# Why didn't the LOTR movies explain Gandalf's backstory?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-the-lotr-movies-explain-gandalfs-backstory/708147>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [December 25, 2014, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-the-lotr-movies-explain-gandalfs-backstory/708147 "2014-12-25T08:55:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2014, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-the-lotr-movies-explain-gandalfs-backstory/708147/61 "2014-12-27T14:00:12Z")

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It’s threads like this that remind me how much I respect Tolkein. His mythology is great, and his background in linguistics (and the level of anthropology that entails), and knowledge of folklore creates a stellar world with very detailed histories with moving, working, living parts. Glorantha is the only other world I’ve seen that comes close.

It **also** reminds me how despondent I am that I can’t get through more than a couple chapters of his books without wanting to drive a rail spike through my head because of how much I hate his writing style. ☹

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**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2014, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-the-lotr-movies-explain-gandalfs-backstory/708147/62 "2014-12-27T15:03:41Z")

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> [@Jragon](#):
>
> It’s threads like this that remind me how much I respect Tolkein. His mythology is great, and his background in linguistics (and the level of anthropology that entails), and knowledge of folklore creates a stellar world with very detailed histories with moving, working, living parts. Glorantha is the only other world I’ve seen that comes close.
> 
> It **also** reminds me how despondent I am that I can’t get through more than a couple chapters of his books without wanting to drive a rail spike through my head because of how much I hate his writing style. ☹

I agree. Like old school convoluted Comic book mythology, Middle Earth is something I enjoy more reading _about_ than actually reading.

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [January 4, 2019, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-the-lotr-movies-explain-gandalfs-backstory/708147/63 "2019-01-04T23:55:52Z")

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Bumped.

A nice piece on Tolkien from _The New Yorker_, at the time the first _LOTR_ movie came out: [The Hobbit Habit: Reading “The Lord of the Rings” | The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2001/12/10/the-hobbit-habit?mbid=nl_Daily+010319&CNDID=26984933&utm_source=nl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily+010319&utm_content&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=Daily+010319&hasha=8c87e5b192ccdf0303ac7c6f4b477941&hashb=9005c77d61b803c323cbade87ca03e55c7d5c4a9&spMailingID=14895789&spUserID=MjM0MTYzMTM2MjQ5S0&spJobID=1560222097&spReportId=MTU2MDIyMjA5NwS2&fbclid=IwAR1oF27BBEXwh2maG584OfaLkU2f18MrpzvjA4ZW4U33dRMiihnOuo3VmGI)

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