Additions That Really Added Something

[Bêthberry]

Two of Jackson's adaptations that I think worked particularly well...<P>Boromir's death scene in FotR is well placed, dramatically, at the end of the first film and, I think, provides a good example not only of character in action but also of the threat which the Ring holds over people. This has, however, been discussed elsewhere in sufficient depth.<P>In TTT, I think the flash forward to the Tale of Aragorn and Arwen from the Appendix was an excellent idea. It gave credence and explanation to characters who were underdeveloped (and, in my opinion, poorly acted). It also suggested how Tolkien himself could have integrated that wonderful tale into the book proper had he not limited himself to straight chronological narrative.<P>The visual representation of Minas Tirith in RotK was stunning and the plight of the inhabitants, whose lives have been so terribly squandered by the Steward, is as well done as the depiction of the plight of the Rohan refugees in TTT (which I remember Child of the Seventh Age discussing particularly well last year). Tolkien's work focusses on the nature of heroism and leadership--in keeping with his admiration for the old heroic tales --but I think Jackson's inclusion of the ordinary citizens suggests he has considered Tolkien's thoughts on heroism and chivalry from "The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth."