Tracking (and judging) the changes from book to film in Lord of the Rings part six A

In a move that many might wrongly label a shameless cash grab, I am splitting my last part of this series into two parts for creative reasons. I have found that the story warrants more time, and so I will split the analysis of the last part to better let the content breath. There will be no bloat or filler in this writing, and this decision has nothing to do with the massive popularity of this series (heh), it is purely creative….GOT IT?

This section will focus on the Pukel men, Imrahil, Gondor, and the Grey Company while the next part will address Saurman and Scouring.

Change #23: Where is the Grey Company?

In the books, Aragorn is anxious to get to Gondor when a mysterious company arrives to remind him of an ancient prophecy regarding himself and “The Paths of the Dead”. This company turns out to be his comrades at arms, the Rangers of the North, with Elrond’s two sons Elrohir and Elladan, as part of the group. The company also comes bearing a token from Arwen pledging Aragorn her commitment and optimism for his cause.

The books replace this event with Elrond himself coming mysteriously in the night to Aragorn bearing both this same prophecy as well as the reforged Anduril. I struggled with Aragorn’s self doubt throughout the films, but none is present in this third film, and Aragorn is a new man once he retains the famed blade of his ancestors.

I am of split mind on this change, but ultimately think that Jackson was right to condense and simplify here by making a known character deliver the news instead of a troop of new characters. However, it would have been undeniably awesome to see Aragorn’s company at work in Pelennor and on the paths of the dead. This could have been an awesome group of warriors that would have given insight into Aragorn’s life as a Ranger. At the end of the day though, it would not progress the main story, and it is decisions like these that made the books filmable. Kudos to Jackson on recognizing the gravitas the prophecy of Aragorn taking the paths of the dead and keeping that part of the story intact in an elegant manner. I loved Elrond’s scene also because of the work the movies had done already establishing the obvious tension of Elrond disliking Arwen’s forsaking of immortality for Aragorn, a man who was beloved as a son by Elrond.

Change #24: Ghan Buri Ghan

In the books, the Rohirrim learn from advance scouts that the road to Gondor is held against them, and they make their way through a forest owned by the ancient Pukel men. As Theoden rides through this land, the Pukel men make their presence known, and their leader Ghan Buri Ghan offers to show a secret way to Gondor as help to the forces of good. None of this is even hinted at in the films.

This change is another condensed moment that makes sense given the already tremendous runtime of Return, but is also distinct in that it is a major part of the book that does not even get a nod in the films. Usually a visual gag or throwaway line are used to make a nod at book omissions, but not in this case. While it would be hard seeing the Pukel men used in the films, it would address one of the oldest criticisms of Tolkien which is that only white people are virtuous while the dark skinned natives of Harad and the East are always evil. The goodness of Ghan Buri Ghan is a direct counter to this argument, and was another character who appeared to be savage and ignorant, but proved to be wise, patient, and virtuous. This would have been a really neat thing to visualize, and is another scene that shows someday (probably too soon) when LOTR is remade, the results could be dramatically different from Jackson’s masterpieces.

 

Change #25: Imrahil, Beregond, Bergil

In the books, Imrahil comes into Gondor to swell their ranks, and is regarded as an important character. Meanwhile, Beregond and his son Bergil are introduced to be Pippin’s friends in Minas Tirith. Bergil doles out expository information about new characters, and Beregond ends up slaying guards to keep Denethor from burning Faramir alive.

I am going to go off on a bit of a tangent here about a couple of issues, but first I will sum up my thoughts on changing these characters by omitting them from the movies. Imrahil should be omitted because he is largely irrelevant to the story, while Beregond and Bergil are not as clearly tangential. The Minas Tirith chapter of the book is extraordinarily long winded (everyone points to Treebeard for length, but I will hold this chapter up as comparable), but these two give personality to common men in Gondor while making Pippin a protagonist instead of luggage. The movie did a great job with Pippin, but I have to think that introducing Beregond and having him slay guards to protect his lord Faramir could have been powerful on screen. I am not going to quibble overmuch, but it could have been cool.

On another note, I should mention two large issues in this part of the story that were difficult for the filmmakers, and address how well I thought they pulled it off. These issues are Denethor’s death and the winning of the Battle of Pelennor.

Denethor is a real ass by any estimation, and his portrayal in the films (while being less subtle) essentially nailed down that he was awful to Faramir, was full of his own importance, and was mistrustful of even good people who he thought a threat to his power (Gandalf, Aragorn). However, his decision to burn himself alive was tragic in the books, and was largely the same in the film until Jackson decided to have him inexplicably run a mile and jump off of the walls of the city. In my opinion, this move completely undermines the horror of what Denethor was trying to do, and I always found it to be an incredibly tone-deaf decision by PJ. I assume that he wanted to transition back to the battle here, but cutting to the battle in this manner was a big mistake, and another instance of an unnecessarily over the top moment that lacked subtlety or lyricism.

