Help me get Jackson's imagery out of my head

[aramis]

One of the problems with Tolkien is that the imagery is close to but not the same as popular imagery for the covered subjects. Neither the prior popular imagery nor the subsequent matches Tolkien.

Jackson draws much from popular imagery.

[panzerattack]

I've been listening to the radio adaptation the BBC did back in the 80s. It's really good and very faithful to the spirit of the book. I'm pretty sure you can find recordings of it on Youtube. Gimli doesn't have a Scottish accent in it!

[Rich H]

Here are some of the more egregious (to me) issues with the popular imagery, in no particular order:

... Can't disagree with pretty much any of those! Amusing to read too - hope you didn't get too hot under the hood typing them. The Balrog is a particular bugbear for me. Much prefer this one to the film version:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Sw3sTcOkKfU/T ... AFront.jpg

... Although I once saw an interpretation that was perfect for me; I believe it was a Spanish book cover and the Balrog was simply drawn as a shadowy figure, without wings, somewhat larger than human size but not egregiously so. Wish I could find the image again.

Tolkien made many illustrations. Look them up for some examples.

For those interested, this could be worth getting hold of:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0008 ... 1_1&sr=8-1

[d(sqrt(-1))]

Hm, I had to buy that slipcase art book...also I found a 2016 calendar of illustrations done by Tove Jansson in 1961 for the Swedish and Finnish versions of LOTR - couldn't resist that either.

I'm not a great fan of PJR's stuff, I do think some bits were almost exactly right in the LOTR films and looked great, and then there are other bits I just can't watch. I managed 10 minutes of the Hobbit Part 1 on DVD several years ago and haven't watched any more since! It all seems too over-egged, and the changes just annoy me too much.

[Glorelendil]

If we could leave subjective judgments of the films out of the discussion that would be great. We've had too many threads go down that black hole already. Some people like them; some people don't. Thanks.

[Jon Hodgson]

I'm a massive fan of Cor Blok. As was Tolkien. His work is quite a good visual palette cleanser.

http://img-fan.theonering.net/~rolozo/i ... /mumak.jpg

[Trotter]

It is funny how Dwarves always have Scottish accents, and not just in Tolkien interpretations.

That said, it is surprisingly hard to invent an accent that doesn't evoke a familiar one. So I use a Russian accent for my Dwarves. It would drive Jamie Lee Curtis wild.

Awesome.

"It's K-K-K-K-Ken! C-c-c-c-coming to k-k-k-k-kill me!"

[Otaku-sempai]

Awesome.

"It's K-K-K-K-Ken! C-c-c-c-coming to k-k-k-k-kill me!"

And how awesome would be John Cleese as Gandalf (in a parody, of course)?

[shipwreck]

I'm a massive fan of Cor Blok. As was Tolkien. His work is quite a good visual palette cleanser.

http://img-fan.theonering.net/~rolozo/i ... /mumak.jpg

Seconded.

[Rocmistro]

Most art you find on the Internet will be Lee or Howe.

This is indeed a significant issue, and the lopsidedness of sources of imagery can be a problem.

Here are some of the more egregious (to me) issues with the popular imagery, in no particular order:

• The balrog is not a roaring beast with wings. It is a silent, humanoid shadow wreathed in flames, though these are extinguished when Gandalf says "the dark fire will not avail you."
• Sam is not said to be particularly fatter than the other hobbits, though he is always depicted that way. Frodo is somewhat fat at first, and is surprised at how much weight he loses by the time he gets to Rivendell.
• Pippin, Merry, and Sam are nearly a generation younger than Frodo, though Frodo looks to be about the same age because he has the Ring.
• Nobody wears "plate mail."
• Rivendell is a "homely house," not a glittering palace.
• Dwarves are not vikings, no matter what their names suggest. They take their use-names from the peoples of the lands about them. DWARVES DO NOT SPEAK WITH SCOTTISH ACCENTS!
• Dwarves are not as wide round the middle as a bulky man; they are more or less proportionally normal.
• Sauron is not a giant, flaming eyeball.
• Dragons are not meaty lizards; they're snakes with legs.
• Trolls are not roaring beasts; they are like giant, brutish men.
• Elves use straight blades; orcs use curved or bent blades.
• Thorin Oakenshield was very, very old when he hired Bilbo. He was the oldest dwarf in the company.
• Elves aren't generally snooty, over-cultured killjoys; they love to laugh and sing and enjoy the world. Middle-earth is to elves as heaven is to men. Those silly, teasing elves in Rivendell in The Hobbit? Those are NOLDOR!
• Dwarves dress funny. They all wear single-colored, oversized Waldo hats without the puff on top. These are their "hoods," and they are not attached to cloaks.

Tolkien made many illustrations. Look them up for some examples.

Awesome stuff and I agree (except the bit about Balroggian wings). I'm also trying to purge Jackson's imagery from my head, and I find that the Ralph Bakshi movie helps a lot and gets the "feel" of Middle earth much more correct, although even that has problems. I especially like how Thorin and the Dwarves look, sound and feel in the Rankin Bass Hobbit. They have a much more Black Forest quality to them.