RotK – best picture, but not the best version?
Fleming Rutledge, in an article at Christianity Today sets out to examine, “the missing theology” in Return of the King. The issues discussed include, “losing Gollum’s soul”.
Fleming Rutledge, in an article at Christianity Today sets out to examine, “the missing theology” in Return of the King. The issues discussed include, “losing Gollum’s soul”.
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6 Comments
As a Christian who understands full well the themes, theological and otherwise, of both the books and the films, all I can say is, did this woman see the same movies I did? Or is there a second Peter Jackson trilogy out there? Good grief.
Obviously, there was no way that PJ could convert the books into films without having to omit or put his own interpretations on them. However, having seen all three films and read the trilogy several times, I have to admit that I was just a little disappointed in the PJ’s ROTK. The best solution, for me anyway, was to watch the films as ‘films’ and entertainment and to read the books as Tolkein intended the trilogy to be. Thereby having the best of both worlds.
To tell the truth I found this article short-sighted and close-minded. As a Christian, I do see many parallels in the trilogy to my own faith, but this is my own interpretation and my own,very human desire to relate what I read to my own experiences and beliefs. I have no idea if this is truly what Tolkien meant for us to see, because I am not a Tolkien scholar. I agree that the deminishment of Aragorn’s character through the ommission of his work in the Houses of Healing etc. was annoying, but come on folks, the movie was already three and a half hours! It is simply impossible to pack all of the richness of Tolkien’s lifelong work into 12 hours, without doing him a higher injustice than this author seems to think has already been done. One must accept the limits of even Peter Jackson and the cast and crew. I consider the films more a tribute to Tolkien’s work, and taken as such, they are both enjoyable and well-done.
I agree with the rest of you. I am also a Christian, yet I think the Jackson did an excellent job, and I can fully understand the time constraints and the choices of what to leave in and take out. Of course, I can’t wait til the extended ed., but he did well nonetheless. You cannot leave in all the kind and heroic bits unless you put in the enormous battles and the images of how evil Sauron was. To be true to Tolkien, the movie would have to be 14 hours long, and that is not a money making thing to do.
[quote]We do not feel the stab of pain that Sam receives when he sees that Frodo is really going, and we are not given any sense of the bitterness of Frodo’s sacrifice (“the Shire has been saved, but not for me”).[quote]
I only can speak for myself and for some others I´ve been talking to (and what about the postings in the forum?), but I had all these sentiments!
And I also saw Gollum´s growing love for Frodo and his problems caused by that. For the rest I am waiting for the EE.
And not to forget Sam´s speech in Osgiliath “There is something good…”. He clearly talks about a higher force (God or whatever you might call it).