The Hobbit Film... trilogy.

[Ziegander]

Yeah, the events surrounding Faramir and Frodo's initial interactions were changed between the books and the movies, as were the events in the aftermath of Boromir's death.

Correct me if I'm remembering incorrectly, but in the books, didn't Faramir learn the events (or at least guess the events) of his brother's death before ever swearing not to take the ring?

In the movie, after learning the events of his brother's death, he refuses to take the ring, it's just that the sequence of things was different and some bits were changed/added. He was still shown to be noble and wise, and still shown as fully capable of resisting the ring.

[dehro]

Yeah, the events surrounding Faramir and Frodo's initial interactions were changed between the books and the movies, as were the events in the aftermath of Boromir's death.

Correct me if I'm remembering incorrectly, but in the books, didn't Faramir learn the events (or at least guess the events) of his brother's death before ever swearing not to take the ring?

In the movie, after learning the events of his brother's death, he refuses to take the ring, it's just that the sequence of things was different and some bits were changed/added. He was still shown to be noble and wise, and still shown as fully capable of resisting the ring.

heu.. no he didn't resist the ring, in the movie. his first reaction was "we must take it to Gondor".
pretty much his brother's reaction.
In the book, Faramir hears the horn of Gondor in his dreams, and dreams of the death of Boromir..as does his father (who might have also learned of it through the Palantir). this happens before he grabs the hobbits.
the same happens in the movies.. and I'm not 100% sure that this happened before or after the capture of the hobbits. I seem to remember that at least in the extended version, dreams are mentioned. however, the crucial point is that no, he doesn't resist the ring as his first instinct is to bring it to Gondor. only later does he free the hobbits... and it's played in such a way that it doesn't necessarily look like done out of greatness..but can also be done as a strategic decision (though not a right one, by logic).. out of fear for the Nazgul, out of feeling a bit in over his head.. or maybe, out of finally understanding/glimpse of greatness.
However, this is nowhere near the greatness of character he shows in the book by refusing the ring straight away and completely.

it wasn't just a few lines placed differently.. it was a change that strongly nerfed the quality of the character.

[Reverent-One]

Well, to split hairs, it could be that Faramir is just as wise and noble, but that the ring in the movie is even more powerful. That was a concern of the crew, that if it was weak enough that Faramir could fully resist it, it loses it's menace. He still is one of, if not the least affected by it, with it in arms reach and having plenty of reasons the Ring could exploit for him to take it, and yet he never does, and he sends it off the moment he sees any real evidence of the danger the ring poses.

Counterpoint: He's definitely less noble, regardless of how powerful the ring is in the movie compared to the book, because of Gollum's beating at the hands of his men.

[Cikomyr]

If Faramir had truly fell to the power of the Ring, he would have simply overpowered Frodo and taken the ring right there and then, rather than have his ass hauled to Gondor.

The thing is, I don't like the idea of Faramir dismissing the ring out of hand. It reduces the power of the Ring's corruption, the capacity to ruin the man of Mages, Elves and Men alike. Gandalf clearly had trouble restraining himself when offered. Galadriel considered it her greatest challenge ever.

And Faramir just casually say he'd never even pick it up? Please. Faramir succumbing temporarily to temptation, AND COMING BACK FROM IT, was a show of hope. Showing that the heart of men could overcome ever a failure, that you could come back from the darkness.

True dedication is not never being tempted. It's to feel the bitter teeth of temptation in your soul and still resist. Book Faramir never was tempted, and thus was a much more cardboard cut-out character than Movie Faramir. "Incarnation of the Strenght of Men, perfect lil' buddy who casually walked away from what gave pause to Wizards and Elven Lords".

[WalkingTarget]

If Faramir had truly fell to the power of the Ring, he would have simply overpowered Frodo and taken the ring right there and then, rather than have his ass hauled to Gondor.

