LotR1-FotR-Seq02

[Mister Underhill]

Originally Posted by SPM

but that's going to require a lot of exposition in the dialogue between characters

Not necessarily. You could shift the exposition to later sequences, as Tolkien did (you've saved 8 or 9 minutes by starting with Frodo in my hypothetical which can be used elsewhere). I'm not saying "This is the way it should have been done!", just thinking about a way it could have been done.

Rather than get into a "He took the easy option!"/"Who can blame him?" argument, which is rather played out by now, I'm more interested in looking at what the implications of Jackson's choices are, and in some cases how they might have been different. Isn't that what this discussion is for? Not just as a scene-by-scene rehash of the "Jackson did a great job!"/"This part doesn't match the books!" argument.

I know we're all used to capturing a position and then holding it against all attackers, and I am historically as guilty of that as anyone, but I hope we can investigate how the films might have been different without always arousing counter-attacks from Jackson defenders.

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Mister Underhill

Rather than get into a "He took the easy option!"/"Who can blame him?" argument, which is rather played out by now, I'm more interested in looking at what the implications of Jackson's choices are, and in some cases how they might have been different.

I don't disagree, although I think that this may be difficult, since any suggested alternatives will need to be thought through. Like Jackson's own changes, they will have knock on effects, possibly throughout the trilogy. For example, omitting the Prologue would fundamentally affect the (non-book) audience's attitude to, and relationship with, the Ring. "What's all this fuss about a little Ring" might be one reaction without having seen it's history and past "deeds". The exposition could be inserted by "flashback" early on, say in Gandalf's discussion with Frodo (as in the book), but what effect would this have on the pacing?

I am most certainly not planning on defending the films for the sake of it. But, if we are to look at why Jackson made the choices that he did, we have to take into account all of the factors influencing his decisions. And "played out" though the argument may be, mass marketability is undoubtedly a major factor.