[Child of the 7th Age]

Helen -- That's an intereting idea about PJ's limitations in depicting goodness.

In my view, PJ can and does show the "goodness" of everyday life through Sam and the Shire and the way Frodo and Bilbo care for each other. I think he has more trouble depicting the kind of goodness which I would call "spiritual goodness"--the kind of magic the Elves are supposed to have; the way Frodo's face is said to shine with light; the feeling of Lorien being part of a long-ago perfect, unfallen world; and the sense that a little piece of Galadriel is a bit like the Virgin Mary.

Over the years, that part of Tolkien has come, for me, to signify the heart of the story. And because PJ can't or doesn't do it, I am left a little disappointed. The black and scary parts of Middle-earth, the evil growing within Frodo's soul--those are there in marvelous detail and sensitivity for all to appreciate.

But I am more interesting in seeing the Elf-friend who dreams of the Tower and the distant sea. I want to understand his visions of a distant green land when the curtain of rain draws back. I want to follow in the path of a very small and ordinary hobbit who becomes filled with light, almost a human reflection of the Phial of Galadriel, and yet at the same time struggles with the Shadow lengthening in his soul. That, to me, is the tragedy and the wonder of it all.

That dichotomy isn't there, and, to me, it's critical as to why Tolkien felt he had discovered rather than merely invented his story. It's what calls to me from distant lands. Perhaps, I am asking for something that simply is not possible in a film, but I wish he would have tried.

So the movie is a fun and fast paced adventure tale but some of the magic is hidden.

sharon, the 7th age hobbit

[ June 15, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]