Tolkien's T.C.B.S discussion

this discussion is to compare between the characters in the books and the characters of the movies

Interesting idea. The most obviously different I think is Arwen, or not so much different as more active rather than a rather passive love interest figure.

Definitely Arwen. She doesn't make much of an appearance at all in the books (main books, I know she plays a much bigger role in the appendices).

Most notably, she takes Glorfindel's place in the movies.

I don't think her character was changed much, however, just her screen time.

On a related note... I felt that Elrond was quite different in the movies than he was in the books.
I never got the feeling that Elrond disapproved of her and Aragorn in the books. I never really got the feeling that he disapproved of ARAGORN in the books. He was Aragorn's mentor, father-figure, encouraging him to take up his rightful place as king. Maybe I'm wrong, but it never seemed like he doubted that Aragorn would be anything but the fulfillment of all their hopes (IF the ring and Sauron could be destroyed).

Of course... because one character's interactions sort of bleeds over into many others...

Anyone else feel that Aragorn of the movies was often quite different than Aragorn of the books?

I don't recall Aragorn wrestling with self-doubt, or being reluctant to take up the throne that was rightfully his... at least, not in the books. He also had a better sense of humor in the books.

Not that I didn't love Viggo as Aragorn, I thought he did a great job. It's the script-writers I have issues with. :)


None of this precludes the fact that I absolutely LOVED the movies. There are just differences, that's all. And I'm okay with that.

i can understand the doubts that aragorn had since he was the heir of isildur . i think it was a nice touch. in my opinion the movies are great because they contain every human emotion a person can feel : love envy courage self-doubt the thirst for power friendship devotion..... so i think the script gave a new edge to the books :)

The only character I was a bit disappointed with was Eomer who has a much larger role int he books. Theoden, Bernard Hill, was brilliant though.

Sue wrote: "Interesting idea. The most obviously different I think is Arwen, or not so much different as more active rather than a rather passive love interest figure."

as for arwen you are quite right her presence is omniscient in the books while she had a major role in motivating aragorn in the movies. their love is so pure . and the actress liv tyler was perfect for this role because her beauty is other wordly :) i loved when she returned to rivendell after she saw the vision of her son

I think the bits between Aragorn and Arwen were very much overplayed, particularly his "vision" of her when he fell off the cliff in Two Towers and woke up in the river (I thought that entire sequence was one of the more unnecessary deviations the film took).

I agree that Aragorn seemed more troubled in the films than in the books. I also thought they did the same with Faramir. Both of these men were so noble and heroic in the books and to some degree the films diminished that nobility. It was still there, just not as pure and strong.

Melissa wrote: "Sue wrote: "Interesting idea. The most obviously different I think is Arwen, or not so much different as more active rather than a rather passive love interest figure."

as for arwen you are quit..."

I agree. I really liked Arwen's role in the film trilogy as Aragorn's love interest and source of strength. Maybe it's because I'm a natural romantic. Aragorn and Arwen's relationship that mirrors that of Beren and Luthien's is significant in the story overall. Furthermore, I believe Faramir and Aragorn are noble Gondorians in the films. They're all the more noble because they have to endure so many things. We get a glimpse of Faramir's fractured relatinship with Denethor, for example.

As much as I love the books, I give the movies props for introducing doubt into the narrative to an extent that I felt it made the characters that much more relatable. Personally I very much disliked the elves in the book for their aloof divorcing of themselves from the rest of the denizens of Middle Earth, the fact that they had an escape route none of the others could take made them somewhat cowardly, and false upon my first reading; their roles seemed to be limited to that of judgmental advisers and doubt merchants, but in the movie you can see that they are actually afraid of their not being strong enough to hold back the tide of darkness swelling from Mordor. Indeed, I believe there is a quote that says something to the effect of 'Sauron cannot be defeated by strength of arms alone, and the crushing futility of fighting a seemingly endless stream of enemies could get to the best warrior.

There were traces of the Elvish arrogance and disdain in the films, not least the blame for Sauron's continued existence being placed squarely upon the shoulders of man. I had always thought if Elrond had been the sort of 'greater good' person he was depicted as, mightn't he not have tussled with Isildur for the One Ring and sacrificed himself by hurling them both into the Cracks of Doom, thereby eliminating the otherworldly threat of Gorthaur the Cruel.

Elrond's doubt and Haldir's resolve to com to the aid of the defenders of the Hornburg were cinematic changes that I felt worked, and made the Elves more approachable, shame the Dwarves weren't given more depth other than coarse, hairy sources of physical humour.