[GaladrieloftheOlden]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> (I won't say different for fear of the "artistic liscense" activists) <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Well, I have to say, usually that's me, but here I agree with you partially, Iarwain. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> He decided that it would not be a dry resting place filled with civilized folk, but rather, a more disturbing place (hobbitless of course) filled with stumbling drunkards, ferret-petting toothless giants, and hysterically laughing muddy men, apparently straight from a local gutter. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Well... now that you say it that way... And I also wish there were some hobbits. Then again, i wouldn't relish the sight of <I>hobbits</I> stroking ferrets. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> Manner of Frodo's departure, i.e. the fact that he did not deliberate, and that the choice did not seem to be even his own. Also the directions Gandalf gave to him, which greatly affect the Hobbits' perception of Bree.<BR> <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I didn't like that either, but I certainly see why PJ might have done it. The majority of people who went to see LotR, sad though it may be, had not read the books beforehand. Some of them later did, most didn't, but that's besides the point. <I>If</I> somebody had not read the book, so obviously did not yet get their own perception of the characters, the Frodo from the books may seem a bit... well, frankly put, <I>borin</I> to them. Now please don't slit my throat for this, because I mourn over the loss of the old Frodo, no matter how much I like the new one, but it's true. A lot of my friends started reading the books and stopped. I asked them why, they said the characters were boring. As Frodo is the main character, I assume he has something to do with this. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> 2. The removal of Tom Bombadil. Tom was an assuring character that comforted the Hobbits and gave them valued advice as to the nature of Bree, its inhabitants, and the Prancing Pony itself. Without him, Bree became a mysterious, if not terrifying town of various unknowns.<BR> <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Well, I miss ole TOm as much as anyone, but tell me how in a million years you're planning to find an actor who can sing "merry do, derry-dol, Tom Bombadillo!" etc. without making LotR a comedy film? <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> 3. The blasted rain. A trivial factor, but still one which has an enourmous effect on mood and setting. The bumbling hoboes with carrots that wander the streets of bree with wet hair and faces have a revolting effect on audiences, compared to the comfortable, dry, and (mostly) friendly town that Tolkien describes in "At the Sign of the Prancing Pony". <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I don't quite a gree. The rain makes it more ominous and strange, but it could have been just as well used to make the inside of the Pony more welcoming. It <I>wasn't</I>, but you can't really well say that that's the only thing it could be used for. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> I got a thrill from the swinging sign of The Prancing Pony" in the rain. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I liked it too, but for me it went no further than that. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> I am selfish, and am concerned with my pleasure while watching the film, not whether it matches the "intetions" of Tolkien. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I fifth that. But it's just that drunken laughter and spilling beer doesn't give me much pleasure <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> Frodo's character has been made less. He knows things he oughtn't have during Gandalf's explaination in Bag End, and then doesn't know things he ought when he actually undertakes his journey. Since acting not out of his own choice but through Gandalf's unpondered advice, Frodo lacks much of the thoughtfulness we see in the book, and without thought, there is little to no real character left in Frodo. All his actions are undertaken seemingly by mere instinct. He is an overly trusting fool without a mind of his own to use.<BR> <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Well, I wouldn't put it like that, because I quite like Wood's portrayal of Frodo, but it really wnnoys me what PJ does to the films. Not while I'm watching them, of course- then I enjoy it all <BR>Okay, this post is getting to be quite long, so I'm done for now <P>~Menelien