How I would have made it look

[Pytt]

Originally Posted by Rosie Gamgee

I agree about the 'searchlight-Mordor-eye' thing. In the first movie, the Eye is just sitting atop Barad-Dur, which is goofy enough. In the second two movies, it turns into this weird searchlight. It's kind of rediculous.

I would have made Faramir look more like Boromir. In fact, I would have got another person to play Faramir. I mean, he has the nose, but little else in common with Sean Bean. He should have had the same accent, at least, as Sean's Boromir. And I would have had Faramir a little older, and a little wiser-looking- like one of the kings of old born into a later time, touched with the sadness of the elves.

What is with that Yul Brennar in elven pajamas look at the end of RotK. Every time Leggy enters Frodo's room with that dumb look on his face I want to bust up laughing, or else crying out of shame. How could they make an elf look so rediculous?!

Um, the Paths of the Dead... needed... a wee bit of help... Need I say more?
At any rate, the Dead themselves I liked well enough when they are under the mountain. However, I think that when they came out into sunlight their green-ness should have changed. I think the colour of the ghosts should have been effected by what light they're in.

I don't know if that Yul guy is only in the EE, but the other points I know about.
The guy who plays Faramir, I think suits perfectly. to me he seems like a knowing man. the only complain I hva eabout Faramir, is that he takes Frodo, Sam and Smeagol to Osgiliath why the heck!

the ghosts should have been more gray I think. the green-ness make me think of Scooby Doo...

[Jon S.]

My quick thoughts:

1. Holistically, the films flat out work for me, they absolutely nails, for me, the feel of Middle Earth. For that we should be thankful indeed that PJ directed them. Just imagine the disaster had it been Disney.

2. Scenery and costume wise, I have niggles here and there but see 1.

3. Lots of scripting I would have done differently but most of PJ's changes don't detract at all from my enjoyment of the films and many I like, e.g., working Arwen-Aragorn Appendix material into the main story. And who knows what the Prof. himself would have said about it, after all, he himself admitted:

"The most critical reader of all, myself, now finds many defects, minor and major, but being unfortunately under no obligation either to review the book or to write it again, he will pass over these in silence, except one that has been noted by others: the book is too short." (LoTR I, 9-10)

Probably because I never expect films to be mirror images of the books they derive from (they never are), I was neither surprised nor disappointed by it.

4. The only big things I would have done differently:

- The Faramir-Eowyn love angle and the associated scenes should have been major components of the 3rd film with the story played out much more fully in the Houses of Healing.

- The Ents should have decided on their own to march to Isengard.

- Denethor should have been portrayed as the complex individual he was and certainly his use of his palantir should have been shown as the basis for his despair.

[mithrand1r]

Originally Posted by Nurvingiel

That's a good point Wayfarer, but it makes me think of something else.

Maybe I also don't understand this because I'm a girl, but... why bother to shave with a knife at all? That sounds difficult to me. Why not grow a beard? No one cares if you look scruffy (as one does in the beginning stages of a beard) out in the wilderness.

Maybe it's just habit?

At this point it's just personal preference of how I would like the characters to look rather than fixing a perceived continuity error though.

One reason that soldiers and other combatants would shave with a knife:

If you are fighting you would want to have no beard. Your opponent then cannot pull your beard to throw you off balance or worse.

A good question though. If anyone is currently in the military or a historian, perhaps they may enlighten us with other reasons for shaving with a knife.

[me9996]

Originally Posted by mithrand1r

One reason that soldiers and other combatants would shave with a knife:

If you are fighting you would want to have no beard. Your opponent then cannot pull your beard to throw you off balance or worse.

A good question though. If anyone is currently in the military or a historian, perhaps they may enlighten us with other reasons for shaving with a knife.

Will you guys (or girls, it's not my bisness) stop with the knife shaving!

[me9996]

I wood have made the elven bows a cross between a longbow and a recirved bow.

[Rosie Gamgee]

Originally Posted by Jon S.

3. Lots of scripting I would have done differently but most of PJ's changes don't detract at all from my enjoyment of the films and many I like, e.g., working Arwen-Aragorn Appendix material into the main story.

Now, WHY (why, why, WHYYYYYYY?!) do people think that that crap with Aragorn and Arwen came out the Appendix????!!!! For crimeny's sakes, even Liv Tyler believed that all those scenes are in the Appendix!!!!! If you just read the back of the stinking book, you will find the 99.99999% of the Aragorn/Arwen stuff is MADE UP!!!
(can you tell this bugs me?) I'm sorry for ranting here. I don't have big problems with movies made from books that are not entirely true to the books, really I don't. But when someone makes a movie from a book, and claim they are being oh-SO-true to the source, and end up making 50% of the film entirely from their own pea-sized brains- and STILL claim that Tolkien would have been proud- THAT irks me. Immensely. Does it show?

Originally posted by PyttI don't know if that Yul guy is only in the EE, but the other points I know about.

Yul Brennar (and I'm not sure if I'm spelling his last name right) was an actor back in the 60s (there abouts). He played in Rogers and Hammerstein's The King and I, which I most remember him for. He shaved his head, and his eyebrows have that same squarish quality as Orlando Bloom's. Every once in a while, there'll be a poster or a shot in a film in which Bloom looks rather stupidly like Yul Brennar. So when I was talking about Yul in elven PJ's, I meant Legolas at the end of RotK, when he walks into Frodo's room. I can't stand that shot.

