Ya’ll can keep your fishheads to yourself, thankyouverymuch.
Everything sounds better in French, IMO.
I had forgotten about the subsequent dialogue. Methinks PJ felt the need to ratchet up the dramatic tension a tad.
I must say that the LOTR does lend itself to parody–my mind is working away over here (to no good purpose, of course)
Every time Elrond opened his mouth, I heard The Matrix. Hugo Weaving is just too distinctive. I kept expecting to hear “Welcome to Rivendell…Mr. Anderson.”
(partial hijack alert)
There were also a lot of really cool lines in the trilogy that either nailed the book, improved on the book (for movie purposes), or were added by Peter and Fran to make a better transition from book to film. One example, IMHO:
Boromir: “One does not simply walk into Mordor.”
Delivered with a weary look that added the unspoken footnote, “None of you pussies has any idea what you’re suggesting. I live 30 miles from Minas Morgul. I smell the smoke. I fight the orcs.” I loved it.
this means, I had forgotten the subsequent dialogue re Theoden and Gandalf machinations.
I also think the the “no parent should bury their child” was a bit ridiculous. The actor says (on the EE version interview) that someone once said that to him in RL and he was struck by it “and never forgot it.” :rolleyes: I found that shallow.
But then so was Liv Tyler with her “I got to wear really feminine clothes!” mmkay.
mops Dr Pepper
Darn you to the deepest reaches of the fiery chasm! I have spilled my Dr Pepper!
I liked what Boromir said–I also liked the dialogue between him and Aragorn (cut from the theatrical release) re the White City and Aragorn’s reluctance to rule.
Can someone confirm that “no parent should bury their child” is not from the books? I have a vague suspicion that it is; certainly the following “the young perish and the old linger” bit is. It does seem a bit…PC-sanitized for Tolkien; one would expect the stronger “father…son” rather than generic “parent…child” from him.
I opened this thread just to post that. In other threads, people were saying they started crying at that line. I guess I did, too, but not for the same reasons, I don’t think.
[Abe Simpson]I’ve never fully understood that saying. Frankly, I can see an upside![/Abe Simpson]
As for Theoden retreating to Helm’s Deep, I’m no military expert, but the Rohirrim’s main strength was in their cavalry, right? Which is sort of neutralized if you’re locked up in a castle. Plus, the better part of his army was in exile with Eomer at the time. Maybe Gandalf was thinking that, if he linked up with Eomer’s men, he’d have enough strength to crush Saruman in the field. Instead, he took what he had and walled himself up, allowing Saruman the opportunity to defeat the Rohirrim in two seperate, smaller battles, rather than as one large, cohesive force. I know that’s not how Tolkien had it, but it’s a small enough fanwank to cover for the plot hole that I don’t mind it too much.
Haha!
I can sort of agree on the british/american perspective that was brought up by eleanorigby. Though I think Jackson got the british feel of Hobbiton quite right, a higher quota of British actors would, in some instances, have lent the atmosphere more credibility when it comes to the “high and mighty” type of dialogue that is so typical for Lord of the Rings.
I could understand Peter Jackson’s decision to slow down the film when the Elves were speaking. Used in moderation, this technique gives them an ethereal and timeless quality. But I think he really overdid it in some scenes, particularly with Celeborn and Galadriel in Lothlorien. When the actors re-read their lines at the new slow speed, it takes particular skill to avoid coming across like Prince Valium, as DianaG commented above. I think this also explains why the Galadriel–Frodo scene at the pool plays a little awkward.
The Line is not from the Books to the best of my knowledge and from checking the major scenes with Denethor. All PJ again.
What’s the line in the book? I could go looking it up, but somebody here probably has it memorized.
And I watched the animated version of The Return of the King a lot as a kid. I remember that being chock-full of bad dialogue.
I think people starting to list bad dialogue from the book would be amusing.
It’s odd–some things just don’t scan on a page and others can be read silently and enjoyed, even reveled in and yet when they are spoken aloud—clunk.
I think I have a new respect for scriptwriters now.
Add the books bad dialogue here as well–that’d be a hoot!
AFAIK, it goes something like “I can’t carry it [i.e. the Ring] for you, but I can carry it and you”. Like many of the lines mentioned here, it’s more understated in the book.
That’s only because you understated it in your head when you read it.
I can’t believe no one mentioned this specific line yet.
After Aragorn and Gandalf and I forget who else was there decided to take the battle to the Black Gate in order to distract Sauron from noticing Frodo and Sam, Legolas exclaims “A diversion!”. Yes, thank you, Legolas, because we wouldn’t be able to figure it out without you. There, there, go braid your hair or something.
Gasp!
I thought I was the only person in existence who thought the first movie was the best of the trilogy.
I even started a thread here expressing that opinion, and everyone disagreed with me, saying they were roughly even or that they got better from one movie to the next.
I thought I was alone… but… I’m not.
Are there… are there more of you from wherever you come from? May I join your club?
-FrL-
The first movie had Sean Bean. The second and third movies had Gollum. As eye candy goes? That is emphatically not an upgrade.
The first movie was the best. It was the strongest edited of the three. The Two Towers in particular lacked in editing.
Legolas’ lines suffered from Orlando Bloom’s scenery chewing. He is pretty, but he does appear to be the second coming of Keanu Reeves.
Ah, but what it lacked in editing it made up in craptacular added pointless “Aragorn falls off a cliff” scenes. I don’t mind looking at Liv Tyler, but I don’t want to see her “Acting” any more.
For me, in addition to the occasional clunky lines, there’s the problem that seemingly half or more of the dialogue is delivered in a whisper. Here’s a hint for the budding directors among us: We whisper when we want people to NOT hear us. This makes it a fairly poor choice for important lines of dialogue.