Hey dol! Merry dol! Get lost Tom!!! - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Boromir88 · 09-15-2004, 02:19 PM

Perky:

Quote:

But when the movie came out, seeing someone play Harry destoryed my mental picture

I actually got that feeling with LOTR. I mean, he destroyed my mental picture of all the characters. For some reason instead of making Legolas a dark-haired elf, he was blonde, in fact a lot of his elves were blonde, and there were very few blonde elves. I thought no matter how great a role Sean Bean did, he wasn't big enough for Boromir, and he also should have had dark hair like most Gondorians. Boromir was the strongest, broadest member of the fellowship, he needed to be bigger, but I loved Sean Bean. I also pictured Elendil to be a lot taller, I mean he was "Elendil the Tall." But, these are just nit-picky things that didn't get me furiously mad and stomp off, just saying my mental imaginations were destroyed, now I can't read a Legolas line without picturing some expert mumak slaying blonde elf.

The Perky Ent · 09-15-2004, 02:31 PM

This is true, but I'm not as much as a nit picker as you

Bêthberry · 09-15-2004, 03:24 PM

In addition to what Son of Númenor says about wanting to preserve his own special image of Tom, I think there is another issue with the omission of The House of Bombadil and also of Fog on the Barrow Downs.

Both of those chapters provide initial scares for the hobbits. Gandalf even says, later in Rivendell ("Many Meetings") that Frodo's experience with the Barrow Wight was more harrowing than that on Weathertop. The book thus gives us a graduated development of the tension which the Black Riders cause.

The movie lacks this progression of fear and suspense and terror. Thus, the Prancing Pony and Bree in the movie must in effect become darker than those scenes in the book. And the movie has to rely on big screne action instead of finely wrought emotional development. In missing out on Old Man Willow, movie goers also have little foreshadowing for the likes of the Ents in Fangorn.

The Perky Ent · 09-15-2004, 04:12 PM

Merry: It's not even sharp!

Eowyn: A blunt blade's no good! To the smithy! Go!

PJ: Cut! Brilliant! This scene is a keeper!

Writer: Wait a minute, if Merry uses this blade, with no magical Numenorian power, it doesn't make sense that he stops the Witch-King. This scene throws off the whole plot!

PJ: Well...that's true.....but...that was a good scene, and I don't think we can do better! Let's just keep this, and remove the Barrow-Downs scene! This way, people who didn't read the book won't be confused!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ok, sure! I was exagerating! But you get the point. They didn't shoot the movies in order of Chapter by Chapter. They either thought they couldn't do it (which is what most likely happened) or they put a scene in the can, and later forgot it would conflict!

mollecon · 09-15-2004, 04:51 PM

As far as I know, Tom Bombadil was hardly in the novel to begin with - Tolkien put him in at a later stage in the writing.

As much as it would have been nice to have him in the movies, Tom and the chapters involving him was an obvious thing to cut out from a movie version. He really contributes very little to the main story, and would have stopped the flow in the movie, too. And, as other mentions, non-readers would have been confused - they had more than enough to keep track of already!

**The Saucepan Man** · 09-15-2004, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boromir88

I actually got that feeling with LOTR. I mean, he destroyed my mental picture of all the characters.

Funnily enough, the film captured my most of my mental images (of both people and places) perfectly. But that's by the by.

I don't think it would be very difficult to capture the visual image of Tom. Blue jacket, yellow boots, feather in hat, booming voice and big dark beard and you're there. The difficulty would be in finding an actor who could portray the right mix of levity and underlying power. He could very easily come across as laughable and ridiculous. As has been suggested on other threads, Brian "Gordon's Alive!" Blessed would look and sound the part, but I feel that (much as I admire the guy) he would probably come across as a buffoon.

In any event, I go with the majority. Tom's Chapters are fairly easy to omit without causing any major plot holes (the Barrow Blade is the only one I can think of) and there were more important things to include in the time available. And, well, I must admit that, enigmatic as he is, I too have always found Tom a tad annoying ...

Boromir88 · 09-15-2004, 06:57 PM

Oooops, sorry SpM I just realized I said "all" the characters. I just ment the ones I basically mentioned, I do think the scenery was absolutely great, but I just pictured "some" of the characters differently. Like I said, I can't read LOTR anymore without picturing the actors, ahh that's bad.

09-15-2004, 02:31 PM	#2
The Perky Ent Maniacal Mage Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Setting sail for Umbar, with Firefoot at my side! Posts: 3,297	This is true, but I'm not as much as a nit picker as you __________________ 'But Melkor also was there, and he came to the house of Fëanor, and there he slew Finwë King of the Noldor before his doors, and spilled the first blood in the Blessed Realm; for Finwë alone had not fled from the horror of the Dark.'

09-15-2004, 03:24 PM	#3
Bêthberry Cryptic Aura Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 6,003	Fear and loathing In addition to what Son of Númenor says about wanting to preserve his own special image of Tom, I think there is another issue with the omission of The House of Bombadil and also of Fog on the Barrow Downs. Both of those chapters provide initial scares for the hobbits. Gandalf even says, later in Rivendell ("Many Meetings") that Frodo's experience with the Barrow Wight was more harrowing than that on Weathertop. The book thus gives us a graduated development of the tension which the Black Riders cause. The movie lacks this progression of fear and suspense and terror. Thus, the Prancing Pony and Bree in the movie must in effect become darker than those scenes in the book. And the movie has to rely on big screne action instead of finely wrought emotional development. In missing out on Old Man Willow, movie goers also have little foreshadowing for the likes of the Ents in Fangorn. __________________ I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away.

09-15-2004, 04:12 PM	#4
The Perky Ent Maniacal Mage Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Setting sail for Umbar, with Firefoot at my side! Posts: 3,297	Merry: It's not even sharp! Eowyn: A blunt blade's no good! To the smithy! Go! PJ: Cut! Brilliant! This scene is a keeper! Writer: Wait a minute, if Merry uses this blade, with no magical Numenorian power, it doesn't make sense that he stops the Witch-King. This scene throws off the whole plot! PJ: Well...that's true.....but...that was a good scene, and I don't think we can do better! Let's just keep this, and remove the Barrow-Downs scene! This way, people who didn't read the book won't be confused! ~~~~~~~~~*~ Ok, sure! I was exagerating! But you get the point. They didn't shoot the movies in order of Chapter by Chapter. They either thought they couldn't do it (which is what most likely happened) or they put a scene in the can, and later forgot it would conflict! __________________ 'But Melkor also was there, and he came to the house of Fëanor, and there he slew Finwë King of the Noldor before his doors, and spilled the first blood in the Blessed Realm; for Finwë alone had not fled from the horror of the Dark.'

09-15-2004, 06:57 PM	#7
Boromir88 Laconic Loreman Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: USA Posts: 7,521	Ooops. Oooops, sorry SpM I just realized I said "all" the characters. I just ment the ones I basically mentioned, I do think the scenery was absolutely great, but I just pictured "some" of the characters differently. Like I said, I can't read LOTR anymore without picturing the actors, ahh that's bad.

09-15-2004, 04:51 PM	#5
mollecon Wight Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Denmark Posts: 188	As far as I know, Tom Bombadil was hardly in the novel to begin with - Tolkien put him in at a later stage in the writing. As much as it would have been nice to have him in the movies, Tom and the chapters involving him was an obvious thing to cut out from a movie version. He really contributes very little to the main story, and would have stopped the flow in the movie, too. And, as other mentions, non-readers would have been confused - they had more than enough to keep track of already!