I warred with myself whether or not to weight down the ROTK-Elijah Wood thread with this topic, but then decided to go ahead and start anew, as it concerns the entire characterization of the character of Frodo, and not just ROTK and not just Elijah Wood, for that matter. Some of you may have seen the pro and con reviews on theonering.net.
Frodo Downsized
Downsizing Frodo-the Arguments Against
On one side, Frodo has been distorted and diminished until he can no longer function as the hero of Lord of the Rings at all, and on the other hand, Frodo has been updated to the "modern hobbit," one who can be more easily understood by today's audiences, and that the movies made Tolkien's characters more "human."
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To Tolkien, it is Frodo’s will to resist that is significant—that even the small resistance of a small being can make a difference in the battle for freedom. Frodo’s hopeless but enduring fight against overwhelming odds is a major theme, but Jackson passes up nearly every opportunity to give his courage a similar weight.
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It is interesting to hear this critic sniffing at the notion of Frodo as a 'sacrificial hero' as if to sacrifice oneself for the sake of Middle Earth isn't brave enough for them. It seems they are ignorant to the fact that this is exactly what Tolkien intended Frodo to be and that it is precisely his 'sacificial situation' which most reveals Frodo's strength. A hero is some one who RISKS their life for the sake of good (as Sam does). A sacrificial hero or martyr is some one who OFFERS their life for the sake of good. This is the key element of Frodo's heroism and it is not taken away or even downsized in the films.
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It gives one yet another excuse to ponder the character of Frodo, doesn't it? I think I sit somewhere in between, although I miss the defiance at the Ford, I do not, like Juliet Waldron in her review, believe Frodo is offering the One Ring to a Nazgul. I figured I would throw this brace of references out there as my inaugural post in the new Movies forum (as far as I can remember, anyway!).
Cheers!
Lyta