[MallornLeaf]

You brought up a good point, because I also read the books several years before the movie came out. While there are distinctions, I think that your two descriptions really could be seen as similar if you want them to. For instance, you describe Frodo #2 with a quote from the book which says he has red cheeks, fair skin, etc. While in real life, this may not be the Elijah Wood you so perfectly described, in the movie, I think that is somewhat what the makeup artists did. They give Frodo reddish cheeks and fair skin. his eyes have a gleam in them. for age, according to the shire's reckoning, he wasn't much older than a boy at the time of the party. and since the movie is (hmm... ) more hurried than the book, that is about right. as far as physical descriptions go, I never found much different. Non-physical characteristics were very different though. like you said. . . in the movie, Frodo instantly becomes weighted by the ring... where this is not the case in the book. I think the main reason they made it this way was b/c of the time. in the book, all this happens over a bunch of time, whereas in the movie they make it look like it only was a week or so between the party and his leaving.

Now If you don't feel like reading all that above... just read this:I don't think it is necessary to try to balance the book and the movie. The movies rock, and the books are sweet. there will always be a difference though. This is a conclusion i have only come to in the last few days. they're different, but both are excellent. Let's enjoy them for what they are!