George R.R. Martin feels “things have gotten worse” with TV and film adaptations

[Swank]

Are you saying that the source material for Stardust and Sandman were WORSE than the adaptations???? OH my!

No. That they weren't 'old' and they were quality adaptations.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

The point being - There often are narrative reasons to change elements of books for films.

Sure. And sometimes there aren't, but they change them anyway.

 

[Boaz]

Sure. And sometimes there aren't, but they change them anyway.

Elves at the Hornburg. Denethor's 200m flaming dash to the long jump. The character assassinations of Faramir and Elrond.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Elves at the Hornburg. Denethor's 200m flaming dash to the long jump. The character assassinations of Faramir and Elrond.

I think the movie Faramir was a visualisation of the internal temptation he must have had. Like Boromir before him, he is tempted to take it by force, but unlike his brother he resists and chooses not to.

In the book, he perhaps lets Sam and Frodo go too easily; movie version of Faramir is less inherently good and wise, but shows him to be more 'human'.

It also allows Jackson to make the climax to his second movie more tense for his audience, something that wasn't needed in the book. But a movie adaptation sometimes has to alter characters or situations from novels to make this happen.

My main issue was the re-writing of much of Saruman's story, but this again was done for movie-making reasons.


This is not to say that I agree with what Jackson did, but in order to see the bringing to life of locations and scenes in Middle-earth - which Jackson did marvellously well - we have to be prepared to accept these sacrifices.

 

[Boaz]

Agreed with the visuals. Jackson's imagination was phenomenal. Yet, I disagree with his handling of Faramir. Anywaaaaaaay, Jackson taught me to not be so emotionally invested that I cannot enjoy the product on the screen. I should have learned that lesson from Michael Mann's visually fantastic The Last of the Mohicans even though he twisted the personalities and relationships of James Fennimore Cooper's classic.

 

[Judderman]

The Last of Mohicans is a great example of a film soundtrack adding a lot versus what you see in the book. It helps to hook you in, and perhaps forgive some other changes.

 

[Boaz]

The chase music is what I never knew that I needed to watch a jogging chase through the eastern forests.

 

[Judderman]

There is not enough jogging chase movies. Rob Roy starts with a group of jogging Scots.