Before and after the movie - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

mark12_30 · 01-01-2004, 02:25 PM

Happy New Year...

This is less a reply to the thread than to Child's current thoughts. Much of what I posted before has not changed much.

Before the movie trilogy: I had let Tolkien and LotR slip rather thoroughly out of my everyday life, although it did keep trying to resurface invarious ways. The movies drew me back into the legendarium.

While I agree with Child that EJW's interpretation (or rather Wood's presentation of PJ's interpretation) of Frodo is incomplete, if it had not been for Wood's presentation I never would have investigated Tolkien's Frodo as much as I did. For three decades, Frodo was always the most obscure main character in the books to me. Having WoodFrodo to contrast with BookFrodo threw BookFrodo into sharp relief, and continues to do so. Without the movies, then, I'd have been much poorer. BookFrodo is now a big favorite of mine, probably my favorite Tolkien character. WoodFrodo is also a treasure, for different reasons.

(For you Star Trek fans, it's like this: I enjoy both Kirk and Picard for different reasons, and now that I know them both, I wouldn't discard either one.)

I wasn't a forum member until the first movie came out. I joined that February, as I recall. So to me, themovies provided a gateway back into the books, into writing, RPGs, and numerous friendships. While it's quite true for me that the books forum seems to have run it's course, there's still plenty to write. Plenty "to do, and to be."

And there's hal;f a shelf of critical works still to get through. And half of the histories are still waiting. Tolkien's letters still provide much food for thought.

I do miss the discussions in the books forum, espcially the ones that have landed in Hauth-En-Ndengin; but they're still there, after all. I guess FWW has replaced much of that for me.

For now I'm steeped in critical work and in my own writing. When the movies leave the theater, I will return to the trilogy again; I don't dare til then, because it affects me so. I still can't just flip to the final chapter; if I must in order to verify something, as soon as I'm done, I slam it closed and turn away.

01-01-2004, 02:25 PM	#24
mark12_30 Stormdancer of Doom Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Elvish singing is not a thing to miss, in June under the stars Posts: 4,349	Happy New Year... This is less a reply to the thread than to Child's current thoughts. Much of what I posted before has not changed much. Before the movie trilogy: I had let Tolkien and LotR slip rather thoroughly out of my everyday life, although it did keep trying to resurface invarious ways. The movies drew me back into the legendarium. While I agree with Child that EJW's interpretation (or rather Wood's presentation of PJ's interpretation) of Frodo is incomplete, if it had not been for Wood's presentation I never would have investigated Tolkien's Frodo as much as I did. For three decades, Frodo was always the most obscure main character in the books to me. Having WoodFrodo to contrast with BookFrodo threw BookFrodo into sharp relief, and continues to do so. Without the movies, then, I'd have been much poorer. BookFrodo is now a big favorite of mine, probably my favorite Tolkien character. WoodFrodo is also a treasure, for different reasons. (For you Star Trek fans, it's like this: I enjoy both Kirk and Picard for different reasons, and now that I know them both, I wouldn't discard either one.) I wasn't a forum member until the first movie came out. I joined that February, as I recall. So to me, themovies provided a gateway back into the books, into writing, RPGs, and numerous friendships. While it's quite true for me that the books forum seems to have run it's course, there's still plenty to write. Plenty "to do, and to be." And there's hal;f a shelf of critical works still to get through. And half of the histories are still waiting. Tolkien's letters still provide much food for thought. I do miss the discussions in the books forum, espcially the ones that have landed in Hauth-En-Ndengin; but they're still there, after all. I guess FWW has replaced much of that for me. For now I'm steeped in critical work and in my own writing. When the movies leave the theater, I will return to the trilogy again; I don't dare til then, because it affects me so. I still can't just flip to the final chapter; if I must in order to verify something, as soon as I'm done, I slam it closed and turn away. __________________ ...down to the water to see the elves dance and sing upon the midsummer's eve.