> In the movie, he's more or less "Boromir-lite", and you feel more pity than awe. He's still an interesting character, but not at all the SAME character - and for those of us who are big fans of the book Faramir, that's a real shame - or should I say "crime"?
Hmmm, interesting--I tend to agree. Since you and Jen seem to have really analyzed this pretty thoroughly, let me ask you two this, then: how do you evaluate Boromir and Denethor's characters in terms of nobility in the book vs. the movie? To me it seems like in the book Boromir and Denethor have hints of nobility but fall into tragedy, Denethor more irredeemably than Boromir; in contrast to Faramir who overcomes tragedy to triumph and thus redeem his father and brother's shaming of the family. In the movie as in the book Boromir preserves some of his nobility by virtue of defending Merry and Pippin, but Denethor is merely bonkers with little sense that he was ever once a great man, and Gandalf completely disrespects him in front of his subjects in a way he doesn't in the book.
> > There was a cartoon version of RotK which included that scene, and which also portrayed Eowyn's battle with the Nazgul Lord more accurately.
> Do not mention the name of Bakshi in our fair Hole!
LOL! I saw the Bakshi version when I was little before I read the book and it helped me be able to read the book, so I don't mind it as much as people who saw it after reading the book seem to, although of course it pales in comparison to the book. But actually above I wasn't referring to the Bakshi version, I was referring to a different version by Rankin/Bass (the team that did the famous Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman TV Christmas specials). Rankin/Bass had done a version of The Hobbit for TV before the Bakshi version of LotR came out. Here are the details:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005MP5D/102-1775783-1075362?v=glance
The Return Of The King (1980)
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The creative team behind 1978's impressive animation feature based on J.R.R. Tolkien's Hobbit return with this entry drawn from Tolkien's famous Lord of the Rings trilogy. It's good work all around, and not at all the kind of feature-length cartoon that reduces good books to treacle. Orson Bean returns as the voice of Bilbo Baggins as well as that of the trilogy's hero, Frodo. John Huston is commanding again as the voice of the wizard Gandalf, and also in the vocal cast are William Conrad, Paul Frees, and Roddy McDowall. --Tom Keogh