I miss "smite" in Eowyn's speech terribly, and I can't imagine why they changed that either.
It wasn't a shoutout to the Very Secret Diaries?
Use the poet's language, dude. We'll never see his like again. You can trust it. Grr.
Gwen: Demon, OK? The whole nine—cloven feet and horns and teeth. He wasn't wearing lamé though. Lorne: Yeah, the evil ones can't pull it off. It gets camp.
'Harm's Way'
LotR - The Return of the King: "We named the *dog* 'Strider'".
Frodo: Please, what does it always mean, this... this "Aragorn"? Elrond: That's his name. Aragorn, son of Arathorn. Aragorn: I like "Strider." Elrond: We named the *dog* "Strider".
A discussion of Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King. If you're a pervy hobbit fancier, this is the place for you.
JohnSweden - Apr 21, 2004 1:59:41 pm PDT #2539 of 3902
I can't even.
Mala - Apr 21, 2004 2:02:24 pm PDT #2540 of 3902
Individually, I enjoy Merry's story so much more in the book than I do the movie.Totally with you on this. Merry's relationship with Theoden is something I hope gets more airtime in the EE, because it was always one of my favorite things. His grief when Theoden dies gets me every time. *sniff* I love Rohan and all her people.
In addition to the smiting, I wish they had left Eowyn saying "No living man am I. You look upon a woman." I understand that might not play as well on screen, but it's more Tolkien-y.
Jars - Apr 21, 2004 2:09:50 pm PDT #2541 of 3902
The only thing that bothered me about the Merry/Pippin characterization was how they joined the quest. They came off as slightly stupid, whereas in the book they seem more naive than anything. They choose to go with Frodo. They might not know exactly what they're letting themselves in for, but they don't just get swept along for the ride.
Scrappy - Apr 21, 2004 2:20:10 pm PDT #2542 of 3902
Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
Smite sounds much less fierce and powerful than kill. When Gandalfe used it he was telling a story, a natural place for poetic language--when Eowyn used it she was making a threat--a natural place for more direct languge.
§ ita § - Apr 21, 2004 2:21:20 pm PDT #2543 of 3902
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
I'm emotionally very attached to a lot of Tolkien's language, but I didn't miss that much of it on a poetic level. He has some clunky moments.
MechaKrelboyne - Apr 21, 2004 4:58:17 pm PDT #2544 of 3902
... and that's a Pantera's box you don't want to open. - Mister Furious
See, in any given instance, I'll take smite over kill. Killing is done to death. Smiting also has that biblical implication of righteousness to it.
Connie Neil - Apr 21, 2004 6:29:47 pm PDT #2545 of 3902
brillig
I miss "Begone if you be not deathless!"
Kate P. - Apr 21, 2004 6:32:37 pm PDT #2546 of 3902
That's the pain / That cuts a straight line down through the heart / We call it love
"...for living or dark undead..."
Scrappy - Apr 21, 2004 6:40:02 pm PDT #2547 of 3902
Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
But smiting is not a word people use in conversation. It's a word we are more comfortable reading rather than hearing. It takes a second to process and slows down the impact. In film you don't want people puzzling over information, because they are being given new information all the time and can't go back to clarify or take time to savor things as they can with a novel. The films keeps rushuing forward and the audience needs to stay with it.
amych - Apr 21, 2004 6:40:41 pm PDT #2548 of 3902
Now let us crush something soft and watch it fountain blood. That is a girlish thing to want to do, yes?
But smiting is not a word people use in conversation.
Speak for yourself.
(edit: I actually agree with your points about writing for film. I just, you know, do.)