Posted: June 14, 1999 at 14:15:38: by Michael Martinez
: Film adaptations ARE free to do whatever they want. They can
: have Aragorn and Arwen sing ring around the rosies if that's
: what they feel is necessary. The point, however, is to make
: the best possible movie--not to distract.: Jackson isn't filming a Spanish language version of the movie.
: If he was, I wouldn't watch it, so I wouldn't particularly
: care. What I don't understand is the feeling that the book was
: written for a larger audience, and therefore it should be
: filmed in some kind of universal language--the film equivalent
: of film esperanto. Why is that? Why can't Americans simply
: appreciate the Britishness of the tale and deal with it? That
: doesn't take away from the beauty of the book, or of the
: language. What I'm saying is that since the book was written for a larger audience to enjoy, then let all audiences have the opportunity to enjoy its adaptations as well. If Jackson feels that using non-British accents will help the film appeal to a broader audience, then that indeed is being faithful to the book's spirit. To be faithful to the book's dialogue would literally mean no accent, as Tolkien chose not to represent accent. This is not and never has been about Americans and the Britishness of the book. It's about the film-makers' freedom of expression. The movie is not the book, it's an adaptation. You may not enjoy it for any number of reasons. I may not enjoy it. Or we may both enjoy it despite whatever our personal preferences lead us to regard as flaws in the work.
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