Faramir

[Mouseferatu]

*Steps up to the Two Towers podium*

Of all the changes Peter Jackson made from the book, I happen to feel that one of the best was Faramir.

I've no doubt that a lot of people are going to disagree with me on that. I'm not going to try to convince you; but I do want to explain my reasoning, just because I know a lot of people think that Peter Jackson had no reason to change Faramir.

Many folks have complained that he was supposed to be stronger than his brother, that he was the one who wasn't tempted by the Ring. You know what? That was not one of Tolkien's best moments. To have a character--and one who is, at that point, brand new to the story, and to the audience--just basically shrug off the unnatural temptation of the Ring, something Boromir couldn't do and even Aragorn struggled with, would have completely undermined both the power of the Ring and the strength of the other characters. In a book, especially one written over half a century ago when the very definition of what made good drama was different, it worked--mostly. But it would have totally derailed the movie. Having Faramir strongly tempted, but finally at the end make the right choice, was one of the best things Jackson could have done. The character ends up in the same place, but it happens through a process that doesn't completely destroy the drama of what's come before.

Again, not saying everyone must agree with my opinion, but I figured I'd throw this out as an answer to the "there was no reason for it" argument.

You may now return to your regular enjoyment of the movie.

 

[KChagga]

Yep, I disagree. I think that it made Faramir a much weaker character. Faramir is tempted by the ring, but in the books it all happens at their little hideout behind the waterfall. Faramir knowing that his brother Boromir died partly because of corruption from the ring is one of the things that helps him decide to let the ring go.
I think there is a very mundane reason that Peter Jackson changed this. I think he just changed it so that the audience would get to see Osgiliath and know that it was under siege. Rather than just having someone say that such and such a place was under siege. This allows the audience a glimpse at the fact that Sauron's armies are pushing west from Mordor.

 

[Fenros]

I totally agree with you Mouseferatu.

Even though I absolutely love the Lotr Trilogy thus far, I still find small mistakes in it that I wish weren't there. I was fine with the Faramir change. For the same reasons you mentioned. Having him easily shrug off the temptation of the one ring would have (as you said) "undermined both the power of the Ring and the strength of the other characters".

However, I wish Jackson and crew would've taken the same amount of effort and attention through out the rest of the cast of characters. Having the Ringwraiths easily defeated at Weathertop weakens any other appearance of Ringwraiths in the future.

Anytime a Ringwraith shows up, I resist the urge to say, "why worry? Just throw a torch at it." But I have overcome this by simply saying the Weathertop scene is flawed and that Ringwraiths are indeed something to be feared. I can't speak for other movie watchers. Their belief that the Ringwraiths aren't really that bad could be reinforced by the fact that they ride beasts that are just as susceptible to an arrow as any other normal man or animal. Maybe the Ringwraiths should ride Oliphants. They seem to be able to take more than one arrow.

So where Jackson, Boyens, and Walsh did a good job of tweaking Faramir, they didn't do so well with the Ringwraiths. IMHO

But damn, I still think the LotR trilogy is still the best live action fantasy films to date.

 

[JRRNeiklot]

Blasphemy.

 

[Klaus]

After seeing the movie twice and re-reading the Faramir passage of the books, I think PJ hit it right.

The line "A chance for Faramir, captain of Gondor, to show his quality" is straight out of the book. Only in the movie it took him a while longer to change his mind than in the book. Plus, going to Osgiliath was the same general direction Frodo, Sam and Gollum would have to take (due south), so PJ had them all go together. They took a slightly different road to get to the same place, that's all.

The movie-Faramir struggled far more between his common sense and his desire to live up to Bormoir in their father's eyes. Plus, it carried so much weight to the decision ("Then (my life) is forfeit") that it sets up the whole pyre thing Denethor will have set up in RotK.

As for the Nazgul, they were held back at Weathertop by THE highest-level character in LotR (aside from Gandalf and the other immortals). And in TTT the Hell-Hawk was pulled back by an arrow from the future Prince of Ithilien, a captain of Rangers and a south Dunedain, no less. Plus, Sam's intervetion kept the Nazgul from pinpointing the Ring, since they are nearly-blind. After Sam jumped on Frodo, they might as well be rocks for all that matters. So the Nazgul thought "Screw this, let Osgiliath burn. The Ring will find its way to Mordor now that it's so near". And then it went back to regroup with the other Nazguls to lauch a MASSIVE assault on Gondor (by this point they're no longer looking for it, they become generals for the Black Armies).

 

[shilsen]

I wouldn't go as far as Mouseferatu, but I do think the change works for the purposes of the movie. I think Faramir rejecting the Ring in the book is not a problem. Quite a large number of people do reject it, and it seems that it is only really a potent lure if you touch it. Sam even manages to return it to Frodo after having touched and used it. I'm not sure where Mouseferatu got the idea that Aragorn struggles with it, because that's something I do not recall. So Faramir rejecting it is not surprising, IMO, but it does underscore his quality, as does his aiding of the hobbits. But the book's portrayal of Faramir would have been difficult to translate to the screen in the time provided, esp. since the movie audience doesn't have the information about Boromir & Faramir's background that the reader does. Making him visually struggle with it is much easier for both filmmaker and audience, and so PJ does that, and it works fine.

And as for the Nazgul, while they are excellently portrayed by PJ, they are not as terrifying in the movies as in the books. I know a number of people who love the movies buthave never read the books, and none of them thought the Nazgul being driven away with one arrow was surprising. The battle at Weathertop is a problem if you're thinking of the book. Within the movies, it works fine.

 

[Inez Hull]

I much preferred the Faramir presented in the movie. Tolkein's Faramir was just too good to be true. It was nice to see a flawed side to Faramir rather than some mega buttkicker who can do no wrong.

One thing I really found dumb about Faramir though was the point at which he agreed to give control of the ring to Frodo. He has just seen Frodo's will defeated by the ring as he offers it up to a nazgul. Given, the presence of the ringwraith made the lure of the ring much greater, but personally after having seen such a thing, Frodo would be the last person I would want bearing the ring. If he was in agreeance that the ring had to be destroyed, I would have thought that doing the task himself would occur more naturally to him than entrusting it to Frodo.

 

[Celtavian]

Re

I preferred the book version of Faramir, but I can understand and accept the change made for the movie. No big deal.

I am far more disappointed at the way Elrond has been changed.

 

[Bob Aberton]

I am another one of the legions of fans who think that the change to Faramir was a Good Thing(tm).

However, Celtavian, I am curious as to what you mean when you say the changes to Elrond. Movie-Elrond didn't seem altogether that different from book-Elrond to me...

 

[Mouseferatu]

I'm not sure where Mouseferatu got the idea that Aragorn struggles with it, because that's something I do not recall.

Sorry; I guess the way I wrote that wasn't clear.

Aragorn doesn't struggle with the Ring in the novels (that I recall anyway), but he does seem to do so in the movies. (At the end of Fellowship, when he lets Frodo go, I've always interpreted his momentary hesitation as a brief internal struggle.)

So no, it wasn't a factor in the books, but once it was introduced into the movies--as well it should have been, IMHO--it further necessitated the change in Faramir.

And again, it's not Faramir rejected the Ring that would have been a problem, so much as the appearance that he'd done so easily.