A sad experience

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by mormegil

Okay so recently I watched the Fellowship with my daughter, this time I watched in in an actual home theater with a projection screen and a killer sound system and I must say it was better. I think, more so than other films, great sound is a factor in this movie. That is why I loved it a lot more when it was in the theater. Now, with that said, it still didn't hold the same enchantment it did on the first few viewings but it was much better with better sound.

Well one of the first things we did when we got our new Mothership-sized TV set before Christmas was watch FotR on it, and I must admit it was very enjoyable. We did spend a lot of the time going "Ooooh, look at that!" as we saw things that had previously been chopped off the side of the screen on our smaller TV!

And yes, good sound makes an amazing difference.

We never did get round to watching TT though

[Benjimir]

I have the extended editions on my media players at work (a Creative Zen) and watch them as I'm working on my websites. They are the only versions I can watch and pay any attention too. If I'm online at home, which often means playing LOTRO, its nice background noise at times.

But I was taught long ago in my youth to take movies as they are, and not mix them with the books. To try to compare any book to its movie version is impossible to do.

[BGreg]

When I first saw FoTR, I was simply amazed. Having read The Hobbit before, I knew some of the characters, but didn't know the storyline at all. So it was all a perfect surprise for me. Immediatly I decided to read the book, and did so very quickly.
Of course, I liked the book a lot. But still I enjoyed all the movies and thought they were a great work by PJ. However, every time I saw the movies again (and reread the books) I noticed more and more differences from the book. So it did have a negative influence on my pleasure of watching the movie.
Don't get me wrong, the movie is a masterpiece, but it's simply not IT. It doesn't have the subtlety Tolkien so fabolously incorporated in the book.

But I was taught long ago in my youth to take movies as they are, and not mix them with the books. To try to compare any book to its movie version is impossible to do.

It's a good thing you were taught that, Benjimir

[Vaine]

I saw the movies before I read any of the books, and I must say, I thought they were the best movies I had ever seen at the time.

Now after reading the book, they just dont have that much of an impact on me anymore. I did buy all three EE's not too long ago to see if they would bring back the good ole' lotr feeling, which they hardly did.

I almost never see the movies anymore, although I still think they're good. (From a blockbuster point of view )

It's kinda sad too, because whenever I read lotr, I always get movie images in my head, such as Frodo looking younger than he really was in the book.
It's hard to 'live' the book in my mind, if you know what I mean.

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Originally Posted by Vaine

It's hard to 'live' the book in my mind, if you know what I mean.

It is true. I've found (since I am in the same boat, reading the books after seeing the movies) that movie images flash through my head when I read LotR, I don't like this. But thankfully doesn't when I read the Sil.

[Gwathagor]

That sometimes happens to me, too. However, I draw a lot, and I've found that drawing things from the book helps me to imagine them more originally. You might try it.

Speaking of which, the Barrow-downs should have a fan art page.

[Mnemosyne]

I think they used to, waaaay back in the day. The random generator still does a good job of non-filmic-based images.

Oh, and Obligatory Self Promotional Linking: I totally just did a thread on mental pictures and if/how the films have influenced them and how possibly to counter that.

...Wow, that sounds arrogant.

[Gwathagor]

Originally Posted by Benjimir

But I was taught long ago in my youth to take movies as they are, and not mix them with the books. To try to compare any book to its movie version is impossible to do.

Yeah, people keep saying that. I disagree.

The trouble with the films is not that they make departures from the book; that is inevitable and necessary in any adaptation. The trouble is that they make departures from the spirit of the book, unnecessary changes to the essence of the story that is The Lord of the Rings. Inherent differences in medium have nothing to do with it.

Both films and books are story-centric, and thus may be compared on how well they convey a particular story. The Lord of the Rings is a particular story, with a particular spirit that Peter Jackson does not understand, and which he was unable to capture.

You cannot take the films just "as they are." Since they were intended as an adaptation, I see no reason why we shouldn't judge them on that basis - how well did they function as an adaptation? There are aspects, of course, that do not correspond to the books at all, things that do not translate between mediums. Story is not one of these.

This idea is fresh in my mind, since I watched the extended trilogy straight (for the second time!) just two weeks ago.

[MaultheStoor]

When I get bored with the LOTR movies, I curl up with one of the books instead. I'm pretty sure the movies don't get jealous or anything.....

[LadyBrooke]

For me the books and movies serve different purposes so I can enjoy both of them without either having a negative effect on the other. I did see the movies before reading any of Tolkien’s books, and I do enjoy a bit of good natured complaining about changes the movies made from the books.

The books - Tolkien is easily my favorite author. His books are my thinking books, my fantasy books, the books I use as justification when anybody says my obsession with fantasy or languages is stupid. I read the books for the enjoyment of always finding something new in them, the satisfaction of finishing a reread every year - I’ve read them every year since I got them in 7th grade, so 4 times so far, every year around my birthday. I never imagine the books as looking like the movies, either..

The movies - I am sick a lot. The movies are my curl up on the couch with a diet coke and snack under a blanket, escape into another world without having to try and read a book with watery eyes cure. I will also admit that I love the costumes and they have reawakened my interest in costume design, something I had forgotten I enjoyed.

[Tuor in Gondolin]

The movies do offer some "entertainment" avenues
different from the books. You can watch them to
observe and appreciate the cinematography, costume,
and weaponology efforts. Also, watching them while
playing some of the dvd tracks with commentary,
especially the actors and special effects people are
entertaining and insightful. Related, it's interesting
to both watch the prologue and hear the analyses,
views, and interpretaions of various people involved
in it.

[The Sixth Wizard]

I do miss the landscapes and that feeling of being part of another world, which was Middle-Earth. I find myself reinstalling the Hobbit video game and other Lord of the Rings games just to play the less linear, more exploration-based levels, where I can admire the world Tolkien created. The magic has died somewhat because I've read every book and seen every film a good many times. When I read the Silmarillion for the first time, it was so close to reliving the magic of The Lord of the Rings again that it was amazing for me.

But I think in the end that feeling of wonder isn't going to come back, and you don't find it the same way in any other fantasy world either. We're stuck with nostalgia ...