How I would have made it look

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

Originally Posted by me9996

Who are you talking about Mithrandir1?

Wayfarer. It's his title and he lives up to it!

[mithrand1r]

Originally Posted by me9996

Who are you talking about Mithrandir1?

If you are refering about the quote below

Originally Posted by mithrand1r

Leave it to "The Insufferable" one to stay on the fence and not tell us how he really thinks about the movie.

I am refering to Wayfarer. The quote was a play on his title.

[Valandil]

Originally Posted by Rosie Gamgee

:
:
:
Rivendell really needs some help... they made all that 'lacy', kind of frilly woodwork all about the place, it has the look of a construction site, with the two-by-four frames for houses yet uncovered. I don't like that. I would have made it look more... established. It's been there for years and years, it should look like it- but not crumbly and falling apart, mind you. More stone- maybe a little Greek looking, but less masculine.
:
:

I actually thought the 'lacy', intricate stuff was supposed to BE stone! So in that regard, I thought it was a very detailed, 'Elvish' use of stonework.

[me9996]

Thank you for telling me mithrand1r

[Wayfarer]

Originally Posted by Valandil

I actually thought the 'lacy', intricate stuff was supposed to BE stone! So in that regard, I thought it was a very detailed, 'Elvish' use of stonework.

Why is it that everybody seems to equate 'Elvish' with either 'Oriental' or 'Frilly'? Why? WHYYYYYYY?

[mithrand1r]

Originally Posted by Wayfarer

Why is it that everybody seems to equate 'Elvish' with either 'Oriental' or 'Frilly'? Why? WHYYYYYYY?

Well elves cannot be thought of as 'Oriental' since they are from the west.

I think that part of the reason may be from some of the intricate/delicate work that some elves have done. (ie The door to Moria, City in the trees of Lothlorian, etc.) Since some elves have done intricate/delicate work that means that all elves do intricate/delicate work.

[Bombadillo]

THe first thing I would change is Bree. Hardly any of it was shown, and that's something I would have loved to see. The hobbits would be looking about the town for the Inn before I let them find it. I liked how PJ emphasizes the ruch and emergency when Aragorn explains why he should be trusted, but I prefered bumbling Butterbur giving Frodo the letter in the books.

As for Lorien, I couldn't place my finger on it as well as Rosy. I would have shown the tones that Tolkien had put down in the book. It would have a tense feeling at first because of Gimli's hostility. Then it would become solemn when Galadriel was upset by Gandalf's absence, and vaguely mysterious when the viewer would wonder "is Gandalf that important." Then a bit more mysterious at the mirror, and finally shocking into Frodo's motivation. The entire Lorien sequence is a story in itself: Frodo being pretty much captured, then extremely worried by Galadriel's anxiety, distracted by the clear (i.e. not foggy) beauty of the place, and finally shown the future against his will, all leading up to his inspiration vital for the rest of the story. That's what I'd try to show. And my elves wouldn't be trying to creep people out, either.

Weathertop was dead-on, except for the rubble. Where was it? It wasn't vaporized, and I think a huge, monumental guard-tower would be built with more stone than that.

I thought Rivendell was okay because I couldn't form a mental picture of that place in the book. Any set would really work for me there, but it needed more river.

Orthanc would be the same, but my version would include many more shots upwards from the foot of Isengard, with Gandalf and Saruman hollering at each other. Also, Saruman's staff would not be white metal, but some kind of wood, and then it would break during that discussion.

[Bombadillo]

"Orc pod birthings" I thought it was a hold-your-breath contest.
I guess you can't really show how Uruk Hai were concieved. *shudders violently*

[Finrod Felagund]

Well..scenery wise, I belive hat Orthanc was SOOOOO off...

In the books, it is described as being COMPLETLY smooth,, no hand hold available for the ents...one of my big quibbles with the films.

My biggest quibble of course was Faramir in TTT...grrr....

[Manveru]

ya i thought orthanc looked pretty weird too. they made it look really evil even though it was supposed to have been built by Gondor in its hey day. it doesnt look like anything thing else that gondorian

[Embladyne]

I have a lot of issues with the scenery in the LOTR movies. First off, I would like to see landscape that looks much more like Tolkien's actual illustrations. I've never really seen anything else that fits ME better. (And I've seen some very cool stuff.) Although the style of his illustrations are definitely influenced by Art Nouveau, and Art Deco, I find them to be extremely beautiful. (Actually, I really do like a lot of Art Nouveau.) For all practical purposes, I consider these illustations to be the photographs of ME.

Here's my list of (a few) Things to change:
1 - add the barrow downs back in. They are really awesome, and creepy....I personally was looking forward to them as well as
2 - Tom Bombadil and Goldberry's house.
3 - as mentioned before, Rivendell was pretty much Frilly-dell. The way Tolkien draws it, there is a very prominent river...and though the buildings aren't really detailed in the illustrations I have on hand, they are most definitely not lacy...in fact, One of the houses looks similar to a roman villa....hmmm interesting....I will find more illustrations
4 - Lothlorian. It's a beautiful, almost Norteastern (USA) forest. There is lots of space, lots of light. The illustration I'm looking at right now is of the mallorn trees, blooming in spring. But, that doesn't mean that they couldn't have carried over this feeling of beauty and light into the winter scene depicted in the movie. I would have loved to see them like Legolas imagines when he describes the mallorn trees in spring....as a flashback...that would have been awesome.
5 - Fangorn Forest. the ents were far too small. Where were the twisted roots?
6 - Orthanc. All they needed to do was, again, refer to Tolkien's own illustrations. He knew what he was writing about, it was in his mind. And it actually has an austere beauty of it's own, in the picture I'm looking at.

