<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR><I>Diamond18:</I>I thought Shelob's Lair was overdone, too bright with too many bodies lying around. I expected Psycho-shower-scene music at any moment. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Agreed. I was sure that this was some PJ addition before the Shelob encounter. When I found that it WAS the Shelob encounter.... <P> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Granted, the pitch black in the books would be utterly boring on screen....<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>There is plenty of movie convention concerning how to show pitch black without it looking like the <I>fairy queen ice-capades</I>. The only boring things were how long it took before Frodo finally encountered Shelob and the duration of the encounter itself, both of which were PJ's choice. (Shorten the scene, and follow the convention and there would have been no boredom.)<P>Oh...AND WHY, OH, WHY did he make it so bright in there? What possible good could the Phial of Galadriel provide in a battle with this creature in the movie-brightness of its lair? In the books, Shelob was hurt/partially blinded and disoriented with the light of Earendil. <P>But in the movie--did I miss something? PJ could have cut out the gift of the Phial and its worthless use and saved more time for his 'improvements' on Tolkien. Good thing PJ downplayed the stench of Shelob's lair. A massive quantity of odor leaks out at the same places the light streams in.
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For I was talking aloud to myself. A habit of the old: they choose the wisest person present to speak to; the long explanations needed by the young are wearying. -Gandalf, The Two Towers
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