[HPFGU-Movie] Digest Number 560

[Sara Lynne]

>Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2003 04:05:10 -0000
>From: "hpoldfan" <WFeuchter at msn.com>
>Subject: Hasn't Chris Columbus done exactly what he
>was tasked to do?
>Now everyone seems to want to compare Harry and the
>Lord of the 
>Rings. Anyone who has read LOR knows that it is a
>story of the 
>Hobbits. The movies are not about the Hobbits. The
>movie is so far 
>from the books that it is almost a different story.

I am new to this group so, first and foremost, hello
to everyone. Secondly, I must disrepectfully disagree
with this assessment of LotR, seeing as how I am even
more obsessed with these stories and films than I am
with HP. I have read the books repeatedly (and seen
the films repeatedly), and although you are right that
the primary character is a Hobbit and the story
centers around his strength to do what no others could
accomplish, the book is certainly not just about
Hobbits. Tolkien paid just as much attention to the
human and elven characters as Peter Jackson has in the
films; indeed, with the exception of books 1 and 2,
the rest are divided between the exploits of the
Hobbits and other characters, many of whom are just as
critical to the plot.

But I do understand what you mean about Columbus - why
is he criticized for sticking so faithfully to the
books when other directors are heaped with scorn for
diverging in the slightest from their source material?
I'm not sure I have an answer to that, I don't really
get it myself. Perhaps it has to do with age: kids are
extremely pleased when it sticks closely to the books,
but older fans with more sophisticated tastes may be
looking for a bit more subtlety or mystery? Maybe we
perceive much more darkness in the books than kids do
and want to see that reflected on the screen. I don't
know.

Sara

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo.
http://search.yahoo.com