You, my brown-eyed Frodo

[Mnemosyne]

Originally Posted by Eomer of the Rohirrim

my images of the characters are gained almost entirely from whisky-fuelled discussion down the pub.

This is, of course, the only valid way to form an opinion on anything these days.

[Rikae]

I read the books long before the movies came out, and had very "solid" images of the characters and places in my mind (I even made some attempts at reproducing these images with paint or colored pencils). A.J. (after Jackson), those images were, to some degree, lost, and I have to struggle to recover them. Some of Jackson's vision matched mine so closely that I had a sense of recognition (the Shire, Gandalf), while Frodo and Aragorn were clearly "wrong", but in every case, I think, my original images have been obscured. It's a sad thing, really.

The voices I originally heard have also faded from my memory, but it seems that the hobbits had at least a somewhat English sound to them, and Frodo's voice was considerably older sounding than movie-Frodo's.

[Rumil]

Hi all,

Also read the books long before the movies, though find that the movie casting has affected my 'internal image' for some but not all characters.

Frodo- I didn't have a clear picture of, seemed like an 'everyhobbit' charcter, so it was easy to accept the movie Frodo

Sam- I never thought of him as 'heavier' than the other hobbits, always as slighter but wiry physique, so movie Sam wasn't right for me

Merry and Pippin - Movie depiction OK, thought the 'Irishness' was a bit odd at first but it did work out OK

Aragorn - thought Viggo did OK, but imagined Aragorn as older and more weatherbeaten, in a 70s Clint Eastwood sort of way.

Gandalf- Obi-Wan, Merlin, archetype, was surprised that they cast McKellan but thought he got it spot on

Boromir and Faramir - totally wrong in the movies, both dark-haired and brooding in my head with Boromir heavier, Faramir younger and slighter.

Legolas - found the hairstyle a bit odd

Gimli - not bad but not 100%, strange mix of Scots and Welsh idiom!

[Mnemosyne]

Originally Posted by Rikae

The voices I originally heard have also faded from my memory, but it seems that the hobbits had at least a somewhat English sound to them, and Frodo's voice was considerably older sounding than movie-Frodo's.

The radio helped me "recover" somewhat of what I think my original Frodo-voice sounded like (I honestly don't remember, but Ian Holm as Frodo generally sounds older, more mature, and more competent than Elijah Wood. Even without having a better script).

[Galin]

Incidentally, in a note to The Bladorthin Typescript (ii Bladorthin, note 14, Mr. Baggins), John Rateliff describes an essay written circa 1970 and now in the Bodleian Library (Tolkien Papers A61 a, fol. 1-31). Mr. Rateliff quotes a description of Gandalf from this essay (which includes 'Which should make him a short man even in modern England, especially with the reduction of a bent back' for example), noting also that it was written in response to Pauline Baynes' art for the poster-map of Middle-earth -- which included the Fellowship and Bill, and certain evil types too.

In note 8 to Gollum this is referred to again: '... in which he describes each member of the Fellowship of the Ring as he pictured them -- an invaluable aid to any future illustrator of his work.' JDR then quotes another bit concerning Gollum and describes the essay as from 'Bodleian, Department of Western Manuscripts,' and etc. (as above).

Parts or snippets from this work have already been published by CJRT and Hammond and Scull, but to date, not the whole thing. I've no idea how detailed the full version gets concerning the Hobbits and I assume the questions of Legolas' hair colour and ear shape are not answered, as H&S likely would have cited that much for their companion to The Lord of the Rings.

But that's an assumption about what they 'likely' would have done

[mark12_30]

I was hugely affected by Pauline Baynes' illustration that was published below her map of Middle-Earth, and of The Hobbit. Since I first 'met' Pauline Baynes during Narnia, and later enjoyed her Smith of Wooten Major and the Tom Bombadil collection etc, and Tolkien himself was pleased with her work, I am mostly content with that.

That said, I was also influenced by other art, and still am. The picture of the redhaired, rosy-cheeked Frodo (taller than most) recovering in Elrond's guest bed with Gandalf seated by his side, remains my portrait for Frodo. Aragorn was perhaps somewhat influenced by Bakshi. (I know.) But then slightly dissatisfied with that, I went back and reread some descriptions... and didn't find TOO much to change.

I used to draw my own pictures specifically for Aragorn, Boromir and Faramir. My favorite drawing of my own was Boromir. It's long gone. Too bad.

[Loslote]

1). If you read the books before the movies, what (if anything) did the characters look like to you?

I rarely create mental pictures of characters. Sometimes, if an author is very specific in their description, I'll make a basic Barbie and stick the proper features on it, but never anything more personalized.

2). After the movies came out, did this change?

Yeah, I borrow images from movies all the time. LotR, Narnia, pretty much everything. It's a bit of a lazy tick.

3). If your answer to 2 is yes, have you tried to recover your previous mental pictures and/or create new ones in response to the films? If so, how?

Nah. That sounds quite a bit like work.

4). Have any of your mental associations with characters been otherwise influenced by other sources (i.e. illustrations, fanart, other adaptations)?

Some of the Sil characters, definately.

5). Have you ever engaged in any sort of sub-sub-creative effort that draws upon any of these mental pictures (i.e. RPGs, fan fiction, fanart)?

Oh, yes. I most write parodies, so my chars end up being movie-verse plus some. My Frodos are even more pathetic, my Pippins are even more clueless, my Legolases are even more "perfect", etc. So I take the profiles given to the other chars and I make them "even more so". Fan-art, for me, focuses more on obscure Sil chars than LotR chars, so the movies don't really have an effect.