Spoilers 🧝Arwen at Helm's Deep

[Erurávennë]

"You don't have to put a sword in her hands to make her strong"

I was watching the Behind the Scenes appendices part three for the Two Towers movies when I came across this part (

https://www.reddit.com/r/lotr/comments/yrxztr/liv_tyler_explaining_how_she_felt_about_pj

- Just watch the video clip). I almost cried with joy! For one, it would have been bad for this situation/story, messing with with Tolkien's genius, and human nature. Second, the general message is exactly what so many modern people/movies/writings etc... need to hear (I am looking at you Rings of Power). Just look how happy Liv was; it's against human nature. The whole clip embodies beautiful truth (plus Howard Shore's beautiful music!).

The decision to leave Arwen out of Helm's Deep and the overall handling of such things in the movies is just another reason the Peter Jackson movies are on the best movies of all time list (at least in my mind). We can nit pick all we want but we know it's true!

What are your thoughts? I would love to hear!

 

[Starbrow]

I like what Liv said about Arwen.

 

[Frandîr]

There is a psychological thought from Joseph Lacan applied to modern cinema where power, desire or the lack thereof is represented with a "phallic" signifier. Now, bear with me. This is by no means an attempt to sexualize anything, but a commentary on a trend that is alarmingly common in mainstream cinema.

Traditionally, women have been represented in cinema on specific, domestic, "soft" roles; where the "homefront" is her battleground and her "power" derives from all the multitasking she is able to do.

But when a woman is portrayed in a hard action, main character role, she is usually represented with a physical item and the item is inherent to the character, be it a pair of guns, a pole or a sword. (Im thinking Tomb Raider and Aeon Flux) Almost like her value as a main character only relies on the fact that she possess that artifact, power that she lacks otherwise.

So, those words from Liv give us so much weight to counter that outdated portrayal of women on screen.

 

[Halasían]

Personally, I wouldn't have objected to Arwen showing up in Rohan accompanying her brothers and the Dunedain Rangers. That storyline would have been less of a stretch than deleting a largh swath of the book story and replacing it with an army of elves suddenly arriving unnoticed at Helms Deep. But this is only my opinion, and it may not pass the Tolkien Forum 'judge's ruling of being "something of VALUE to the study and consideration of Tolkien".