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Shelob'sAppetite
Valinor
Nov 15 2012, 6:51pm
Views: 1375
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Depends on what you mean by subtle
[In reply to]
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Can't Post
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I think Tolkien's LOTR is very subtle in terms both how layered his sub-creation is, and how nuanced the thematic threads of the story are. People who claim that LOTR is simply about good and evil have essentially missed the point. The themes of death, the unhealthy yearning for deathlessness, the wraithifying consequences of a lust for temporal power, and despair, seem to pass them by. He also sketches the structure of the story in a subtle manner - not being a slave to the idea that everything, and everyone, must be neatly connected in terms of both narrative or characterization.
However, there is certainly some clarity from Tolkien on who some of the bad guys are. Wormtongue is obviously not a name for an angel, I will admit that. There is nothing too subtle in this character, not even in the books.
However, for some reason, PJ feels that he needs to take these cues, and then amplify them beyond necessity. Wormtongue is called Wormtongue in the book, but he is not described as being hideously pale with open wounds, wearing Goth black clothes with lace trim, having no eyebrows, and feeding lines to an almost dead, zombified Theoden. Add the foreboding music to that, and you have Tolkien's text pumped full of steroids.
So no, this was not one of Tolkien's most subtly drawn characters. But that doesn't excuse PJ from amping that aspect up to the 11th degree. If anything, he should have toned it down a bit. A visual medium, like film, requires careful choices in terms of visual and aural cues, and PJ doesn't seem too interested in that.
(This post was edited by Shelob'sAppetite on Nov 15 2012, 6:53pm)
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SCOD - The words of a snake
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FlyingSerkis
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Nov 14 2012, 5:56pm
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Brad Dourif is amazing in this scene. I love his delivery of "I told you to take the Wizard's staff!"
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thomasofrohan
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Nov 14 2012, 6:00pm
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Music
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starlesswinter
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Nov 14 2012, 6:15pm
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IMO, that's the problem with it
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Shelob'sAppetite
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Nov 14 2012, 8:20pm
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"More subtle" is not necessarily "better"
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thomasofrohan
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Nov 14 2012, 10:18pm
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Its a matter of taste
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Shelob'sAppetite
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Nov 14 2012, 11:19pm
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But how many people actually notice something like that?
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starlesswinter
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Nov 14 2012, 11:53pm
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Most people I have spoken with
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Shelob'sAppetite
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Nov 15 2012, 4:43am
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That's not the point I was trying to make
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starlesswinter
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Nov 15 2012, 6:32am
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Got it
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Shelob'sAppetite
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Nov 15 2012, 6:46am
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But was Tolkien really subtle himself? //
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macfalk
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Nov 15 2012, 2:02pm
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Depends on what you mean by subtle
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Shelob'sAppetite
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Nov 15 2012, 6:51pm
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I love a good bad guy design!
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starlesswinter
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Nov 15 2012, 7:59pm
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What do I expect from PJ?
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Shelob'sAppetite
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Nov 15 2012, 8:22pm
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Well hope that the dim witted audience members
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ForestPark
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Nov 22 2012, 2:22am
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As you see,
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GoodGuyA
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Nov 15 2012, 5:05pm
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What's subtlety got to do with it?
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FarFromHome
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Nov 15 2012, 9:39am
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The bit of music I'm talking about, which plays over this, is not in 5/4
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FlyingSerkis
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Nov 15 2012, 1:06pm
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Great choice, thanks!
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Radagast-Aiwendil
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Nov 14 2012, 6:15pm
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Do I dare to put in my two cents? :P
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zarabia
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Nov 16 2012, 7:00am
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Movie Demographics like LOTR need to appeal to a
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Bombadil
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Nov 16 2012, 2:16pm
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Meant to say this earlier,
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One Ringer
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Nov 21 2012, 1:14pm
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