**RotK - Gollum** - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

doug*platypus · 12-26-2003, 03:50 PM

I thought it was a real shame to see the greatly simplified version of Sméagol/Gollum that appears in The Return of the King. But I have to say that from the point of view of the movie, he does work very well. We can't feel any more empathy or pity for him, and even from the outset he is portrayed as evil. The prologue is great because it shows us how this one evil deed has shaped his entire future, and also it's an incredible piece of filmmaking. I don't think I've ever seen a murder portrayed with the violence and horror that it should be shown with. I think it's quite ironic that they can show something like that in a PG-13 movie, but couldn't show unrealistic splatter scenes at battles like Helm's Deep.PJ chose to have Gollum engaged in an interior struggle only in The Two Towers. At the end of the movie he is completely decided, and this is quite believable given his treatment by Faramir and what he saw as a betrayal by Frodo. The Extended Edition makes the victory of Stinker over Slinker much more believable. In terms of the whole trilogy, Gollum in ROTK works fine, although his disappearance and reappearance isn't very credible (at least in the cinema version).I still prefer the book version though, and I miss most of all the pitiful begging that Gollum does as Sam threatens him on the slopes of Mount Doom. Something about how if the Precious is destroyed he'll turn into "dusst". The image of him picking up the dust of Orodruin and letting it slip through his fingers is a real loss, IMHO.

12-26-2003, 03:50 PM	#21
doug*platypus Delver in the Deep Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Aotearoa Posts: 960	I thought it was a real shame to see the greatly simplified version of Sméagol/Gollum that appears in <I>The Return of the King</I>. But I have to say that from the point of view of the movie, he does work very well. We can't feel any more empathy or pity for him, and even from the outset he is portrayed as evil. <P>The prologue is great because it shows us how this one evil deed has shaped his entire future, and also it's an incredible piece of filmmaking. I don't think I've ever seen a murder portrayed with the violence and horror that it should be shown with. I think it's quite ironic that they can show something like that in a PG-13 movie, but couldn't show unrealistic splatter scenes at battles like Helm's Deep.<P>PJ chose to have Gollum engaged in an interior struggle only in <I>The Two Towers</I>. At the end of the movie he is completely decided, and this is quite believable given his treatment by Faramir and what he saw as a betrayal by Frodo. The Extended Edition makes the victory of Stinker over Slinker much more believable. In terms of the whole trilogy, Gollum in ROTK works fine, although his disappearance and reappearance isn't very credible (at least in the cinema version).<P>I still prefer the book version though, and I miss most of all the pitiful begging that Gollum does as Sam threatens him on the slopes of Mount Doom. Something about how if the Precious is destroyed he'll turn into "dusst". The image of him picking up the dust of Orodruin and letting it slip through his fingers is a real loss, IMHO. __________________ But Gwindor answered: 'The doom lies in yourself, not in your name'.