[HCIsland]

I have to agree with Numenorean. I think the word "butchered" is pretty strong. One has to remember that the movie is also made for folks who have never read the books. Faramir is a complex and learned character that understands, far more then most men, the danger of The Ring. The film makers likely felt it would be more simple to have him tempted more by the ring then in the book and then grow into his awareness of its evil.<P>Another thing it accomplished is to keep the tension up right to the climax of the film. We basically had action on three related fronts. The natural climax at Helm's Deep and Isengard and the Frodo's and Sam's conflict with Faramir. I think they had to ratchet up the tension a bit in order for the movie not to grind to a crawl every time they cut to Ithilien. I know it bugs the purest, but in the end it makes a better film. You've got to take the good (and there is a hell of a lot of it) with the bad.<P>After my first viewing of TTT, stuff like Faramir and Haldir bugged me. The second time far, far less so.<P>H.C.