[Bill Ferny]

Doug,

Thanks for that link. I browsed through the site last week and really enjoyed most of the pictures. You could spend days on that site. Though I’m not too keen on most of John Howe’s work, especially his portrayal of hobbits, but I recognized his Balrog from way back, and realized it is definitely one of those enduring images.

Alan Lee did drop the ball on that whole brunette Galadriel thing. I don’t know about beards on elves. Can an elf grow a beard? In the movies I noticed that Elrond had a five o’clock shadow. Of course, Legolas didn’t, but I doubt if Orlando Bloom could grow a beard anyway. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

I think we are all in consensus that the movies do an excellent job with scenery, architecture and landscape. However, I do think that they took some poetic license in regards to some costuming and props. Even though they were pretty enough, I didn’t really care for the weapons, except, maybe, sting. The armor was pretty much fantasy stock (especially elven armor) though I think WETA at least attempted to hit on some themes, as is evident with the costuming of the Riders of the Mark. Fight sequences were exciting, but still the same old Eorl Flynn fluff that Hollywood just can’t seem to give up. Simple rule of thumb for all you Hollywood producers out there: You fence with a foil, not a broad sword! I can’t really hold this against Peter Jackson, seeing as how JRRT’s description of the Battle at the Fords of Isen reads more like an account of a modern battle with tanks and infantry.

Diamond18, thanks for the links to the Brothers Hildebrandt. They are lacking a bit of luster when it comes to Rohan. They all look like chain mailled clones. That kind of surprises me. I didn’t like Meduseld at all. I figure that Tolkien was shooting more for something like a gold plated wooden Herot out of Beowulf, than a stone Romanesque Norman keep. Helm’s Deep is another matter, though. Really nice picture. I like that rendered landscape look they portray. As far as woses are concerned, I’ve seen much worse (David Day's A Tolkien Bestiary). That being said, Hildebrandt’s woses appear to be the unclothed version of dwarves. I have to agree that that is one of the most ridiculous crowns I’ve ever seen. Also in the same picture (Aragorn’s Wedding… that seems a little chauvinistic… its just as much Arwen’s Wedding as it is Aragorn’s) you would think that Legolas and Faramir (?) would get dressed up a bit, but there they are in their travelling clothes. And why are people standing around in helmets? Are they planning on throwing lead shot instead of rice?

All in all, though, I still like the Brothers Hildebrandt. Dwarves and hobbits have big noses! Their pictures have a cartoonish character, and this I think is why the Brothers Grimm come to mind so readily. However, as I’ve noted before, I don’t mind a bit of cartoonishness (which, by the way, isn’t even close to being a word in the English language).

I’ve been thinking lately about the Rangers of the North, and how they will probably be absent from the movies. I for one am very happy about this. I don't think I could stand to see any more carbon copies of Strider's costume! I especially disliked the whole slicker thing… I thought for sure that he was going to pull back one side of his coat and reveal a leather holster hung low, tied to his thigh, sporting a .44 Russian. Strider Wales, Outlaw? That costume is definitely not how I pictured Strider. Does anyone agree?

Speaking of Strider, here’s one of those “makes you go hmmmm….?” questions that’s been bugging me ever since seeing the FotR last year. I always assumed that Strider carried a shield. I haven’t had much time lately, but I did manage to browse through the FotR looking for references to Strider having or not having a shield. I couldn’t find anything. In fact, the only battle that Aragorn gets into in the first book is at Weathertop, and there he wields a burning brand in each hand (no sword nor much description for that matter!). In the second book, in the mines of Moria, no detail is given. My theory is this, a shield is a wonderfully practical device, and Aragorn seems to be a pretty practical guy. So, my assumption that he carried shield is acceptable.