: : Remaining true to the book, if we discount the appendices, would pretty much leave Arwen out of the story altogether. And yet it is his love for Arwen and his desire to marry her that is the main motivation for Aragorn to strive for the thrones of both Arnor and Gondor. Without these achievements he cannot marry her. But how much of that is made known while we're reading the book? How many times is Awen actually "seen" on the body of the book? I think that if any character could be removed entirely, it would be Arwen. If we change Aragorn's motivation, she is less important to the story than Tom Bombadil. The question then becomes, if we keep Arwen, how do make her presence meaningful? That means incorporating the tale from the appendix for one thing. It means showing Arwen more than once or twice through out the three films, and since Tolkien didn't give any guidance about it, it means adding dialogue for her to speak that wasn't in the book. When I first read the LOTR, I didn't bother with the appendix. At that time I didn't realize how much important material was there. So if a film version had been made then and had included the Tale of Aragorn and Arwen, I'd have accused the filmmakers of adding elements that were clearly not in the book. I would have bee wrong of course. So the question is, what do we mean by purism when it comes to the book? The book never shows Arwen making the banner, so should the film avoid that also? Or does pure mean that if Tolkien mentioned it, it okay to film it?

: I guess a way could be found to make clear the importance of Arwen's and Aragorn's love without painting it red and spelling it out in big letters. Wasn't there talk about refering to other (equally) important background information by backflashes in the film (like some explanation about the Ring's origins and the story of Sauron's defeat by the Last Alliance)? I believe that Arwen's part could be handled in the same way, for example, if the background info about the Ring is given by Gandalf's telling it to Frodo, why can't 'The Tale of Arwen and Aragorn' be conveyed in (shortened) form by somebody in Rivendell, where Strider's true history and personality is revealed? Any opinions on that?
: Kadri

Perhaps Jackson plans to "show" the flashback to Aragorn and Arwens first meeting and subsequent romance. From the look of the composite artwork of them embracing on the bridge it would appear they are doing just that. But that's a mere hunch, not even up to rumor status, so don't quote me. :)