The official run-time of this movie just got bumped up to 174 minutes, but that’s not what I am asking about.
Everywhere I look, I see no listing for anyone to play Tom Bombadil, a character I thought was a big part in the first part of the book. Did they cut him from the movie entirely? IMDB doesn’t list anyone to play him or do his voice(if he’s cgi).
Could they have possibly cut out Tom Bombadil entirely?
Yep, Tom was removed from the film entirely. I don’t know about the Barrow wights though. I don’t have problem with this, but apparently many people do. I just don’t see his character as being all that essential to the story. He creates more questions than he answers.
They cut Tom Bombadil? Oh, praise the gods! I always found that section of the book interminable. It made me give up on the book the first time I tried to read it (back in high school) and I nearly did the same the second time through. The third time through I just skipped that section completely. It was boring and annoying. I won’t be missing him. Buh-bye…
Tom Bombadil = pointless filler. He has no connection to the rest of the story, and would just look silly in the real movie.
Apparantly the Barrow Wight scene is still going to be in, but will have to be rewritten without Tom.
Be-diddly-sides, Tom-a-dom-a-rillo Bombadil-diddly-o talks exactly like Ned-diddly-Ed Flanders. Who could keep a straight face?
Fenris
Go to any of the Ring websites for info. They’re bigger than Harry Potter or Star Wars part II.
I don’t really care that Tom Bombadil got axed; what I wonder about is that Arwen (Liv Tyler) gets screen time as “part” of the fellowship.
Yeah, it’s a movie and it needs to appeal to chicks w/their boyfriends who buy tickets, but Arwen had like 2 appearances in the LOTR books.
Liv Tyler is a hot chick who is easy on the eyes. But WTF is the character of Arwen doing dominating some battle takes?( or even participating)
Sellout to the date crowd. Tolkien stands alone, but what will increase ticket sales is how I see it.
I like the Tom Bombadil sequence (although Fenris is right, he does talk like Flan-diddly-anders). But I have no problem with it being cut. The question of who and what Tom is adds to the mythological depth of Middle Earth; when the council at Rivendell discusses what to do with the ring, someone suggests giving it to Tom and the idea is nixed: (paraphrasing, I think) “Even Bombadil will fall, last as he was first, and then Night will come.”
Ok, that concludes my tangent! What I meant to say was, I don’t think the removal of Tom will harm the story. I do wonder about the Liv Tyler thing, but I’ve read that much of Arwen’s expanded role is based on Tolkien’s own story of Arwen and Aragorn. Don’t know how true that is, but I’m willing to wait and see.
There’s also a line about how Bombadil would (paraphrased) give it to Sauron for a handful of magic beans.
Um…
<looking>
FotR pg 329:
[Gandalf said “He might take the Ring] but he would not understand the need. And if he were given the Ring he would soon forget it, or most likely throw it away.”
Fenris
According to the director, all of Arwen’s expanded role is drawn directly from the Arwen and Aragorn story in Tolkein’s appendix. Works for me.
If only. Arwen defends Frodo at the Ford of Bruinen. “If you want him, come and claim him!” Revolting! But then, I’m a bit of a purist. Maybe it’ll work.
To tell the truth, it doesn’t really bother me all that much. I’ve never felt all that attached to Glorfindel.
Just for the sake of explaining why some people are upset (plotwise) about Bombadil’s exclusion, he’s the one that gives Merry and Pippin their weapons of Nazgul-slaying. How (or if) they’ll end up with them without Bombadil remains to be seen.
For another take on the matter… Tom Bombadil will be in the movie… just not the way most people think.
I think that SPOOFE mentioned this the other day. I’ll repeat what he said (or at least paraphrase). He’s welcome to come in and thwap me for stealing his words. Basically, yes, Tom gives Merry and Pippin some pretty important weapons from the barrow, but the Council of Elrond is certainly capable of providing a suitable replacement for your run-of-the-mill thousand year old sword.
Well, yes, Elrond could have the swords, but it kinda begs the question of why he would give them to a coupla Hobbit kids?
“Hmm… these guys need equipment. Okay, we got some food, some backpacks, some rope, and, oh, let’s see, SWORDS OF RINGWRAITH SLAYING???”
See, I could buy Tom giving them the swords cause he’s special and all, and Knows Things. Why he’d give them a sword they could turn against him and kill him with is kinda odd, though (see my previous post for link).
Well this was discussed in this thread http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=96256
As was mentioned there, Bombadil does serve some narative purposes. However none of them are critical to the main story.
According to the movie spoiler sites, the movies will apparently skip everything between Buckland and Bree including the barrow wights. The swords will be given to the hobbits in Bree.
Arwen is NOT part of the Fellowship, nor does she fight (originally, she was going to show up at Helm’s Deep, but that ended up on the cutting room floor). Apparently, rescuing Frodo at the Ford of Bruinen is the most active thing she does. I can certainly live with that. (Oh, and she’s not being conflated with Eowyn either, another persistent but untrue rumor.)
So I was talking with a co-wroker who is quite unfamiliar with the whole Lord of the Rings Trilogy and I explained that the next movie will be out next wineter and that they have already filmed it, etc.
“Oh, what’s it called?”
'The Two Towers."
“What? your kididng, right?”
“No, why?”
“Well I mean the Twein Towers and al that stuff, isn’t it a bit weird, at least.”
“Well, i guess, but I mean it is ayear away.”
Etc.
I am just curious, has anybody even heard a single thing about there being any concern about the title? I don’t have any, and after all what are you going to do, it is the name of the book.
We talked about that at imladris.net – but as far as I know there hasn’t been any official word from New Line. Since it won’t be released for a while, I don’t think it’ll be changed…
Boy, a lot of info here.
Katisha, the fact that Eowyn and Arwen are going to remain separate enities is of great comfort to me. I had fallen victim to that rumor, so thank you! 
I for one will miss Bombadil. He is referred to many times in the stories, especially by Sam, whenever the going gets rough. I think he served a purpose, not only filling a ‘mythological depth’, but as a spot of comfort at the beginning of the journey. It gave the hobbits a reference to think back to whenever things looked bleak. I guess we can’t have everything.
As far as Arwen at the ford, I am OK with that as well. The elves in Rivendell are pretty much interchangable (outside of Elrond and Legolas), so whoever needs to be at that defense to make the movie work is alright with me.
“I don’t really care that Tom Bombadil got axed; what I wonder about is that Arwen (Liv Tyler) gets screen time as “part” of the fellowship.”
That is what TheOneRing.net lists as the biggest false rumor on the net. She ISN’T PART OF THE FELLOWSHIP.