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Faenoriel
Tol Eressea
Nov 23 2012, 9:56pm
Views: 684
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About LotR films commercializing Tolkien
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Can't Post
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The Simon Tolkien thread below reminded me of Christopher Tolkien's comment about how he disdains the way Tolkien has become a money making mass product.
I felt a bit hurt by that comment, considering I too buy LotR merchandice, and yet I also consider myself a Tolkienist who above all else values the artistic and intellectual quality of his subcreation.
Then the thought moved on this route: those who abuse Tolkien's popularity to make cash quite likely do not understand him, nor care about him. But it's a mistake to confuse those who sell to those who buy. Even if humans are treated as a mass by the commercial powers, this is always an illusion, and that mass is made of thinking and feeling individuals.
And a soothing realization came to me: there are good products and bad products to sell to these "masses". There are subpar movies and books which still become incredibly popular for a reason or another. They then proceed to have their negative, stupifying or outright immoralizing effect on the people who consume them.
But some of the extremely popular franchises are a good influence on people. I honestly believe LotR is one of these. It has a good, encouraging, optimistic, pro-life, pro-friendship message to send.
This inner goodness of Tolkien is what has always drawn me to him above all other story tellers. And I believe that while PJ's movies aren't as fine as Tolkien's books, they sill contain that deepest heart, that love for life, people and world.
Or am I being incredibly silly here? You see, for me Tolkien's world is so loveable because Tolkien himself loved it so much. It's like seeing an artifact made by a craftsman who has put all his skill and passion to it. Tolkien cared about things (his mother, Edith, trees, homeland, friends, languages, stories, horses...), and much of the spirit of his books is a mixture of this caring, and the sense of pain and regret caused by losing them.
In the bleak, cynic and nihilistic time we live, it's not a bad attitude to have. And it first reached me via PJ's movies, which were like a lightning and completly revolutionized my frivolous thoughts, opening them to the world of beauty and dignity.
That's all~ 
But every word you say today
Gets twisted 'round some other way
And they'll hurt you if they think you've lied
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Time
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About LotR films commercializing Tolkien
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Faenoriel
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Nov 23 2012, 9:56pm
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I agree
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LordotRings93
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Nov 24 2012, 4:21am
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Ditto
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Elessar
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Nov 24 2012, 4:57am
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Very well put!
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demnation
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Nov 24 2012, 5:21am
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Christopher Tolkien is naive
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macfalk
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Nov 24 2012, 9:34am
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There was a big difference from society then as to now
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imin
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Nov 24 2012, 11:42am
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Grey Area
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Elessar
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Nov 24 2012, 11:40pm
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I think there is a grey area as well
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imin
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Nov 25 2012, 12:19am
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Very difficult
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Elessar
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Nov 25 2012, 1:04am
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Chris is right...
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Malveth
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Nov 25 2012, 4:18pm
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To each their own
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Elessar
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Nov 25 2012, 4:42pm
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I just don't get it.
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macfalk
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Nov 25 2012, 7:45pm
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Tolkien LOTR
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Sam20
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Nov 25 2012, 8:54pm
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If they do "overshadow" the books
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macfalk
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Nov 25 2012, 9:52pm
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comes down to this i feel
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imin
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Nov 25 2012, 9:58pm
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Eh
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Elessar
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Nov 25 2012, 9:55pm
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