Can The Silmarillion be translated to film? by singate

OTHER SCIENCE FICTION SERIES

Can The Silmarillion be translated to film?

POSTED BY: SINGATE
UPDATED: Thursday, January 3, 2008 14:19
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Tuesday, January 1, 2008 9:34 AM

I've been reading through this book again and got to thinking whether or not this could work as a movie. Given the success of LOTR and hope for the forthcoming Hobbit film there would already be an established fanbase. Unfortunately the stories take place in the distant past of Middle Earth there are a lot of characters and locations in The Silmarillion which fans of the LOTR movies will not be familiar with.

Many of the stories are little more than fragments that Tolkien never fleshed out completely. This could be good or bad for a movie adaptation. The positive would be that shorter stories should be more easily adapted to the big screen, no cutting of important details due to time constraints. On the negative side screewriters might take liberties with the story by filling in perceived plot holes which could push it in a direction the author never intended.

One thing I wonder about it which parts of the book should be brought to life in film. A lot of the early chapters deal with the genesis of Middle Earth and could be dealt with in a voiceover. But where to go after that? Whether it be one movie or a series there is no way to satisfy every fan. This last point is of great concern because even though LOTR were very good films they do deviate from the book in many places.

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Tuesday, January 1, 2008 10:48 AM

FREMDFIRMA

As a film, I doubt it.

Now, you could concievably run the smaller bits and unfinished tales, with some polish and editing, as a series... BUT...

Having seen how hollywood can take a no-brainer kickass concept and story (Hercules, for example) and produce such abysmal tripe the mere thought makes me queasy.

They'd dumb it down, cut out anything actually thoughtful or interesting, pad in a bunch of needless sex scenes and juvenille humor even beavis and butthead would sneer at - just like they've done with damn near everything else in the past coupla years.

I'd really, really prefer not to see it defiled that way, bad enough they gave Faramir such a shafting by changing the entire nature of the character (I can forgive this a little, since they did a better job than Tolkien of fleshing out Boromir as a person instead of a cardboard cutout bonehead), and they did a piss-poor job at the end with RoTK, going to more of an "Action Flick Formula" than the character-driver story that made the first two do so well.

And let's not even talk about poor Glorfindel*, eh ?

Better that they DON'T do it, given the travesty that would likely result.

-F

*(For non-fans, it's a running joke, they've replaced him with everyone from Legolas to Arwen, but not ONCE have they ever let him play his little part in a movie)

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Tuesday, January 1, 2008 11:03 AM

LWAVES

It's been many many years since I read this book and this is definitely not an easy question to answer.

I would certainly like to see it done and obviously done well (Peter Jackson of course) but whether it could be done is another thing.
Certainly plot filling and adaption of parts of the stories would have to take place.
But then again this occured in LOTR and will occur with The Hobbit. That book is aimed too much at children (as fanatastic and as widely appealing to all ages as it is) and I don't think you could make a strictly kids film and keep all the fans. It will have to be darker and more in keeping with LOTR.

Also I wouldn't be as sure of how much it would interest people outside of Tolkien fans. The Hobbit and LOTR are so well known by just about everyone even if they have no interest in them. But The Silmarillion, to me, would have more of a select audience.

Back to whether it could be translated I would have to fall down in the YES it could camp.
It wouldn't be easy and we'd have to go with the changes but it could be done.
There are a lot of great fantasy staples in the story, a quest for the Silmarils, a baddie in the shape of Morgoth, fantastic battles and of course the Fall Of Numemor which is something I'd personally like to see.

If the talked about second movie between The Hobbit and LOTR takes place and does well I think it will look good for The Silmarillion. That is supposed to be based on stories and notes from Tolkiens work and not a direct one-off story.

"I don't believe in suicide, but if you'd like to try it it might cheer me up to watch."

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Tuesday, January 1, 2008 5:03 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

Nope.

It is not those who use the term "Islamo-Fascism" who are sullying the name of Islam; it is the Islamo-Fascists. - Dennis Prager

" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "

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Tuesday, January 1, 2008 6:40 PM

STRANGEBIRD

Ok I've already stated on another thread I would be against it. Even still I'll reiterate briefly here. I don't think it's possible to do The Silmarillion(Quenta Silmarillion) justice in any other form then that which Christopher Tolkien worked out and released after his fathers death. Unless of course it had been finished by J.R.R. Tolkien himself. Yes there is much material there some of it could be translated into amazing films, somehow though I doubt they ever would be. I make the pictures in my own head while reading. Those of you who can't I pity you... stick to reality TV and crappy big-budget films. For those of you who can, read the books... all of them. Tolkien has written some amazing stories and I could spend the rest of my life trying to learn everything there is to know about them and not get half of it. As it is I've been reading his writings since I was eight(so sixteen years) and I still will not consider myself even close to being even close to being an expert. There are still some I haven't gotten around to finding yet.

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"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction." Albert Einstein

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Wednesday, January 2, 2008 3:24 PM

MERRYK

I definitely think some of the stories would make excellent film, even almost stand-alone, but not the story as a whole. Definitely not if it was too strongly advertised as "PREQUEL TO THE LORD OF TEH RINGS!!!". The hardest thing would be casting, but I think it could be done, and done well. (I've long had a screen adaptation of the tale of Beren and Luthien in my head that I long to finally get written.)

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"My way of being polite, or however...well, it's the only way I have of showing you that I like you. Of showing respect." Simon Tam, Jaynestown

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Thursday, January 3, 2008 1:20 PM

GRIZWALD

Has anyone here read Tolkien's "Farmer Giles of Ham"? I think it would make a wonderful movie.

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Thursday, January 3, 2008 1:52 PM

GORRAMGROUPIE

I would love to see the whole history(several movies worth of course) from the birth of Feanor to the final battle and downthrow of Morgoth. Beren and Luthian would need to be a seperate movie, as well. They would have to be superbly done, I watched one of the semi-animated movies and never watched any of them again, because they destroyed my mental images of what it should be like. Peter Jackson did a great job for me, as most of my mental images were close or right on to what he did.

I have 6 locks on my door and bolt every other one. I figure no matter how long somebody stands there picking the locks, they're always locking 3 locks.

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Thursday, January 3, 2008 2:19 PM

STRANGEBIRD

Quote:
Originally posted by Grizwald:
Has anyone here read Tolkien's "Farmer Giles of Ham"? I think it would make a wonderful movie.

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Click on my profile for my Annoyingly Long List of Firefly Links.

Probably would.

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"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction." Albert Einstein

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