The thing is, I don't like the idea of Faramir dismissing the ring out of hand. It reduces the power of the Ring's corruption, the capacity to ruin the man of Mages, Elves and Men alike. Gandalf clearly had trouble restraining himself when offered. Galadriel considered it her greatest challenge ever.

And Faramir just casually say he'd never even pick it up? Please. Faramir succumbing temporarily to temptation, AND COMING BACK FROM IT, was a show of hope. Showing that the heart of men could overcome ever a failure, that you could come back from the darkness.

True dedication is not never being tempted. It's to feel the bitter teeth of temptation in your soul and still resist. Book Faramir never was tempted, and thus was a much more cardboard cut-out character than Movie Faramir. "Incarnation of the Strenght of Men, perfect lil' buddy who casually walked away from what gave pause to Wizards and Elven Lords".

It's also worth noting that book-Faramir never saw the Ring. He knew that Frodo carried something of grave import - Isildur's Bane. He did not know what that meant, but he made his rejection of it on that knowledge alone.

Later, he learned what it meant and stuck by his principles and didn't go back on his word. My interpretation is that he had an easier time of it by virtue of the fact that he never saw it.

[Traab]

If Faramir had truly fell to the power of the Ring, he would have simply overpowered Frodo and taken the ring right there and then, rather than have his ass hauled to Gondor.

The thing is, I don't like the idea of Faramir dismissing the ring out of hand. It reduces the power of the Ring's corruption, the capacity to ruin the man of Mages, Elves and Men alike. Gandalf clearly had trouble restraining himself when offered. Galadriel considered it her greatest challenge ever.

And Faramir just casually say he'd never even pick it up? Please. Faramir succumbing temporarily to temptation, AND COMING BACK FROM IT, was a show of hope. Showing that the heart of men could overcome ever a failure, that you could come back from the darkness.

True dedication is not never being tempted. It's to feel the bitter teeth of temptation in your soul and still resist. Book Faramir never was tempted, and thus was a much more cardboard cut-out character than Movie Faramir. "Incarnation of the Strenght of Men, perfect lil' buddy who casually walked away from what gave pause to Wizards and Elven Lords".

The ring isnt some instant mind breaking device, it whispers, and corrupts. It makes offers, until it finds what a person wants most then claims it can give it to him. Gandalf didnt dare take the ring because he knew eventually he would fall to its influence, key word being eventually. Galadriel was similar. She wasnt more than somewhat tempted, and was able to refuse right off the bat. Faramir in the book wasnt with frodo for very long, hence he wasnt able to be influenced by the ring for very long.

Honestly it makes me respect boromir even more. He ALWAYS wanted the ring. Day 1 he wanted it, to bring it to gondor. And for all those days and weeks he sat next to frodo, and was whispered to, and was tempted, and he held for an incredible length of time. That time near caradras when frodo fell and dropped the ring and boromir picked it up? He was pretty much holding the damn thing, and yet he had the inner strength to give it back. Yes in the end he fell to its call, but come on, he held it off for an insane length of time, especially considering that he had wanted the ring from the very start and his honor kept him from trying anything.

Faramir? Feh, he was with frodo for what, a day or two? He didnt even know frodo HAD the damn thing till the very end. Yeah he rejected it, something that before then had only been done by galadriel and gandalf, and yes that was fairly impressive, but other than boromir, and for a moment aragorn at the end, none of the fellowship ever so much as flinched or stared at the thing for all the time they were with frodo. Its ability to corrupt was never all that horribly powerful except for whoever was possessing it at the time. Bilbo, Frodo, Gollum, Isildur, these were the people who had to deal with its real capacity for corruption. Poor Boromir got a bum rap.

[Ziegander]

Yeah, so, in the movie, before he met Frodo he:

a) Kinda figured his brother was dead, but had no idea what the circumstances were.

and b) Had NO IDEA that Frodo had the ring.

When he discovered that Frodo had the ring, and after he learned how and why his brother died, he then released Frodo and resisted the influence of the ring (which Humans were supposed to be weak against).

