Giggles

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

Why exactly is there so much 'mass-produced' comic relief in the films? When I read the book I do smile quite often, and sometimes I do laugh out loud. But most of the humour is a nice, pleasant sort; the sort that fills you with a warm glow.

The main point here is that it is not a comedy. Yes, it should be funny in places but why are some scenes crammed with pointless or ridiculous humour? The Battle of Helm's Deep is possibly the worst for this, with the well-documented Dwarf jokes.

I think it is just such a shame because the humour really works in places. One of my favourites is Sam's brilliantly delivered line "Rosie Cotton dancin'!" This takes place in one of the saddest, most poignant scenes, and it suggests how well this lovely sort of humour complements the real emotions which the story is getting at.

This is brought down so much by Gimli's boring, unimaginative and above all unfunny brand of humour (to say nothing of the character stabbery). This kind of humour doesn't belong amongst Tolkien's kind of humour. Does anyone disagree with this view? And can anyone supply good reasons for why this humour was added? My initial guess is to do with getting a quick response from the casual cinema-goer, involving a compromise of the overall dramatic quality of the scenes affected.