Book to Film adaptations-the good, the bad, the ugly

[jamestkirk]

I will never watch a Hobbit film. I only need see a short clip to know.

I already "see" every scene and character in my mind. I've read, browsed and thoroughly enjoyed the Trilogy and The Hobbit since 1967, and I will not let Hollywood tell me what Bilbo or Gollum or Gandalf look like, or how they act. I already know.

I have regretted & endured watching a portion of the Trilogy/Part 1. And after yelling, "why did you do that, or why did you change that line, or where is Tom Bombadil (the most important character of all)! Oh my god!", I will never return!!

JRRTolkien painted a clear picture with his words. I will not corrupt it with a mere movie.

Believe me this is not always the case. "To Kill A Mockingbird" is every bit as good in book and film! So is "Harry Potter". Or many play adaptations such as "Harvey".

Tolkien is just too dear. I have my 1960's hardbound edition!

Thanks Hollywood, but no thanks.

[Silver Forest]

I understand your feelings.
Reading the books from the Trilogy was an amazing period of my life. I read those the first time I left home for over a year, in a foreign country (Sweden). Everything was strange at first, cold, language, habits, food, weather. Lots of work and wow, at night I had my moments of fantasy entering the fantastic secondary world created by JRR Tolkien. What a blast!
So, I too created the images, the mental scenarios about what I was reading. I said to myself: "never... never any director will be able to film such fantastic elaborated, imaginative, dramatic, delightful secondary world".
I was afraid of what to expect. But I wanted to watch all three films. I liked. I'm not saying that I had some other ideas but Peter Jackson's team did a hell of a good job.

You picked the weakest point. Tom Bombadil is an impressive character and the decision was arguable to say little.
But in the films the work behind the details is amazing. I bought the 12 DVD set that includes 6 DVDs of extras - making of. These are as amazing as the films itself. A piece that I really like was to confirm that Alan Lee and John Howe (my favourite) did participate in the film. Those amazing artists created (long before the idea of even shooting those films), impressive, evelasting images for my memory about that secondary world. Some of the scenes from the film are a direct adaptation of those images. The contribution of those artist was in my opinion a decisive element. One of the DVDs tells the stories of Jackson's approach to those two artists, the way they integrated themselves and how important was their influence. I knew their work before the films and so I had already some notion how wonderfully alternative other visions of Tolkien's secondary world could be.

So in conclusion James, I do believe that we always will feel some sort of disenchantment when we notice the distance between our imagination and what can be put in a film but seeing such an amazing production, with passion and lot of attention in details, lots of good acting and massive scenarios, well... We should give a try. At the end we can always return to our imagination. Hopefully it will not be damaged or too much influentiated. OK, I must confess that I never re-read the books after the films.

[jamestkirk]

I did end up watching the whole first film of the franchise, I just put it of my head. Part way into the second film, at the Rohan/King Theoden portion I gave up. Theoden was portrayed as a rather small man of character even after he was raised up by Gandalf, inmy opinion, and that was IT fr me, No more. Done.

I was very disappointed. It just didn't work for me. So I went no further. And have finally got the pictures and characters out of my head and I will not let the new Hobbit franchise do any further damage.

I am not a purist. The Harry Potter franchise was fantastic and well done indeed. The Godfather, Parts 1 & 2 were amazing. Many film adaptations I have loved. Harvey, To kill A Mockingbird, The Human Comedy, Arsenic and Old Lace, Catch 22, The Thin Man, The Maltese Falcon, Rebecca, Wuthering Heights...too many to name.

And some movies out-do the books. Moby Dick, Gone With The Wind, The Wizard Of Oz.

But The Lord Of the Rings, as film, falls completely flat for me. The books are the best the printed word can achieve...and to film it is really blasphemy, for me. I don't need it, so why watch it.


I have Tolkien as it should be--I'm happy.