So, yes, lots of the events surrounding Faramir and his meeting with Frodo were changed between the book and the movie. Faramir's character however was not really one of them.

[MLai]

Karoht: I'm actually rather reassured that they've spent the money to make a really awesome trilogy of films as opposed to cutting corners. It's more investment in OUR enjoyment, so I largely don't care too much what they spend on it.

20% of that $500M is for legal fees. Not for your enjoyment.
Bloodsucking lawyers. I'm in the wrong profession.

Movie Faramir was wise and was noble, because he eventually let Frodo go.
Book Faramir was more wise and noble because he refused the ring altogether, like Gandalf and Galadriel.
Regardless of which version is preferable, from a standpoint of ammount-of-nobleness, it's not a difficult one.

No.
Book Faramir is more noble only if a cardboard is more noble. Nobility is a human quality, admirable because humans are inherently flawed.
Elven royalty is allowed to be perfect angels, because they're elves in Tolkien-verse. Movie Faramir shows true human nobility by being tempted, and then wresting himself from temptation.
Tolkien was writing mythology with mythic characters; he wasn't aiming to write Game Of Thrones. So Aragorn is King Jesus with Laying Hands, and Faramir is "I made a verbal promise based on lack of information, so I'm honor-bound to ignore THE ONE RING (umm, shyeah right only in a fairy tale buddy)." I'm glad the movie portrayed them as down-to-earth, while still keeping the elves as demigods.

[WalkingTarget]

The ring isnt some instant mind breaking device, it whispers, and corrupts. It makes offers, until it finds what a person wants most then claims it can give it to him. Gandalf didnt dare take the ring because he knew eventually he would fall to its influence, key word being eventually. Galadriel was similar. She wasnt more than somewhat tempted, and was able to refuse right off the bat. Faramir in the book wasnt with frodo for very long, hence he wasnt able to be influenced by the ring for very long.

Agreed. For the most part.

Honestly it makes me respect boromir even more. He ALWAYS wanted the ring. Day 1 he wanted it, to bring it to gondor. And for all those days and weeks he sat next to frodo, and was whispered to, and was tempted, and he held for an incredible length of time. That time near caradras when frodo fell and dropped the ring and boromir picked it up? He was pretty much holding the damn thing, and yet he had the inner strength to give it back. Yes in the end he fell to its call, but come on, he held it off for an insane length of time, especially considering that he had wanted the ring from the very start and his honor kept him from trying anything.

Minor nitpick for book-version. Boromir never held the Ring (or even close to it). He saw it briefly during the Council when Frodo was asked to show it. The scene on Caradhras where Frodo fell and the Ring came loose didn't happen in the book. From what I remember, there wasn't really an indication that Boromir was acting funny about it until Lothlorien or shortly after (wanting the Fellowship to head to Minas Tirith, sure, but not obsessive about it).

Faramir? Feh, he was with frodo for what, a day or two? He didnt even know frodo HAD the damn thing till the very end. Yeah he rejected it, something that before then had only been done by galadriel and gandalf, and yes that was fairly impressive, but other than boromir, and for a moment aragorn at the end, none of the fellowship ever so much as flinched or stared at the thing for all the time they were with frodo. Its ability to corrupt was never all that horribly powerful except for whoever was possessing it at the time. Bilbo, Frodo, Gollum, Isildur, these were the people who had to deal with its real capacity for corruption. Poor Boromir got a bum rap.

It might also be noted that Gandalf and Galadriel knew full well what the Ring was and what it represented, being Ring-bearers themselves. Faramir may have had some inkling as to what it meant after Sam spilled the beans, but just knowing of its existence isn't enough to trigger its draw (I don't think at least - I feel that not seeing it is significant, personally).

Think of it this way, though: Boromir was around it less time than Aragorn or the other Hobbits and the same time as Legolas and Gimli and he's the first one to crack. Tell Deagol that it needs a long time or possession to corrupt people. I see people talking about how men are "weak" to its power and Hobbits are "more resistant" but the one case we have of somebody getting all murdery after a glance at the damn thing was a Hobbit.

