| Re: Question on Gandalf
Reckons I, Gandalf's magic comes not from what he can do, but who he is - what manner of being he is. Its not really about outward expression, but about essence. That's not really explored in the movies, so to get a fuller sense of Gandalf's power - most of which he never uses - you do need to read the books. The difference between elves and men isn't gone into much either. Tolkien's elves seem to have a "spiritual" dimension that men lack, I don't mean in the sense of holiness, I mean in the sense of their life force being rooted not only in their physical being. As with Gandalf, its a difference of essence, very difficult to get across in a movie.
I too have many quibbles with Peter Jackson's adaptation (don't get me started on Frodo, Faramir or Treebeard) but I think that on the whole he did a pretty good job and sometimes he did an excellent job. I liked his changes with Boromir, giving the viewer the benefit of what in the book are later reflections. I thought making him a more sympathetic character "in the now" rather than in hindsight was a good move. |