Posted: August 31, 1998 at 19:53:42: by Freca
The question of Bombadil appearing in Jackson's film adaptation is interesting because it reflects a decades-long legacy of bastardizations of Tolkien's masterpiece. For some reason, Old Tom has been left out of most adaptations of The Lord of the Rings to other media. There are relatively few pictures of him, compared to other characters. He was left out of the (largely excellent) BBC radio play by Brian Sibley (although Sibley wrote an additional episode for the play years later, restoring Tom's place in the story; unfortunately, this episode was recorded with different actors and never, to my knowledge, was broadcast in the U.S.). He was left out of Bakshi's abomination (probably just as well), and it goes without saying that there was no Bombadil in any of the flashbacks depicted in the Rankin-bass TV cartoon of The Return of the King. Bombadil DID appear in the American radio play produced by The Mind's Eye, but that adapatation is so painful to listen to that it almost doesn't count. In my view Tom is anything BUT expendable. His appearance marks the Hobbits' transition out of their sheltered existence and into the greater Story. They have no idea of their place in history, but when Frodo meets Tom he begins to understand that his Quest is crucial in the largest sense.
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