There is another astonishing thing about Hobbits of old that must be mentioned, an astonishing habit: they imbibed or inhaled, through pipes of clay or wood, the smoke of the burning leaves of a herb, which they called pipe-weed or leaf, a variety probably of Nicotiana.
Tolkien was a pipe-smoker and it's annoying that the movie tried to change the image, not because I'm all that apposed to pot smoking (I've said before, I don't mind potheads as much as I do drunks) but because they changed the spirit of the story when they did that.
It rarely happens in the movie that they offend me, so I just look over it as just an annoying little gnat in the great outdoors of the story.
It was also mentioned somewhere, don't ask me where...that Merry and Pippin get drunk with Treebeard. I don't believe that happened in the story and I believe Tolkien would not have written something so vulgar as drunkeness in to this beautiful story. Once again, I will probaby overlook it.
Well, there we are! - Sorry I am not more flapped about it. Seems that even we have joked about pipe-weed, ent-draughts and pints here. I don't see harm in it, celebratory enjoyment of these things is part of our culture that we can see similarities in when we read it.
I see it as possible that some who affectionately see pipe-weed as marijuana (and we know it isn't) might be those who are young and might see that as attractive. They need our story, and I don't mind a bit what they see as a draw. They will be here for the other parts of the story too... The parts of the story that make us all want to be worthy of these characters.
As to the Tolkien not writing about anything as vulgar as drunkenness... I would say that we know darn well what is in those pints served up in the Prancing Pony and in the Green Dragon. Tolkien very much wants us to imagine the scene of a beer-fed rambunctiousness that does not happen when one is at a soda fountain. They are not ugly about it, but they drink. They get drunk. Unapologetically and freely IMHO.
While I sympathize and support not turning the story into an advertisement for drug and alcohol use, I don't see anything that implies Tolkien did not appreciate the effects of a good ale, or that he saw harm in it. You can love the story and not love drinking, but I would not try to say it isn't in the story.
Yes, but actually it's not as bad an addition as you think. In Unfinished Tales there's a bit about how Saruman started smoking to emulate Gandalf - he had a serious envy problem - but did not admit it because he had at other times criticized Gandalf for the habit. So, Saruman's a hypocrite and a liberal, but he's not accusing Gandalf of being a druggie, and Jackson actually kept to the spirit of things!
Hi all, here briefly. The next I'm really available for a joint viewing is probably the weekend of the 17th. If anyone's up for it, either night should work for me!