No.
Book Faramir is more noble only if a cardboard is more noble. Nobility is a human quality, admirable because humans are inherently flawed.
Elven royalty is allowed to be perfect angels, because they're elves in Tolkien-verse.

If you think that Tolkien's Elves are "perfect angels" then you've never read the Silmarillion. They're just as capable of being petty, arrogant, foolish, or any other descriptor as everybody else. Their longevity and skill just lets them screw up on a bigger scale. When Galadriel says that she passed the test, that is what allows her to go into the West. She was one of the Noldori exiles (although Tolkien went through a lot of trouble figuring out how she wasn't involved with the Kinslaying over in Valinor).

Movie Faramir shows true human nobility by being tempted, and then wresting himself from temptation.
Tolkien was writing mythology with mythic characters; he wasn't aiming to write Game Of Thrones. So Aragorn is King Jesus with Laying Hands, and Faramir is "I made a verbal promise based on lack of information, so I'm honor-bound to ignore THE ONE RING (umm, shyeah right only in a fairy tale buddy)." I'm glad the movie portrayed them as down-to-earth, while still keeping the elves as demigods.

Am I the only one who sees Aragorn's healing skill as just knowing something that nobody else in town knew? That is, that athelas is good for countering afflictions caused by the wraiths? I mean, that was shown back in book 1 when he treated Frodo's wound from Weathertop. Also, in the book version, the gift he received at Lothlorien wasn't a knife, but a scabbard for Anduril and the Elessar, noted for the abilities of healing it gives to the possessor. Aragorn doesn't have nifty "healing because I'm king" powers. He has rare knowledge and a specific artifact.

As for "nobility" that's an issue I have with the films - one of the themes in the book is the strength of Men. This is our time to stand up on our own, no Valar doing the heavy lifting for us and even the Elves have mostly left. It's up to us. Certain individuals are shown to be strong (in body, convictions, or both), in particular Aragorn, Theoden (once he's reminded that he can be strong - there wasn't a weird age spell or anything on him, he was just really old and Grima had convinced him that he was weak), and Faramir (not to mention the heroic Hobbits).

Even for the Men who fail, the method of their failing is on display: Boromir by the slow influence of the Ring (which was resisted by others, as I mentioned above), Denethor was deceived by Sauron via the Palantir - shown only reasons to despair and never anything to give hope, and Grima as somebody beaten down mentally and physically by a being with a stronger will.

The films just discard this. Men are weak - that's the new theme. We need Elves to help at Helm's Deep, Faramir loses the opportunity to keep his word due to the changes they made to that scene, Denethor is simply a madman, Aragorn is shaken by his conflict with Sauron via the Palantir rather than taking control. The only one I think was done really, really well was Boromir. I know why the filmmakers did it and it's easier to sell what's going on to the wider audience, but it's still a departure.

[dehro]

Am I the only one who sees Aragorn's healing skill as just knowing something that nobody else in town knew? That is, that athelas is good for countering afflictions caused by the wraiths? I mean, that was shown back in book 1 when he treated Frodo's wound from Weathertop. Also, in the book version, the gift he received at Lothlorien wasn't a knife, but a scabbard for Anduril and the Elessar, noted for the abilities of healing it gives to the possessor. Aragorn doesn't have nifty "healing because I'm king" powers. He has rare knowledge and a specific artifact.

mmmhno.. it's made clear a number of times that the hands of the king are the hands of a healer.. it's the old adage that Ioreth spreads after having witnessed it..which incidentally convinces the general populace as much as the big winged crown and the frowning wizard do. it was ancient lore and was discarded over the centuries because there were no kings around to demonstrate the fact that Athelas/kingsfoil can indeed help. without the king, it's just a weed, which is why the top guy from the houses of healing dismisses it entirely. they tried using it, it didn't work..for them. Now however, the king is back. Had it been purely a matter of knowing the right herb, once Aragorn did it, the other healers would have picked up on it. But no, he had to return a few more times, if I remember correctly. He even had to disguise himself and come into the city anonimously instead of just sending word that that was the herb they needed to use.... and no other healer tried using the herb even after having learned of it's power.
On top of that, he used Athelas also before being given the elfstone in Lorien..so he wasn't depending on it for the trick to work.

