Lord of the Rings, rated PGP

[Gil-Galad]

Kingdom of Heaven

watch it... when it comes out

[Encaitare]

I'm with Elianna... the Inquisition has absolutely nothing to do with Middle-earth physics.

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Neurion

I'm sorry this is so short. I really haven't the time to do this subject justice.

Not short enough as it's completely off-topic. I am sure that there will be those who wish to challenge your version of history. If anyone does, please take it to PM so that this thread can get back on topic in accordance with the thread-starter's request:

Originally Posted by Elianna

Can we please stick to Physics.

[Nukapei]

Sorry, Elianna, I'll be quiet in a minute.

Neurion, I just wanted to know where you got your sources. All the sources I've reviewed (including an article from Encarta Encyclopedia I looked up quickly to make sure my statements were correct) say the opposite. Especially about the Inquisition, which I have always read was big on torturing the "truth" out of its prisoners, then burning them at the stake. And as for avoiding them by decairing oneself non-Christian, I have always read that they went after "Secret Jews" first.

Again, I never said that the level of violence or deathtoll was greater than today. Just that the violent mentality was compariable to that of our day.

But, I'd like to know your sources! If, as you say, my view of history is "tainted" by Hollywood, I'd like to know!

Edit:

Originally Posted by The Saucepan Man

If anyone does, please take it to PM so that this thread can get back on topic.

Will do, SPM! No more Inquisition discussion, only physics!

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Off-topic posts can be deleted by the moderators and administrators without notice. Please stick to the topic as given in the title, and please stick to Middle-earth, LotR, and Tolkien-related topics on the Barrow-Downs forum! Thanks.

[Neurion]

Originally Posted by Nukapei

Sorry, Elianna, I'll be quiet in a minute.

Neurion, I just wanted to know where you got your sources. All the sources I've reviewed (including an article from Encarta Encyclopedia I looked up quickly to make sure my statements were correct) say the opposite. Especially about the Inquisition, which I have always read was big on torturing the "truth" out of its prisoners, then burning them at the stake. And as for avoiding them by decairing oneself non-Christian, I have always read that they went after "Secret Jews" first.

PM'ed you.

[Neurion]

Back to physics, the Gondorian armor in the films functions like it's made of plastic. In the attack on Osgilliath, the sentry (the film's stunt coordinator in costume, BTW) is shot by an orc short recurve bow at a distance I guess to be around a 150 yards or greater. The arrow goes straight through the most heavily sloped part of his breastplate and knocks him off his feet.
This is patently ludicrous.

In tests made on a reproduction of a medieval plate steel breastplate in the Tower of London, carefully reconstructed with the aid of ultra-sound scanning to ensure as close as possible an aproximation, a reproduction medieval longbow was employed against it, with both broadhead and bodkin arrowheads shot from various ranges.

The broadheads put small notches in the plate, and the bodkins put shallow holes in it, but none of them really penetrated. A few of the bodkins went in far enough to maybe cause a flesh wound, but that's it.
Now here's the thing: they were shooting at a flat plate at 90 degrees. They then turned the plating to 45 degrees or so, a more realistic impact angle. Not a single arrow bit. They all deflected.

[Nukapei]

Originally Posted by Neurion

Back to physics, the Gondorian armor in the films functions like it's made of plastic. In the attack on Osgilliath, the sentry (the film's stunt coordinator in costume, BTW) is shot by an orc short recurve bow at a distance I guess to be around a 150 yards or greater. The arrow goes straight through the most heavily sloped part of his breastplate and knocks him off his feet.
This is patently ludicrous.

Well, the props have to be made of something, and real metal is unrealistic. As for that shot . . . maybe they're special arrows? Or, more likely, maybe it's more PJ-brand physics!

[Neurion]

Originally Posted by Nukapei

Well, the props have to be made of something, and real metal is unrealistic. As for that shot . . . maybe they're special arrows? Or, more likely, maybe it's more PJ-brand physics!

Well first of all, though the armor for the background extras was plastic, the "Hero" armor and weapons were made the traditional way, in metal, but I digress.

Special arrows? I don't think so.

Considering that a longbow generates a lot more kinetic energy than a shorter one, and that orc bows and the diminuitive arrows they shoot are, according to the film makers, crap compared to Rohirrim, Gondorian or Elven ones, and the fact that the longer the bow is, the longer the arrow can be, and the longer and heavier the projectile is, the more damage it will do, and the fact that even longbow arrows couldn't penetrate plate steel on a good day, and the fact that that Jackson and co. were quite set on bringing as much realism as possible to the films, you start to think that some scenes might have been handled a little better (don't think I'm mad at you, I'm just frustrated about the Gondorians getting downplayed at all possible opportunities).

What really confuses me is that they could have just as easily had a ranger for the sentry instead of an armored soldier, thereby avoiding this mess. For some inexplicable reason, they seem to have just let control slip on RotK.

Finally, just to sum up, I know that "suspension of disbelief" is required, but that only goes so far. I can believe Legolas sliding down a staircase on shield (much as it irks me), or Aragorn surviving that fall off the cliff. I can even accept Sauron sending dozens flying with his sorcery-bound mace. What I cannot accept is a situation that all previous examples and research tell me is impossible as it is presented.