# LITTLE Things That Irk/Please You in LOTR films **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 24, 2008, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-things-that-irk-please-you-in-lotr-films/464980 "2008-09-24T14:06:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-things-that-irk-please-you-in-lotr-films/464980/201 "2008-10-02T01:29:24Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > The beacons are book canon - Pippin and Gandalf see them going off as they are haring down to Minas Tirith on Shadowfax. PJ’s improvement :rolleyes: here was to make Denethor too much of a senile drooler to give the order to light them, so Pippin had to light the City beacon by subterfuge. Yet another gratuitous piece of invention that explains why Tolkien’s own work had to be cut short in order to keep the film manageably short. Most of the changes to the movie were made to increase the tension. Prime example, that has been mentioned: Théodred’s vacillating whether to answer Gondor’s call for help. In the book, it was “They call. We go. – I hope we’re in time.” Likewise, Faramir showing himself as a “Man of quality.” He eventually got there but not before dragging the ring bearer off to Osgiliath. ETA Why in the world are all the Google ads talking about cats? ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-things-that-irk-please-you-in-lotr-films/464980/202 "2008-10-02T02:22:47Z")
I have party lights and outdoor lights(?). And I just checked it and now they’re all about spaying and neutering? creepy. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-things-that-irk-please-you-in-lotr-films/464980/203 "2008-10-02T02:26:50Z")
Like: At Minas Tirith, when the Oliphaunts come, and the one guy blows the horn and smiles with a look of “War…it’s faaaaaaaaaaan-tastic!” ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-things-that-irk-please-you-in-lotr-films/464980/204 "2008-10-02T12:51:41Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Most of the changes to the movie were made to increase the tension. Prime example, that has been mentioned: **Théodred’s vacillating whether to answer Gondor’s call for help. In the book, it was “They call. We go. – I hope we’re in time.”** > Likewise, Faramir showing himself as a “Man of quality.” He eventually got there but not before dragging the ring bearer off to Osgiliath. > > ETA Why in the world are all the Google ads talking about cats? (bolding mine) - this was the point I was trying to make…thank you! ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-things-that-irk-please-you-in-lotr-films/464980/205 "2008-10-04T13:54:51Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > Like: At Minas Tirith, when the Oliphaunts come, and the one guy blows the horn and smiles with a look of “War…it’s faaaaaaaaaaan-tastic!” IIRC at the time the movie came out, the comment was that he looked like he was hopped up on something with the retort, “And how enthusiastic would _you_ be driving a giant elephant while sober?” Wasn’t he the one nailed by Éomer? ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-things-that-irk-please-you-in-lotr-films/464980/206 "2008-10-04T17:55:35Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > The beacons are book canon - Pippin and Gandalf see them going off as they are haring down to Minas Tirith on Shadowfax. PJ’s improvement :rolleyes: here was to make Denethor too much of a senile drooler to give the order to light them, so Pippin had to light the City beacon by subterfuge. Yet another gratuitous piece of invention that explains why Tolkien’s own work had to be cut short in order to keep the film manageably short. I thought it was an improvement, Gandalf sending Pippin to set off the first beacon. It made Gandalf more responsible, more in charge. It also gave Pip some character development that was lost with the ent draughts being removed from the theatrical version of TT. [edit]And I see why they were removed. It would have slowed things down in the midle of the film when they were slowed down with Aragorn’s dream sequence[/edit] Denethor’s reduction to a drooling idiot (Ozzy Osbourne would have been well cast in that role) with no show of his palantir irked me because it flattened the character. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-things-that-irk-please-you-in-lotr-films/464980.md?page=10)