The films just discard this. Men are weak - that's the new theme. We need Elves to help at Helm's Deep, Faramir loses the opportunity to keep his word due to the changes they made to that scene, Denethor is simply a madman, Aragorn is shaken by his conflict with Sauron via the Palantir rather than taking control. The only one I think was done really, really well was Boromir. I know why the filmmakers did it and it's easier to sell what's going on to the wider audience, but it's still a departure.

yes, this bugged me as well..
The elves at Helms deep, however awesome were a bit pointless. The only reason it works is that it's a better asspull to have Gandalf go fetch Eomer (which however requires some reinforcements in the form of elves to be at Hornburg), than it is to suddenly have Gandalf turn up with Erkenbrand and his men..who would make any viewer go if he hadn't read the book.
minor nitpick: do seem to remember that Aragorn had quite a hard time imposing his will on the Palantir..and that it drained him considerably.

[grimbold]

20% of that $500M is for legal fees. Not for your enjoyment.
Bloodsucking lawyers. I'm in the wrong profession.

is this all related to the peter jackson fiasco that originally delayed these films?

[Traab]

Think of it this way, though: Boromir was around it less time than Aragorn or the other Hobbits and the same time as Legolas and Gimli and he's the first one to crack. Tell Deagol that it needs a long time or possession to corrupt people. I see people talking about how men are "weak" to its power and Hobbits are "more resistant" but the one case we have of somebody getting all murdery after a glance at the damn thing was a Hobbit.

Yes, I agree that boromir wasnt around it as long as aragorn, but keep in mind that aragorn didnt want the ring from day 1. Boromir did. Boromir wanted the ring to get used, to get sent to gondor, its the equivalent of putting a big old sack of crack cocaine in front of two people. One is a recovering addict, one has never touched the stuff. Which one do YOU think would resist the urge to take it longest? The fact that boromir held out as long as he did, when combined with the fact that the entire time he wanted the ring, shows me that he had an insanely impressive resistance to its corruption and a powerful sense of honor, because he agreed to follow the councils plan, even though he was against it. I HIGHLY doubt Faramir, book OR movie version, would have done that much better than he did given the same time length of being around frodo.

I will concede to the fact that in general man is easier to corrupt than the dwarves and elves. Speaking of which, I know the human kings rings turned them into nazgul, and that the elven rings are still in use and havent corrupted them, but what happened withe the dwarven rings? What did the dwarven kings do with them, and how did it effect them?

[Zea mays]

I don't remember it being covered in great detail.

When Gloin asks Elrond's council about them, Gandalf does mention that Thrain (Thorin's father) inherited one of the dwarven rings and that it was taken from him when he was imprisoned by the necromancer.

Not to derail the fascinating discussion about Faramir, but Gandalf's meeting with Thrain in the Necromancer's dungeon is one scene I do very much hope the new movies expand on.

[dehro]

Sauron recovered most of them and gave them to new minions or depleted their power, if I remember well.
in general however, they've faded into obscurity

[Xondoure]

If I recall correctly, the rings were directly responsible for attracting both Smaug and the Balrog by driving the greed of the bearers.

[Traab]

If I recall correctly, the rings were directly responsible for attracting both Smaug and the Balrog by driving the greed of the bearers.

That really does make sense. Sarumon even says it. "Too deep and too greedily the dwarves delved. Little did they know what darkness" etc etc etc. And im pretty sure I could have bought the entire north american continent with the value of all that treasure smaug was stomping around on in the cartoon movie. Even ignoring the stuff like mithril, just the fact that the treasure room was so big and so filled that bilbo got lost trying to explore the mounds of gold should be a sign. When you include stuff like, "A mithril shirt that was valuable enough to buy the shire" as just one among many mithril suits, well.....

