[BibChr]

Thanks for the fun read.

I am sorry they took out the scene on the stair where Gollum almost repents. The bit with the lembas seems cheap in comparison. I think it's a case of the filmers didn't quite get what Tolkien was doing there.

Yes, that is THE most tragically moving scene in all the books, IMHO. It is a shame for it to be out.

Pippin and Gandalf's little speech about the afterlife... ... this movie was about death and it was glorious. Wow.

That was totally fabricated, though, wasn't it? As an LOTR fan and a Christian, I felt it was a bit of universalistic, Hollywood nonsense. But your precise knowledge of LOTR has trumped mine before -- is that anywhere in the books?

I plan to see it a second time, alone, today. Valerie did last night, and was wowed.

Dan

[JenB]

It's not in the book, no. And it is universalist in intent, but I looked at it as "this is what happens to Christians". And from Gandalf, it's fitting - he's already died! And he'd know.

Since LotR was written from a Christian worldview, some of that carries over to the movies. I think you have to look at it as if the stuff they mean generally applies to a narrow group of people than the filmmakers think...

Have fun! I'm going after church on Sunday.