Cry 'Havoc!' and Let Slip the Wargs of Fandom! - Page 4
© Michael Martinez
My point is that the movies are compensating for the lack of narrative exposition by sending characters into unexpected directions. A lot of people in the audience were wondering why Viggo was dropped off a cliff, for example. Well, that reason became clear once we saw Viggo again. He gave the audience a change in perspective which helped Peter avoid having a character see too much from too far away.
The same principle is at work with Eomer. His literary role is not followed closely. Instead, we see him ride off and slowly other characrers tell us a little bit about where he is. By the time Eomer returns to the action, he is more important to Rohan than his literary counterpart is at the same juncture in the book.
Of course, there are some things I find a little puzzling. For example, why does Theoden have only a few hundred Rohirrim. And why are none of them Riders of Rohan? I suppose the answer must lie in the fact that Elves do indeed show up to fight with the Rohirrim at Helm's Deep (but Arwen does not).
As I watched the Elves march into the fortress, it occurred to me that by showing the Elves standing side-by-side with Men, Peter Jackson was including some of the backstory which Tolkien had to relegate to the appendix. You don't learn until you get to the appendix that the Elves of Lothlorien actually fight several battles in the War of the Ring (and they bring down Dol Guldur, a fortress about as strategically important as Isengard).
And that leads me to Arwen's expanded role in the movies. We don't see nearly enough of Liv Tyler in "The Two Towers" for my taste, but we see enough of her to learn that A) she and Aragorn truly love each other abd B) she is watching over him from afar. That is crucial to her character. For, you see, Tolkien stipulates that Arwen does just that in "The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen".
Arwen is actually being more faithful to Tolkien than Eomer. And no one should see that as a fault or a sin. Rather, it's the fault of the people who complain about Arwen's expanded role -- they don't bother to acknowledge Arwen's expanded role in the appendix.
Am I saying that Liv Tyler's performance at the Ford of Bruinen is therefore justified? No. What I am saying is that I understand why Glorfindel may not have made the cut. His function is mostly Elvish. That is, it's his part to be a wise and powerful Elf. Well, if Arwen is going to be portrayed as the wise and powerful Elf Tolkien said she was, then why can she not take on Glorfindel's role?
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