The films & the book are two very distinct entities in my mind.

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Did you have difficulties making your own picture of Middle-earth because of having Jackson's picture in the back of your head?

Er... no. I have a fertile imagination.

Quote:

How do you like the movies now?

I like them very much. I was actually let down by the third one when it came out in the theaters, but I re-watched it when I got it on DVD, and it was a very pleasurable experience. It's fun for me to see the way Jackson & Co. did it, compare and contrast it with the book, as well as compare and contrast it to what I would have done.

It fires up my mind.

MatthewM · 08-05-2006, 08:39 PM

I'm one of those people as well. I always wanted to read the books, and I saw the Baski cartoon as well as a kid (and loved it...then) but not until Jackson's The Fellowship came out was I hooked. I read the books shortly after.

How significant or important are the movies for you today?

Very important. I watch them daily.

In how far has your reading been influenced by it?

In a lot of scenes that Jackson adopted to the screen, the actor's face definitely pops up. It happens often, but sometimes I envision my own version.

Did you have difficulties making your own picture of Middle-earth because of having Jackson's picture in the back of your head?

Not really, I usually saw the scenery in my own way, except for some places...like I said, I usually see the face of the actor, but I do often also see my own vision of the characters.

How do you like the movies now?

I love them just as much, and although I disagree on a lot of things Jackson decided to change, I still love them and I personally think they caught the essence of Tolkien. I think it was done greatly, with care and consideration. It was Jackson's own take, but it stuck to the book in so many ways, far more ways then most book adapted to movies do. Long live the trilogy!

08-02-2006, 08:11 AM	#1
Macalaure Fading Fëanorion Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: into the flood again Posts: 2,911	How is it to have watched the movies first? I belong to those people around here who only came to read the Lord of the Rings after the Jackson-movies came out. Though I watched the Bakshi one when I was a child and liked it (!) and knew several people who read the book, it only made it on my "books I'm going to read somewhen"-list and somehow never to the top of it. Then I watched Jackson's Fellowship and Two Towers and they were simply awesome to me. So I finally read the books and it made me end up here. Sometimes people who were fans (long) before the movies (the vast majority here, I'm convinced) speculate on how it is to have been introduced to Middle-earth by Jackson (most recently Mithalwen on the "What did Christopher Tolkien think?"-thread). So, to get some first-hand information, my question to my fellow movie-first readers is: How is/was it to you? How significant or important are the movies for you today? In how far has your reading been influenced by it? Did you have difficulties making your own picture of Middle-earth because of having Jackson's picture in the back of your head? How do you like the movies now? There are plenty of questions like this you can ask. I'm curious about your experiences and will share my own soon. I think this might be quite interesting since, from now on, most new readers will come into contact with Jackson first.

08-02-2006, 03:00 PM	#5
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	I suppose its inevitable. With me its the BBC Radio series that overshadows my readings of the book (even though I'd read it once before hearing the series). I always hear the actors voices & the series music in my head. It certainly helped with my pronunciation. One effect the movies have had is that I have difficullty reading the De-luxe edition of LotR with the Alan Lee illustrations, because they bring the movies too strongly to my mind & conflict with my own images. Certainly I think its difficult not to recall some scenes from the movies when reading the books. I tend now to read copies of the original paperbacks which Lalwende bought for me a while back (I'd lost the ones I bought when I was 16). Reading them transports me back all those years & helps me keep the movies at a sufficient distance. So, for me, the movies are not much of an influence, but I can't (& don't want to) separate the radio series from my reading of the book. __________________ “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."

08-05-2006, 08:39 PM	#7
MatthewM Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: New York Posts: 627	I'm one of those people as well. I always wanted to read the books, and I saw the Baski cartoon as well as a kid (and loved it...then) but not until Jackson's The Fellowship came out was I hooked. I read the books shortly after. How significant or important are the movies for you today? Very important. I watch them daily. In how far has your reading been influenced by it? In a lot of scenes that Jackson adopted to the screen, the actor's face definitely pops up. It happens often, but sometimes I envision my own version. Did you have difficulties making your own picture of Middle-earth because of having Jackson's picture in the back of your head? Not really, I usually saw the scenery in my own way, except for some places...like I said, I usually see the face of the actor, but I do often also see my own vision of the characters. How do you like the movies now? I love them just as much, and although I disagree on a lot of things Jackson decided to change, I still love them and I personally think they caught the essence of Tolkien. I think it was done greatly, with care and consideration. It was Jackson's own take, but it stuck to the book in so many ways, far more ways then most book adapted to movies do. Long live the trilogy! __________________ "Loud and clear it sounds in the valleys of the hills...and then let all the foes of Gondor flee!" -Boromir, The Fellowship of the Ring

08-02-2006, 02:13 PM	#4
Macalaure Fading Fëanorion Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: into the flood again Posts: 2,911	Don't restrict yourselves so closely to my questions. Those were just general ideas. When I read LotR for the first time the way to Bree went quite slow, compared to the rest. The speed of the narration is slower in this part anyway, but the many scenes that weren't in the movie or were very different had me a little disappointed. But maybe this was just because I'm not that big a hobbit fan: I didn't find the Scouring of the Shire that interesting, too, even though I read it before the Return of the King came out. I liked chapters like the Shadow of the Past and the Council of Elrond because they finally gave some much-desired background information. Interestingly, my favourite parts of the trilogy today are Book 5 and the end of Book 4 - parts that weren't in the first two movies. Coincidence, maybe. On my first reading my mental images were very movie-influenced. I even had Elijah Wood as Frodo in my mind, though I knew of course that it was completely wrong. This has changed by now. I think I can say safely that I now have a complete set of own imaginations, though quite a few of them don't differ much from the movies (the look of Orthanc, for example). The scenery of the movies was mostly very good and fascinating. Having my own images had a strong effect on my feelings while watching the movies. I still like to watch them for fun and I still say that they are great - as movies, but they don't manage to transfer me to Middle-earth anymore. Now only the books do. One strange thing that occurred to me is that, when reading or imagining a corresponding scene, I hear the soundtrack in my inner ear. I admit that I like this. The music, with few exceptions, was brilliant to me, and the books were not able to create their own soundtrack in my head - at least not yet. Even though the significance of the Jackson-movies has dropped for me, I will always hold them in high regard because it was them who introduced me to Tolkien and Middle-earth, which has now become a part of my life.