"The base of it, and that two hundred feet in height, was a great cone of rock left by ancient builders and smoothers of the plain, but now upon it rose a tower of masonry, tier on tier, course on course, each drum smaller than the last. It ended short and flat, so that at the top there was a wide space fifty feet across, reached by a stair that came up the middle."

If that isn't explicit detail...I don't know what is.
7 - Brandywine ferry...
8 - much more, but I'll add more later as I have time and access to more of the illustrations.

Things I wasn't too bothered by were the Moria gate, and Helm's Deep...it was...ok...I need to rewatch to refresh my memory.

[Lenya]

I would not have had Elves save the day at Helms Deep, for starters.
I would have shown a bigger time-lapse between the Shire and Bree, and Bree and Rivendel - it seemed as if they traveled for only about three days! I wouldn't have skipped how Saruman died either, however, I do admit that that would have made the movie a lot longer. But I love long movies

[Elemmírë]

If they wanted Elves to come at Helm's Deep, they should have had the Sons of Elrond come with the Rangers in that place. It would have been changing the timeline, but it wouldn't have been as incomprehensible.

Same with having Elrond come with the sword. Who here honestly believes he could have come all that distance practically overnight? Not to mention, leave Rivendell in who's care? If you want to do something like that, put the Sons of Elrond in, again. It wouldn't be great, but not as bad.

I would have shown Cirdan. What? Are we suppose to believe that the ships simply made themselves?

And I would not have had Celeborn get on the ship at the Grey Havens. Have those people even read the books?

Originally Posted by Lenya

I do admit that that would have made the movie a lot longer. But I love long movies

Me too.

[Lenya]

I forgot all about the sword thing. That was stupid! Elrond would not have left Rivendel, they were at that time defending their borders. And besides, he would definately not kneel to Aragorn.

[Durin1]

case of dumbing-down, yet again by film producers.

They are too arrogant and conceited to believe that ordinary cinema-goers don't always have to be spoon-fed and actually have brains!! I don't think we, as ordinary cinema-goers, get respected enough. This seems to be the case from PJ & Co.

[Rosie Gamgee]

I was watching RotK:EE last night (like, who wasn't? ), and it occurred to me that I would definately have done something about those ice-cream man helmets. "Oh, well, this is in case they lose their swords- just whip off the helm and use the point to stab your enemies." Deary, deary.

Also, on thinking about it, I would have made Henneth Annun about ten times bigger than it was- show the men eating with the facing the West deal and all that.

[sun-star]

I liked most of the look, but I agree with what lots of you have said. However, I thought the Shire looked really fake. After the first film came out I heard someone call it 'teletubby land' and it did look like that to me. I don't know why, but there was something not at all natural or countryside-like about it to me

[Lenya]

Originally Posted by Durin1

case of dumbing-down, yet again by film producers.

They are too arrogant and conceited to believe that ordinary cinema-goers don't always have to be spoon-fed and actually have brains!! I don't think we, as ordinary cinema-goers, get respected enough. This seems to be the case from PJ & Co.

I agree. I love movies where you actually have to figure out what's happening.

[Snowdog]

Ok, where to begin?? I'll just name the changes to Petert Jackson's movie I would make. If I don't say anything about it, then he did ok in my eyes...

First the script... Foremost is Arwen. Sorry, but Glorfindel would get his proper place in my movie. If I were to add anything, maybe it would be a brief scene of Aragorn talking with Halbarad at the Pony, and have Halbarad leave as the Hobbits come in. The dialog would be something along the lines of finding the Ranger bretheren. They would then ride to Helms Deep in Two Towers WITH the sons of Elrond. Arwen would be there at Rivendell, and maybe a flashback scene to their betrothal in Lorien... Other script changes ... NO ELVES at Helms Deep! And none of this "Go Home Sam" crap! And Faramir would be well more honorable!

Scenery... Rohan would be rolling grassy hills, not the rocky scrublands Peter has. Osgoliath would be farther away, and Sauron would not be a searchlight. Lorien would seem much fairer as well. The Anduin would be more whitewater rapids as they pass the Argonath.

Effects... No 'Hollywood' moments like the breaking satirway defying gravity and tilting back upright, or Legolas surfing on shields and ouliphants. The comedic relief of Gimli would be curtailed with maybe a few moments of jest. Legolas would show genuine fear at the appearance of the Balrog in Moria, and Gimli would do the same at the entrance of the paths of the Dead.

Cast... Arwen would be someone else, like Catherine Zeta Jones, or Bettina Zimmermann. Galadriel would be a much prettier actress. Cate didn't do Galadriel justice. Frodo.. I would find someone else for that role as well. The rest was pretty good, at least passable.

There is probably more, but I can't think of them all in one sitting.

[Manveru]

it would have been cool to make 6 movies: one on each book. i heard that tolkien had names for all of the books. i think 1 was shadow of the past or something, 2 was fellowship of the ring i think, 3 was the treason of isengard, i cant remember 4, 5 was the war of the ring, and i cant remember 6. i dunno maybe ill look around for them.