Popularity of LOTR... How sad... - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Lalwendë · 03-04-2004, 01:31 PM

Someone earlier made the point that if the films had not been made then the books would eventually have been forgotten about. I have to disagree - wasn't there a poll run by Waterstone's in 1999 (well before the films) to find the greatest books of the 20th century, in which LOTR was the run away winner?

I do love the films though - perhaps because I was so nervous about them being dreadful that I had a nice surprise when they were good. I accept that in the interests of 'dramatisation' some things had to be cut. After all, there are no films which are totally loyal to the books they are based on - or at least I can't think of any - and Peter Jackson did have all us fans to contend with if he cut too much out. But there is one point where I have noticed that fans of the books and fans of the films do disagree, and that's over the end of ROTK. Those on the movie 'side' (if you can call it that!) tend to say the film was 20 minutes too long, and any 'bookies' say no, it was not long enough! It would have been disgraceful to stop the film at Mount Doom!

I had an annoying moment a couple of weeks ago when I downloaded a New Line endorsed LOTR trivia quiz. A question asked what was the Elven name for the Grey Havens, the answer was given as Valinor...

03-04-2004, 01:31 PM	#36
Lalwendë A Mere Boggart Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: under the bed Posts: 4,737	Someone earlier made the point that if the films had not been made then the books would eventually have been forgotten about. I have to disagree - wasn't there a poll run by Waterstone's in 1999 (well before the films) to find the greatest books of the 20th century, in which LOTR was the run away winner? I do love the films though - perhaps because I was so nervous about them being dreadful that I had a nice surprise when they were good. I accept that in the interests of 'dramatisation' some things had to be cut. After all, there are no films which are totally loyal to the books they are based on - or at least I can't think of any - and Peter Jackson did have all us fans to contend with if he cut too much out. But there is one point where I have noticed that fans of the books and fans of the films do disagree, and that's over the end of ROTK. Those on the movie 'side' (if you can call it that!) tend to say the film was 20 minutes too long, and any 'bookies' say no, it was not long enough! It would have been disgraceful to stop the film at Mount Doom! I had an annoying moment a couple of weeks ago when I downloaded a New Line endorsed LOTR trivia quiz. A question asked what was the Elven name for the Grey Havens, the answer was given as Valinor...