Originally posted by Ineti
Read the first two chapters of Book IV last night...man, I don't know if I hate Smeagol, or pity him, or what. He is one pathetic creature...
You should do both. He's a Fallen character, and despicable in his behavior. He's a Bad Guy, so hate is an appropriate response (boo, hiss). But he wasn't always that way; circumstance and succumbing to his more venal instincts brought him down to the level of Gollum. The same thing could have happened to Bilbo, or Frodo, had they followed their less noble impulses. Thus we pity him, because we know that a like fate could yet befall our heroes. Or even us.
The Lord of the Rings can be dismissed as "just an escapist fantasy story" by some, but for all that there are a lot of deeper themes hiding behind fantastic creatures and magic. That's why it's remained so popular and relevant for the past half century.
Originally posted by Sarge
Ramage, I love the idea of Beren and Luthien, TMP. If you start a petition for Peter Jackson to make the movie, I'll sign it as many times s it takes.
It might be nice, but he'd have to get permission from the Tolkien Estate. Historically, they've been quite unwilling to grant anyone license to do anything.
So you'll have to settle for stuff available through the Tolkien Enterprises (they're totally different from and unconnected to the Estate) license, which is confined to the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings.
Russel Crowe as Beren? Feh, I say; he looks nothing like the noble children of the House of Beor. I might buy Vincent Spanno in the role, however.
-Chris Landmark
"Was entstanden ist, das muss vergehen. Was vergangen, auferstehn." -Klopstock & Mahler
"Only liberals really think. Only liberals are intellectual. Only liberals understand the needs of their fellows." How much viciousness lay concealed in that word! Odrade thought. How much secret ego demanding to feel superior. - Heretics of Dune
I'll try to read more of the books mentioned here before I form my own opinions, of course.
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