Two Towers, Much Fun
Posted on:: December 23rd, 2002
= saw “The Two Towers” yesterday with eight 12-year-olds who didn’t get up once in the 3 hours to go to the bathroom.
What more could you want in this type of movie? Adventure, bravery, characters with inner struggles, lots of story line, astounding scenery, amazing graphics…
Well, now that you mention it: Since I don’t care about fidelity to the source, I wish the movie were less sexist. And does it say anywhere in the books that the human characters are all white?
I seem to recall that some of Tolkien’s characters are described as dusky — Sauron’s allies that attack from the South (when Sam is mightily impressed to see an elephant). Is it necessary to add that Tolkien was a man of his time? I have no idea what he was like personally, but if he paid much attention to international news, I somehow doubt that he was impressed by Strom Thurmond and the States’ Rights Party.
A little googling shows that Tolkien indeed would probably have been no pal to Thurmond.
But I wasn’t suggesting that Tolkien should have jumped ahead of his time and embraced the rainbow, etc. It seems that the *film* could have been more inclusive without violating the letter of the original LOTR.
Yes, Tolkein is on the historical record as being anti-Nazi and anti-anti-semitic. But film kept the lines about Sauron recruiting the dusky hordes of the south for no good plot-related reason.
The film treats the female characters better than the book does; most of Tolkein’s female characters are complete ciphers. To remedy that, the movie would have to invent significant original plot lines.
the book specifies coloring (“dark” or “fair”) but there’s no good plot reason not to change that.
I agree that we don’t want to turn Strider and Gimli into women, and I know that purists were upset that the Liv Tyler character (pardon but I forget names easily) had a bigger, more active role than in the book. Nevertheless, it’s a little hard to watch a movie in which the women cower with the young’uns as the menfolk fight the bad guys.
This is seriously bringing back my teenage geek days, but I remember being seriously mad that Eowyn should have been in line for regency after her cousin dies and her brother is exiled. If she was really written as an action heroine, she would have challenged Grima and won.
David – “Nevertheless, it’s a little hard to watch a movie in which the women cower with the young’uns as the menfolk fight the bad guys.”
Actually the character of Eowyn (King’s neice) was in the book, and is in second movie, a very strong female trying to break the mold of women’s expected roles, and strives to be a front-line warrior. She will get to fulfill that dream in the third chapter, when she alone (while amongst all the fighting men) will have the courage to face a particular foe with her sword, and beat it. I’ll be pissed if director Peter Jackson robs her of this role which the original book gives her, but I have no reason to think he will. Hot stuff to be sure. Alright, I’ve said enough.
Bryan
I guess you missed the metaphor of the different races in Middle-Earth (elves, dwarfs, hobbits, etc.) banding together to defeat evil compared to the different races of humans (black, white, etc.) living in peace togheter!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Different races within the races of Middle Earth is really not needed.
I’m not saying everything about LOTR is bad, racist, etc. I love the broad theme of everyone contributing to the overthrow of evil, and of the smallest having the largest hearts (approximately). I am saying that the movie decided that the human race in the book needed to be only white, an odd and unnecessary choice.