[Durin1]

Erm... so what you're saying is that the Aragorn/Arwen scenes don't come out of the appendices?

I agree with you. Only the very basic idea of the love story is shown in the movies. The rest of it, I agree was pathetic whimsical non-sense (am I ranting too?).

[Rosie Gamgee]

Originally Posted by Durin1

Erm... so what you're saying is that the Aragorn/Arwen scenes don't come out of the appendices?

No. I think maybe one or two of them do.... maybe. Read The Story of Aragorn and Arwen. Or, then again, if you don't want another thing to be mad about, don't.

I agree with you. Only the very basic idea of the love story is shown in the movies. The rest of it, I agree was pathetic whimsical non-sense (am I ranting too?).

lol- no, don't worry about it.

[Pytt]

Originally Posted by Rosie Gamgee

Yul Brennar (and I'm not sure if I'm spelling his last name right) was an actor back in the 60s (there abouts). He played in Rogers and Hammerstein's The King and I, which I most remember him for. He shaved his head, and his eyebrows have that same squarish quality as Orlando Bloom's. Every once in a while, there'll be a poster or a shot in a film in which Bloom looks rather stupidly like Yul Brennar. So when I was talking about Yul in elven PJ's, I meant Legolas at the end of RotK, when he walks into Frodo's room. I can't stand that shot.

Ok thanks for the enlighting.

[mithrand1r]

Originally Posted by Rosie Gamgee

Yul Brennar (and I'm not sure if I'm spelling his last name right) was an actor back in the 60s (there abouts). He played in Rogers and Hammerstein's The King and I, which I most remember him for. He shaved his head, and his eyebrows have that same squarish quality as Orlando Bloom's. Every once in a while, there'll be a poster or a shot in a film in which Bloom looks rather stupidly like Yul Brennar. So when I was talking about Yul in elven PJ's, I meant Legolas at the end of RotK, when he walks into Frodo's room. I can't stand that shot.

Yul Brynner is also well known for The Ten Commandments (1956) and The Magnificent Seven (1960).

I would have made Mordor look larger than they did in the film. The movie did not seem to properly indicate the vast space that Frodo & Sam had to cross to reach Mount Doom. (Although this is somewhat understandable since PJ&Co. needed to save time for larger battle scenes and making Denethor look like a foolish madman. )

[Manveru]

ya that was one of the things i didnt like about it either. all the lands look so small and no matter where u are u can always see mordor and its always the same distance away.

[me9996]

I would have put in the battle in the shire

[Durin1]

I think that the only cinematography that I have a gripe about is the distances portrayed. In FoTR, Mordor looks no further than when Frodo and Sam are in Ithilien!

Also, Minas Tirith and Osgiliath look to be too close to each other.

[me9996]

Originally Posted by Durin1

I think that the only cinematography that I have a gripe about is the distances portrayed. In FoTR, Mordor looks no further than when Frodo and Sam are in Ithilien!

Also, Minas Tirith and Osgiliath look to be too close to each other.

Mordor is always to close or to far!

[Lenya]

Yeh I know. The whole distance thing is done really badly. And the time. If I haven't read the book, I would have guessed that they traveled for like two weeks or something.

[me9996]

Originally Posted by Durin1

Erm... so what you're saying is that the Aragorn/Arwen scenes don't come out of the appendices?

I agree with you. Only the very basic idea of the love story is shown in the movies. The rest of it, I agree was pathetic whimsical non-sense (am I ranting too?).

This is pathredic!

[Durin1]

Originally Posted by Lenya

Yeh I know. The whole distance thing is done really badly. And the time. If I haven't read the book, I would have guessed that they traveled for like two weeks or something.

Yes, the movie doesn't convincingly portray the great distances that the fellowship had to travel, including the hard work involved in all that travelling.

It all went down hill for me from the outset when Gandalf rides off and is scene to just arrive in Minas Tirith straightaway. Likewise the Black Riders leaving (I believe) Minas Morgul. This has always nagged me. And was a clear indication of things to come.

[Rosie Gamgee]

Originally Posted by me9996

This is pathredic!

'pathwhatic'? Whatever it means, what are you talking about?

Mithrand1r wrote:Yul Brynner is also well known for The Ten Commandments (1956) and The Magnificent Seven (1960).

Oh, yeah, yeah= Yul Brynner *hits forehead against wall* "SO LET IT BE WRITTEN, SO LET IT BE DONE!"

I would have made that shot of the Oliphants on Pelennor look less like the approaching AT-AT walkers on that great baseball picture, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Actually, I might have take PJ's perversions a little further and had caves under the Pelennor so that we could have that cute moment when the ceiling starts falling down on R2D2.

[Pytt]

I have never thought of that before, Rosie. But when you say so, I think that fits. as looks like PJ have taken some inspiration from the Star Wars. maybe not a big shock, the films are after all great

[ItalianLegolas]

i don't know if anybody has said this already, but the scene where Frodo, Sam and Gollum are looking at the Black Gate, it looks suspicously like the scene at the Witch's castle in the Wizard of Oz.

*Ohhh-e-Ohhhh!! Yoooooooooooooooo-o!*