>> It's not the changes that they had to make to the story to fit the change in medium, <<
Well, there are plot concerns. Tolkien was a master of hurt/comfort. If you look at the structure of the original novels, you can see a very meticulous pattern of stress and release. This makes it possible to crank the tension much higher without burning out either the characters or the audience. The methods of comfort, like the nature of the hurt, tell us more about the characters and the world; some of that is load-bearing material. Cut most of the comfort out, however, and the structure destabilizes in addition to risking overload. It no longer functions as effectively as the original.
>> it's the complete character rape that they committed, which was in no way necessary, and ruined the story. <<
And not just this, but also a fundamental change in message. Tolkien's work is very much about the blind stupidity of war. While the earlier animated versions echoed that beautifully, the later live-action movies have replaced it with glorification of violence like every other action flick on the screens. You can't do a complete reversal of message without butchering the material.
>> Faramir represented the best of Gondor, he was the epitome of what they should be. Denethor was the pride of Gondor corrupted by itself, and Boromir was the pride of Gondor corrupted by an outside influence. <<
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dancing_serpent
Re: Unsullied Hero
Date: 2014-05-16 11:07 pm (UTC)Well, there are plot concerns. Tolkien was a master of hurt/comfort. If you look at the structure of the original novels, you can see a very meticulous pattern of stress and release. This makes it possible to crank the tension much higher without burning out either the characters or the audience. The methods of comfort, like the nature of the hurt, tell us more about the characters and the world; some of that is load-bearing material. Cut most of the comfort out, however, and the structure destabilizes in addition to risking overload. It no longer functions as effectively as the original.
>> it's the complete character rape that they committed, which was in no way necessary, and ruined the story. <<
And not just this, but also a fundamental change in message. Tolkien's work is very much about the blind stupidity of war. While the earlier animated versions echoed that beautifully, the later live-action movies have replaced it with glorification of violence like every other action flick on the screens. You can't do a complete reversal of message without butchering the material.
>> Faramir represented the best of Gondor, he was the epitome of what they should be. Denethor was the pride of Gondor corrupted by itself, and Boromir was the pride of Gondor corrupted by an outside influence. <<
Beautifully put, thank you.