[snoopy13a]

If I recall correctly, the rings were directly responsible for attracting both Smaug and the Balrog by driving the greed of the bearers.

Semantically, the ring was indirectly responsible (it was the same ring in both cases--the one held by the descendants of Durin). Dwarven treasure, which the ring helped increase, attracted Smaug; dwarven greed, which the ring increased, influenced the dwarves to delve too deep in Moria.

Unlike men, dwarves are too stubborn to fall under Sauron's influence but heightened greed (and greed is alreadly a dwarven vice) is the side-effect of the seven dwarven rings.

[Aotrs Commander]

Well, I can't say I wasn't surprised at the news it would be three films, but that was more because two films seemed to be more of a natural break-point (I assumed start-to-escaping-goblins//build-up-to-Battle of the Five Armies)... But on reflection, if Peter Jackson is in charge... I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

The new LotR trilogy are among my top favourite films, LotR itself still stands as my favourite book, and I think that PJ's LotR is as good - but in markedly different ways - as the lesser known but still stellar BBC radio adaption. (Which covered, incidnetly, LotR in thirteen hours, more than the films - and even that skipped old Tom¹; same as every other adaption that I am aware of.) I didn't necessarily agree with all of the changes PJ made (though I think adding some humour in was to a grand benefit) but I sort of understood why he made them. And frankly, the effort he put in to make it LOOK like the LotR I'd always seen (not least because of taking on the iconic artists as part of his crew) more than covers that.

So I'll be optimistic, I think, especially if Gandalf's adventures are being expanded upon.



¹I never mind old Tom being missed; it's not important to the story, and I think that fact that he was immune to the Ring's allure is a fairly unimportant - or at least rather irrelevant - point in the grand scheme of things. So he was immune. So what? It doesn't mean anything, because there is no way for that to have any relevance.

[Xondoure]

Regarding Tom - I always felt if anyone knew where the Entwives were, it would be mr. Bombadil. And for that reason alone I'm still sad he wasn't in the films.

[Tiki Snakes]

I've read elsewhere a pretty plausible theory suggesting that Bombadil was a self insert, for Tolkein and his Wife.
All things told, quite possible.

I was mostly sorry he wasn't in it because I'd have loved to see how PJ would even begin to attempt to handle him and the post-barrow-wights "Naked Hobbit Frolick" sequence.

[dehro]

I've read elsewhere a pretty plausible theory suggesting that Bombadil was a self insert, for Tolkein and his Wife.
All things told, quite possible.

I was mostly sorry he wasn't in it because I'd have loved to see how PJ would even begin to attempt to handle him and the post-barrow-wights "Naked Hobbit Frolick" sequence.

Tom Bombadil being an incarnation of the author is the theory I like best (even though the inscriptions on their graves makes me think he tends more towards seing himself and his wife as beren-luthien.. he's a romantic soul, after all).. I also like to think that if PJ had had the time and way to leave them in, he should have interpreted Bombadil himself ... although I don't think he's a good enough actor.. but it's still a nice idea.

[Zevox]

I've read elsewhere a pretty plausible theory suggesting that Bombadil was a self insert, for Tolkein and his Wife.
All things told, quite possible.

Nah, Beren and Luthien are already Tolkien's self-admitted equivalents for himself and his wife in his stories. To the point where those names are on their tombstone alongside their own.

Zevox

[WalkingTarget]

Wow, internet down all day. Quick note before bed:

The Rings given to Men and the Rings given to Dwarves? All the same kind of Ring and all originally made by and for Elves (with Sauron as executive producer). We don't see what the effect of the Rings on Elves would be since they took them all off as soon as the One was forged. After Sauron recovered and further corrupted the 16 he handed out to other races who didn't know better we see that Men turn to wraiths and are slaves to Sauron's will - it's to be assumed that it's similar to what he had originally planned for Elves too. Dwarves are running a different operating system and aren't effected the same way (being creations of Aule rather than Eru directly). The Three were special cases - Sauron never got his mitts on them, they just have the same back-door exploit that all Rings have since that's the way Sauron designed the technology.

