The Silmarillion films???

[Last Child of Ungoliant]

no one should make the silmarillion, it is too vast a story to even attempt, and it would tarnish the stories for so many of us who have read, and visualized them.

[Lenya]

I am 100% against a Silmarillion movie. It is impossible to work all of the magic of a book into a movie - I prove my point with the LotR movie. There is no way that a Silmarillion movie can be made better than that one, and that one was not good enough to be called the LotR. No, the Silmarillion is simply to good to be spoiled by a stupid movie.

[Manveru]

I think a movie of 'The Silmarillion' would never work because of the obvious reasons stated above. But someone could make a bunch of movies based on certain stories, starting with the most popular and the ones most mentioned in lotr. They could probably do Beren and Luithien, Turin Turambar, Of Maeglin, Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin, etc. Like 6 movies based around the majors stories, and then have a huge special extended edition boxed set that has all of them and links them all together with short prologue type thingys.

[Elemmírë]

Something like a series of movies could work, theoretically, at least, but who would have the patience to do it, and do it correctly? I have to agree with Lenya and most of the other people who have posted.

Originally Posted by Lenya

I am 100% against a Silmarillion movie. It is impossible to work all of the magic of a book into a movie - I prove my point with the LotR movie. There is no way that a Silmarillion movie can be made better than that one, and that one was not good enough to be called the LotR. No, the Silmarillion is simply to good to be spoiled by a stupid movie.

I know how a lot of LotR purists felt about the movies, on many points I agree with them. Whether it would be made into one or a series of movies, the Silmarillion is probably still too large a project to do justice to. I know I would not want to watch it.

[Ælfwine]

I don't see how anyone could make a movie of The Silmarillion.
First of all, consider the lack of dialogue. How could one make a movie of that book and stay true to it?
I understand that a number of the members that have posted here are of the opinion that PJ did a great job. Well, I totally disagree. PJ made so many adaptions, that the films are closing on disrespect for Tolkien's works

And can someone tell me how they would picture the Ainulindalë on the Silver Screen? Not to mention the soundtrack.

I hope that The Tolkien Estate manages to sit on the rights until after movies is as obsolete as the Teutonic Knight...

[Varda]

The Silmarillion contains some very esoteric kinds of history that upon my first impression 'read like the Bible' to put it delicately. Given the splicing and dicing of the basic trilogy and the public's subsequent lack of understanding (and subsequent reluctance to pick up the volumes themselves), is it even worth going through all the trouble to market and make available a book that most people wouldn't have read even if they knew what it was?

[Durin1]

Originally Posted by Varda

The Silmarillion contains some very esoteric kinds of history that upon my first impression 'read like the Bible' to put it delicately. Given the splicing and dicing of the basic trilogy and the public's subsequent lack of understanding (and subsequent reluctance to pick up the volumes themselves), is it even worth going through all the trouble to market and make available a book that most people wouldn't have read even if they knew what it was?

That's true. The Sil is just too complicated a book to adapt convincingly into movie format, let alone acknowledging the fact that few people have ever read the book and it probably would not interest the general cinema going public..

[ItalianLegolas]

it could make a great mini-series though...

[Nurvingiel]

And by "mini" maybe you mean "super long"?

I actually think, in the hands of the most skilled, artistic and uncolrruptable director ever (does not yet exist) the Sil could be woven into a good mini-series.

[Arien the Maia]

I think that if they do make a movie about the Sil, they should do the story "Of the Rings of 'Power and the Thrid Age" or "The Akallabeth". Those are fairly stragihtforward stories I think...although they aren't exactly the Quenta Silmarillion, they are included in the published work.

[brownjenkins]

i agree... you could make two... the downfall of numenor would be a great story in and of itself, and maybe the fall of gil-galad to cover the rings forging to the last alliance (this one would need the most "creative license" since the details are rather sparse)

[Raistlin]

i can't see the sil as a movie but more like a huge mini series like starting from the very begining of the book. when i read it i SO totally could see an opening(albeit a complete ripoff of disneys) of the songs intertwining and combining then falling apart but the question with this is who would compose the actual music for this

[Tuor of Gondolin]

The Silmarillion could work as a sort of franchise, sem-independent stories, rather like the Star Trek or Planet of the Apes movies. in the same "universe" but largely autonomous stories. Some of the (partially overlapping story lines, but that's not necessarily bad in films) film stories, in no particular order, could be:

1---Feanor
2---Turin Turambar, Master of Doom
3---Gondolin
4---Beren and Luthien
5---The Akallabeth (ending with Elendil, Isildur, and Anarion landing on MIddle-earth
6---Thingol and Melian
7---Maeglin
8---Maedros [and you thought Boromir was a conflicted hero]
9---Earendil and the war of Wrath

10---(and, from Unfinished Tales, The Mariner's Wife
and
11---Cirion and Eorl, from the Third Age, would also make a great movie, and would have a ready audience ready from LOTR movies.

[Raistlin]

yes like what they did with the "animatrix" how they did the whole pre-matrix thing but have the same format of animation.

[Maedhros]

8---Maedros [and you thought Boromir was a conflicted hero]

Now that is a movie that I would definitely watch.

[Lord Manafirogh]

I would love to see the film but it wont be as sucsusfull has LOTR because alot of the audience wont understand in unless they have read the books or are hard core LOTR fans. Turins story would be loved and uderstood by many(women proably lol no im not sexist) the beginging will be hard but once they get the stride into Feanors story and the wars of the silmaril it will get easier for the audience to understand. I will love to see it but i don think its gonna happen, they would change too much if they do it and that will ruin the book.

[Orli17]

you know? i started reading the silmariliion adn got so confused with who's who in the Valar.....i'm planning on continuing tho and i think that if there is a film it'll be easier ot understand.....

[Lord Boromir]

never ever make a film of Silmarillion!!!! It is impossible to make justice to the story, and it/they would only ruin it. never!

[Tuor of Gondolin]

Originally posted by Orli17
you know? i started reading the silmariliion adn got so confused with who's who in the Valar.....i'm planning on continuing tho and i think that if there is a film it'll be easier ot understand.....
___________________________
You really should continue. I'm probably in the minority in generally liking the first part of The Silmarillion. It's laying a larger Nordic type background of a depicting of the "gods" (really angelic-type spirits), and the tale becomes increasingly Middle-earth centered as it progresses. Watch for perhaps the most moving, complicated, and tragic character (Maedhros). Edwin Mear's 1950s review to the contrary, JRRT did create some complicated characters. I find Maedhros more interesting and sympathetic then, say, Turin.

[Nerdanel]

I love the first part of Silmarillion too. It's so beautifully written, and I love the music of the Valar!