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Friday, September 17, 2010

Only Choice

Only Choice

For the last few nights, we've been watching the Lord of the Rings movies.  I watched them once when they first came out and never revisited them.  I never read the novels, so when the movies were released, I wasn't overly excited.  I saw them because I knew Lord of the Rings was a big deal and the films were sure to be Epic. And they certainly were.  (They also made a sensation out of director Peter Jackson.  Even though many scenes from the trilogy were visually stunning, the directing really wasn't anything special.)

Anyway, the part of the movie I'm about to refer to doesn't have to do with directing.  It actually concerns the screenplay.  Recall the scene in the Fellowship of the Ring (if you've seen it) where the fellowship is being formed.  The secret council is trying to decide how (or who) to dispose of the "one ring."  The camera zooms in on the lead elf, Elrond, and he declares emphatically:


"We have only one choice!"
(He's talking about how Frodo has to take the ring to Mount Doom.)
(Yes, that's the creepy agent guy from the Matrix.)

Now, I've posted about oxymorons before and they should never, EVER be ignorantly inserted into such a well-respected series like Lord of the Rings.  "One choice?"  Not really much of a choice, is it?  If there is only one option, then there is no choosing to do.  Duh.  I understand that whoever wrote that line was just trying to be dramatic, but it was poorly executed.

What Elrond should have said was, "We have no choice!"  It's just as dramatic yet grammatically inoffensive.

The rumor is that The Hobbit might soon become a film, made by the same folks.  (I actually did read that one.)  So . . . if anyone knows the decision makers over there, let 'em know you know a good screenplay writer (at least, a better one).  :)

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lord of the Rings is by far my favorite movie ever. <3 And now I'm totally going to think that every time I watch this scene. SO funny!

Cole Garrett said...

Sorry to ruin it for you, LOL.

You should watch it tonight!

Leigh said...

I can't believe I never caught that one - I look for oxymorons in films.

The only book I did read was The Hobbit, and I was bored to tears through the entire thing. Awful stuff. I'll stick with the films.

Mei said...

He should have added something about certain doom.

Anonymous said...

Good point- not something that had occurred to me when watching the series!

I've found you through http://fairweatherdiver.blogspot.com/, and am glad to have done so!

Pixel said...

Fine point! Never occurred to me before!! Happy to have stumbled upon your blog :)

Gina said...

The Hobbit is indeed being made into TWO films, slated for a 2012 release. Jackson is on as EP, not directing, so there's that.

I think the big thing about Jackson's direction (coming from a lifelong fan's point of view) is that he stayed almost 100% true to the books. Very, very little was cut/changed at all. Jackson was a fan, and he made the movies from a fan's point of view.

Although, you are right. "One choice" is a stupid choice of words. Jackson may be a decent director, but not so much of a proof-reader :)

Cole Garrett said...

Thanks for the insider. I wasn't entirely sure about the Hobbit movies because IMDB only says (Rumor). I wasn't sure what that meant in IMDB land.

Concerning Jackson: Since I didn't read the books, it's impossible for me to testament how close the movies came to the novels. If you say he did, then I can appreciate that.

I hope the post wasn't misleading. I really have enjoyed the movies this week. :)

Dominick said...

" We've been waiting for you Mr. Frodo "

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