After "Lord of the Rings", it seemed like anything was filmable. If Peter Jackson was able to bring Tolkien's grand opus to life on the silver screen, why not anything else? One failed "Watchmen" adaptation later, people are starting to think that there are some books that can't be touched. And one of these is "The Silmarillion".
While not nearly as famous as "LOTR", Tolkien's Middle-Earth version of the Bible is a hot topic among die-hard J.R.R fans. Is it truly Tolkien's work, if his son compiled and added parts of it? What is it's intended place in the M-E canon? But if one thing is for sure, it's that many of us Tolkienites would be perfectly cool with an awesome film version of it. But why would or wouldn't it work?
Well, it wouldn't work because, for one thing, it's far too long. You thought the Harry Potter movies were too much, imagine four 0r five 4-hour long films coming out every two years. Yeah, it would be HUGE. Secondly, the public is sadly unaware, and probably uninterested, in this saga, and so probably wouldn't flock to the theatres the same way they did for LOTR. Untop of all this, "The Silm." is NOT NEARLY as light and cheerful as LOTR was at some moments. Compared to the funny and happy moments where Legolas and Gimli traded height jokes, TS is as dark and tragic a collection of stories as you can wish to get. From the Fall of The Children Of Hurin, in which a human named Turin unknowingly marries and impregnates his own sister Neinor, causing both of them to commit suicide, it's clear to see this is not for the average viewer.
Now for my point of view, which states that a "Silmarillion" movie can and should be made. Yes, it would be a MASSIVE (I love capitals) project, and would probably require an international team of directors, scholars, visual artists, actors, and producers the likes of which the worldwide filmaking community has never seen before. Yes we're talking not one, but a series of million-dollar, "Lawrence of Arabia"-style epics with no happy endings, only new beginnings. But special effects and the ability to realize fantasy worlds have become almost limitless, so a TS film would be at least possible to do. People have also shown an appetite for Tolkien, if LOTR's success is anything to go by, so it's not like a film would be a total flop. It may seem like an impossible task, but with the right team and family of hard-working film wizards, anything is manageable.
I guess I can see why Christopher Tolkien is reluctant to allow a "Silmarillion" movie. I mean, this is his father's baby, his life's work, his ninth symphony. This would have to be a MAGNIFICENT series (yes, Capitals!!!) to be able to sit right and please everyone, but it's not like it's impossible. More like miracle-working. This would have to top the "Lord of the Rings" film trilogy, or we risk disturbing J.R.R's rest. May the Valar be with us.
I think Christopher Tolkien is an upstanding sort of Oxford professor for bringing his father's apparent main life work into public view. Whatever he thinks to do with the Silmarillion should be his affair (This month he will be turning 90).
ReplyDeleteAs for future Tolkiens who may be guardians of his estate, I hope that, the Silmarillion being what I would argue is the fantasy field's most influential work's background material, they will see the opportunity to introduce this kind of more heavy fantasy to the non-literarily oriented fans of the current wave of PJ movie popularity, and take more of J.R.R. Tolkien's imaginary world into ken of the general public. I really don't think Peter Jackson gets enough credit for the effort (and expense!) he took to bring Middle Earth to global theaters with more beauty and accuracy of Tolkien imagery than anybody really had a right to expect.
I imagine a series of about 8 films made in the Jackson format, probably with a good number of different directors, to be released over a period of about a decade:
Part 1: Revolt of the Noldor
A whirlwind tour of the making of Arda, from the Music of the Ainur, to the tens of thousands of years of work (if translated to years of the Sun) before the Spring of Arda and fall of the Lamps, to the coming of the 144 "Adamic" elves, to the Chaining of Melkor. Then the main story line from creation of the Silmarills till the elves drive Melkor's forces to Thangorodrim, and ending with a cut to Morgoth "mortalizing" men at the old Ormal site.
Part 2: Beren and Luthien
Self-explanatory
Parts 3 through 5: the Hurin-Huor-Turin-Tuor movies
Apportionment amoung the 3 parts to be worked out (I'm just now reading The Children of Hurin).
Part 6: The War of Wrath
Earendil. Ends with Eonwe judging the Belerianders, the awarding of Numinor, and the mis-apprehension of Sauron.
Part 7: The fall of Numinor
Starts with the forging of the Rings of Power, ends with the reshaping of Arda and the establishment of Gondor as chief power.
Part 8: The Last Alliance
Self-explanatory.
I find that the imagery my own imagination conjures up while reading Tolkien is pretty different from Jackson's, but the overall atmosphere of the films is very respectful to the books, as reverent as can be expected of a million-dollar franchise. And that's an interesting structure you have put together for a Silmarillion film series, I really can't see any other way of doing it.
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