"The Frodo Franchise" by Kristin Thompson

[periantari]

I finally started reading this (after shirebound's entry about it, i jumped right on it having just finished rereading FotR ;) and it's interesting so far...

I'm struck on this tidbit by the author's initial reaction to FotR when it first came out and when she first watched it...

"When I walked into a theater to see Fellowship for the first time, I went

Comments

[grey_wonderer]

Wow, very big questions indeed. I had read the books before I saw the films and when I went into the theater someone that I trusted on the subject had already told me that he loved the film. Because of his review of it I was looking forward to seeing the movie and I wasn't worried because he is a major Tolkien person and his favorite book of all time is "The Hobbit". I figured if he was satisfied with the film that I would be too.
I was completely hooked from the beginning but the minute that I knew this was something very special was when Frodo and Gandalf meet for the first time and Frodo says, "You're late!" I can still see that in my mind. I was blown away by how real it looked and how Elijah looked like a hobbit and looked so small next to Ian McKellen. The amazement never left me for the rest of the film and I adored it! I still do. Fellowship is still my favorite of the films.

[periantari]

((((GW)))) =)
See i was worried for RotK actually...by '03, i DID read everything LotR and Hobbit and Tolkien and i was prepared to be really impressed and everything and i *was* though i remember i had mixed feelings for RotK and its deviations when i saw it in the theaters the first time.

I would be hooked the first time i see FotR first...since the prologue was flawless and gosh the Shire is beyond beautiful and the score! Shore's score just...beyond Love.

My initial reactions to ROtK is here:
http://periantari.livejournal.com/2003/12/18/

That's cool you didn't have any doubt fro the movies... some are protective for their childhood love and would hate to see it wrecked or made to something they don't like. :p

Thanks fro your quick reply, dear~ =)

[grey_wonderer]

Two Towers was the one I had trouble with. That business with Frodo and Faramir bothered me and it took a while for Gollum's song at the end of the film to grow on me. I had loved the song that Enya did for the first film so much that Gollum's song was just not what I wanted or expected. Even then though I liked the film. I love the extended version though. Lots of Treebeard and Merry and Pippin so I'm happy!

[periantari]

I never did like Gollum's Song... and i think they kind of overdid it with it being so Gollum-ish in TTT... I didn't like TTT as much as the others though i did watch it 15+ times and like almost 10 times in theaters... The EE version is great-- should rewatch it sometime... but i really liked the Ents attacking Isengard movie-verse... that and Sam's speech are two notable things i liked.

[darklingwoods]

awww I read the books after, but lucky for me, there is book store next to the theater.. I went straight there after the movie :)

so I'm not qualified to answer ;) but I look forward to reading everyones replies! although I considered myself a "book" fan by the time The Two Towers" hit the theaters .. I managed to read the books about 5 times by then. slightly obessive fangirl here ;)

[periantari]

I'm even later... i watched TTT before FotR so read all the books before watching RotK in theaters... but i'm pretty book-ish since i've read everything since watching TTT and prefer the books in many cases... I def hit the books after watching TTT and FotR properly...(The first time i saw FotR, i only saw half of it but i was quite intrigued the first half time i watched it. ;)
Thanks fro replying and feel free to jump into anyone's response in here. :)

[eowyn_unquendor]

I went into the theatre to see FOTR with all the concerns above :) As an ancient fan I had discovered a standee in the theatre that there would be movies of my beloved books, I stumbled onto the spoiler pictures on TORn and the Imladris forum, and then I was really curious. I fell immediately in love with Aragorn, and couldn't find one thing wrong with the hobbits.
Since I first saw FOTR on the front row of the theatre I missed a lot of fast scenes, so I went back to the theatre a week later. I never considered going to see the same movie twice, but FOTR I saw 9 times IIRC :)

I was afraid for TTT, that Éowyn would be ruined as a lovesick maiden. Thank Eru she was as good as I had thought, except that I still think that when she kills the Witch King they shouldn't have changed the original Tolkien words and they also should have used a different camera angle.
With most of the changes I just shrugged, but the change in Faramir's character still bothers me a bit. He was the most noble hero, and PJ was not very nice to his character.

[periantari]

It would've been so cool fro me if i had been with everyone since the beginning from FotR and obsessing till now. ;)

wow 9 times in theaters! Almost matched the number of times i saw RotK in theaters-- (10 times :P)

Eowyn was pretty good..i just wished that sometimes the loving Aragorn was played down a bit but i think it was quite appropriate for film i guess.

except that I still think that when she kills the Witch King they shouldn't have changed the original Tolkien words and they also should have used a different camera angle.That was such a big complaint by book fans that the quoting was wrong...but i can see that you could'nt have the full quote for it was too long and probably too archaic for modern day audiences... I thought the camera angle was pretty good ...how would you have that different? Maybe to make it so that the sun was shining in her golden hair a bit more

[periantari]

What pissed me off most was weakening Frodo's character in FotR (HE should've resisted against the Ring-wraiths, HE should've stabbed a troll in Moria instead of looking all ineffective

[claudia603]

I had to admit that I was a little nervous...but then I comforted myself with the idea that nothing could possibly be worse than the Bakshi version...and the little tidbits that I'd seen so far on previews, etc. looked wonderful. I must say that it was only after several viewings that I was even able to notice and think about any flaws or whether it was made into a "popular film" for the masses. The good thing about making it more "popular?" WAY more people started reading LOTR! My friend who is smart but not a "Tolkien-type" girl started reading it right after FOTR came out and fell in love with it!

[periantari]

The movies certainly made the books more accessible and more likely to be read...i didn't know about LotR except for the HObbit when i was growing up and i have PJ to thank in making me so interested and so obsessed. ;)
I saw Bakshi-- i was like laughing so much over it and generally appalled. Thank goodness for PJ's vision!