Re: Will a film of the Silmarion be made?

AC <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
: On 3 Dec 2003 09:18:42 GMT, 
: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
:> The Silmarion is the book I prefer so I would like to know if there is a 
:> project to put it on the screens. Judging the success the LOTR films got, it 
:> could be worth it!

: It would be like filming the Bible.  LotR is a book, with a major,
: overarching plot.  The Silmarillion is a set of myths.  While the Silmarils
: do hold a central place, in reality it is several related stories.

: However, I do think at least some of the stories might be amenable to
: filming.  I think the Turin saga and Beren and Luthien would both make
: excellent movies.  I also wouldn't mind seeing the Darkening of Valinor (one
: of my personal favorites in Silm).

I think Beren and Luthien would work the best as a film.  The reason
is that it would probably be the easiest story to detach from the
larger mythology.  Any attempt to film something from the Silmarillion
and at the same time try to present the entire backstory likely
would not work.  There is just too much information.   The Darkening
of Valinor for example just would not make any sense as a stand alone
story.

For Beren and Luthien a lot of the backstory really is not that
relevant.  There is a bad guy in the north, and he has a treasure
that he stole from the Elves.  That is all you really need to
know about Morgoth and the Silmarills.  Beren is human, Luthien
is an elf, and Thingol is a jealous and protective father with an
eye for nice jewelry.  That is all very straightforward.  Melian
being a Maia is not really that important, and would not really
need any explanation anyway.   Sauron is just one of the bad guys,
the sons of Feanor are just some jerks (explaining their connection
to the Silmarills may be more trouble than its worth), and Finrod
is a good guy indebted to Beren's father.  Lots of action and
magic, giant wolves, a central love story, prominent female characters,
and an ultimately happy ending : Beren and Luthien are alive,
they have the Silmaril, and everybody is happy.

Stephen