[Diamond18]

Pippin is, I think, a very tricky character to adapt from the book. It is so terribly <I>easy</I> to turn him into the comic clown and forget about his deeper qualites. "Fellowship" teeters on the edge of that folly, yet manages to pull itself back just in time with those hints in the Extended Edition.<P>The thing I like about Pippin's character is that certainly complexity...at times he's funny and I laugh at him, other times I identify with him totally, other times I admire him. And yet it's all consistent and totally "Pippin"...Tolkien gave him all those different aspects but always kept him "in character". It was great. I'd be sorry to see him flattened out on screen any more than he already is: if Arwen does monopolize too much time and cause Merry and Pippin to be shortchanged I might just consider joining the Arwen-hater's crowd...maybe....<P>Even prior to reading LotR I always had this propensity to want to see the comic characters do something brave or serious. It's just a thing with me. I see a one dimensional goof-off in a story or movie and I want to see him/her overcome that steriotype and become an unlikely hero.<P>So when reading LotR I was like "Yes, yes...slay that Troll, Prince of the Halflings!" <P>Depite warning myself not to, I'm holding out hope that movies 2 and 3 will be done right. Billy's interview gives me hope. And again, Galadriel's line in the Ex.Ed. plus the way Pip kills that Uruk-hai certainly hinted indicates that they will...but of course those scenes from TTT might end up on the cutting room floor just like the "hints" did, and I'll have to wait till next November. Gah! Horrors!<P>Oh, right, and Pippin did hang onto the Cave Troll in the movie right up until the end of the fight, so I have to give them credit for that.<P>And also, I agree with you, Kalimac, about "You will find your courage". "You will find your awareness" is really the most accurate way to put it, but how boring would that sound?