Whenever I re-read this chapter, my dismay at the egregiousness of Jackson, Walsh, Boyens et al continues to grow, like mushrooms flourishing in Farmer Maggot's fields in a good year like 1420. I love the LOTR movies very deeply, and consider the period around their genesis and revelation to be one of the most exciting times of my adult life; still I have never hidden my intense dislike of the screenwriters' treatment of the character of Faramir. And this is only driven home by further perusal of the "primary source", Faramir as penned by The Professor himself, revealed in all his Numenorean dignity in the chapter "The Window on the West".
Stories are hung upon their characters, and not on the plot as most like to think. Rather, the plot is similar to a roof that rests upon the load-bearing columns of characters; if the characters are weak, the plot cannot be much more than a garden trellis, suitable for only holding a few pleasant vines, but devoid of great substance and weight. Strong characters, however, are like the massive stone columns of Dwarrowdelf, the great hall of Khazad-dum, and the majesty of the columns and of the great arching roof they help support can take one's breath away, leaving one in awe of the grand sweeping story that is built upon its characters.
When the screenwriters of LOTR changed the fundamentals of the Faramir storyline, they did alter the plot, and this in of itself was enough to give me dismay. The whole point of Gandalf's design was that the Ring would creep in secret toward Mordor, in the hands of a hobbit, unknown to the Dark Lord. This concept was obliterated by the movie's script, which had Frodo in Osgiliath, where he had been dragged by Faramir, standing on a tall parapet a few feet in front of a winged Nazgul, holding the Ring aloft in the air. Not exactly my definition of "secret".
But even with this shattering of one of the primary threads of Tolkien's tale, the plot alteration of the Faramir portion of the story is a lesser charge in the indictment, for it is the fundamental butchering of Faramir's character that truly grieves the prosecution. When one reads "The Window on the West", we get a poignant picture, painted by Tolkien, of a noble man of a noble race, a man in whom the blood of Numenor runs strong; a man unlike his brother Boromir, despite their similarities, and one not swayed by the siren temptations of power and glory.
Let us delve into the character of Faramir, using the following as our palantir to see into the man of Numenor:
These examples are but a sampling of the many ways in which Tolkien portrayed Faramir as the rare kind of man that can resist the lure of power, and thus the lure of the Ring. We are left with the impression that, had Faramir been the one who cut the ring from Sauron's hand, he would have tossed it into the fire at Elrond's suggestion, without hesitation and without delay.
Peter Jackson was quoted at one point during the making of the movies, saying in essence that they had built up this idea that men were weak, and could not resist the power of the Ring, and that it would have confused moviegoers if this one man had been able to do so-- that it would have been inconsistent. And that is exactly what Tolkien intended! Faramir was meant to be inconsistent. He was meant to be the kind of man who could and would resist the temptation to seize the Ring and use it for his own purposes. He was meant to be a man in whom we could "detect the air of Numenor".
And when the screenwriters changed that, they reduced the dignified stone pillar of Faramir to a mere plank of wood, and one wing of the great house that Tolkien built, this magnificent saga, collapsed on them.
Stories are hung upon their characters, and not on the plot as most like to think. Rather, the plot is similar to a roof that rests upon the load-bearing columns of characters; if the characters are weak, the plot cannot be much more than a garden trellis, suitable for only holding a few pleasant vines, but devoid of great substance and weight. Strong characters, however, are like the massive stone columns of Dwarrowdelf, the great hall of Khazad-dum, and the majesty of the columns and of the great arching roof they help support can take one's breath away, leaving one in awe of the grand sweeping story that is built upon its characters.
When the screenwriters of LOTR changed the fundamentals of the Faramir storyline, they did alter the plot, and this in of itself was enough to give me dismay. The whole point of Gandalf's design was that the Ring would creep in secret toward Mordor, in the hands of a hobbit, unknown to the Dark Lord. This concept was obliterated by the movie's script, which had Frodo in Osgiliath, where he had been dragged by Faramir, standing on a tall parapet a few feet in front of a winged Nazgul, holding the Ring aloft in the air. Not exactly my definition of "secret".
But even with this shattering of one of the primary threads of Tolkien's tale, the plot alteration of the Faramir portion of the story is a lesser charge in the indictment, for it is the fundamental butchering of Faramir's character that truly grieves the prosecution. When one reads "The Window on the West", we get a poignant picture, painted by Tolkien, of a noble man of a noble race, a man in whom the blood of Numenor runs strong; a man unlike his brother Boromir, despite their similarities, and one not swayed by the siren temptations of power and glory.
Let us delve into the character of Faramir, using the following as our palantir to see into the man of Numenor:
- "...but I do not love the sword for its brightness, nor the arrow for its sharpness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend; the city of the men of Numenor; and I would have her loved for her memory, her ancientry, her beauty, and her present wisdom. Not feared, save as men may fear the dignity of a man, old and wise."
- "But fear no more! I would not take this thing, if it lay by the highway. Not were Minas Tirith falling in ruin and I alone could save her, so, using the weapon of the Dark Lord for her good and my glory. No, I do not wish for such triumphs, Frodo son of Drogo."
- [after learning of the Ring by the wayward mouth of Sam] "We are truth-speakers, we men of Gondor. We boast seldom, and then perform, or die in the attempt. Not if I found it on the highway would I take it I said. Even if I were such a man as to desire this thing, and even though I knew not clearly what this thing was when I spoke, still I should take those words as a vow, and be held by them"
- "Ah well, sir, " said Sam, "you said my master had an elvish air; and that was good and true. But I can say this: you have an air too, sir, that reminds me of, of --well, Gandalf, of wizards." "Maybe," said Faramir. "Maybe you discern from far away the air of Numenor. "
These examples are but a sampling of the many ways in which Tolkien portrayed Faramir as the rare kind of man that can resist the lure of power, and thus the lure of the Ring. We are left with the impression that, had Faramir been the one who cut the ring from Sauron's hand, he would have tossed it into the fire at Elrond's suggestion, without hesitation and without delay.
Peter Jackson was quoted at one point during the making of the movies, saying in essence that they had built up this idea that men were weak, and could not resist the power of the Ring, and that it would have confused moviegoers if this one man had been able to do so-- that it would have been inconsistent. And that is exactly what Tolkien intended! Faramir was meant to be inconsistent. He was meant to be the kind of man who could and would resist the temptation to seize the Ring and use it for his own purposes. He was meant to be a man in whom we could "detect the air of Numenor".
And when the screenwriters changed that, they reduced the dignified stone pillar of Faramir to a mere plank of wood, and one wing of the great house that Tolkien built, this magnificent saga, collapsed on them.
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■“…but I do not love the sword for its brightness, nor the arrow for its sharpness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend; the city of the men of Numenor; and I would have her loved for her memory, her ancientry, her beauty, and her present wisdom. Not feared, save as men may fear the dignity of a man, old and wise.”
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite quotes ever.
I found your post when looking for the quotation about not loving the sword for it brightness, etc. I could not agree with you more in your observations of Faramir and your explanation of why Tolkien made him a different sort of man. A very well-written and enjoyable post. Thank you!!
ReplyDelete~ Jody