Note: Strong *IMHO* warning. Not intended to belittle anyone else's opinions.
From: Johnson Victor <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >I finally went to see "The Fellowship of the Ring" and > unexpectedly was fairly disappointed with this production. And from the other side, I was blown away by the movie and felt it was a very loving and respectful version of Tolkien's vision. I saw it for the second time tonight and found it even more engrossing than the first. > they seem to have forgotten about everything else including > character development and acting and didn't allow such a wonderful story > to carry itself. Instead they depended almost entirely on the action, The action did play a large part and I believe that that was a valid choice on the director's part. After all, the pressure is always on to have a hit, especially when you spend close to $300 million dollars. More people are likely to go to see a blockbuster than a study of character development. But I don't feel this was a sell-out on Jackson's part because there were nuances ( to borrow your word, Victor) which brought out the individuality of the characters. For instance, you complained that > it is completely out of character for Sam to have packed his bags and been > ready to go home. Au contraire. Sam thought the journey was over for both himself and Frodo and as he says in the scene where Frodo finds him packing, "Have to be ready for anything." Which is wise and clever as Sam should be. > I did not like the casting of Aragorn at all. He expressed very > little of the grace and honor that Aragorn should have and in my opinion > had the completely wrong look. I loved Aragorn's look: Someone who has spent most of his adult life as a Ranger, haunting the wild places, living outside the pale, yet possessing a strength, self-assuredness, and wisdom that shone through his rough visage. >The character of Elrond, was way too creepy and stern and > did not convey the kind, wise nature that the original character has. I'll agree that he was a bit creepy but I loved the androgyny of the elves in general. The sense I got from Rivendell and Loth-Lorien was that the elves knew their time was nearly finished (Notice the falling leaves from the trees in both scenes? The elves were no longer able to sustain the magic that kept the trees fully leaved as in an eternal summer.) Well, I could go on disagreeing with almost everything you said but you get the idea, I'm sure. I could not believe how well the movie fit the mental images I'd created while reading the books (five or six times now, I think.) The Fellowship of The Ring immediately jumps into my top ten lifetime movie list. And I'm going for a third time next week. Ranger Rick (as in park, not Middle Earth!)