The final topic for this post is the handling of Pelennor and Jackson’s difficulty with the storyline of that battle. It makes perfect sense that from a story perspective, it would have been easier to film a losing battle at Pelennor which results in all survivors gathering to make one last hopeless attempt at the gates of Mordor. It does undermine the threat and terror of Sauron when his forces are getting licked in every battle, and it made a difficult film transition. I partially think that if PJ were making these films now and had done Hobbit first, that he might simply have allowed the orcs to win at Pelennor, but he likely felt little ability to make such a call back in the LOTR days.

The battle is very well-staged, but I think it put the cap on a disturbing trend that Jackson has strangely stuck with even during the Hobbit films, Legolas the Fool. Legolas went from walking on snow (in the books) and nondescriptly jumping across a chain to defeat a troll (perhaps a book send-off to him walking a rope across a river in Lorien) to single handedly massacring a troop of Haradrim and an oliphaunt while surfing down the trunk. I really do not know how the understated effects in Fellowship led to the ridiculous nature of Legolas’s antics in all subsequent Middle Earth films that he appears in. Letting Legolas have extreme archery skills and balance = good, allowing Legolas to be a supernatural force at a level higher than even the greatest human warriors = over the top.

Finally, I had some beef with the manner in which the Army of the Dead just scrubbed Minas Tirith like they were soap suds. The book’s version of the army spreading abject terror to all living things in their path made for a much more compelling victory as the hope of the dark army is dashed when the Corsairs of Umbar arrive bearing an undead army and Aragorn unleashed. The fear of this army combined with the loss of the Witch King turns the battle into a rout, which I personally think should not have been changed in the movie. With that said, the battle is satisfying and awesome, but I feel it could have been much better with these slight alterations.

Tracking (and judging) the changes from book to film in The Lord of the Rings Part Four

Change #17: Aragorn is dead……or not.

Aragorn after a battle with warg-riders (not in the book, but perhaps a transplant from a previously discussed wolf threat at the feet of the Misty Mountains) is caught is the stirrups of a warg and falls off of a cliff, presumably to his death. This scene is infamous among many Tolkien purists as an example of Jackson’s misguided largesse. Personally, I just find the scene to be a miscalculation by Jackson as to the energy and suspense that it would bring. I really believe that no one actually believed that Aragorn perished here (particularly after seeing him at Helm’s Deep in many trailers). The scene is not really played for emotion, but it does provide a way to bring a vision of Arwen into the film to presumably steel the resolve of Aragorn to get up and do what he needs to do.

I think the scene is unnecessary. It is not particularly bad or poorly executed, but it does fall into a trap of how I judge many LOTR scenes post-mortem: how could the screen time have been better spent? Perhaps removal of these types of scenes could have pushed the Frodo storyline further in Towers so that the third film could have kept crucial scenes intact theatrically (Mouth of Sauron, Cirith Ungol, etc.). A final judgment on this change for me leaves it as mostly unnecessary, which is a somewhat harsh indictment given the sheer amount of material that LOTR presents. The fact that this scene is out of Jackson’s head only leads to further scrutiny that more time should have been given to Tolkien’s words instead of non-cannon events.

 

Change #18: Changes in People and Places

In the books, Erkenbrand is a captain who rides in to save the day at Helm’s Deep instead of the movie depiction of Eomer in this role. The movies put all of the Rohirrim at Helm’s Deep while the book has women and children (with Eowyn as their leader) holed up at Dunharrow (shown in the third film). In the books, Helm’s Deep is held as a fortress that has never fallen if any men defend it, but while this line is uttered in the movies, Gandalf and Aragorn seem horrified that Theoden wishes to defend Helm’s Deep instead of staying and fighting at Meduseld.

The change from Erkenbrand to Eomer is much like the change from Glorfindel to Arwen in FOTR, it is a condensing of characters that makes complete sense, and is an extremely smart and positive adaptation. I endorse the move because it makes Eomer (who is awesome, and played well by Karl Urban who later proved his acting chops by channeling Deforest Kelley as Bones in Star Trek) more heroic and this pays off in future events.

Moving the women to Helm’s Deep also makes a ton of sense because it cuts locations and raises the stakes in the battle organically. It is choices like these that make the LOTR trilogy so damned good. The audience knows that if Rohan falls (which looks inevitable as dawn approaches) that the Uruk Hai will bust into the caves and slaughter hundreds of women and children. Helm’s Deep is about as amazing as a battle can get, and this is just one of the many reasons why.

As excellent as the previous two changes were is about as perplexing as the final change was. While Aragorn seems to half-heartedly defend Theoden  (“it has worked for his people in the past”) the consternation of the original fellowship at Theoden’s choice to make for Helm’s Deep makes no sense in view of Aragorn’s later statement “you say this fortress has never fallen when men defended it, we are still defending it, we have DIED defending it” (Editor’s note how badass is that line?), and just a cursory look at the layout of Helm’s Deep versus Meduseld. While true that Meduseld has the high ground, and we know from movies that you should not even attempt attack if the opponent has the high ground, Meduseld is protected by wooden gates and walls while Helm’s Deep is a military fortress carved from stone with only one approachable side. It is strange that Jackson introduces tension between Theoden and his advisors on this point, when there could have been many more fertile areas to plant conflict (Eomer, Grima, Eowyn, Aragorns leadership role, etc.).

 

Change #19: The Entmoot

While “Treebeard” might be the longest chapter in literary history, it has a crucial role in both versions of Towers as the Ents ultimately deal with a huge threat. I pretty much love everything about the Ents in this film, but the decision to let the Entmoot result in no action whereas the book had them stirred to fury after the Entmoot is strange for a couple of reasons. The movie instead shows Pippin “tricking” Treebeard into dropping them at Isengard so that Treebeard will see the ruination and change his mind.

I understand that the change is likely in place so that Pippin can be clever and heroic where he has mostly been a dunce to this point, but it is illogical for a couple of reasons. First, how would Pippin even know what is going on in Isengard? He has never been there, and it is extremely unclear why he would know what Saruman is up to that would enrage Treebeard. We must presume that Gandalf has relayed this information, but it does not seem like Gandalf is having heart to hearts with Pippin at any time. Secondly, this trick leads Treebeard to fury, and seemingly the other Ents were following along ready to pop out of the forest as soon as Treebeard gets pissed. This is a plot hole, pure and simple. Obviously, Treebeard had a long journey to the borders with the hobbits, and the other Ents would have no reason to follow along with their job being completed at the Entmoot. Ultimately, this is a change that does not rankle, but it was unnecessary because Pippin has plenty to do in the third film, and this event does not materially change his character.

 

Change #20: Elves Sir

Finally we arrive at the most hotly controversial change in the men of the west storyline from Towers, and it is the arrival of elves to help at Helm’s Deep while the book leaves Rohan completely alone to defend themselves. Let’s first address that originally Jackson planned to have Arwen at the battle lopping heads (her purple outfit can be seen in the background of at least one shot in the final cut). This was later changed to stick to Arwen’s role in the appendices presumably because Jackson feared outrage from fans at this kind of alteration (he obviously got over this fear for the Hobbit films). I am so glad that Arwen was not put in this battle, because this battle is extremely dark and gritty, and it just seems like her arrival would have hurried her storyline forward way too much. However, many purists still howl at the notion of the elves showing up to save Rohan’s bacon.

I am not howling at the change, but on the other hand it seems to add only marginal value to the idea that the elves are connected to the world (an idea that could have merit, but is never drawn out to any climax or payoff at the end of the trilogy). At the end of the day, I would have preferred that the elves stay at hope because it would only escalate the hopeless plight of the Rohirrim as well as the resulting heroism at their ultimate victory. The elves do not have character development (they are just machines) which is why Haldir’s death carries little resonance. I think that much like the Aragorn cliff dive, this might have just been a non-fatal miscalculation by Jackson.

10 Best Scenes in Jackson’s Tolkien Films

For my first post on this blog, I’m going to stick with what I know best, which is the Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Over time, check back for a large variety of topics including World of Warcraft, movies, sports, food, video games, and the Bible. Making a list of my favorite scenes in this series is difficult because there are so many, but I have narrowed it down to ten that I believe work the best and add to the legend of the Lord of the Rings, as told by Peter Jackson.

10. Return of the King

No, I didn’t cop out and pick the whole movie (even though it probably is my favorite Middle Earth film). This refers to Aragorn’s crowning, his song, and gratitude toward the hobbits who allowed him to be crowned.

Why it Worked

Even though I always skip the songs when I’m reading the books (because, quite frankly, they can get long and boring), I really enjoyed when characters sang in these movies because that was the spirit of Tolkien. I mean, these movies are like 28 hours long- would it kill anyone to let the characters sing a little bit and to let Gandalf do some magic tricks? Anyway, a common theme you will see in this writing is that I like Jackson’s movies best when they keep things simple and convey different meanings with the visuals. An example of this can be seen when Gandalf talks to Pippin in Minas Tirith about the afterlife– an incredibly poignant moment that involves nothing but two actors talking, compared to Denethor catching himself on fire and running 300 yards and jumping off a 5 million foot cliff. I ask you, which was the more powerful and descriptive film scene?

In this particular scene, we see a payoff of Aragorn’s long and patient wait for his bride and his crown, but at the same time, the humility to acknowledge that many helped him achieve that position. Aragorn’s humility is not a lack of strength, but in fact a show of his immense confidence and strength. “My friends, you bow to no one,” is a line that catches me all sorts of hell from my wife for crying like a little baby. But, let’s be honest, I cried when the opening title flashed up the first time I saw these movies. Jackson captures the essence of Tolkien in this scene by relying on the knowledge of the audience about the characters’ motivations. Pairing this knowledge with powerful visuals and an amazing musical score elicits a response of which the books are not capable. This is exactly the type of advantage that films have over books, and Jackson uses that to its fullest extent here.

9. Gandalf & Eomer at Helm’s Deep

Gandalf brought Eomer out of exile and arrived, as promised, just in time to save the desperate Rohirrim inside of Helm’s Deep.

Why it Worked

As with the substitution of Arwen for Glorfindel in Fellowship of the Ring, the substitution of Eomer for Erkenbrand in this scene makes complete sense for simplicity in the adaptation. Jackson even provided extra emotional resonance for Eomer’s return by showing Theoden unfairly exiling him for telling the truth about Saruman’s treachery. Visually, the scene is stunning with Gandalf and Eomer charging down the steep bank as the sun rises over the hill, blinding the Uruk-hai. Howard Shore’s score swells to a crescendo and the audience breathes a sign of relief as Theoden and Aragorn’s hopeless charge against the masses of their foes suddenly becomes a victory march instead of a suicide mission. I always found it interesting that Shadowfax seemed to glow in this scene, and I believe this hinted at Tolkien’s description of Gandalf’s immense power over evil. For purists, this scene could be taken as even more of a relief since Arwen was nowhere to be seen, even though scenes were filmed with her fighting at Helm’s Deep.

8. Frodo & Sam in the Boat

Frodo escapes Boromir and tries to leave the Fellowship, but Sam predicted Frodo’s plan, jumped in the boat, and refused to be left behind.

Why it Worked

The theme of Sam’s loyalty to Frodo is the most powerful motivation in Books Four and Six of the Lord of the Rings. Once again, Jackson keeps things simple and lets the superb acting tell the story in this scene. Many accolades were given to Elijah Wood and Sean Astin for these films, rightfully so, and I believe that this is their best scene together. The scene also provided Fellowship with an ending that made this film feel like a complete story (more so than the other films). Scenes like this one had a more universal appeal than the more fantasy oriented, nerdy stuff like the crazy-nerdy intro to Fellowship. One time my Uncle Larry was watching this movie with me, and when Galadriel says “Nine rings were given to men, who above all else, desire power,” he looked over at me and said, “What the hell is this?” Obviously, discussions of the rings of power lack appeal to non-nerds, but the raw emotional scenes kept drawing even non-nerds back in (and that’s probably why these movies grossed approximately the GDP of 15-20 third world nations combined).

7. Boromir’s Death

You know the scene: huge ugly orc relentlessly fires arrows into Boromir’s chest while Boromir continued to shred his ugly Uruk-buddies.

Why it Worked

It was badass. This is one of the very few places that I believe Jackson actually improved on Tolkien’s work. Boromir was thinly drawn in the book and lacked a connection with the reader that Jackson established by showing his love of country and his camaraderie with Merry and Pippin. These scenes, along with Sean Bean’s brilliant acting (I mean, seriously, he died in the first movie and made it into all three parts of the trilogy), make Boromir’s fall tragic even though he had, minutes earlier, tried to ruin the entire quest. One could only wish that the fall of Anakin Skywalker had 10% the resonance of Boromir and maybe the Star Wars prequels would actually be re-watchable.

6. Gandalf vs. Balrog

Gandalf stands on the Bridge of Khazad-dum and protects the Fellowship from the evil Maiar spirit (also known as the Balrog or Durin’s Bane).

Why it Worked

There has been a long-standing Tolkien debate as to whether the Balrogs have wings or not. The book was incredibly vague other than to say that Balrogs were a mixture of shadow and fire. Obviously, Jackson was a believer in the wing theory, and it is a compliment to him that when I think of a Balrog (which I do often), I think of his vision. This scene also addresses a major gripe I have: Why doesn’t Gandalf ever use magic even though he’s a freaking wizard? Gandalf uses his magical power against the Balrog to the tune of stopping him cold on the brink of the bridge and the magical struggle is severe to the extent that it crumbles thousand-year-old stone. In general, I’m a huge fan of when Gandalf and Aragorn get to show their badassery from the books that is rarely shown in the films.

TLDR: Screw you, Bobby. Just read the stinking thing. I worked hard on it.

Stay tuned for the top 5 scenes from a random internet personality that you’ve never met and probably never will…