LotR:TTT Part 2: Other stuff
Dec. 18th, 2002 11:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eruthrosI can keep going ad infinitum!
One thing that bugged me a lot in the movie was the obvious stereotyping of the characters. It might be the result of cultural conditioning; after all, we all know that elves are smarter and more beautiful and ultimately better than us, a la Pratchett's Lords and Ladies.
Still, it bothers me. The Gimli I grew up with is a strong character, proud and competent, and to see him rendered a joke and a fool disturbs me. It's a consistent character thing, and bugged me in FotR as well, although it was not as prominent there.
For example: the book Gimli beats Legolas's reckoning at Helms Deep. The book Gimli keeps up with Legolas and Gimli as they run across Rohan. The book Gimli saves the life of Eomer at Helms Deep. Gimli in the movie takes pratfalls, must be always saved by Legolas or Aragorn, and is mocked for his short stature. This, I think, demeans the fellowship, demeans the skill and strength of the characters I recall.
My point about stereotypes comes up with the Gimli thing, clearly. In the movie, all the elves are tall, fair-skinned, and clean-shaven, and all the elves are beautiful, wonderful, and strong. Gimli, the only dwarf we see, is short, hairy, and swarthy; interestingly, he becomes the comic relief. I think his pride would be hurt by the part he is forced to play; I imagine book-Gimli saying something like "A dwarf? Take pratfalls? You only wish that would happen so you could pull ahead, elf."
I also was severely wigged by the strong resemblance of the costumes men of Sauron and Mordor (the evil Men, the men who could be corrupted) to Arabic outfits. Veils. Stereotypical eyeliner. Yeesh.
Other character stuff, the incorruptible men, I touched on in my commentary on the plot. Although, re: men, why must Aragorn be so cardboard?
I also still deplore the dumbing down of Merry and Pippin. Pippin did some excellent work in the book when they were captured by orcs, but we don't really get that. Merry studied maps in Rivendell and works out where they are. I mean, in FotR (book), Merry figures out about the ring, what it does, and that Frodo is leaving; he and the other hobbits then work out a way for them to come along AND work out a way for another hobbit to pretend Frodo is still there. They are not idiots, not fools. I just don't see how we can get from here to Pippin trotting around bearing messages for Denethor and saving Faramir, or to Merry taking part in slaying the head Nazgul. I just don't see it. Which probably means that these characters will remain underdeveloped throughout the entire trilogy.
I like Eowyn, though. And Sam; I adore Sam. He and Pippin are two of my favorite characters in the books, and this Sam, to me, looks like a hobbit and acts something like Sam, even if he is inexplicably in Gondor.
Honestly, this felt unlike a work by Tolkien; it felt, instead, like a "rewrite" with a totally new plot.
One thing that bugged me a lot in the movie was the obvious stereotyping of the characters. It might be the result of cultural conditioning; after all, we all know that elves are smarter and more beautiful and ultimately better than us, a la Pratchett's Lords and Ladies.
Still, it bothers me. The Gimli I grew up with is a strong character, proud and competent, and to see him rendered a joke and a fool disturbs me. It's a consistent character thing, and bugged me in FotR as well, although it was not as prominent there.
For example: the book Gimli beats Legolas's reckoning at Helms Deep. The book Gimli keeps up with Legolas and Gimli as they run across Rohan. The book Gimli saves the life of Eomer at Helms Deep. Gimli in the movie takes pratfalls, must be always saved by Legolas or Aragorn, and is mocked for his short stature. This, I think, demeans the fellowship, demeans the skill and strength of the characters I recall.
My point about stereotypes comes up with the Gimli thing, clearly. In the movie, all the elves are tall, fair-skinned, and clean-shaven, and all the elves are beautiful, wonderful, and strong. Gimli, the only dwarf we see, is short, hairy, and swarthy; interestingly, he becomes the comic relief. I think his pride would be hurt by the part he is forced to play; I imagine book-Gimli saying something like "A dwarf? Take pratfalls? You only wish that would happen so you could pull ahead, elf."
I also was severely wigged by the strong resemblance of the costumes men of Sauron and Mordor (the evil Men, the men who could be corrupted) to Arabic outfits. Veils. Stereotypical eyeliner. Yeesh.
Other character stuff, the incorruptible men, I touched on in my commentary on the plot. Although, re: men, why must Aragorn be so cardboard?
I also still deplore the dumbing down of Merry and Pippin. Pippin did some excellent work in the book when they were captured by orcs, but we don't really get that. Merry studied maps in Rivendell and works out where they are. I mean, in FotR (book), Merry figures out about the ring, what it does, and that Frodo is leaving; he and the other hobbits then work out a way for them to come along AND work out a way for another hobbit to pretend Frodo is still there. They are not idiots, not fools. I just don't see how we can get from here to Pippin trotting around bearing messages for Denethor and saving Faramir, or to Merry taking part in slaying the head Nazgul. I just don't see it. Which probably means that these characters will remain underdeveloped throughout the entire trilogy.
I like Eowyn, though. And Sam; I adore Sam. He and Pippin are two of my favorite characters in the books, and this Sam, to me, looks like a hobbit and acts something like Sam, even if he is inexplicably in Gondor.
Honestly, this felt unlike a work by Tolkien; it felt, instead, like a "rewrite" with a totally new plot.
no subject
Date: 2002-12-19 08:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2002-12-19 02:58 pm (UTC)Similarly, in the book they rescue themselves occasionally, figure out where they are, and all that, whereas here the only glimmer of that we got was when they crawled away. That shows bravery, yes, but I miss the -- I dunno, coniving Pippin. The Pippin who cuts his bonds but doesn't reveal that he's done so because he's waiting for the right time. The Pippin who realizes that the orcs are obliterating their tracks and runs off to leave unspoiled marks. And I miss the intelligent, book-learning Merry, the Merry who memorizes maps and all.