The Prancing Pony: from cheery inn to cut-throat's cellar
 

I have only got two major problems with the movie. I've already posted one of them. <P>I don't see why turning the Prancing Pony into a seedy meeting place for criminals made the film more interesting, or intense, or better for the big screen. It was easier to do, but <I>that</I>'s no excuse.

I think the reason they did that was because they missed out the Old Forest/Barrow downs part, where they learn that the rest of middle earth isn't as friendly or comfortable as the shire. since that wasn't in the film, they had to toughen up Bree to show the hobbits that they weren't at home anymore.<P>having said that, I do agree with you! one of my favourite chapters is the arrival at the Prancing Pony, and I was disappointed that they cut Frodo's (and all of the others as well!) ridiculous song. falling over and miraculously having the ring <I>fall</I> onto his finger did kinda make me scowl, wherethe original situation would have worked much better.

Basically every mood and caracter and location in the movie is misinterpreted... (just an opinion)

from the books I didn't get all the cheeriness you guys seem to have seen. The only reason they feel better is because they receive hobbit rooms which remind them of home. Other than that they do feel extremely lost and out of place. And the Inn is a friendly Inn, but friendly to mostly Man. And I believe Peter Jackson really captured how so many Man must have looked to the hobbits.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Telchar:<BR><STRONG>Basically every mood and caracter and location in the movie is misinterpreted... (just an opinion)</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><BR>To reply to this, it is personal opinion of course. BUT i most certainly do believe in acknowledging talent even though one did not like the outcome. If the entire movie was misinterpreting the book, most likely it would have gone the way of the animated version and would be hated ever since. Of course certain changes have to be made to accomodate the movie concept. A book can NEVER be completely made into what it is<BR>, it is impossible. It would be a 15 hour movie. A lot of people don;t understand that it is not THEIR vision of the book that has been made into the movie, even though of couse those visions have been taken into account, ultimately it is Peter Jackson's vision of the books. And I most certainly believe he did a great job trying to stay true to the book. Of course there are parts where everyone says 'Oh but I wouldnt have done it like that' or 'I imagined it differently'. Thing is, he was close enough to the essence of the book and I most certainly do not think any of us could be able to make the book into an awesome movie. That's all I have to say before I ramble on.

Telchar, I agree with you.

I have some reservations about the Pony scene (no "Mr. Underhill"!), but it does contain one of the best shots in the film -- Aragorn's eyes briefly revealed in the glow of his weed as he draws on his pipe.

But have you noticed how Merry's and Pippin's faces light up as they pull their hoods off? Obviously, a room full of cutthroats doesn't daunt them a bit. Their expressions are pure "now THIS is living!"

That's just them, isn't it? There was a good scene involving those two in the Prancing Pony - <P>'What's that?'<BR>'That, my friend, is a 'pint'.'<BR>'(Slaver) I got to get me one of those!'<P>But that could have been carried out just as easily, more easily in fact, in a friendly Prancing Pony.<P>Pippin said that the cutthroat's inn was neccessary to toughen up the storyline since the Forest and the Barrowdowns ( ) had been cut out. I would have thought that the events of weathertop and the pursuit of the black riders was enough to do that, and anyway, it's after Bree that the world really becomes rough, apart from the small pocket of the forest and the Downs. I would still have like to see Barliman and his Inn a bit more like the book, Frodo's song, and a cheery yellow light in the room instead of a dark shadow, turned blue by the assorted (probably illegal) burning contents of two dozen pipes. There is plenty of roughness on the Road afterwards to toughen the story up.

weathertop DID happen after Bree, and the other hobbits weren't exactly clear on what was going on, just that there was a scary black rider guy chasing after them. (hmph, I HATED that they cut out the conspiracy!) so the place they thought would be a refuge turned out to be alien to them. The World isn't so friendly after all....