Quote:
Originally Posted by davem
Its not about 'mocap' or 3D, or even holographic technology - all that's needed is a director who understands the story & has the ability to put that understanding on screen (or whatever medium).
|
Or more specifically, a writer who understands the story and has the ability to adapt it with respect, combined with a director and producers who also have respect for the original work and not merely the almighty dollar. I have long been amazed that some of the very things Tolkien himself thought were done wrong back in the days when Forrest Ackerman held the screenrights and tried to present the Professor with a script were things that Jackson apparently embraced. If he truly had been as determined to remain faithful to the books as he promised the fans in the years before the first film was released, he would've come across that particular letter and paid attention to it.
At any rate, to go back to the original question, I would love to see another film adaptation done of LotR, one that stayed true to the substance of the book and not merely to the appearance of the settings and costumes and props. As for the matter of a "definitive version," that can only been determined after there is more than one version to contrast and compare (Bakshi hardly counts, as he never finished the job). There are myriad adaptations of other classic works -- my sister has made a hobby of collecting different film and TV versions of the works of Jane Austen, for instance, and I have several friends who collect every film and audio version of
A Christmas Carol that they can find. Which, if any, is "definitive"? That, like so much of art, is in the eye and tastes of the beholder. As Jackson's version is the only complete film adaptation of LotR, I would not call it definitive, and would hope that other people will try to outdo him -- in accuracy, if nothing else. But I hold little hope that this will happen in my lifetime. I'm now closer to 60 than I am to 50, and so long as the rights remain with a studio that is continuing to milk the franchise for all it's worth, there's no chance that someone else will even be given the opportunity to attempt another adaptation. More's the pity, IMHO.