this post was submitted on 15 Mar 2024
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I read the books first, and while there are plenty of omissions and outright changes from the source material that I disagree with, cutting Tom Bombadil is not one of them.
Bombadil was one of the most important pieces of world building in LOTR, and that's not a joke. He's clearly a being of great power. He holds absolute sovereignty over his domain, such that even the trees and the undead bend to his will. And there is absolutely no cogent information or backstory on him, whatsoever. At all. Bombadil is printed proof that Middle Earth has a lot more going on than is touched on in the story. If Bombadil is an unexplained Great Being then it stands to reason that there would be more, beyond Sauron and Sauruman and the characters we meet directly. Bombadil is a signpost pointing off-screen and saying "Hey, there's more stuff over this way".
He may be crazy, and silly, and poorly explained, but that's all for a reason. Tom represents the "etc." at the end of the list of beings in Middle Earth. He is an open end implying the existence of more like him.
Nice interpretation but he really was just a character from unrelated stories by Tolkien he liked so much he reused him in LOTR. He's just a remnant of the initial version of the book which had a lot of elements later editions revised like Strider being a hobbit.
I think that’s what makes Tolkien such a talented writer. Sure, he just wanted a nice character reference, but he managed to make it fit in such a way that truly did expand the horizons of Mordor to near infinity.
Well, objectively he's not a very good writer. He's a great storyteller though, maybe the best of the entire 20th century.
It doesn’t really matter what Tolkien said or where Tom came from, mechanically in the work. Once it’s on the page, that’s the story.
This is like bible levels of Bombadil.
How’s that?
Tom bombadil and the scouring of the shire were just, logical omissions.
What they did to my boy Gimli though.. :'(
I disagree, I think the scouring of the shire is important and adheres to the themes established like home being worth fighting for even if you're small and weak.
I just really like Bombadil, so I accept that I'm biased.
Gimli definitely got shafted.
Boromir... I have never seen such a crime committed against a character before.
I like bombadil too! I just have hard time imagining the scene working in the film.
And honestly I think that's ok, and an acceptable reason to leave him out. Tom really would be difficult to do justice on the big screen, and might confuse the majority of people that didn't read the books first.
Oh it would absolutely be confusing, and I readily accept that I'm biased.
A whole second sturggle after the climax if the movie is unbearable and would just make it drag on. They were right to ommit it from the movies.
How different was Gimli in the books? I must admit I didn't read them, but in my defense I don't read any books.
Book gimli is an intelligent, articulate warrior poet.
Film gimli is a bumbling comedic relief.
For example when they enter Moria, in the film, most of the exposition in the film is given to Gandalf, with Gimli being reduced to gasping and awing.
Followed by Gimli singing a song about its former splendour
At the tomb of Balin, instead of crying and moaning the whole scene: