Lord of the Rings on Prime Updates (Thanks Varking!)

[CirdanLinweilin]

CL

 

[CirdanLinweilin]

And, might I add,

the DWARF WOMAN HATH NO FACIAL HAIR!




Okay, off my box.



CL

 

[Shadow]

I wish this show wasn’t happening. 🥴

 

[Shadow]

A black elf?!🤨😞

As a fan of the first three movies I‘m glad Jackson made them when he did. We’re going to see a modern interpretation will fare.

 

[Ealdwyn]

It's really enlightening to see who get's all bothered by the race of the actors.

Yes it's very telling.
Out of all the things that are wrong with the series, it's the colour of the actors' skin that bothers them?

 

[Olorgando]

It's all kind of half-hearted, isn't it? I'm not familiar with the East Asian mythologies; hardly familiar with Subcontinental ones; I've read a bit about Gilgamesh of Mesopotamia; Egypt must have something to offer, bits and scraps from Sub-Saharan Africa must be available, same for the Americas (they haven't caught western attention much, there is likely quite a bit more to be mined with serious research). Now that would be a fantasy with global appeal - or at least "something for everybody", a mantra in Hollywood & Co. for a long time now (less so in Bollywood and other hypothetical -woods; they tend to be awfully parochial).

 

[Erestor Arcamen]

 

[HALETH✒🗡]

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Wow! These are good news, finally! I'm really keen on such philological details. I would like to translate this kind of dialogues into Russian but nobody would ask me.

 

[AaronAzrael]

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Sounds good!

 

[Ealdwyn]

I'm not so sure.
It sounds as if they're saying: "look how clever we are, Tolkien would have liked it", as if having the characters speak in iambic pentameter gives the writers licence to ride roughshod over the Legendarium.

 

[AaronAzrael]

I'm not so sure.
It sounds as if they're saying: "look how clever we are, Tolkien would have liked it", as if having the characters speak in iambic pentameter gives the writers licence to ride roughshod over the Legendarium.

Actually, yeah, you are right.

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

They may have gotten the idea from Tom Shippey, who studied Tolkien's use of decorum.

 

[Olorgando]

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Uh-huh. Seems they missed out on the fact that JRRT, while starting his studies in Oxford in "Classics" in 1911, up to taking Honour Moderations in early 1913, then switched to the English School. Alliteration would be more fitting than this classics stuff. This is not the world of Homer, Virgil or any other of the Graeco-Roman rabble. 😒

 

[Rōmānus]

Yes it's very telling.
Out of all the things that are wrong with the series, it's the colour of the actors' skin that bothers them?

I even have a problem with Elrond not being raven-haired, “His hair was dark as the shadows of twilight” (Many Meetings). I prefer adaptations to be as faithful to the source as possible.

 

[Ealdwyn]

More commentary from the press.
It's commenting on the diversity angle. But as I've said before, Amaz*n aren't interested in equality for PoC, the "woke-ness"is is merely a PR exercise.

‘The history of fantasy is racialized’: Lord of the Rings series sparks debate over race

Introduction of characters of color into Tolkien’s fantasy world has some fans complaining but as others point out, it’s not less authentic to cast Black actors

www.theguardian.com

I like this: "people for whom The Lord of the Rings is the second-best thing to the Bible"
I'm an atheist, so what does that make it for me? 🤔 🤣

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

One of the things in the article that struck a odd note for me was the idea that all the heroic characters in LOTR were "middle class".

 

[Olorgando]

One of the things in the article that struck a odd note for me was the idea that all the heroic characters in LOTR were "middle class".

These people need to read some Tom Shippey, specifically "The Road to Middle-earth" where he illuminates LoTR through the categories of Northrop Frye.

 

[Ealdwyn]

One of the things in the article that struck a odd note for me was the idea that all the heroic characters in LOTR were "middle class".

To be fair, they have a point about class: the story is dominated by individuals from various noble houses of ME, and distinctly middle-class gentlehobbits. Sam is the only working-class main character.

 

[Olorgando]

The setting of things based on JRRT's writings is Middle-earth, an imaginary far past of our world.

Folks, this ain't "Seinfeld" or whatever ...

Edit:
And it's also not Dallas & Dynasty or the rest of that plague. 🤢

 

[Ealdwyn]

The setting of things based on JRRT's writings is Middle-earth, an imaginary far past of our world.

Folks, this ain't "Seinfeld" or whatever ...

Edit:
And it's also not Dallas & Dynasty or the rest of that plague. 🤢

Well the Shire is certainly intended to be a parallel of early 20th century England. Frodo, Bilbo, Merry & Pippin are clearly "gentlemen", i.e. they don't work for a living and have independant incomes, and this would (at that time) define them as middle class. Sam is the only one who actually works, hence "working class".
The rest of the main characters are all members of ruling/noble families. The wizards aren't, but I guess Maiar are higher in the hierarchy anyway.

So it could be said by some that LotR is a story about those who already have priviledge.
I should add that I'm not trying to start a debate about class in ME, and I'm not even sure I agree with the priviledge angle, it's just that I suspect that's the point the writer of the article was trying to make.