It's too Goody-Goody...they don't like Goody-Goody...but sometimes there has to be...

[Man-of-the-Wold]

...Goody-Goody. This was my Elfin-eyed daughter's (age: 9) prescient way of summarizing her displeasure with how Film-TTT treated Faramir's interaction with Frodo, Sam and Gollum relative to the Book.<P>Seeing as the generic Faramir thread is filling up a second page, I'll ask the moderator to let this one go forth, as a way to further propound my theory about these film-makers, as first discussed in the thread "Weakness of Men ... Hobbits".<P>This theory is that discrepencies between Film and Book are explained by the four fixations bordering on obsessions held by Mr. Jackson and his New Zealander friends, as I've identified. These obsessions probably arise from three sources: 1) The Screenwriters' egotistical need to put their own mark on the Films; 2) "Principles of Blockbuster 101," and last but not least, 3) their own intellectually honest interpretation of the Books in terms of themes and ideas most worth using or exploring. The four fixations are in my current view, as follows:<BR>a. Dark scary characters and scenes<BR>b. Maintain dramatic tension/pace at all cost<BR>c. Men as easily corrupted, power-mongers (which may be more "P.C." than "JRRT")<BR>d. Extreme character development<P>The issue of Faramir seems to arise from b., c. & d., as well as a. if one considers the whole Osgiliath scene that naturally ensues.<P>The essence of my daughter's point holds, in that Faramir of the Book is perhaps too noble for the screenwriters, or at least they don't find any other way to persuasively portray him in a motion picture.<P>I had always anticipated that like Tom Bombadil, Faramir would just be written out of any movie, because he adds little to the storyline at the mechanical level, and nothing indispensable. Perhaps, what we see in Film-TTT might have been best done with a new composite character, who is merely a Captain of the Rangers.<P>But what is it that "Faramir" proper and Tom bring to the story that makes them seem so central to the philosophy and beauty that JRRT creates?<P>Well, that is for each of us to decide, but Faramir is, of course, for one thing: The Window on the West. Through him, since Aragorn does not yet have any titular authority, we glimpse something of the wisdom and majesty of Numenor, as very different but in many ways comparable to even the greatness once achieved by the Elves in Middle-Earth.<P>Faramir's nobility becomes very believable to the reader from the moment that he interacts directly with Frodo, especially during their private sessions. Through his own words we get a very meaningful picture of the person that he has already become, for which his treatment of Frodo is both consistent and at the same time, a moment of growth for the literary character. His character also helps us understand how Gondor has survived for so many centuries, and remains such a potent power, if one not so effectively united under a steward compared to a King.<P>For the film this could simply be too time-consuming and subtle to pull off, especially with the time needed for the other storylines. Numenor is never really explained, understandably. But still, the film-makers may be overly concerned with having all major cinematic characters change in too obvious of a way.<P>Also, of course, pace and dramatic tension are at issue. They don't want to stop the bloody action and have Frodo's early inquisition and then dialogue with Faramir. Rather they want to show that Faramir doesn't really have time to give everything due consideration, rush-rush. Also, it'd be too easy. The film audience now must worry about a potentially grave mistake by someone obstensibly on the good side, rather than a fated encounter that enriches the soul. Treebeard, Merry and Pippen suffer the same theatrical fate.<P>Finally, of course, especially through Galadriel words, we get the film-makers need to potray the easy ignobility of (male) Men, as first indicated with Isildur. Faramir can't be too goody-goody.<P>Nevertheless, in defence of the filmakers and Film-Faramir, I would add the following points:<BR> 1. What we have in the Frodo-Faramir scenes is simply drawn-out version of what transpired at first when the Rangers did detain them and try them; we lose only the subsequent "Window on the West"<BR> 2. Faramir is really bound by laws, not unlike in the Book; the flouting of which is more than merely displeasing to Book-Denethor<BR> 3. To have Faramir let mysterious captives simply go free might have perplexed a movie audience and seemed dull<BR> 4. In the Book he only gives Frodo the space of one year in which to present themselves to the Stewards; the legality of this and Faramir's authority (as one so young) to do so, would have also been a challenge on film and lost on the viewer.<BR> 5. Faramir is really never shown as being seduced by the Ring, but as one who must hastily withdraw, and who really doesn't know what to do, relative to his father's wishes and understandable rules of security<BR> 6. The question of secreting the Ring away as Denethor argues in Book-RotK has not yet been explored adequately in the Films.<BR> 7. When Faramir lets Frodo go; he is not compelled to do so; his older colleague argues the law, and they could still get Frodo to Gondor as easily as themselves; it's a free choice; still, having one's "life forfeit" in such a situation probably does not mean certain execution.<BR> 8. Unlike the Book where Frodo speaks well and more or less truthfully, they do lie about not knowing anything of Gollum in a way that is clearly contradicted later. So, Faramir should then have doubts. This is circular reasoning, of course.<BR> 9. Despite all of my love for Book-Faramir's character; his simply letting Frodo go without any more assistance or something, has always felt a little flat.<P>Lastly, I look forward to some missing scenes with Faramir in the extended TTT-DVD, if nothing else to explain more about where they are and what they are doing in Osgiliath, the inclusion of which is not a bad thing. As a city, however unvisited directly in the Books, it was an important device for JRRT's depiction of Gondor and its history.<p>[ December 23, 2002: Message edited by: Man-of-the-Wold ]