Concerning Hobbits and Creative Licensing

Disclaimer: While not graphic, this article discusses a PG-13-rated film.  Younger readers please read at your parents’ discretion.

One of the most renowned fantasy series of all time, J.R.R. Tolkien’s three-volume masterpiece The Lord of the Rings inevitably receives the attention of innumerable studios and producers eager for a chance to attempt a film adaptation of their own. As Tolkien spent over forty years of his life constructing Middle-earth adventures and died having written books-worth of unpublished content and lore, the task to reproduce such an elaborate creation proves arduous, nigh impossible (Hammond). Out of the various spin-offs, Peter Jackson’s early 2000’s The Lord of the Rings movie series dominates over other attempted reproductions. Though the films in themselves deliver decent entertainment and surpass many a movie undertaking similar goals, they remain unsuccessful endeavors at visually presenting some of the intended themes of Tolkien’s work.  

With his premiere of The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001, Peter Jackson begins the cinematic trilogy with numerous divergences from the books, essentially using the source material as guidelines and claiming generous artistic licensing. Some of the incongruences are perhaps unavoidable with compressible reasoning behind the decisions. Yet, regardless of the rationale, the deviations hinder the strive to portray Tolkien’s full intentions; inclusion of omitted points, if properly executed, would likely have strengthened the adaptation of the timeless narrative.    

As directors will, Jackson cuts sections from the text—most noticeably with the exclusion of greater portions of chapters four through nine.  The movie omitted the chapters concerning Tom Bombadil, Goldberry, and the Barrow-downs to increase the plot pace and shorten the movie’s length; thus, one-fifth of the original work was deemed unessential to Tolkien’s painstakingly created narrative. While parts of the excluded chapters admittedly do not elicit the most captivating, high-adventure sensations in the story, the segment still bears relevance to the overarching plot, for it withstood the meticulous author’s scrutiny. Instances such as interactions between Frodo and Tom or the hobbits’ confrontation with the Barrow-wight reveal aspects of the ring’s sway, the capable resistance against it, and the power of other outside forces in comparison. Considered less influential in the narrative as a whole, the section in fact carries themes worth including, even if shortened. Although Jackson has the genuine argument to remove the scenes for purposes of maintaining the viewer’s attention, by doing so he discounts parts of The Fellowship of the Ring that contain material beneficial to the plot. 

The film adaptation similarly fails to convey the complete undertones of lore woven into the literature. Tolkien’s narratives, heavily influenced by various northern sagas, reflect Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, and Norse mythology, integrating themes and customs that allude to the referenced cultures (St. Clair). Predominantly, the characters in Tolkien’s trilogy illustrate an appreciation for oral tales and songs, and such prose embeds itself throughout the writings, mimicking the common recitation of lore exhibited in the north. Though including bits and snatches of the practice, the film drops much of the incorporated history of Middle-earth. While obviously one cannot have the characters breaking out in constant verse on screen for fear of boring the audience, the movie fails to convey the overall hunger for lore and loses a distinguishing factor of Tolkien’s style.  

Jackson’s portrayal of the hobbits, particularly Frodo Baggins, skews their character and personality presented in the book. Tolkien depicts Frodo as a mature, solemn, middle-aged hobbit, and he writes that approximately seventeen years lapse between Bilbo’s farewell birthday party and the beginning of the quest, as opposed to Frodo’s quick departure in the movie. Similarly, many of the elves describe the hobbit as “Elf friend,” implying that he emanates a wisdom parallel to themselves and uncommon in most mortal creatures (Tolkien, 111). Instead of focusing on this key aspect of Frodo’s disposition, the film bloats the sensation of fear and diminishes the protagonist to a gasping, terrified victim. While Tolkien emphasizes the fear warring with the hobbit’s courage, he also illustrates the stoic manner with which Frodo manages his emotions. Through defying elevated bravery by including the exuberant yells of terror and melodrama, the cinematic The Fellowship of the Ring creates an inferior, less-admirable protagonist.   

Likewise, rather than showing the gradual effects of the Morgul wound caused by the Black Riders atop Weathertop, Jackson decides to immediately dissolve Frodo into screaming senselessness. The seventeen-day struggle to Rivendell as depicted in the book describes a slow succumbing against the wound, poignantly pointing to the gradual sway of evil and again harkening on the depth of Frodo’s character. When skipping over the content and instead inserting an overly-dramatic appearance of the hobbit’s female savior, Arwen, the new narrative fails to capture the intense gravity of the situation, diminishing it to a shallow, sensational struggle. 

Though Peter Jackson’s version of The Fellowship of the Ring has value as a film, it falls short when compared to the source material. One cannot truly reproduce a masterpiece when skipping over lengthy scenes, overlooking themes presented in the written content, or replacing definitive character designs with frivolous fluff. Ultimately, the cinematic reproductions of Tolkien’s writings capture mere echoes of the grandeur and intent in the original work.   

Works Cited

Hammond, Wayne G.. “J.R.R. Tolkien”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 Nov. 2023, www.britannica.com/biography/J-R-R-Tolkien.

St. Clair, Gloriana.”An Overview Of the Northern Influences on Tolkien’s Works.” Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 21: No. 2, Article 13, dc.swosu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2130&context=mythlore#:~:text=Tolkien%27s%20knowledge. 

Tolkien, J. R.R. The Fellowship of the Ring. HarperCollins Publishers, 2007, Based on the 50th Anniversary Edition, pp. 27-531.  

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