[dehro]

it's to be assumed that it's similar to what he had originally planned for Elves too.

I strongly doubt he planned anything specific for the Elvish rings, given that he had no hand in their crafting at all...and that these 3 rings being hidden during the time he had the one ring on his finger was mostly a precaution (a wise one, but still).

[WalkingTarget]

I strongly doubt he planned anything specific for the Elvish rings, given that he had no hand in their crafting at all...and that these 3 rings being hidden during the time he had the one ring on his finger was mostly a precaution (a wise one, but still).

I meant all the others. He taught the Elves how to make Rings so he could enslave them. The Three were a special case, yeah, but the rest had his stamp on them. It's not like he planned that they would catch on immediately and he'd have to go to war as plan B.

[grimbold]

Nah, Beren and Luthien are already Tolkien's self-admitted equivalents for himself and his wife in his stories. To the point where those names are on their tombstone alongside their own.

Zevox

i did not know that
but that is indeed awesome

[Jivundus]

The new LotR trilogy are among my top favourite films, LotR itself still stands as my favourite book, and I think that PJ's LotR is as good - but in markedly different ways - as the lesser known but still stellar BBC radio adaption. (Which covered, incidnetly, LotR in thirteen hours, more than the films - and even that skipped old Tom¹; same as every other adaption that I am aware of.)

Seconded, the BBC adaptation is amazing. Before the movies came out I was too young to really properly read through LotR, so I listened to it instead and the story became that much more involving because of it.

[WalkingTarget]

Seconded, the BBC adaptation is amazing. Before the movies came out I was too young to really properly read through LotR, so I listened to it instead and the story became that much more involving because of it.

A fun note for anybody not familiar with it: Frodo was voiced by Ian Holm (i.e. Bilbo in the films).

Huh, and now that I look at the cast listing I see that Sam was Bill Nighy - I didn't know who that was the last time I listened to it.

[Traab]

Seconded, the BBC adaptation is amazing. Before the movies came out I was too young to really properly read through LotR, so I listened to it instead and the story became that much more involving because of it.

Hell yes. No other audio version of the hobbit/lotr will ever be better than the bbc version. It had great actors, sound effects, music, they really went all out, and it makes me wish more audiobooks went that route. It kinda spoiled me for anything less.

*EDIT* Aotrs, the bbc version did have Tom Bombadil in it. I distinctly remember the voice used for him and his wife, with himw arning the hobbits about old man willow, the barrow wights, etc etc etc.

[Aotrs Commander]

Hell yes. No other audio version of the hobbit/lotr will ever be better than the bbc version. It had great actors, sound effects, music, they really went all out, and it makes me wish more audiobooks went that route. It kinda spoiled me for anything less.

*EDIT* Aotrs, the bbc version did have Tom Bombadil in it. I distinctly remember the voice used for him and his wife, with himw arning the hobbits about old man willow, the barrow wights, etc etc etc.

No, that's not the BBC radio version, which skipped from the Hobbits leaving the shire right to the Prancing Pony. (I know, I have the CDs, and have listened to it many times!)

Apparently, wiki says you are thinking of an earlier, even less well known radio drama often confused with the BBC version (but one apparently made in the US). (I have never heard of this particular version, personally.) It was apparently overshadowed by the BBC version which was released only a couple of years later. It is also the first adaption I've ever heard of that does apparently include old Tom.



I strongly recommend you seek out the BBC version and give it a listen (and you can tell us which one you think it better!)

Edit: Here's a snippet, one of my favourite bits - the songs, which really added some flesh to the bone of Tolkien's poetry - the march of the Ents.