John Boorman's Lord of the Rings

[Kuruharan]

We were propelled by what we liked, and invented as we went along."

-and-

The screenplay takes liberties with the book, which would have upset Tolkien purists.

The relief that this didn’t happen began to mount when I saw this.

A sentiment confirmed by the next line…

Perhaps the most provocative change occurs in Lothlorien where, before gazing into Galadriel's mirror, Frodo must become intimate with her (this does not cause friction with husband Celeborn because he is not featured.)

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!

This was NOT a mental picture that I needed to have in my brain!

I believe it was I who came up with idea where they bury Gimli in a hole, throw a cape on him, and beat him up to utter exhaustion to retrieve his unconscious ancestral memory." This ancient knowlege allows Gimli to know the word for entering Moria, and to find insights about the ancient dwarf kingdom.

What the Udun?

"I had a rather fanciful idea involving these orcs that are slumbering or in some kind of narcotic state. The fellowship runs over them, and the footsteps start up their hearts. John liked that a lot."

Hmmm…this idea sounds fairly PJ. I think I can hear him kicking himself even as I type for not thinking of this first. It will undoubtedly appear in The Hobbit should that be made.

I was an advocate of eliminating all flying creatures.

Well, that’s one way of eliminating the “Why couldn’t the Eagles have carried the Ring to Mount Doom?” issue.

At Minas Tirith, instead of a flying steed, the Nazgul Chief rides a horse that 'seems to have no skin. Its live, raw, bleeding flesh is exposed.'

This is an easier effect to do than a flying creature?

I’m honestly curious about that, if anybody knows. It seems to be that both would require a lot of work.

The script ends with Gandalf, Frodo, Bilbo, Galadriel, Arwen, and Elrond leaving Middle-earth on a sailing ship.

Let me guess…Aragorn shacked up with Eowyn and Faramir was cut from the script to save costs…right?

A rainbow arcs over the vessel. Legolas, who is watching from shore with Gimli, says, "Look! Only seven colors. Indeed, the world is failing."

Such gripping writing!! Lucas could do better.

“They were baffled by a script that, for most of them, was their first contact with Middle Earth [sic],” and rejected it

If I didn’t know better, I’d say they actually were familiar with Middle earth, which caused them to reject it. They just told him they weren’t to spare his feelings.

Aragon’s battlefield healing of Éowyn is so blatantly sexual it’s not surprising Boorman marries them immediately.

Ohh gee... Would you believe I was typing my responses as I read the article and hadn’t read this bit when I typed my earlier remark about Eowyn…

I’m surprised Arwen wasn’t just cut from the script as she now fulfills no purpose…unlike the Eagles who were cut but served a purpose. I wonder how Boorman proposed to get Frodo off Mount Doom?

were Pallenberg & Boorman on medication?

That is pretty much my conclusion.

I have a feeling, though, this particular adaptation would have been embraced by the critics as being the greatest thing since Citizen Kane. It would have been the way the books should have been written.

My question is, “Doesn’t this script reduce Middle earth down to the level of a lot of the trashy fantasy that has subsequently followed Tolkien?”

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

were Pallenberg & Boorman on medication?

That is pretty much my conclusion.

My suspicion is, rather, that they'd run out.

[davem]

I'm not sure the B/P changes bother me as much as the ones PJ made. Boorman's movie would have been so different from the book that I could have approached it as something entirely 'other'. The main problem for me with PJ's version is that it is so close to the books for so much of the time that the changes he does make stick out like sore thumbs.

Its certainly true that a lot of the ideas they had for LotR were taken up into Excalibur - which takes just as many liberties with Mallory as they took with Tolkien. Yet Excalibur worked, while this, imo, really wouldn't have. I'd still kind of like to see it though.

Does make you wonder what we may be on the receiving end of when LotR does finally come out of copyright......

[Diamond18]

Hahahahahahahahahahaha!



My favorite part was them putting Gimli in a hole in the ground and beating him.

were Pallenberg & Boorman on medication?

If not, they should have been.

Also, I really don't understand why you would make Fellowship take up half of the film.

[Mister Underhill]

Very interesting! I'd heard Boorman's name in connection with LotR, but never knew it got even as far as a draft script.

Originally Posted by davem

Personally, I'd be interested to read Boorman/Pallenberg's script in full if only for the sake of curiosity...

I'm not sure the B/P changes bother me as much as the ones PJ made. Boorman's movie would have been so different from the book that I could have approached it as something entirely 'other'.

Ditto on both comments. Boorman's wild take, I think, would ultimately have had a higher camp value. I'm certain his film would have been interesting on a purely visceral/visual/mythic-symbolic level, and let's face it -- if you're gonna do LotR in a single film, you have to start making some pretty drastic changes any way you slice it. Gimli being beaten in the hole does earn extra bonus points, though.

I have to say that prior to FotR, I ranked his Excalibur as one of the top two fantasy movies of all time (Conan the Barbarian being the other). Still, even that film wanders into some really strange territory towards the end, and he is after all the man who brought us Zardoz, which featured Sean Connery running around in this getup (WARNING: I assume no responsibility for any eye damage suffered as a result of clicking that link). The Golden Age of 70's cinema wasn't always what it is sometimes cracked up to be. Didn't he use the rainbow shot, if not the line, when Arthur is sailing away at the end of Excalibur? Interesting connection. I'll have to pop in my DVD to check.

Originally Posted by Kuru

This is an easier effect to do than a flying creature?

Oh, by far -- especially considering the FX technology available at the time. The skinless horse gag is basically just whipping up a suit and maybe some makeup for the horse. Flying Nazgûl would involve difficult and expensive miniatures, motion-control, rotoscoping, etc., and probably look pretty fake. I think it's a pretty neat idea for the limitations of the time.

Thanks for the interesting info, davem!

[Mithalwen]

Suprisingly, this has grown on me sinceI read about it yesterday. I am not sure it isn't more honest to genuinely stream line the story this way for a single film than to convolute it to make minor elements more important in a long one. The Arwen Aragorn relationship is important to the greater history of Middle Earth but it isn't vital to the story of the Lord of the Rings. And I would rather have my darling Faramir omitted than disdained. Tolkien considered marrying Aragorn and Eowyn before he thought of Arwen so I can live with that. I think the Kabuki is a brilliant way to "cut to the chase". I certainly think that SFX can be overused or used pointlessly. In fact my major issues (apart from Legolas being once again designated village idiot) are the Dwarf beating and Galadriel and Frodo thing -whatever the connections to wider mythology ewwww!!!)

[Diamond18]

Personally, I prefer a version that's mostly close to the book with a few deviations than a vastly reworked one. There has always been much disagreement over PJ's deviations, indicating that fans have varying opinions on which of them were merited or unmerited, and which worked and didn't work. It has provided this forum with many robust discussions over the years, anyway. With Boorman's adaptation, it promises to be SO vastly different that I would just prefer that he write his own fantasy rather than seek to make such drastic changes to LotR. There are a few which are okay, depending on your tastes, but as has been pointed out, the beating of Gimli and the intimacy of Frodo and Galadriel just take the cake.