Would Gollum have been better unanimated?

[Finduilas]

Originally Posted by davem

Peter Woodthorpe was the voice of Gollum. No other actor will ever come close.

Peter Woodthorpe? Who's he? (Absolutely no sarcasm meant. I truly don't know.)

[davem]

Originally Posted by Finduilas

Peter Woodthorpe? Who's he? (Absolutely no sarcasm meant. I truly don't know.)

He played Gollum in the BBC radio series (he also did the voice of Gollum in the Bakshi LotR, but you don't get any real sense of his vocal artistry in that)

[Mithalwen]

I really wasn't keen on the movie gollum - perhaps I had seen one too many "how it was done programme" but I found it impossible to suspend my disbelief with Gollum and his "active fit" loincloth (bet it beats pampers for a nappy that stays in place regardless of what the wearer does).

Peter Woodthorpe is unbeatable for me too ( the Sam/Frodo/Gollum trio is perhaps the aspect of the Radio version that most decisively better than the film - though even I (!) prefer somethings in the film (Aragorn perhaps being the most decisive winner) and some characters / handling are different but not inferior but different (Christopher Lee was a powerful Saruman but the radio actor caught the poisoned honey charm of his voice so well.

Yes I know some things are easier on the radio, but I have also seen the musical and the handling of Gollum played by a real person (acrobat Michel Therriault) was amazing.

[Thinlómien]

Now I can't see the movie Gollum as anything else, but I used to see a big problem with how he was made and now that I think of it, I can still agree with what I first thought when I saw the movie Gollum: he's too cute.

I mean, he is more like a wronged awwwy little creature than a many-layered dangerous ex-hobbit. With those huge blue eyes and cheerful voice, he seems like something cute and little, not treacherous, murderous and cunning. I don't mean that there's nothing good in Gollum, just that he really shouldn't be, of all things, cute. Just consider his age, for example.

[davem]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

Peter Woodthorpe is unbeatable for me too ( the Sam/Frodo/Gollum trio is perhaps the aspect of the Radio version that is definitively better than the film -
.

In the radio documentary 'Fired by the Ring' Peter Woodthorpe was interviewed by Brian Sibley, one of the adaptors of the series, & he stated that they had asked him to do the voice in the movie, but they wanted him to go to New Zealand & he couldn't go (don't know how old he would have been at the time - he's passed away now). Can't help thinking that he would have made the movie.....

[Mithalwen]

He died aged 72 in 2004. And while some people are very active until much later
- Mr Lee being a good example- he gave the impression in later outings (eg Morse) of being someone who might not enjoy the best of health in later life But given what a cut and paste job the whole film was ..it is a pity they did't make it work.

[davem]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

He died aged 72 in 2004. And while some people are very active until much later
- Mr Lee being a good example- he gave the impression in later outings (eg Morse) of being someone who might not enjoy the best of health in later life But given what a cut and paste job the whole film was ..it is a pity they did't make it work.

My dream adaptation of LotR would be a high quality animation using the radio series as soundtrack & just re-doing the sound effects - not beyond the wit of man, surely, after the latest Beowulf adaptation.......

[Mithalwen]

That looks a bit strange ot me - like a computer game. ACtually I think a lot of the visuals - in the films are great - the costumes and armour were lovely and I think here the influence of the obsessive Tolkien fans held sway . I would have like loved to see mallorn properly but I thought the Shire and Rivendell and Gondor were excellent.. and NZ does make a good middle earth. I would recast a few of the voices of the radio - Apart from Robert Stephens - the actress reading Arwen does sound as if she could be 3000 years old and maybe Boromir.