[The Saucepan Man]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> I would have loved to have seen a more interesting portrayal of the increasing psychological burden of the Ring, not to mention a more nuanced handling of the Frodo-Sam-Gollum triangle. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Wow! That could make a whole film in itself, Mr U. <P>Actually, given the inevitable limitations involved in bringing these books to the big screen, I don't have a problem with the way the burden of the Ring is portrayed (apart from Elijah's incessantly rolling eyes ). It's just that it all happens <I>too</I> early for me. By the end of TTT, Frodo is already a complete psychological wreck. One can only wonder how much lower he can sink in RotK. <P>So, yes, I would have preferred that this issue be approached with far more subtlety in TTT, with perhaps the occasional hint of the Ring's effect on Frodo (rather than him falling apart at every adverse encounter). Then we could see it really taking a hold of him in RotK. Instead, it's likely to be much of the same, while a real differentiation in its effect on him between the two films would, for me, present a far more emphatic and startling image.